Ravens

I spent time with a new friend of mine today.

Anxiety had gotten the better of me today and I burst into tears in her kitchen.

She hugged me and began to pray for me.

She prayed for me and asked God to send the ravens.

The ravens are birds that came to Elijah in the middle of nowhere-ville and brought him meat and bread twice a day while he was hiding from a king and his wife that wanted him dead. 

That's kind of an unusual way to provide for someone.

But I don't mind unusual things, especially when they are yummy.

Then tonight on the radio I heard a woman talking about the ravens...AGAIN.

An obscure passage reference twice in the same day?  Really, nobody references these ravens.

Okay, God, I'm listening.

Perhaps the ravens are on their way already.

Do Not Be Afraid

I'm not afraid of a lot of things.

New situations don't scare me, change doesn't scare me, physical danger doesn't scare me.  I don't mind my kids climbing trees or learning how to shoot guns.  If my son wants to play football...that's fine.  If my daughters want to bungee jump...that's okay too.

In fact when I was 19 years old my dad and I tried very hard to get into East Berlin when there were riots going on.  He is probably my genetic link to danger and excitement.

I still regret that we were told we couldn't cross the border.

I've never seen a riot in person.

I like to think I am bulletproof.

But I'm not.

The things that scare me are far more insidious.

The creep of moral decay in our culture and what effect it will have on my children and grandchildren....THAT scares me.

A culture that is slowly turning against Christians...

FRIGHTENING.

The Biblical prophesy of Christians suffering...

YIKES!

Bitterness, regret and cynicism sneaking into my life...

TERRIFYING!

I worry about those things.

But do you know what God told me this morning?

He told me that all these things that I'm scared of could happen in my lifetime.

Christians could be persecuted in the United States

(They are being persecuted right now all over the world...if you don't believe me

check out http://www.persecution.com/public/restrictednations.aspx?clickfrom=bWFpbl9tZW51

it's an eye opener.

But in the same chapter that talks about persecution God says this:

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside of your Father's care.  And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don't be afraid; you are worth much more than sparrows."

God does not say that nothing bad will happen.

He says that when the bad things happen he will be right by your side caring for you.

Even in death or torture or hunger or complete terror...he is not gone.

He sees everything you are going through in this sad, sad world.

He does not look away or flinch.

He is well aware of what is going on down here and we weeps for us and is angry that everything has gone this far awry.

And one day he will come back and wipe all the tears from our eyes.

He will get rid of every evil thing...every evil thought...every evil action.

He will bring justice.

When it all ends (and it ends for everyone), he will be the face we see as we pass from this life to the next.

And then we will feel foolish for thinking he had forgotten us.

He'll tell us the numbers of hair on our heads if we would like to know that crazy thing.

He will have the answer because he know us so intimately.

He will have the answer as to why things went as they did in our lives.

And we won't be scared ever again.

Rock Verses Bread, Snake Verses Fish

I started reading through Matthew a few days ago.  

I like calling in The Gospel of St. Matthew in my head, it makes me feel more important somehow.

I read the first 12 verses of chapter 7 today.

Part of it talks about not judging others,

and that's always a good reminder.  Another part talks about seeing what you do wrong before you see what others do wrong.

Oh man....I don't really want to go there now, because last night all I caught a glimpse of how wrong I can be.  But I'm so self deceived in areas that I quickly piled that stuff under a bunch of mental pillows and suffocated it.

(Don't worry though, God has a way of bringing that kind of stuff to the surface again).

Today I was cut wide open to the heart when I read the section titled ASK, SEEK, KNOCK.

I know some of this applies to seeking God and salvation.  When you honestly seek God, you will find Him.  And when you knock He always opens the door.  He's a welcoming kind of fellow.

Well, I hope I'm not alone, but I spend a lot of my prayer life asking, asking, asking.

I'm at a point in my life right now that is incredibly difficult.

Some of what I have asked for has been denied or at the very least delayed.

And this question has sneaked into my mind:
Is God's plan to give me a bad life?

Because it seems like that right now.

Don't get me wrong, there are things in my life that are good, but the general trajectory of my life seems at best directionless and at worst on a hell bent on imploding or exploding...whichever comes first.

