Yesterday was a fabulous day! My friends and family lavished love on me through simple acts of kindness. Here were some of my presents...
1. A gazillion birthday wishes through Facebook, email, and calls. (And no, I'm not exaggerating.)
2. My girls picked out and installed a "God Loves You" sticker on my car without me knowing it. Now I get to drive around town with a big smiley face on my car. Ha! :)
3. Chocolate covered strawberries delivered to my door. Yummmmmy!!!! (Which reminded me to go eat one while I type.)
4. A sweet text from a friend reminding me about all the exciting changes that have happened in my life this year.
5. When I picked up the girls from school, I received this card which said "I love you mommy. PS: Please follow Maddie's directions for they will lead you to a birthday surprise!!!" If you've never had a 9 year old read you directions, that in itself is a surprise. The good news is we safely arrived at Maggie Moo's where Owen & better batter ice cream were waiting.
6. Later that night we went and ate "I Love Sushi" for Crunchy Shrimp Rolls (thanks Carrie for introducing me to those), soup, salad, and hot tea. Again, Yummmmmy!!!
7. And the Mardi Gras Birthday party will end with good friends and a grill out on the river this coming weekend. (Well, hopefully the grill and pontoon boat get along.)
Friday, August 13, 2010
We're ready to put our house up for sale! Here is the information, be sure to let your friends know & email with any questions.
Area: Whitesburg Estates (SW Huntsville) Space: 5 Bedroom, Study, Living Room, Bonus Room, Dining Room, Breakfast Nook, 3 1/2 Baths, Laundry Room, 2 Car Garage Square Footage: 3,500 School District: Chaffee, Whitesburg, Grissom Upgrades: Hunter Douglas Shades & Custom Window Treatments Throughout, HD Home Theater Projection System w/88" Screen, 33 ft. of Custom Garage Cabinets, Sprinkler System, Spray Foam Insulation in Attic and Crawlspace.
Today's daily bread was found in 2 Kings 4. Elisha is doing his prophet duties and this position seems to include tons of travel. Since he continually visits the town of Shunem, a wealthy woman tells her husband that they need to make a guest room so that Elisha can be comfortable when he comes into town. (I think it's funny how much I can relate to this woman since I would let anyone and everyone live with me as one big happy family! Well, back to the story . . . ) Elisha is so grateful for her kindness he is willing to put in a good word with the King but she declines the offer. So, Gehazi (his apprentice) tells Elisha that she does not have a child and that if she had a child, that would bring her much joy. So Elisha tells the woman that she will have a baby by the next year and she begged Elisha not to joke with her about such a sensitive subject. But, true to his word, a baby arrived within the year.
Fast forward....this blessing baby soon grew into a boy and went out to the field to visit his daddy while he was working in the fields. When he was out in the fields the boy complained that his head was hurting so the daddy sent the boy back home to his mom. As the boy was held in his momma's arms he died. So this bold woman went and told Elisha that he needed to come with her and save her boy. Elisha did just that and the boy returned to his momma. Several years pass and Elisha warns this momma that she needed to get out of town because a famine was about to come upon the land so she takes her family and heads out. After seven years of being gone, the woman returns with her family to beg the King to give her back her home and her land. Just so happens that the King was talking with Gehazi about all the miracles that Elisha had preformed and was in the middle about telling the King about the boy, when who walks thought the door....the momma and the boy (who was now grown up). The King was so excited he gave the woman back everything that she had walked away from seven years earlier.
This story reminds me of what Lee & Leah's preacher said, "All things God works for the good of those who love him. (Romans 8:28) That doesn't mean that only good things happen but that God uses the good and the bad for his glory." I think of the boldness this woman had to tell her husband to scoot over cause they were making room for Elisha to come visit. I smile at the joy which resulted from her boldness of having a precious baby. Then I think of the pain she must have felt as she held her little boy in her arms as he suffered in pain and died in her arms. Then I think about how she was a woman on a mission to find Elisha to make him come to help her dead little boy. I think of the helplessness that she must have felt as she fell on the ground worn out from stress as Elisha was with the boy behind close doors. Then finally the indescribable joy that took over her body as she ran to hold the boy who was once dead and then was brought back to life. Had it not been for the ups and downs in her live, the King would not have been talking about her that day. In fact, she was a testimony to God's amazing power because she lived in expectant faith.
One of the final moments with Jesus is captured in Matthew 28. The last words he spoke to us are found there . . . Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Owen and I have been on a spiritual journey for the past several months. God has revealed Himself in so many ways. Through this journey, we have been lead to move our family from the safety of what we know to the inner city in order to be a bright light shinning on a hill. Since I'm sharing my story with so many people, I've decided to write down every time we've seen God at work so that you don't miss a single step of the process. Each detail, one after the other, is being shared to reveal God's glory.
Our story first begins with the stirring of Mark Sterns . . .
