I had the incredible priviledge of sharing a part of my life's journey with a group of women at our church tonight. I have been attending this monthly gathering since it started last fall and have been so blessed by each woman who has shared her story.
God is overwhelming me with his faithfulness and love right now. As I reflected back over my life in preparation for tonight, words can not effectively express how awesome he is. I feel so fortunate to be a part of what he is doing.
Thank you ladies of The Grove Church for sharing life with me. Thank you ladies from CFC and CDF for sharing life with me. Thank you Leverett Elementary moms for sharing life with me. And to all the other ladies who have touched my life, you know who you are, thank you for sharing life with me. Thank you that we can laugh together. Pray together. Sing together. Cry together. Thank you that we can sharpen each other. Encourage each other. Support each other.
Thank you God for loving through me and loving me through others. Thank you for speaking directly to me and for giving me the courage and strength to respond to your voice.
I closed our time tonight with the following.
God breathed life into me. I am created to mirror his image. His love is pure and perfect and he wants to lavish that love on me. I have to make a conscious choice to accept it.
One day at a time...one hour at a time...one moment at a time.
And what about all the mistakes I have made seeking love and acceptance from mankind? What about the mistakes that are still to come?
The answer is...
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
"Thank You" by Ray Boltz. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lVzeS5i8WQ&feature=related
Monday, April 23, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Where does the time go?
Where does the time go? In 3 short weeks Tyrone will be finished with his first academic year at the University of Arkansas. In 4 short weeks Maiesha will be finished with preschool. In 5 short weeks Jeremiah will be finished with first grade. At the end of those 5 weeks we will fly to South Carolina to see friends and family - many for the first time in nearly 2 years. My how our lives have changed in those 2 years.
I am so thankful to have this time to be at home full-time with my family. It was a real stretch when God made it clear that we were moving the Arkansas and that I would be without a job - outside our home that is. It has been a real challenge to be obedient to his call to "just" stay home, but I am so overwhelmed by his faithfulness and provision through this time. I have been recalling my theme verse for this time of transition as I near the end of a full year at home. Nehemiah 6:3 "I am carrying on a good work and cannot come down."
Tyrone left Monday morning for a conference in Indianapolis. He will fly home late tonight and we are all very excited to have him back home. It has been a great week inspite of his physical absence. We have spent some quality time talking on the phone and on Skype so we can all see each other. I get kinda worked up before he travels thinking about having to take care of everything and everyone on my own, but I just take a deep breath and trust God to give me what I need to be the wife and mom my family needs.
Monday night He provided an evening out with a new friend while her husband volunteered, yes it was all his idea, to babysit for our 5 children. What a blessing and awesome treat!
Yesterday was a busy morning and afternoon so once we picked Jeremiah up from school we came straight home to crash. We ate an early dinner and walked to the elementary school at the back of our neighborhood to play until almost bedtime. It was one of those events that I might have pictured in my mind before Lydia was born. I would often sit and daydream about how Jeremiah and Maiesha would handle being big brother and sister to a new baby. I just knew they would be fantastic. I could envision them being sweet and tender toward a baby. I could see them running and playing with a toddler.
Last night Jeremiah and Maiesha were playing on the "tornado" slide (that's what we called it growing up). They kind of wrestle their way down slowly laughing the whole way. Lydia had climbed up to join them. (She has learned quickly how to keep up so she doesn't miss anything.) She sat at the top of the slide watching them and smiling at their silly game. All of a sudden she decided she wanted to get in on the fun. She push off and down the slide she went to join the pile up. The three of them giggled all the way to the bottom and untangled their arms and legs only to run back and do it all over again. About a dozen more times to be exact. Jeremiah and Maiesha were back to the top before Lydia could hardly get her feet on the ground, but they waited for her and wanted her to be part of the action again and again. She would run the 15 feet from the bottom of the slide to the steps. I lifted her up to the second step to help her along. She was heavy breathing laughter the whole way. They would start the slow decent again and Lydia would wedge herself into the pile twisting and turning down the slide over and over. We shared a picture and the story with Tyrone so he didn't miss out completely.
Thank you, Lord, for giving me this time with my children. Thank you for providing for us so that I don't have to work outside our home. Continue to guide Tyrone and I as we raise them so they will see YOU in the way we choose to live our lives. Give them a hunger for you and an inexplainable joy that will remain constant through all of life's ups and downs. Help us to recognize each day our children really belong to you and we are simply asked to be good stewards of them until you call them home one day to be with you. Thank you that Jeremiah and Maiesha have already made the decision to follow you. I pray, in your perfect time, Lydia will make that decision too as soon as she understands that Jesus died to pay the penalty for her sins. Thank you for the joy of watching these 3 amazing children grow into the people you want them to be.