So I ask myself, "Is God giving me a rock when I ask for bread?
Is God giving me a snake to eat when I asked for Mahi Mahi?"

He says he won't.  He says that good earthly dad's don't even do that.  So why would a perfect heavenly dad do that bad thing?

Well, he says he will give us good gifts.

So I ask myself, "What am I not seeing?"
"Is this where I thank God for the "trials of many kinds"?"
(I'm sorry about that horrible punctuation).

Is God developing my character by testing my metal?

I find myself talking to God and saying, "Please give me bread and fish.  I'm so hungry for something good."

No doubt he will deliver at some point.
He says that's who he is...and God is not a man that he should lie.

Amen.

Laugh

Sometimes you just need a good laugh.

My daughters wrote this "newspaper" a few years ago and we cracked up when we read it.

Hope you enjoy it.

(I especially like the tax ad...where do they get this stuff)?

P.S. I know about rendering to Caesar.....sigh. 

Randomness Gazette

                Today will always be known as a grim day in history… we don’t know why but I’m sure something bad happened! Anyhow, happy birthday because it’s someone’s birthday today and merry Christmas, because that’s what it is somewhere in the world, and also happy Halloween, happy thanksgiving, happy Hanukah, good evening, good morning, good afternoon, good day, and mazel tav! And a few more happies, goods, and merries besides.

            Anywho, since your reading the randomness gazette, you may want to skip this section… it’s the random thing to do! Or you can read this boring story about a stupid girl who’s puppy is pink. But since we’re random as well, we may as well skip that part!

            Read on!

Advertisements that you may or may not want to read

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Need some geeks to fix your computer in a jiffy? We can do it! (but not in an actual jiffy, of course!) call Nerd Squad today!

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Art show this week. Please attend. :0

Need someone to engrave something on something for you?? Call us today! The engravers, © today or maybe yesterday but who cares!

Are your pants on fire because you’re such a liar? We’ll put’m out for you! The fire-putter-outers- call us today!

Do you like to brag? I love to brag! So come to the brag-a-thon! All the biggest braggers in town will be here! It’s gonna be sweet, dude!

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Smile and say cheese. Don’t ask.

i cant seem to figure out this darn puzzle out! Can you solve it?!!!

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The name’s Bob. If you want, I’ll fix your car. But only for a price… ten bucks. You willing to pay? Call me.

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Tired of getting mail every morning? Let us help you! We’ll burn your mailbox down! then you won’t have to get those sickening letters and bills every day!

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Rouwwereao! Rreoahoaore! Roughhh! - <3 Chewie

A Parent's Prayer

This morning I had to make a tough parental decision.

It was so tough that I have been dwelling on it and when I tried to pray I couldn't.

(I'm big on dwelling...it's both a strength and a weakness).

So here is my prayer that I can't seem to pray in my head...maybe it will come out better as I type it.

God, I love my daughter who is growing up fast.
I need wisdom to know when to let her go
and when to say no.

Keep her from people who would harm her.
Bless her attempts to serve you.
Show her...more than anything...that you are real and that you love her.

God, keep our relationship intact through the teen years.
And let the day come quickly when she says, "Thanks for being a good Mom."
Bless her with great friends and a clear path for her life.

God remind me that you love her more than I can comprehend.

Amen.

Grace and Peace

The more I seek out God the better he becomes.

Listen to this:

This is from the book of first Peter.

To God's chosen, exiles (or foreigners) in Asia, Galatia....

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

That's it, right there.  Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

IN ABUNDANCE.

That means a lot in case you didn't study your vocabulary in high school.

Why should we have grace and peace in abundance?

Life is hard...even when it's normal life.

Bills, relationships that can go wrong at any minute, a certain spinning of wheels that I seem to feel a lot.

Time ticking by slowly.  Stuff you have to do that seems to keep you from the really important stuff (i.e. cleaning your house, waiting at stoplights, shopping for major appliances, painting your house....I could go on and on).

And that's if you have a great life.

What if you have a bad life?  What if you have a terminal illness or can't make your house payment, or you are watching your child destroy their lives with drugs or maybe you don't even know where your kids are.

I just spoke with a woman yesterday who didn't know where one of her daughters was.

I can't even imagine that horrible thing.

Why should we have any peace at all, from where I sit, the world seems to be spinning out of control.

