promise kept

Sometimes when I pray I can't seem to put into words what I am feeling or asking for when I bow my head. So the cure for me is to write my prayers.

In January, we were going through some rough times and during those times I would write down my prayers, my thoughts and some Bible verses that seemed to speak to me. 

On one particular day while in Texas visiting our son, I wrote down this verse

I call on the Lord in my distress and he answers me. Save me, O Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.   Psalms 120:1-2

I then wrote

Please keep Your promises Lord! 

That same day we drove to the Enchanted Rock State Park, located in south central Texas, to go hiking with our son.  Upon arriving we discovered that the park was full and the rangers had closed the gates but they were also giving out tickets instructing us to come back later in the afternoon when the park would not be so crowded. We almost decided to go home but decided to get some lunch and return.

We returned around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. The Preacher and our son headed up the rock. Since I had our dog, Porter, and he was not allowed on the rock itself, I began to hike the lower trails. 

After exploring the rock, the Preacher and our son began to follow another trail that was headed to the west when the Preacher looked up and saw this.

He didn't know what it was at first but then realized it was a rainbow around the sun. But you could only witness this when you were below these rocks. If you looked at the sun full on you could not see the rainbow.

After we had all came back together and were sitting around a table enjoying a BBQ meal at a local restaurant, the Preacher began to show me the pictures he had taken while hiking. He was very excited to show me the one of the rainbow around the sun.

As soon as I saw that rainbow I began to tear up because I had remembered my plea to the Lord –Please keep Your promises. I knew that this was a sign from the Lord. He was showing me, us, that He does not forget His promises. The Preacher didn't know what I had wrote. He didn't know my plea to the Lord, so I told him the story. We knew that whatever was going to happen He would be there for us. He was confirming to us that we are not alone in our darkest hours. 

P.S The Preacher looked it up and the phenomena that he witnessed is actually called a Sun Dog Rainbow.

stand firm

Have you ever felt like Satan was on your door-step and just wouldn't stop knocking, even pounding, on your door? 

One day, a year or so ago, we heard and saw what Satan was wanting to do to our family. The day after, I woke up feeling very depressed and felt like I couldn't get out of bed. I lay there praying, pleading, begging God to remove this from our family. I finally had enough, I needed to get my mind in a different place. So I decided to pick up my phone and check out Pinterest. I had to have something that was mindless. The very first picture on my Pinterest feed was this scripture -- (Don't tell me God can't use anything and everything, even a phone app.)

"You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you...do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you." 2 Chronicles 20:17

I knew this was His promise to me. I took that verse and wrote it on everything. I wrote it on my bathroom mirror so I would see it when I got up in the morning and when I went to bed at night. I wrote it on the blackboard that hangs in our home. I wrote it on a post-it note and put it on my computer so that I would see it while I worked. Daily I was reminding myself of His Word, His promise.

He also gave me the scripture in Ephesians 6 - Put on the full armor of God. I knew that is what He was telling me to do when He said to take up your positions. He was telling me to put on my armor which is His armor.

Also through this ordeal, the Lord gave me a word and that word was suddenly. I saw it in Bible verses. I heard it in teachings. I read it in books. This is one of the quotes that the Lord sent to me, 

"God says that He has already spoken to the right people. He has already lined up the healing, the freedom. It's going to happen suddenly." 

The word suddenly was all over the place and I knew that it was for us. And when the end came it felt like it ended suddenly!

We took up our positions. We continued to pray everyday. I dug deep into His 
Word. 

Looking back, I realize that the Lord answered my prayer, my pleading, my begging on that first day. He answered me suddenly with His Word - you will not have to fight this battle.

We also had others who were fighting for us through all of this. Many of our friends and family were praying hard right along with us. I saw and heard things that I know could only have been from God. 

A year later here we are. This battle is over. The Lord was, is and always will be victorious. 

