The Plan I Have For You

I didn't do a very good job of holding back the tears as we prayed over our daughter before she left to go on her first mission trip.  My little one going out into the big world.  This week has turned yet another page in the life of our family. The times of trying to figure out which way to swaddle my babies to comfort them is over, however their need for my comforting words is just beginning.  My time of preparing their food and lovingly placing each bite into their mouth is over, but my ability to feed them and help them grow into adults equipped to handle the great big world is not.  I'm not talking about that huge home cooked meal I fixed to welcome my girl home either.  There will be plenty of those at this house too. Questions have become harder.  No longer are inquiries as simple as "Why is the sky blue?" but ones requiring more thought, the answers much more important.  This week, my youngest asked me why Christians still do bad things, and...

This week marked three months since the day a beautiful young lady disappeared into the woods near her home.  Volunteers numbering the population of the small town in which she lives have fervently combed the area looking for clues to her mysterious disappearance.  Pink ribbons adorn almost every business and home in the community. A few weeks ago I traveled with her church on a ladies weekend.  The bus was decorated with pink in Holly's honor.  Each woman wore a pink ribbon with an H sticker.  Each time we took a break while traveling, we passed out flyers in the hope someone might recognize her face.  I know each of them prays daily for her safe return. Their commitment to find this precious child left such an impression on my heart.  No matter how long it takes, they will continue the fight.  Its such an example of our Father God, who seeks his lost lambs with such diligence too.  He never gives up!  No matter how dark of a life w...

An early summer morning.  The dew is still on the ground, and the sun is peaking over the horizon.  Its time to invest in our summertime hobby, gardening.  There's a great satisfaction that comes from working with your hands and seeing the fruits (vegetables) of your labor.  Gardening is work.  We invest a great deal of time and energy into our garden each year.  The soil must be fertilized and tilled.  It requires water.  Sometimes we have to remove the pests and diseases that attack our plants.  Then there are the weeds.  But in the end, there is the harvest. Today, hoe in hand, I was working on the weeds.  One by one I chopped and pulled at each offender.  They had to go.  Why?  Aside from the eyesore they create, they can stress or choke out our good plants so we will have no harvest. As I stood there, I realized we have weeds in our lives too.  Overindulgence, lack of commitment, a slack prayer life, l...

Incorage.me has a beautiful wallpaper calendar that I wanted to share with you: http://www.incourage.me/2011/07/julys-desktop-wallpaper-is-now-available.html If you aren't familiar with the site, take a look around.  Its a great site full of encouraging words.

I attended the last Deeper Still conference in Louisville, Kentucky, this past weekend.  In two days time my empty, poured out soul was filled to overflowing, and God had spoken directly to my heart.  A coliseum of 8,000 people and an impressive sound system.  God made sure I heard his message, and that I had plenty of witnesses.  You can expect to hear more about my time with Kay Arthur and Beth Moore.  Today I want to share my session with Priscilla Shirer.  In that huge place of 8,000, God had his finger pointing directly at me. Priscilla shared a message from Exodus 16 and Deuteronomy 5 about the importance of "sabbaths" in our lives.  Deuteronomy 5 12 Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female ...

Philippians 1:18 (The Message)  And I'm going to keep that celebration going because I know how it's going to turn out. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. Birthdays, time to celebrate.  Its not about birthday balloons and party hats.  Its not about the cake.  And its certainly not about the wrinkles or gray hairs that magically appear. Its a celebration, because we know how the end of the story turns out. I had planned to take some time on my birthday to blog the important events in the past year of my life.  My quiet time this morning lead me to Philippians 1 in the Message Bible.  A verse about celebration, and a verse that sums up the work of God in my life the past year. Attitude is important.  In the midst of great trial, Paul and Timothy take time to reflect on the great work done in Philippi instead of getting eaten up with th...

A prayer, prayed fervently. A prayer, prayed consistently. A prayer prayed daily A prayer, prayed with faith. A prayer, seemingly unanswered.  Why? Why God?  Why, when prayers are prayed with an open heart and a soul poured out with all sincerity, do prayers go unanswered?  Every day we take to our knees to pray fervently, consistently, with faith and determination for lost family members, healing for a special friend, for that much needed answer to the perplexing factor in the middle of our lives.  We stand, waiting for that great lightning strike to fix it in an instant, and yet it comes not or so it seems. I've been asking the "Why God?" question myself.  Praying for a need, and yet the only answer is "just wait."  I wanted to share with you the words to a song I have been hearing.  Laura Story's "Blessings."  It was a great reminder to me this week that not only does God hear every desire of my heart, he also knows what is best fo...