Thank you for your faithfulness and your unfailing love. In Jesus name, Amen.
I am so thankful to have this time to be at home full-time with my family. It was a real stretch when God made it clear that we were moving the Arkansas and that I would be without a job - outside our home that is. It has been a real challenge to be obedient to his call to "just" stay home, but I am so overwhelmed by his faithfulness and provision through this time. I have been recalling my theme verse for this time of transition as I near the end of a full year at home. Nehemiah 6:3 "I am carrying on a good work and cannot come down."
Tyrone left Monday morning for a conference in Indianapolis. He will fly home late tonight and we are all very excited to have him back home. It has been a great week inspite of his physical absence. We have spent some quality time talking on the phone and on Skype so we can all see each other. I get kinda worked up before he travels thinking about having to take care of everything and everyone on my own, but I just take a deep breath and trust God to give me what I need to be the wife and mom my family needs.
Monday night He provided an evening out with a new friend while her husband volunteered, yes it was all his idea, to babysit for our 5 children. What a blessing and awesome treat!
Yesterday was a busy morning and afternoon so once we picked Jeremiah up from school we came straight home to crash. We ate an early dinner and walked to the elementary school at the back of our neighborhood to play until almost bedtime. It was one of those events that I might have pictured in my mind before Lydia was born. I would often sit and daydream about how Jeremiah and Maiesha would handle being big brother and sister to a new baby. I just knew they would be fantastic. I could envision them being sweet and tender toward a baby. I could see them running and playing with a toddler.
Last night Jeremiah and Maiesha were playing on the "tornado" slide (that's what we called it growing up). They kind of wrestle their way down slowly laughing the whole way. Lydia had climbed up to join them. (She has learned quickly how to keep up so she doesn't miss anything.) She sat at the top of the slide watching them and smiling at their silly game. All of a sudden she decided she wanted to get in on the fun. She push off and down the slide she went to join the pile up. The three of them giggled all the way to the bottom and untangled their arms and legs only to run back and do it all over again. About a dozen more times to be exact. Jeremiah and Maiesha were back to the top before Lydia could hardly get her feet on the ground, but they waited for her and wanted her to be part of the action again and again. She would run the 15 feet from the bottom of the slide to the steps. I lifted her up to the second step to help her along. She was heavy breathing laughter the whole way. They would start the slow decent again and Lydia would wedge herself into the pile twisting and turning down the slide over and over. We shared a picture and the story with Tyrone so he didn't miss out completely.
Thank you, Lord, for giving me this time with my children. Thank you for providing for us so that I don't have to work outside our home. Continue to guide Tyrone and I as we raise them so they will see YOU in the way we choose to live our lives. Give them a hunger for you and an inexplainable joy that will remain constant through all of life's ups and downs. Help us to recognize each day our children really belong to you and we are simply asked to be good stewards of them until you call them home one day to be with you. Thank you that Jeremiah and Maiesha have already made the decision to follow you. I pray, in your perfect time, Lydia will make that decision too as soon as she understands that Jesus died to pay the penalty for her sins. Thank you for the joy of watching these 3 amazing children grow into the people you want them to be.
Thank you for your faithfulness and your unfailing love. In Jesus name, Amen.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Benevolent Heart
So one day last week I parked the van at Jeremiah's school so we could play on the playground after school. The girls and I walk over to where he waits to be picked up in the "car rider" line and Mrs. Putnam, his principal, stopped me. She asked if my ears were burning because she was just talking about me with another parent. I said, "uh oh" with a goofy grin on my face. She told me they were talking about how inspirational they think I am. I was a little embarrassed, but very touched. I said thank you and we chatted for another minute then we headed to the playground. As we walked, I briefly looked to heaven and said thank you God. I have been accused of being a few different things in my life, but to be called inspirational was extremely humbling and encouraging. That is what I want to be known as. I can't take any of the credit though - it is all God working though me. If anything, I can only take credit for listening to His voice and direction.
As some of you know, our family "adopted" another family at Jeremiah's elementary school. We provide one meal a week for them. We also try to include them in our lives by taking the mom and little boy to the library with us on Tuesday, having a playdate, etc. We are trying to forge a relationship with them to help meet physical needs and ultimately their spiritually needs. We have been doing this since the end of February and I would like to ask for your help now.