Peace and grace.

Well I guess the grace is easy for me to understand, we don't have grace because we can do anything about it.  We have grace because a loving God gives it to us when we ask for it.

He pours it out on us...the Bible says where sin abounds grace abounds all the more.

Grace passes up anything we can do because of God's great sacrifice of his son Jesus.

Okay, grace is a gift.

But peace....hmmmm...doesn't even seem wise to even think we could have peace.

But then again....if God is good enough to give us the life of his son so that we don't have to pay for our own sins...maybe we should have peace.

Because if he would give us his child...what wouldn't he give us?

Fearless

I've been reading Max Lucado's book Fearless.

It's very good.

I decided today to copy down an except from it.

This was a prayer of a 7 year old son of a Bible translator who lived in West Africa.

He prayed this prayer as he watched his house burn to the ground.

Through wind and rain

Through fire and lava

The Lord will never leave you.

Through earthquakes and floods

Through changing sea levels and burning ash

The Lord will never leave you.

If you love Him, He will bless you

and He will give you many things.

Who can stop the Lord?

Who can chase a cheetah across the plains of Africa?

The Lord, He can.

Who can stand on Mount Everest?

Who can face a rhinoceros?

The Lord.

The Lord can give you sheep and goats and cows 

and ducks and chickens and dogs and cats.

The Lord can give you anything He wants to.

Who can stop the Lord?

Who can face the elephant?

Who is brave enough to face a lion?

The Lord.

Who's as fast as a horse?

Who can catch a blue whale?

Who is brave enough to face a giant squid? 

The Lord.

Just as Jesus died on the cross, 

so the Lord has done so.

The Lord will never leave His people.

The Bible is His word.

The Lord is a good leader.

The Lord loves you.

And He will not forsake His people.

The end.

This boy saw God through the flames.

Amen. And amen.

What did you  Say?

You know I was taught when I was a little girl that sticks and stones could break my bones, but that words can never hurt me.

Well that's on of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

Because words can hurt you.

James says some stuff about the tongue.

He says it can steer your life.

And boy if that isn't true.

I've let some dooseys slip out of this mouth.  Doosey's that cost me friendships and strained relationships to the point of breaking.

But I've also said some really good things too.  A couple of times my words  have even brought happy tears.

So yes James, you are right.  The tongue is a very powerful thing both for good and for evil.

The End

The Rich are like Flowers

I love flowers.

My mother in law loves flowers too.

BUT she is a realist.

She prefers silk flower arrangements over real flowers.

Why?

Real flowers only last a few days.

Then they droop, and brown, and sometimes if you don't change the water that they sit in gets downright stinky.

James says that the rich are like flowers.

They come and go quickly..they fade even as they go about their business.

Well, being on the poor side of American life this make me feel a little superior....BUT...yep, this is a big but...I'm on the excessively wealthy side when it comes world economic standing and that make me feel quite humble.

God isn't against wealth, in the Old Testament wealth was a sign of God's favor.  And I certainly know many wealthy people who have done phenomenal things with their wealth.

I have, however, seen that wealth can steal hearts away from God.

And I think this is what God (via James) is getting at.

When we invest our life in the pursuit of wealth we fade even as we live.

But if we invest our life in pursuit of God and godly things our lives gain the weight of eternal glory.

Eternal things that will not fade.

It's good to know that this is not all there is.

Thanks James, thanks God. 

Ending Hebrews Beginning James

Today I started the book of James.

I used to hate this book.

It made me mad.

Right of the bat James is just full of fun (insert heavy sarcasm here).

He says to be joyful when you suffer...oh wait, his exact words are "consider it all a joy when you face trials of many kinds."  That's the second verse of the first chapter, so I used to pretty much stop there and think,

"James!!!!  You're crazy!!!!"

I used to get mad, because who wants to suffer?

As I grew up I realized suffering is not optional.

EVERYBODY suffers.

No one is exempt.

One must look life squarely in the eye, both feet firmly planted in reality and admit that fact.

So why should we be happy about it?

Well, James goes on to say some things that are beneficial things that happen to you when you suffer and you belong to God (go ahead and read it if you want).

And those things do not include becoming a bitter victim of life's hardships.