Note: If you've not already done so, I invite you to subscribe to this blog. Through this avenue, we will humbly share with you how God is actively speaking.
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
I guess you could say I've been on a "Faith Walk" this year, although it is probably better defined as a "Faith Journey". I am thankful to have a small group of us reading through the Bible chronologically and I am humbled to say that God's presence has been all around me as I've been in this study. I've seen things occur that could only have happen through God's timing.
With this study, I guess I've started to realize that my perception of God has been skewed. I assumed because I lived as a Christian that my life would be blessed and I could avoid the seasons of sorrow. The more I re-read through the bible, the more I realize that I can't find an example of a Jesus follower that did not experience major sorrow. Adam's son was killed, Abraham longed for a son, Jacob was sold as a slave, Moses didn't get to enter the promise land, David was chased by Saul, and the stories go on and on. Yet, these men were loved dearly by God. Then I read this scripture again that says "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.Arighteousman may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;" Psalm 34:17-19
As I've wrestled with this concept, I was once again blown away with God's timing. This article written by Rich Searns, the President of World Vision arrived in my mailbox today and I just had to share it...
Since the devastating earthquake in Haiti, who of us has not asked the question, “Where was God?” The sudden deaths of so many innocent people and the staggering human suffering that persists seem to mock the very notion of a loving God. Where is God in Haiti?
There was another time that God was mocked in the face of suffering and evil. It happened on Calvary as Jesus Christ, God’s own son, was spat upon, beaten, and hanged on a cross. And people asked, where was God then? If he was God, why didn’t he save himself?
God had another way. On that cross, Jesus faced all the evil that ever was or ever would be. He took upon himself the sins of mankind, the evils of injustice, the pain of suffering and loss, the brokenness of the world. He felt every pain and took every punishment for every person who would ever live.
Where is God in Haiti? Christ is not distant from us in our times of suffering. He lies crushed under the weight of concrete walls. He lies wounded in the street with his legs broken. He walks homeless and hungry through the camps. He weeps uncontrollably over the child he has lost.
Where is God in Haiti? He hangs bloody on the cross: “A man of sorrows, and familiar with our suffering” (Isaiah 53:3).
“But where is hope?” we might ask. Here, alas, we need to see something not easily seen from human perspective. We, not God, are trapped in time. We, not God, see only in part and cannot yet see the whole. We, not God, must wait for that day when “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
We live in the not yet, but God sees the already. We see today and yesterday, not tomorrow - God sees all three at once. In Him, those who are crushed in Haiti are alive already. In Him, those who are orphaned in Haiti are reunited with family already. In Him, those broken in Haiti are healed already. In Him, those grieving in Haiti rejoice already. Jesus Christ is "before all things, and in Him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:17)
He is no distant God who turns His back on us. He is the God who "so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). He is God, who shed His own blood for us.
What then must we do? Unlike God, we live in the time between the already and not yet, and we must wait until then. Until then, we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. Until then, we are called to comfort the afflicted; give food to the hungry and water to the thirsty. Until then, we are to shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, and grieve with the grieving. Until then, we are to care for the widow, the orphan, the alien, and the stranger.
We are to let our light so shine before others that they might see our good deeds and give glory to our Father in heaven. Until then, as the apostle Paul wrote, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors … as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Until then, we must show forth God’s deep love for Haiti.
My Little Mo is now 5 years old. With this new found "age" is a new found "temper" and the girl can be PASSIONATE when she is mad! (I must admit, that passion probably comes from me.) We've had a problem with using physical force to help relieve her anger. Today the wall took a beating when she threw the microphone stand against it. We've tried many punishments but none of them have solved the problem so we held a family meeting to determine the next course of action. Morgan, Uncle Ricky, Aunt Carrie, Owen, and myself were all involved in the incident so we all had input. Taking frogs (her favorite stuffed animal) is effective but it is pure torture for us parents. Needless to say, that course of action was ruled out. We all decided that an extensive amount of time in her room away from tv, computer, friends, microphone stands, etc. would help her realize you must be nice for people to want to be around you. Now....fast forward to bedtime......
Snuggling with Morgan before bed she tells me that she prayed to God asking Him to help her next time when she got upset. She wanted help to walk way and go to the exercise room instead of throwing something. I asked her if she would like me to read a few things that the Bible said about being angry & she said yes. When we were done reading, Morgan cuddled her frogs and with big alligator tears in her eyes she asked "Mom, do you ever make accidents?" I replied with tears in my eyes "Oh yes baby love, we all make accidents. That is why Jesus died for us because everyone make accidents. The best part is when we say we're sorry, Jesus gives us a new day and a fresh start. He loves us and forgives us no matter how many times we have accidents." It is amazing and humbling occasion to see a child's heart be changed by the Holy Spirit and the love of God. This is the last scripture we read during our time together...
"But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Here there is no conflict with the law."
All things God works for the good of those who love him. 
