ONLY GOD

My friend, Nancy's grandson, is doing much better today.  It has been a long grueling week of ups and downs, joys and sadness.  Aidan did suffer a stroke shortly after birth and does have some brain damage.  The Dr's don't know exactly what that will look like as he grows, but we know that God knows and we're trusting Him for His best.

Today Aidan is off of sedation, today he is seizure free, today he is free of most tubes, today he is breathing on his own, today he sucked from a bottle, today he had his first bath. Today is a glorious day.  Glory to God in the Highest!!!

In 2004, my friends Sarah and Nancy led a Women's Conference in Solgohachia, Arkansas. I was privileged to travel with them.  The theme of the conference was "FAITH is the Victory!"  Nancy wrote this poem and I hope she doesn't mind that I share.

Only God....

Only God can take....

     The most paralyzing crisis of life,

        Apply grace in abundance,

            And turn it into a supernatural encounter

                With the Most High God.

Only God can.....

      -turn darkness into light

      -sorrow into joy

      -fear into faith

      -mourning into celebration

His grace....

      Gives wisdom to the inexperienced

      Gives rest for the weary

      Gives hope to the brokenhearted

      Gives mercy, new each morning

               Always on time

               And ever sufficient.

She has lived out this poem this week and she has stayed strong in the Lord.  She has been the light in the darkness and strength to the weary.  And at all time in all ways she has given Glory to the one to whom all honor is given, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  

"I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together."  Psalm 34: 1 & 3

WAITING,TRUSTING AND HOPING

Today my dear friend waits in a hospital "waiting" room for test results and news on the condition of her newborn grandson.  Today she trusts in the One that created him and knit him together in his mother's womb. Today she hopes for the peace of the Lord that surpasses all understanding and His promises of holding her up with His mighty right hand.  

From "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young, March 12.

WAITING, TRUSTING, AND HOPING are intricately connected, like golden strands interwoven to form a strong chain.  trusting is the central strand,because it is the response from My children that I desire the most. Waiting and hoping embellish the central strand and strengthen the chain that connects you to Me. Waiting for Me to work, with your eyes on Me, is evidence that you really do trust Me.  If you mouth the words "I trust You" while anxiously trying to make things go your way, your words ring hollow.  Hoping is future-directed, connecting you to your inheritance in heaven.  However, the benefits of hope fall fully on you in the present.

    Because you are Mine, you don't just pass time in your waiting. You can wait expectantly, in hopeful trust.  Keep your "antennae" out to pick up even the faintest glimmer of My Presence."

"so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters withing the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. "  Hebrews 6:18-20

BITS AND PIECES

A rainy cold March Saturday. What to do?  Clean the home office!  It is a disaster and has been for months.  I am not only a pack rat but also a procrastinator and this was one chore I put off for way too long!  The upside is 

1. I have found the top of my desk, it's oak!
2. I have finished some long overdue record keeping
3. I found bits and pieces of papers with handwritten words to share :)

 Here's what I found:

"When you come to the pivotal points in your life, listen for God's direction. Become acquainted with His voice so that you will be able to distinguish the difference between His voice and your head. By hearing and obeying Him you will move closer to the destination He has preset for you and you will receive His abundant favor and grace."    Anonymous

"Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue; God's voice is its most essential part.  Listening to God's voice is the secret of the assurance that He will listen to mine." Andrew Murray

" The Lord didn't promise that life would be easy, but He did promise to go with you every step of the way. " Hallmark Reflections

I still have some more clutter to go through.  Can't wait to see what other bits and pieces I will find.

Be Blessed today!

15 MINUTES!!

Excellent advice from Christian author, Emilie Barnes:

"When I was 20 years old, my daughter was six months old.  We then took in my brother's three children, and soon I became pregnant with our son. That gave us five children under five years old! My life was all  work.  I was always tired.  I was fragmented, confused and stressed out. One day, I read Proverbs 3:6 "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths"  I fell to my knees and prayed, "Please, God, direct my path.  I'm on overload. I have no time for me or anyone else. Help me put it all together and make it work to glorify you. Amen."

God not only heard my prayer, He honored it. I began a program that changed my life. I committed 15 minutes each day to quiet time with the Lord. I read His Word and prayed.  Next I committed 15 minutes each day to organizing our home, concentrating on things I never seemed to get done.  After 30 days the pattern was set.  God was directing my path.

Our home changed dramatically.  Finally, I could truly understand the meaning of acknowledging God in all my ways. That meant looking to Him for help and comfort in everything -- family, home finances, commitments and careers."

What a great plan!  I've had the 15 minutes (actually 30 minutes) of quiet time in my morning routine for over 10 years.  It's amazing how that time with the Lord sets the pace of the day.  Now I'm ready to add the 15 minutes of organizing my home, specifically my home office.  AUGH!!! It is out of control and overwhelming.  I'm sure with only 15 minutes a day, I can make a HUGE difference in a week.  I'm excited to see what it looks like next Sunday.  I know this blog would be more interesting with pictures, but I am not willing to share a picture of this room.  Maybe next week after 15 minutes a day :)

Encouraging you to keep on keeping on!