I have learned so much about my faith and who He is and I will not stop praising Him, I will tell the world of this victory, and what mighty things He can do.

front door

"I am a homebody. There is nothing I like to do more than walk through my front door at the end of a long day and close it behind me. At home I am embraced by a little world of my own creativeness, surrounded by the things that I love, need, want, and find beautiful. That is what our homes are, after all -- our own personal worlds that we have made for ourselves."   - Leslie Williamson

whiter than snow

For the last couple of days the trees have just been so beautiful encased in their icy, snowy cocoons. This scripture comes to my mind whenever I look upon the pine trees with their snow icing. 

why?

why?...

because....

"If the devil can kill you as a child, he will not have to deal with you as an adult"                                                              Dr. Ron Archer

feed my sheep

Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.                     John 21:17

Last month was Pastor Appreciation Month where we gave thanks and appreciation to the men who stand in the pulpits and minister to us, but today I would like to ask you to show your appreciation to those who Shepherd your congregation. They too are the pastors of your church. The word "pastor" has become a common title for those who oversee our churches, guide us spiritually and look after our souls. The origin of the word comes from the Latin pascere meaning to feed.

We have three awesome men who 'feed the sheep' of Yuma Christian Church and take their job very seriously. They want the best for the congregation. But this job isn't always the easiest. 

Like the Great Shepherd, they give their lives daily for those who have been given into their care. 

Jeremiah 3:15(KJV) says, "I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding."

Here are three ways to show your appreciation to your Shepherds: 

Be constant in prayer. 

1 Thessalonians 5:25(MSG), "Friends, keep your prayers for us."

Paul understood that even great men of God are human beings. Just like us, they sometimes find themselves weary, discouraged, confused, and vulnerable. Your Shepherds depend on your faithful prayers for them, their family, and their ministry. Be also in prayer for their wives. They can see and know the burden their husbands carry ministering to the congregation.

Be faithful to encourage.
Your Shepherds can and do get their encouragement from God, however, God often delivers that encouragement through our words and deeds.

Proverbs 12:25(KJV) "Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop; but a good word maketh it glad."

You can begin by going to your Shepherds and telling them thank you. Send a thank you card or maybe send them a gift. Take them out to eat after a church service or maybe give them a gift card to a local restaurant.

Be ready to lend a hand. 
Since we are a small congregation sometimes the bulk of the work is done by our Shepherds. Be ready to jump in and help. That might mean the physical upkeep of the building. If your not sure what can be done, don't be afraid to ask one of the Shepherds. I am sure they would love to have the extra help. 

Your Shepherds are a gift to you from God, placed in your church's life to teach, encourage, challenge, strengthen, and keep you growing spiritually. 

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13(MSG) "Friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!"

i can't wait for christmas!

The Preacher and I have never celebrated Halloween as a holiday. We just didn't feel like Halloween lent itself to celebrating Christian values. And when our son was born, we decided to continue with our convictions.

During the fall season, when he was 4 or 5 years old, he and I would go for a walks in our neighborhood. I homeschooled and we would often take these walks to help him clear his head. As we walked down the street we were noticing how many of the homes were decorated for Halloween.

There were faux gravestones, giant spiders with giant webs, ghosts made of white trash bags and orange lights strewn in the trees.

Our son asked me why we didn't have any decorations in our yard and why we didn't go trick-or-treating. I then proceeded to explain to him the conviction his dad and I had and I told him some of Halloween's origins in a way I thought my young son could understand.

After my explanation, our son was very quiet, he didn't say anything while we passed by a couple more houses, decked out in all their Halloween glory.

He then stopped and exclaimed, "I can't wait for Christmas!"

I believe there is something inside all of us that wants to celebrate something.

If you choose to celebrate Halloween, please be careful while walking from house to house trick-or-treating. 

If you choose to wait for Christmas, then have fun anticipating all the Christmas decorating, preparing the food, and giving the gifts.

