Waiting for Callie Faith

I'm waiting.....waiting for the birth of my first great granddaughter. Yes, you read correctly, great granddaughter. And lest you think I'm not old enough...I'm NOT!!!! But at 57, despite my own hopes and dreams for my precious 19 year old granddaughter, Sarah, I WILL be a great grandmother soon, as you can tell from this picture of Sarah and her husband, Todd, taken when they visited us in Colorado recently.

Do you want to know my first reaction when I heard the news last December? No!!! No!!!! Not a third generation of a teen aged mom in our family!!!! This was not my plan. This was not my dream. In fact, I'd often thought this would be my worst nightmare. But, God had other plans......

A dear friend called me the next morning, after I'd heard the news from Sarah, to give me hope from God's Word.

2 Chronicles 20:3 "And Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the Lord..."

2 Chronicles 20:12 "For we are powerless before this great multitude....but our eyes are on Thee."

2 Chronicles 2:15 "..thus the Lord says to you, 'Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's."

2 Chronicles 2:20 "...put your trust in the Lord your God, and you will be established."

Since that moment, about 8months ago, my heart has indeed been established and my eyes have been set on my God. I realized that I am not here on this earth so that my plans and purposes for my children and grandchildren will be realized, but I am here to bring glory to my God and for His plans and purposes to be fully realized. I'm not here to live happily ever after, but to be holy. I'm not here to build my kingdom, but His. I'm not here to seek my way, but His. And I can do that as a wife, as mother, as a grandmother and yes, even as a way-too-young great grandmother!! And glorify Him I will! I fully intend to point them all to the Light, Jesus Christ, and to say, "Hey, guys, the Light is this way...follow me!!"

Any day now another generation will be born in to our family. Callie Faith's life will begin. Oh, Lord may she seek You with all of her heart and mind and soul and may she find You, because nothing else really matters. I am praying that she will be a woman after God's own heart, whose trust is in her God.

Great Retreat in Palacios

Just returned from speaking at a retreat in Palacios Texas for First United Methodist Church of Lake Jackson, Texas. Seventy women gathered and we had a great time. God poured Himself out and answered my prayers for each woman to leave with life changing truth in her heart. This was the second retreat I've done for this group of women and it was like speaking to a room full of friends. Many women gathered this morning to share what God had done during our 3 days together and 2 women shared how God used the messages this weekend to save their marriages! I was humbled and stunned! Another woman said that she will leave knowing Jesus is in her heart, another said that she'd struggled with something for several months but that God worked in her heart this weekend to convict her, to free her and that she feels like a new person! Other comments were testimony to the fact that God was at work this weekend in big ways.
It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord uses us, His frail vessels, to bring glory to Himself and to accomplish His will in the world. No special talents are required, no degrees preferred, there are no physical requirements to be met, no age restrictions, no auditions will weed the unwanted out, no experience necessary, no past record of perfection required, failures are welcome, in fact, God seems to relish using the rejects of this world to display His glory and to "participate in the divine nature". All He asks is that we are willing, that we surrender and that we trust Him. I long for irrevocable, absolute surrender in my life. That is not my longing only for speaking but for loving, respecting and honoring my husband, loving and serving others....in every area of my life I want His perfect will and for His Spirit to have full access to me. Oh that I would get out of the Lord's way and let Him have His way with me, in me and through me!!! Oh for more of You, Lord and less of me.

God's Provisions

We had a great Christmas vacation in Colorado with our son, wife and three children! No wonder God gives children to younger people. Whew! I have no idea how my precious daughter in law does it. One 6 year old son and 2 little ones under 18 months old requires nonstop work on her part and she does it all with a smile and joy. Mountains of clothes to wash, food to cook (they are ALWAYS hungry for "bites" as she calls it, which means that our 18 month old grandson shouts, "Bites, now!!!" when he is hungry!), someone always needs a diaper changed or a nose wiped and she stands ready and willing at all times to do what it takes to provide for those children. You should have seen their Suburban loaded down with supplies when they arrived!!! That was hilarious. Toys, clothes, food, diapers, beds, blankets, bottles.....truly amazing. How did they get all of that stuff into that car and still find room for the kids! Those children have never missed a meal, a hug or a been denied one single thing they needed. All the provisions were made in advance to meet any and every need they might have.
God is that way and yet how often I forget. He is my father and has committed Himself to me through His covenant and the blood of Jesus Christ to never leave me or forsake me. He calls Himself my father and as such is guaranteeing me that He will love, protect and provide for me, not just for 18 years, but for eternity. He's covered all the bases and has taken care of all the provisions to "raise me" in Christ. Why then should I fret and worry? How silly it would be for my precious grandchildren to whine, cry and fret in the morning about whether or not they were going to get to eat dinner later that evening! That would be ridiculous. Yet, I do that with my Father, wondering and worrying about how certain things will work out or if there will be provisions for my needs. My Father God has, does and will take care of every single thing for me in Christ, all He has asked of me is that I love Him, trust Him and obey Him.
Oh Lord, may I live by faith. Teach me that all important life lesson. It is impossible to please You without faith. May I live by faith in Your provisions as a good child.

My Son is engaged!!!!!!!!!!!!