OVERWHELMED BY GOD'S GRACE

I have a little handwritten note pinned to my cubicle at work that reads
"Choose to be overwhelmed by God's grace!" I see it every day, but honestly
don't think much about it. Today, not one, but two customers commented on my
little note saying how much they liked it. That made me stop and reflect.
Am I truly "overwhelmed" by God's grace?

As many of you know I teach a wonderful Sunday School Class made up of about
20 beautiful women over the age of 75. Yesterdays lesson was from
Deuteronomy 33:1-5; 34:1-12. God takes Moses (at age 120) to the top of Mount
Nebo to show him the Promised Land that he will not enter. While on the mountain

with God, Moses died and God buried His friend in a place unknown to anyone.
After the appropriate time of mourning Joshua stepped into Moses leadership role.
Moses had prepared Joshua for this position by mentoring him along the way for
the past 40 years.

The focus of the lesson was what Spiritual Legacy will we leave behind? It was very appropriate since this was also Youth Led Worship Sunday. We talked about the differences in generational worship. We talked about the inspiration of the enthusiasm of the youth in our church. We talked about our obligation to be a godly example to the younger generations.

We have a Church wide Ladies Retreat planned for the end of March and I was
encouraging these sweet ladies to come and be an example to the younger women.
We talked about the fact that many times we don't go to an event because we
don't think the subject matter will pertain to us. ANYTIME the Word of God
is taught or preached it is ALWAYS appropriate to us. God has a message for
us whenever His Word is spoken. His Word never comes back void. Part of
our Spiritual Legacy should be to show those younger that we will never
"retire" from learning God's Word. A legacy of obedience to seeking God's
will for every moment of our lives. A legacy of obedience until the day He calls
us home.

What does this have to do with my being "overwhelmed" by God's grace?
It is ONLY by God's grace that I could possibly stand in front of 20 senior
Christian Women and talk to them about the Scriptures. A sinner like me!
By God's grace I have been lifted up out of the miry pit and washed clean
by the blood of Jesus. By God's grace I have been set free from the bondage
of habitual sin. By God's grace I am a child of the King! By God's grace I am
SAVED!

YES, I AM OVERWHELMED BY GOD'S GRACE!!!!

"it is by grace you have been saved" Ephesians 2:5b

Carly's new blog to follow: http://rodriguezfamilyaustin.blogspot.com/

FRIENDSHIP MEANS CLOSENESS

To my dear friends...I love each and every one of you.  I miss those that are far away and I enjoy the sweet company of those nearby.  I want to share an excerpt from Beth Moore's Bible Study "James: Mercy Triumphs".

     "Friendship means closeness: One of the most common Hebrew words translated friend is rea.  It bears all the elements we imagine in friendship but can also mean neighbor.  In fact, when Jesus illustrated loving your neighbor with the story of the good Samaritan, He drew from Leviticus 18:10 where rea is translated "neighbor".

    Here we stumble on a big reason why our online and on-phone friendships can't offer the same satisfaction as the less-convenient face-to-face kind. The essence of close friendship is presence.

     What does all this have to do with befriending an invisible God?  Recall Exodus 33:11! "the LORD spoke with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend." Moses never literally saw that face (See Ex.33:23) but he came presence - to-presence with Him until his own face grew radiant. You and I are invited to come face-to-face or presence-to-presence with Christ, too, but that kind of intimacy only comes intentionally.

     Friendship with the world is vastly more convenient because we live on the crowded pinhead of its epicenter.  It's as close as our nearest billboard and shouts at us from our grocery-store checkout. It holds hands with us in the movies and eats with us in front of the TV.  It promises pleasure and often delivers.  So, no one who lives in this world is a friend of God accidentally.  We make a choice where we want to be most present.  A hard choice.

     Friendship means insider knowledge.  The unspeakably high privilege of friendship with God makes a person humble and friendship with the world makes a person proud.  The former He graces.  The latter He opposes. Can you think of anything in the world scarier than standing opposite of God?  Me neither."

     This week let's be intentional in developing our friendship with God.  Make time to spend time with Him.  Pray, read your Bible, engage in a Bible Study, listen to praise music. Friendship takes time and commitment.  I want to be a GOOD friend of God.

    "Be still and know that I am God"  Psalm 46:10

HE IS!

I bought the widely acclaimed devotional "Jesus is Calling" by Sarah Young for Carly, Candice and I for Christmas.  We are reading it each day "together".   I would like to share yesterday's devotion with all of you.

"Come to Me and rest.  I am all about you, to bless and restore.  Breathe Me in with each breath.  the way just ahead of you is very steep.  Slow down and cling tightly to My hand.  I am teaching you a difficult lesson, learned only by hardship.

Lift up empty hands of faith to receive my precious Presence. Light, Life, Joy, and Peace flow freely through this gift. When your focus turns away from Me, you grasp for other things. You drop the glowing gift of My Presence as you reach for lifeless ashes.  Return to Me; regain My Presence."

Matthew 11:28-29; 1 Timothy 2:8

I don't know what you are struggling with right now but I pray you would keep your focus on Him.  He is the light unto our path, He is the rock beneath our feet, He is quieter of storms.  He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, He is!