Just what ever you do, be sure to have fun and give God the glory.

appreciating the preacher

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”                                    – Isaiah 6:8 

The Preacher read this passage almost 39 years ago and echoed what Isaiah said. "Here am I, send me". He heard His call and obeyed. After all these years. After all the victories for the Kingdom. After all the trials and the hardships. He still loves the work that the Lord called him to do.

He is my Preacher too and I couldn't imagine a life without him. 

empty chairs

The Preacher and I first experienced the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, in October of 1995. Our son was 6 months old when we first attended.

We sat in hard plastic chairs under big circus-type tents. For three days we were held spellbound listening to storytellers telling Jack tales, folk-lore, personal stories of their families, stories of mythological creatures that hide under bridges in dark forests.

We were hooked. The Preacher and I decided we would not miss one year ever again.

We went home and began to spread the word – "There's this storytelling festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, you have to come with us!" We told our friends and we told our families. We told any one who would listen. We invited them all to come and sit with us under the tents and listen.

Eventually they did! Each year during the first weekend of October, we had friends or family members joining us on a three day adventure. We loved seeing their excitement upon discovering this storytelling thing.

This year we traveled to the small town of Jonesborough to experience it again. On the first day I was sitting in one of the same hard plastic chairs that I had sat upon 23 years ago and I looked around. The hour of storytelling had not yet begun. People were still arriving, slowly moving about trying to find the perfect seat. My row of seats were still empty. In my mind's eye I could see everyone who had shared this festival with us. I saw them, as if they were sitting right there with me. It was a bittersweet moment. I began to miss them all:

Hank & Alice Smith, Lula Mae Kuhn, Grandma Joan Smith, Brenda Beiter, Aimee Beiter, Michelle & Greg Bontrager, Michelle & J.D. Richards, Jennifer & David Ward, Samuel Smith, J.Keith, Jennifer & Jonah Smith, Tim Johnson

Some of these friends and family members have gone on to be with the Lord, some have moved away and we haven't seen them in a long time, some are in situations where it just isn't possible to join us.

This year we had the joy of introducing the festival to our dear friend, Bill Glover, and we were delighted to find out that the Preacher's preaching buddy, Tim Johnson, would be joining us again. 

We still tell people about the festival. We believe everyone should experience it at least once in their lifetime.

This has become more than just a festival to us. It has become a reunion. A reunion of friends, family, stories and memories.

I would like to close this post with a video of Kathryn Windham at the age of 92, closing out the 2010 Festival. Kathryn passed away in June of 2011. It's a little long, 15 minutes, but if you have time, please listen.

love me always

“Your goodness to me has been overwhelming. How tender you are, though I am often as tough as gristle. How patiently you have loved me since you made up your mind to love me always.”                                 ― Jan Karon, Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good: The New Mitford Novel

Happy Anniversary my love!

bridges, love and graffiti

The Bridges of Madison County, especially the Roseman Bridge, have taken on a new meaning for a lot of people. They are not just a by-gone mode of transportation over a river, they are a symbol of love due to the book, The Bridges of Madison County, published back in 1992.

It was a legendary love story of a forbidden love. And people now come far and wide to get a glimpse of the bridge where it all started. Some come to stand in front of the bridge, get down on one knee and declare their love and get engaged and even some get married there.

While walking through the bridges you see that people have left their mark. They have written their name and the name of the one they love on the beams of the bridges. I don't condone graffiti but I couldn't help, when reading some of them, but to smile knowing that they are declaring their love for all the world to see. I don't know Jim and Kerrie but on the date they wrote their names I know they loved each other.

I had to take some pictures of the 'love graffiti', I even found 'Jesus graffiti' and I took a picture of Olivia's graffiti. I thought Olivia's was just too cute not to share. Also there was one that talked about dancing in the rain. I thought it was very fitting for the Preacher and I. On the day we visited the bridges it was raining but we had a great time driving to each bridge and reading all of the love letters in each one.

The last picture is someone declaring that graffiti is wrong which I thought very funny.