Fresh Manna . . . | Caterpillars |

I'm reading a book called Forgotten God by Francis Chan. If you don't know about this book, it's focus is understanding more about the Holy Spirit. Owen, loves this book and is now repeating it for the 3rd time. (That's a big deal when you know that he doesn't care for reading.) Well, here's my fresh manna for the day...

(excerpt from pages 36 & 37)
Years ago, when a random thought came into my head, I decided to share it with my wife. "Have you ever wondered what caterpillars think about?" I asked. Not surprisingly, she said "No."

(image from www.scienceprojectlab.com)

I then proceeded to tell her about the confusion I imagined a caterpillar must experience. For all its caterpillar life, it crawls around a small patch of dirt and up and down a few plants. Then one day it takes a nap. A long nap. And then, what in the world must it go through its head when it wakes up to discover it can fly? What happened to its dirty, plump little worm body? What does it think when it sees its tiny new body and gorgeous wings?

(image from www.scienceprojectlab.com)

As believers, we ought to experience this same kind of astonishment when the Holy Spirit enters our bodies. We should be stunned in disbelief over becoming a "new creation" with the Spirit living in us. As the caterpillar finds its new ability to fly, we should be thrilled over our Spirit-empowered ability to live differently and faithfully. Isn't this what the Scripture speaks of? Isn't this what we've all been longing for?

(image from www.scienceprojectlab.com)

It really is an astounding truth that the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. He lives in me. I do not know what the Spirit will do or where He'll lead me each time I invite Him to guide me. But I am tired of living in a way that looks exactly like people who do not have the Holy Spirit of God living in them. I want to consistently live with an awareness of His strength. I want to be different today from what I was yesterday as the fruit of the Spirit becomes more manifest in me.

(image from www.scienceprojectlab.com)

I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit's leading on a daily basis. Christ said it is better for us that the Spirit came (John 14), and I want to live like I know that is true. I don't want to keep crawling when I have the ability to fly.

(image from www.scienceprojectlab.com)

|My Thoughts| Isn't it amazing to stop and think about how much God cares about a plump little worm and that He cares so much more for me! I also thought about how the transformation process probably isn't all that fun to go through. I'm sure the caterpillar didn't really see the point of the transformation before it began. For all he knows is life seems good "as is", it probably comes with discomfort, and this process seriously interrupts life as he knows it. However, if he didn't ever go through the discomfort of transformation, he would never get the chance to soar!

Fresh Manna | The Lord is Near |

At Outback we learned about seeking fresh manna each day. Fresh manna as your daily devotional and bible study which speaks to you personally, helps to teach you, helps you spiritually grow, and bring encouragement from God's heart to you. Here is my fresh manna from today and I hope you too are blessed by His revealing nature....

The Word says in Philippians 4:5-7 that “The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. I love the way that this scripture starts off….”The Lord is near”. What a wonderful statement that should powerfully affect the way we live each and every day – He is near – think about that for just a moment and let it soak into your spirit. Whatever your week involves, in all its busyness and crazy pace, the creator of the heavens and the earth is near!! Take comfort and claim that promise today and let that simple statement change the way you live today. Join me and others this week as we invite the King of Kings to move and transform lives.

My Birthday (33 Years of Me!)

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.)

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.

Front View


Back View


Living Room
| 19'8 x 16' |

(view one)


(view two)

Study
| 15'9 x 15' |

Dining Room
| 12' x 14' |


Breakfast Nook
| 10' x 13' |


Kitchen
| 14' x 15' |


Bonus Room
| 23' x 14' |


Master Bedroom
| 14' x 18' |

Master Bath

2nd Bedroom
| 11' x 11' |

3rd Bedroom
| 11' x 13' |

4th Bedroom
| 13'10 x 14'5 |

Weight Room or 5th Bedroom
| 13'10 x 14' |

Fresh Manna | Expectant Faith |

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.

Fresh Manna | God Speaks |

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 . . .

Learn More about Lincoln Village Ministries

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Maddie's Baptism

"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