So here's how I see it:

A) You can suffer and think there's no real purpose, rhyme or reason to it (and you will suffer...like I said, it's guaranteed in this life).

or 

B) You can suffer and realize that God uses suffering for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (I didn't  make that up, it's in the Bible).

That's what James is getting at really.  

When we suffer, we grow.

We grow, we listen to God, we weed out what is of no value in this life and find out what does have value.

Suffering is a non-optional, not fun, sometimes heart wrenching thing.

But if it gets you closer to God and more helpful to humanity...bring it on.

(in small doses please)

However, not my will but God's be done. 

More in Heeeeeebrews 

Sometimes I read something that makes me leave my grown up mind and retreat into a very childlike world.

That happened today

Some of you know my favorite quote from C.S. Lewis.

"I find in myself desires that nothing in this world can satisfy,

the only logical conclusion is that I was made for another world."

You all know what this world can dish out.

There's a lot of good, but we'd have to be grossly dishonest to say this 

world only keeps more than just a thin membrane of "everything's alright" over the horror and

complete chaos on this planet.

So when I read this morning "In just a little he who is coming will not delay." I felt my heart melt just a little.

Because I want my Daddy to come get me and take me home.

So I will wait for the arrival of the one who will make everything right.

That will be a good day.

The Hebrews

I was reading in the book of Hebrews today. 

My maternal roots are in the Middle East, so I like to think that maybe at sometime my ancestors lived in the land Cannan.

It's possible.

The Hebrews were certainly unique when contrasted against other ancient Middle Eastern cultures.

They were as the Bible says, "a peculiar people"

I can relate to that.

I'm pretty peculiar sometimes.

But the Hebrews ended up with God telling them to build a very specific Temple.

The specifications were very precise.

The killed animals in that temple.

The blood of an animal would cover the sins of Israel for one year.

But every year the priest had to go into the Holy of Holies (a room with

the Ark of the Covenant in it...please see Raiders of the Lost Ark if you don't know what I'm talking about)

and kill another animal.

Hebrews (the book) explains that the animal sacrifices were a bloody picture of a final sacrifice to come.

You know who I'm talking about.

That very fabulous guy Jesus.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said, "Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world."

He said a mouthful that day.

Because he was right.  Jesus died and took away the sins of the world.

But unlike the annual sacrifice of the Hebrews, he only had to do it once.

Jesus is good like that.

And he can forgive you once too.

That's all it takes really, just ask him and he promises he'll do it.

Yep, he's good like that. 

Sometimes I'm pretty sure God hears me.  Sometimes I think he might be distracted by Facebook or texting.
(Not really God, I'm just kidding).  But sometimes my prayer seem to hit the ceiling and konk right back down on my head.

I used to feel inadequate when this happened.  Then I realized I just had to trust that God does indeed hear me.  Then I read the most depressing and delightful bit of scripture that I have seen in a long time.  It's in the book of Lamentations (which says enough in itself) and it's written by Jeremiah who is nicknamed the Weeping Prophet (I LOVE that nickname).

Here is what it says...he is talking about God.
Chapter 3
He has walled me in so I cannot escape; 

    he has weighed me down with chains. 
⁸ Even when I call out or cry for help, 
    he shuts out my prayer. 
⁹ He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
    he has made my paths crooked.

¹⁰ Like a bear lying in wait,
    like a lion in hiding, 
¹¹ he dragged me from the path and mangled me
    and left me without help.
¹² He drew his bow 
    and made me the target for his arrows.

(At this point I'm thinking lightening bolt...right?)

But here is where the rubber meets the road.

Verse 21

Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, 
    for his compassions never fail. 
²³ They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness. 
²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; 
    therefore I will wait for him.”

I think this is pretty darn good.  Honest, to the point, and frank.

I like it.

But where else can we go?

That's all I have to say.

Do You Hear Me?

Sometimes I know that God is near me.

Sometimes I don't.

Sometimes I feel like my prayers bounce off the ceiling and God simply has forgotten about me.

The past month has been a "God is being quiet month."

I know he is still there.  I know he is still whispering, "Keep walking."

But I can BARELY hear that guy you know!

So, he puts me near people who are seeing their prayers answered, people who are having miraculous things happen in their life.

There is a man in my home church who is in his 60's or 70's.