First, I would ask that you pray for God to give you a benevolent heart. That means a heart that desires to help others. "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done." (Proverbs 19:17 NIV) Our desire to help this family and other families like them was originally motivated out of pure obedience to God's call. It was awkward and uncomfortable, and sometimes it still is, but it is so very worth it.
Second, I would ask that you consider helping us meet some additional needs for this family. They do not have a car and they live in very horrible conditions. I would like to get the mom and dad some clothes and a gift card to a nice restaurant. I want to be able to provide them with a chauffeured date night. If you can spare a few dollars or could send a gift card, it would be awesome. However God might lead you to pitch in would be most appreciated. The daughter is in first grade with Jeremiah and the little boy is 3 years old. Please contact me if you would like to get our address.
Third, I would ask that you plug into your own community in some way. "Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered." (Proverbs 19:17 NIV) It doesn't take much to make a huge difference in someone else's life. A great big HUG and THANK YOU if you are already doing something to reach out. Please share that with me. We have a couple other families in our school who have agreed to help similar to what we are doing and I know some of the teachers reach out to their students as well. I will be speaking at our PTO meeting on May 8 to share our experience so far and give people more ideas about how they could get involved. We can meet physical, emotional, intelectual, and spiritual needs by just making ourselves available. Give a meal, read to your child's class, play with the kids at recess, show appreciation for a teacher or administrator, drop off non-perishable items/toiletries at the school, or volunteer for something. The possiblities are endless and I know God will exponentially multiple whatever we give out of love and obedience.
"For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ "(Matthew 25:42-45 NIV)
Thank you! for allowing God to move and work in your lives.
As some of you know, our family "adopted" another family at Jeremiah's elementary school. We provide one meal a week for them. We also try to include them in our lives by taking the mom and little boy to the library with us on Tuesday, having a playdate, etc. We are trying to forge a relationship with them to help meet physical needs and ultimately their spiritually needs. We have been doing this since the end of February and I would like to ask for your help now.
First, I would ask that you pray for God to give you a benevolent heart. That means a heart that desires to help others. "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done." (Proverbs 19:17 NIV) Our desire to help this family and other families like them was originally motivated out of pure obedience to God's call. It was awkward and uncomfortable, and sometimes it still is, but it is so very worth it.
Second, I would ask that you consider helping us meet some additional needs for this family. They do not have a car and they live in very horrible conditions. I would like to get the mom and dad some clothes and a gift card to a nice restaurant. I want to be able to provide them with a chauffeured date night. If you can spare a few dollars or could send a gift card, it would be awesome. However God might lead you to pitch in would be most appreciated. The daughter is in first grade with Jeremiah and the little boy is 3 years old. Please contact me if you would like to get our address.
Third, I would ask that you plug into your own community in some way. "Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered." (Proverbs 19:17 NIV) It doesn't take much to make a huge difference in someone else's life. A great big HUG and THANK YOU if you are already doing something to reach out. Please share that with me. We have a couple other families in our school who have agreed to help similar to what we are doing and I know some of the teachers reach out to their students as well. I will be speaking at our PTO meeting on May 8 to share our experience so far and give people more ideas about how they could get involved. We can meet physical, emotional, intelectual, and spiritual needs by just making ourselves available. Give a meal, read to your child's class, play with the kids at recess, show appreciation for a teacher or administrator, drop off non-perishable items/toiletries at the school, or volunteer for something. The possiblities are endless and I know God will exponentially multiple whatever we give out of love and obedience.
"For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ "(Matthew 25:42-45 NIV)
Thank you! for allowing God to move and work in your lives.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Liberty and Justice for All
...with liberty and justice for all. Does this really hold true for ALL people in our country today? Dare I say, I don't believe it does not and most likely it never will. We know it isn't true for many people around the world. That may sound terrible, but we live in an imperfect, fallen and sinful world. Even on my best day, bad thoughts race through my head or I allow mean, insensitive comments to fly out of my mouth. As I watch the story of Trayvon Martin's death unfold, I can't help but feel disappointed in our country and the way we treat one another - so quick to label anyone who looks different or doesn't measure up to our ideals.
I have met so many people who have experience a lack of liberty and justice. These are just a few of the most glaring circumstances I have witnesses.
*A frightened freshman college student who was physically, sexually, and emotionally abused her entire childhood. Pushed to the point of attempting suicide, she has since found her voice and healing through her writing talent.
