God Knew. He Always Knows.

A precious thing happened to me after church yesterday. A sweet, beautiful woman came up from sitting behind me and said, "God told me to come and pray with you." She explained she understood English, but she didn't speak it well. She took my hand in hers and began to pray. We didn't discuss what to pray about. We didn't talk much at all. And, the most beautiful thing happened. She prayed over me in Spanish. The only word I understood was "corazon," which in Spanish means heart. This beautiful woman prayed Jesus heart for me. She hugged me after. Told me her name and went back to her family. All I could do was weep.

 

I loved being prayed over. I love praying with people. I love praying, although lately I don't always seem to have the words. What I especially loved about this prayer, outside of this sweet woman's obedience and how it blessed me, is it was such a beautiful picture of heaven. You see, in heaven, there is every tongue and every language. I'm certain I don't think of that often. My sweet Momma knows this personally. And Jesus, He died for every.single.one.of.us.

 

"... you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation." Rev. 5:9b (NIV)

This is Love ...

Lips Sealed

I'm thinking I might need this poster-size all over my house or at least on an index card on my bathroom mirror and perhaps one stuck on the dash in my car. Seriously. There are times I think I, and those precious souls around me, might benefit from my wearing a very large roll of tape on my arm as a bracelet, to tape my lips shut. God knew. He knew when He created us, we who are dust, that we would walk through times that try our spirits and the only and best way to walk through it was to walk WITH Him. Hand in hand. There are great things happening in our lives as this season begins. There are challenges and mountains, too. But, God is faithful. Always faithful. And, I am seeking Him, before I open my big mouth (most times, just being honest). Thankful in the moments when I am having a "anger flash," He is there to help me over the hump, increase my humility and truthfulness with myself and others, help me to have wisdom and insight to confess, forgive me and help me back up. God rocks!

Gratitude

Dear God, I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you for all the crazy amazing ways You have blessed us. Thank you for our refrigerator, that's big and super cold, cold enough to keep ice cream really solid versus soft serve and big enough that I can plan better meals and not go to the grocery store every other day. It rocks! Thank you for the water and ice in the door. Just an extra special touch You added. Thank you for the garbage disposal and dishwasher, things that make daily life just a wee easier. And, thank you we are not eating on paper plates anymore. Thank you for the kitchen in general. It is one of my favorite places in the whole house. :) Thank you for the washer and dryer that You provided us. They rock, may I now say. I love sitting on my bed folding and I love being able to do the laundry at my own pace. Thank you for all the space we are walking around in and just how amazing that is. Thank you for all the things on my "future house" list that You checked off. Thank you that the girls all love their bedrooms and having their own bed again. Thank you for the empty boxes that are being turned into a playhouse. What fun! And, thank you for the girls creativity and imagination. Oh, and thank you for all those awesome books we just unpacked. I love reading to the girls and I love that our smallest hasn't even read 1/2 of them. Thank you the girls were so excited they sat and read and laughed for an hour and for the precious moments I heard the marvelous middle reading out loud to our baby. Thank you for the trees and the shade they provide us. Thank you for the cool weather that's coming and a deck where we can sit outside and enjoy it. Thank you for the creative ideas for storing things. And, thank you for the ideas for projects that  are to come. Thank you for a home for my giant pumpkin that I've had for years and never taken out of the box. It looks awesome in the yard. You know how much I love Fall. Such a gift! Thank you for the lawn tools/mower you provided the money for by providing a buyer for the riding lawn mower. Thank you for your provision for the cost of last weekend's trip and fixing the extra refrigerator to sell by providing a buyer for that work-out unit. And, the crazy thing is, it's another example of Your perfect timing since we've tried for years to sell both of those things. You knew we'd need them now. Thank you in advance for all the ways you will provide for the other things we need and even some of the things we want. Thank you for the ways you will move mountains blocking our way and for the joy it gives me to watch. Thank you in the times it's not easy to wait, you help us with our ridiculous unbelief, like there has ever been a reason to doubt your goodness. Your promises are "yes and amen." Thank you that you are here in the good, the bad and sometimes ugly. Thank you that when we call on You, You are always there. Thank you that You make beautiful things out of dust. Crazy beautiful. It's amazing to me how much You love us. And Lord, in all honesty, even if we were still in the RV, it would still be amazing to me how much You love us. Thank you, again, God. Debra

James 1:27b

This morning, as I was reading in James, chapter 1, the ending of verse 27 struck me "... keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (NIV) "... keeping yourself free from the world's evil influence." (NCV) "... refusing to let the world corrupt you." (NLT) " Don't know why, but I've read over that. Maybe because my first reaction is to want to hide inside from all the ugly in the world. Protect my kids from it. Not be touched by it. But, Jesus didn't do that. Jesus was smack in the middle of the ugly, the evil, the diseased, the sinful, the corrupt, the broken. That's me without Him, by the way. And, here is the amazing thing, He was never influenced by it. Never. He was not changed by it. He didn't pick up ugly habits. He didn't go for the common. He didn't take the easy route. He didn't look like the world. He didn't act like the world either. He loved. He loves now. He was free of the world's evil influence. He was not, never polluted. How? How did He do that? He walked in the Spirit. He walked hand in hand with the Father. He never compromised. He loved. No trying to escape the ugly. The ugly is where He was needed, is needed. Never influenced by, but influencing. It's mind-boggling. It's wisdom and character and life that comes from the Source. The only Source.

 

Lord, make us more like you. Empower us by your Holy Spirit to love like You do. Help us to refuse the lie that is our culture, the world, and stand steadfast in truth. Keeping our eyes on You alone. Give us wisdom, discernment and protection from the evil and the demonic. Give us courage, boldness. Make us strong in our conviction and, Lord, help us to love the "ugly-beautiful." The ones right in front of our faces. The one's who need You, like we do. Help us to bring them to Your feet. To the Life that is to the full and real and only in You.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Simply breath-taking

"It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes

that should make you beautiful.

No, your beauty should come from within you -

the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit

that will never be destroyed and is very precious to God." 

1 Peter 3:3-4 (NCV)

 

Wise Words

 

 

"The danger with us is that we want to water down the things
 that Jesus says and make them mean something in accordance with
common sense; if it were only common sense,
it was not worth while for Him to say it."

 

--Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest

"Jesus was not a man who became the Word, but the eternal Word

who became a man. His very core nature is the Word of God.

And to reject or ignore what He says

 is to reject or ignore who He is."

--Francis Frangipane, "In Christ's Image Training"