He just moved into an apartment after living with his daughter and her family for a long time.

When he moved in he had no furniture to speak of save a bed and a few other things.

A week after he moved in the woman next door to him had to go into a nursing home permanently.

The woman's daughter told the man from my home church he could have whatever furniture he needed.

He has a nice chair to sit in now and a kitchen table.  He has a microwave on the way and all the food that was in her pantry and refrigerator is now in HIS pantry and refrigerator.

God is like that.

He is the provider of all that we need.

I hope the woman who is going into a nursing home knows about Jesus.  I think her time to leave this world is very near.

So I will keep walking and waiting for God to answer my prayers.

I need money to go to lunch with a friend I have not seen in a long time.

My kids are going with me too, so they will need to eat.

I'll let you know how that turns out.

Are you listening God?  I'm waiting.

Susan Boyle

You all know Susan Boyle right?

American Idol,

everyone thought she would make a fool of herself,

and then she sang with the voice from another world and knocked everyone's socks off.

She made me cry.

I was watching her American Idol performance just a few nights ago with Oz on YouTube and she STILL makes me cry.

Do you want to know why?

Because here is this normal, plain woman who nobody thinks will do much of anything.  BUT, then she opens her mouth and out comes the most beautiful voice you have EVER heard.

Everyone wants that one shining moment.
Everyone wants that moment where people stand up and cheer.
Everyone wants to be validated.
Everyone wants to count for something.

Well, Susan Boyle did it!
She made people take notice and I love that about her.

But what about me?

You do not want to hear me belt out a tune.
I can paint, but I'm not the kind of painter that will EVER be hung in a museum.
I'm a pretty good mom and wife, but very few people know about that...and even fewer care.
I'm an okay cook.
I'm an okay friend.
I'm pretty much just okay...nothing tremendously special.

But do you know what?

God says that one day when life is done that if we have followed him as faithfully as we know how he will greet us and say in front of legions of angels and all the millions of Christians that have gone before us and he will say, "Well done good and faithful servant."

That will be my Susan Boyle moment....only WAY better.

I live to hear, "Well done."

Can't wait to see you God.

He Gave Me Flowers!!!!!

I have been praying a lot lately about my future and my dreams.

Me.  Me.  Me.  Me.  Me.  Me.

I have been worried that maybe God has forgotten about the desires of my heart.  Things I want, but don't really need.  Things I hope for beyond all hope.

I I I I I I I

You might see where I am going with all this.

I can be self obsessed.  Maybe some of you can relate.

  But guess what happened today?

I was at the supermarket with four kids stocking up and enjoying the whole thing quite a bit.

Then, I saw them.

FLOWERS!!!!!!

They were particularly beautiful, and I really wanted to buy a bunch for myself.  This is rare for me, I can pass up flowers almost any day of the year, but today, my heart just yearned for some.

It's almost spring, but not quite...and a bunch of flowers would just brighten up my house until the real deal of spring got here.

So do you know what I did?

Nothing.  I was responsible; knowing that we are low on cash and doing are best not to waste money.

So, I passed up those pretty things and just bought our groceries.

The day went on and THEN guess what?

My friend came to visit me and what did she have in her hand?  The very flowers I had been looking at.

Now mind you, she has NEVER brought me flowers before.  Never, ever, ever.

But today she did. 

And do you now what else?

God really gave me those flowers because he wanted me to know something.

And he wants you to know it too.

He knows your thoughts and the deepest desires of your heart.  He sees them and does not forget them.  He cares about the dreams you think will never come true.  He passionately wants you to know he loves you.  And he might even bring you flowers.  He brought me some just today.

"How amazing are your thoughts concerning me.  How vast the sum of them.  Were I to count them they would outnumber the grains of sand."

Psalm 139:17 and 18

How did King David know that about God?  

Well, he did.  And now I know it too.  

Thanks for bringing me flowers God.  I know you haven't forgotten me.

He has not forgotten you either.

Law

So I have always been mystified by King David who said, "I love you commandments, Oh Lord."

Because every time I look at those things I feel oppressed...and depressed

Because look at some of these babies:

Don't lie (guilty)

Don't want things that other people have and you don't (coveting) Damn those Jonses.