My precious son asked his darling girlfriend to be his wife today......AND he asked her in front of her parents and my husband and me!!! What an amazing joy that was!! God has answered my prayers for a godly wife for my son. What a joy to share this moment and to have this precious woman for our daugther. Welcome to our family, Lainey. I thank God for you.

God is a Walker

God loves to walk. And not just for exercise either! He walked with Adam and Eve "in the cool of the evening", Genesis 3:8. Just reading those words always makes me want to let out an audible "Ahhhhh....". Imagine walking with God, did they laugh? Did God explain things to them?? Or did they just enjoy each other's company? We'll never know for sure, but we do know this much, sin stopped those walks and hiding from God took the place of walking with God.
But God so loved us, so wanted to be with us, so wanted to walk with us that He sent His one and only Son that whosoever believed in Him might be able to walk with God forever. Jesus was born to take away the sin of the world and to reunite us with our Father, our Creator, the maker and lover of our souls.
Do you walk with God or do you hide from God? When was the last time you spoke to Him first thing in the morning asking Him what He'd like to do in you, through you and with you that day? When was the last time you sought His advice, enjoyed His company, thanked Him for who He is or just cried out in despair to Him?
I've had a dead line on a writing project. With the holidays and with some family issues this deadline has caused me a lot of stress! But while it has caused stress it has also brought me closer to my Lord. Knowing that I cannot accomplish this project in my own strength I have turned to Him in my heart and mind as I talk to Him in prayer constantly. I have not enjoyed the stress but I have enjoyed being closer to Him.
A couple of days ago the deadline was extended. "Yippee!!!", was my first reaction. Joy and enthusiasm were my first feelings yesterday when I awoke. "I have so many things that I can take care of today! I can even visit some family and friends now that I'm not chained to the computer", I thought. And I did have a great day!! But at the end of the day I realized that I'd not walked with my Lord as closely. The reason? I didn't need Him.
Matthew 1:23, "See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated "God is with us". Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth, Immanuel. God is not content to be with us intermittently, He was to be with us 24 hours a day 7 days a week. He's crazy about us! He "dwells" in us through His Spirit and will never leave us or forsake us. Yet how often do I forsake and leave Him?
Oh, God thank You for the gift of Jesus. Thank You that I can walk with You, dwell with You and enjoy You. Keep my wandering heart knit to Yours.

Becoming an After

I just saw my friend's pictures...her before picture from a year ago and today's picture!! She's lost about 70 pounds this year and I'm so proud of her. Her secret? Just one day at a time doing the right thing.
I so love the "quick fix"...quick is so much easier than slow! I think that is why so few of us grow in Christ. We want quick and easy, but it is the slow steady growth in faith, day after day, that produces the greatest results.
Most of us have put our faith in Jesus for eternal life and we believe that one day we will breath one last ragged breath and be ferried across the great chasm of death to the other side where this life ends and eternity begins. And we also believe that God will somehow gather the ashes of our bodies, the disintegrated, rotted or non-existent particles of ourselves and from that produce a glorified body like His own.
Yet few of us trust Him and believe in Him for our everyday life. Few of us believe Him during the trials, the confusion, the pain, but we must understand that "without faith it is impossible to please Him." Hebrews 11:6
When I finally appear before Him and see Him face to face I want so badly to be an "after", looking much more like Him than I did before I put my faith in Him. I have to admit that I am at a point in my walk with Him where I am struggling. He is teaching me new things and I'll just say right now that old dogs do not learn new tricks easily! While I do not know what He is doing, why He is doing it or when He will finish this new work in me, I do know Who and how it will get done....God through His Spirit, by faith. And each day that I stick to His path, His way, His will, His truth I will be that much closer to eventually becoming an "after" in Christ.

Marathon Mentality

Marathon Mentality The Lord is teaching me the value of endurance. I must admit that for most of my life I either quit what I started or more often than not I wouldn't even try believing that failure was certain. For example, in the past if I had more failed days than success days I would just give up the diet altogether. The same held true for my spiritual walk. Once I decided to read the Bible in a year I would give up entirely once I got a few days behind. Giving up when I failed or things became too difficult was so much easier than enduring through the failures and trials. But, according to James 1: 2-4, perfection is obtained not by a lack of failure, but by enduring in spite of the failures. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Have you made a goal this year, whether spiritually or in another area of your life? Endure, my friend, endure. Stay in the race, stick to it no matter what your failures, no matter what your set backs, no matter what your obstacles, no matter how you feel and this time next year you will be further down the road than you are right now. My son is an athlete, a runner to be specific. He trained most of 2007 for his first marathon. For months he endured rain, cold, heat, humidity, sickness, injuries and in spite of everything he continued to run, never quitting. Two days before the race we were together and as we were discussing the race I said, “David, I hear it is supposed to be really rainy and cold for the race. Are you bummed out?”I will never forget what he said with clear determination, “Mom, I didn’t train for the weather, I trained for the race.” I stared back at him as I pondered that profound truth. In other words, he gave no consideration to the weather, to his comfort, to his health or to any other thing…he had just one goal: run the race and finish the race no matter what. I have determined to run the race God has set before me with endurance and my goal is simple: keep running until I finish the race, until I see His face and until I hear those words, “Well done good and faithful servant.”