*A high school senior who had to say a premature good-bye to her boyfriend who passed away a few weeks before graduation. Now as a young adult she must learn how to see the value in giving her best in the "insignificant" things of life to build strong relationships and use the gifts God has given her.
*A wife who must raise three children by herself because her husband left for another woman and lifestyle. Those young children, now adults, learning how to do life wondering why their daddy didn't want to be around.
*A woman run out of her job because of the "politics" that govern her workplace. Now she learns to trust God in her new "career" as wife, mom and volunteer.
*A little girl molested by a person her parents thought they could trust and her mother's grief wondering how she could have allowed such a thing to happen to her baby. Her struggle is with how to forgive this predator.
*A woman who celebrates her 100th birthday alone in an assisted living facility. Has her family forgotten her through the convenience of her "home"?
*A group of medical missionaries murdered in cold blood by terrorists who are threatened by their love and message. They died serving the God they loved and shared with the world.
Liberty is freedom. Justice is the admistering of deserved punishment or reward.
Since God is perfect his liberty and justice are perfect. He is the only one who can deliver pure, untarnished liberty and justice. His justice reigns for all eternity and we can find comfort in that through Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:23-25 NIV says, "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith."
God made a way. He sent his Son Jesus into this world. He lived a sinless life, overcame temptation, and chose to go to the cross for every person he created. He surrendered his perfect life in the most cruel and horrific of executions to pay the penalty we ALL deserve so that we can live in the presence of God for eternity. But the story doesn't end there. Jesus overcame the grave and defeated death and rose to life again proving that he is who he said he is. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NIV)
We don't have to earn it -we can't - we only have to accept this free gift and allow Jesus' righteousness to take the place of our sin. Now I am free to live the life God planned for me. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesian 2:8-10 NIV)
The world will continue to be a scary, unjust and cruel place as long as sin and satan are here. Praise the Lord! the end of the story is already written. We know Jesus has triumphed over evil! "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)
One day we will experience true liberty and justice for all.
"Amazing Grace (My chains are gone)" by Chris Tomlin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8YRapsaRfE
I have met so many people who have experience a lack of liberty and justice. These are just a few of the most glaring circumstances I have witnesses.
*A frightened freshman college student who was physically, sexually, and emotionally abused her entire childhood. Pushed to the point of attempting suicide, she has since found her voice and healing through her writing talent.
*A high school senior who had to say a premature good-bye to her boyfriend who passed away a few weeks before graduation. Now as a young adult she must learn how to see the value in giving her best in the "insignificant" things of life to build strong relationships and use the gifts God has given her.
*A wife who must raise three children by herself because her husband left for another woman and lifestyle. Those young children, now adults, learning how to do life wondering why their daddy didn't want to be around.
*A woman run out of her job because of the "politics" that govern her workplace. Now she learns to trust God in her new "career" as wife, mom and volunteer.
*A little girl molested by a person her parents thought they could trust and her mother's grief wondering how she could have allowed such a thing to happen to her baby. Her struggle is with how to forgive this predator.
*A woman who celebrates her 100th birthday alone in an assisted living facility. Has her family forgotten her through the convenience of her "home"?
*A group of medical missionaries murdered in cold blood by terrorists who are threatened by their love and message. They died serving the God they loved and shared with the world.
Liberty is freedom. Justice is the admistering of deserved punishment or reward.
Since God is perfect his liberty and justice are perfect. He is the only one who can deliver pure, untarnished liberty and justice. His justice reigns for all eternity and we can find comfort in that through Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:23-25 NIV says, "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith."
God made a way. He sent his Son Jesus into this world. He lived a sinless life, overcame temptation, and chose to go to the cross for every person he created. He surrendered his perfect life in the most cruel and horrific of executions to pay the penalty we ALL deserve so that we can live in the presence of God for eternity. But the story doesn't end there. Jesus overcame the grave and defeated death and rose to life again proving that he is who he said he is. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NIV)
We don't have to earn it -we can't - we only have to accept this free gift and allow Jesus' righteousness to take the place of our sin. Now I am free to live the life God planned for me. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesian 2:8-10 NIV)
The world will continue to be a scary, unjust and cruel place as long as sin and satan are here. Praise the Lord! the end of the story is already written. We know Jesus has triumphed over evil! "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)
One day we will experience true liberty and justice for all.
"Amazing Grace (My chains are gone)" by Chris Tomlin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8YRapsaRfE
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