Don't murder (okay, the only one I haven't done)EXCEPT for that Jesus said if you hate anyone you have more or less killed them...okay, so I'm GUILTY again.

Honor your parents (I blew that one out of the water when I was in High School)

Love God more than anyone else (okay, if it weren't for loving myself so much, I might have this one pegged)

No idols (I guess I'll have to get rid of my shrine to Justin Bieber now)

Rest once a week (REST????  I have four kids, I can't rest)

Don't steal (I "borrowed" money from Oz the other day without asking...hmmmmmm.)

Don't swear by using God's name (sigh)

Don't commit adultery (sleep with someone who is not Oz)

So on this test I've got a 10 out or 10!!!!! (p.s. I've been faithful to my Oz...so let's not talk about this embarrassing subject any more).

Except this is the kind of test that's like golf, the lower your score the better!

So here is my score......FAIL.

So why would that crazy King David love God's law so much.  I think it's kind of a bummer.

Then I remember something in Romans 6

Here goes:  

²⁰ The law was brought in so that the trespass(bad stuff) might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, ²¹ so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So that's good?  God wants us to sin???

What the heck?

Well, we know God doesn't want us to sin, he wants us to know we can't help but sin.  Because if we know that, maybe we will look for another way to be good...we will fall at his feet and cry for mercy.

And He promises to give it to us...so I REALLY REALLY like this God guy.

Back to King David...I read something the other day that made me realize how David could love the law.

"Sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden, it is forbidden because it it hurtful"

A guy named Benjamin Franklin said that.

God does not want us to hurt.

And sin, though it is alluring and pleasurable for a little while, has the end result of biting one back doulbe for any pleasure it gave out.

Ow.

I don't want to hurt, so I think I do love the law.

But I love the grace of God even more, because I have broken the law so many times and will continue to do so until the day I die.

Go grace go!!!!

And thanks Jesus.

God, Can I have a Waffle?

Sometimes praying is like talking to someone on a cell phone when they are in a basement, or a building made of cinder block or in a dreaded dead zone.

You know, you talk and you can't hear the person on the other end.

So you don't know if they can hear you.

I had a conversation with Oz like that tonight.

I was at the local grocery store and he called me.  I could hear him loud and clear.

But the giant grocery store bunker type walls wouldn't let my voice out.

So I heard this:

"Will you get me some waffles?  Can you hear me?

Will you get me some waffles?

I can't hear you, so if you can hear me will you get me some waffles?

Okay, I hope you can hear me."

Of course I was on the other end of the phone hearing everything just fine.

Laughing and thinking, "I'll get your waffles." 

But this is how I feel sometimes when I pray.

Can you hear me God?  If you can hear me can you help me with______?

Okay, I know you can help me with _________, I'll talk with you later.

Okay, Amen.

But when I stop to think about it, I wonder if God heard my request.  'Cause there could be dead zones or God might be in a cinder block heavenly building or something.

And sometimes I wonder if He can hear me.

All the while God is probably laughing thinking; I can hear you just fine.

I hear your request and it's as easy for me to get it to you as it is for you to get waffles for Oz.

And that's true.

idols

Once upon a time I thought of an idol as being a carved primitive looking human like statue made of wood with raffia hair that strange people sat in a semi-prominent area of their home.  There were candles around it and maybe some flowers and pictures of stuff they needed or wanted.

No more.

Idols have become something far more real.

Far more scary.

Oz came home tonight and announced, "I have an idol."

What? I expected him to pull out a strange wood carving from behind his back, but instead he said, "My idol is my life...I like being alive too much."

Well I like being alive too.

My idol isn't life itself...my idols go like this:

Me, what I want to do, my kids and what I want for them, Oz and his life....and then....

Well, let's just say there are a lot of them.

But then I remember that and idol is something that takes the place of the real God.

The real God.

It's a fake, a forgery, a deception.

So to undermine the idols, we have to know the real thing.

Because who would want a fake when you could know the real thing?

Not me.

God is like TOM-TOM

Hello,

My computer cord was bent all to pieces.

Last week it decided it had had enough.

So I ordered a new cord.  

It took a while to get to my house.

But now I have it, and I can write again.

God is like TOM-TOM.

Do you have a GPS for your car?  I do not, and I do not want one, but I am sure at some point that I will have no choice.  

Oz has one.

I'm more the map type.  I regularly carry a map of the cities that surround me AND a map of the state I live in.  

I have also been known to carry around a map of the United States.

Because you never know when you might need that thing.

It is good to be able to have a big picture of where you are going, what obstacles may be in your way (ie, small towns with excessively slow speed limits) what cross roads are near where you are turning and what major intersection will mark the "I've gone too far and need to turn around" point.

Maps are great.  One can really get a full picture of where one has been and where one is going.

God is like that sometimes.

He's especially like that when it comes to the important things.

But lately God has been a TOM-TOM.

You probably know how the TOM-TOM is.  TOM-TOM has ALL the information in his little box like body.  TOM-TOM knows exactly where to turn, TOM-TOM gives directions as you need them, TOM-TOM can even tell you how fast you are going in the small towns with excessively slow speed limits.

BUT TOM-TOM NEVER GIVES YOU THE WHOLE PICTURE!!!!!

The TOM-TOM infuriates me sometimes, but I have learned that the TOM-TOM is rarely incorrect.

I have leaned that I can trust the TOM-TOM to give me highly accurate directions that get me where I need to go. 

God has been like TOM-TOM lately.

For the life of me, I cannot get the big picture of what he is trying to do in my life.

I only know that I can't seem to get any long range views of anything.

God has allowed me to see only one turn ahead (if that).

 He has never given me inaccurate directions or accidentally steered me over a cliff.

I am learning to trust Him even when the way seems uncertain to me.

God has all the information, the whole map inside his brainy mind.

It infuriates me that sometimes he won't just unfold the whole map for me to look at, but I know he is not going to guide me off course.

Crashing

Little break from Hebrews.

Sometimes life seems to come crashing in.  Mine seems to be not so much crashing as sliding.  But it's still not very fun.

I keep thinking of my dad and what he used to say when I was facing difficult situations.  He would have a smile that was suppressing a laugh and he'd say, "Nobody said it was going to be easy."  Then he'd put his arm around my shoulder and give me a squeeze.

It always made me feel better.

Jesus said the same thing...almost.  But I always imagine him looking at me with piercing eyes when he says it.

Here's his saying, "In this world you will have many troubles, but take heart, for I have overcome the world."

I want to overcome the world right now, but I think it's going to be a slow road.

But I read a story this morning...an e-mail really from a man who goes to our fellowship.   Recently he and his wife adopted a little girl from Haiti (who is something special).  Through the process he and his wife got to know people who work in Haiti.

One man (who was a friend of one of there friends) was recently shot after getting money from an ATM.  He was in Haiti helping to build houses.

A few days later he passed away.

His wife wrote this:

Feb 2, 2012 2:47 PM 
  
Just a few brief moments ago the love of my life went to be with someone who loves him more than me.  Today is the day I never hoped would come and these are the words I never hoped to type.   


I don't understand as I know you will not as well. Why?  With all of our prayers and praises God still chose to take David home.   What I do know is David will be our fourth biggest cheerleader  (after the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit).  Do not loose heart.  Prayer still changes things. 


I, Mack, Daniella and my family will need your strength in the days ahead.  We will need to hear your stories, see your pictures and we will need you to walk with us through to healing.   


The road is going to be very hard!  I can't even imagine how painful it will be.  But we are not alone!  We are NEVER alone.  Jesus promises to be with us always and is close to the broken hearted.  I know because I have already walked the widows road once before.  God healed me and brought me David.  A man after God's own heart. 


Please do not loose heart and take your pain to God.  He knows our pain better than anyone.  He knows our heartbreak better than anyone.  He knows our anger and our outrage and He can handle it.  Cry out to Him and please with all of your heart if you do not know Jesus.  If you have never made a decision to follow Him, consider it today.   


David "Big Dave" has loved each one of you.  Know that he has prayer for you.  Each smile and each hug he was giving in the name of Jesus. He wants us to know how much he loves us and how much God loves us.   


Never Ever stop praying.  Prayer changes things! 


With a grateful Heart, 

I am amazed at this woman's faith as she looks squarely into reality.  A reality that will be very difficult.

What strikes me most is her admonishion to never ever stop praying.

She is right...prayer changes things.