Humbled

Today I stand amazed at answered prayer.

As I mentioned in my last blog I was honored with an invitation to speak at the ladies retreat in Halifax. I wondered at God's timing but in the end believed God knew all about my situation and this wouldn't have come up if He didn't want me to say yes. And besides it gave me an opportunity to see the grandchildren.

A week before I left for Halifax I started to have intense pain in my left knee. I figured it would go away in a few days but it only got worse. Why now? Did God give me this opportunity only to take it away, was Satan trying to discourage me or was it just a result of our sin cursed world and old age creeping in.

As the time drew near I knew I needed some relief or I wouldn't be able to concentrate so I began to ask for prayer. Immediately I felt some relief and I was able get through each session with minimal pain. Within hours after the last meeting, however, the pain returned and I'm looking forward to following through with those Doctor appointments.

Hannah Hurand writes in her book "Hinds Feet on High Places": To learn the secret of victorious living has been the hearts desire of those who love the Lord in every generation. We all want to be able to react to evil, tribulation, sorrow, pain and every wrong thing in such a way that they will be overcome and transformed into something to the praise and glory of God. As Christians we know in theory at least, that in the life of a child of God there are no second causes, that even the most unjust and cruel things as well as all seemly pointless and underserved sufferings have been permitted by God as a glorious opportunity for us to react to them in such a way that our Lord and Savior is able to produce in us, little by little, his own lovely character. ….. The only way is by learning to accept, day by day, the actual conditions and tests permitted by God, by a continually repeated laying down of our own will and acceptance of his as it is presented to us in the form of the lives of the people with whom we live and work and in the things that happen to us.

I trust this set back will direct me towards another laying down of my own will and acceptance of His.

New Opportunities

Today I need to focus: focus on the messages God has laid on my heart to share with the ladies in Halifax, NS. In my change blog, I mentioned that change brings new opportunities. And here is it. Although this is not the first time I speak to a ladies group, it will be the first time I am the featured speaker with three sessions and a Q &  A panel. So since I've done all this study, I thought I'd share a little about each session with you.


The theme of the conference is "Hope through Encouragement." When we first started to talk about this, I began to think about the Resource of Hope we have in Jesus Christ and then the Responsibility we have to not only share this hope, but to encourage others as they make their way down the path God has put in front of them.


My 1st session will focus on Encouragement through Knowing God - Living in High Places

This will be a review of the book Hinds feet on High Places identifying with Much Afraid as she follows the shepherd

• Her Plan: She has an intense desire to follow the Shepherd to the High Places where her crippled feet will be healed
• Her Problem: She had a hard time trusting the Shepherd as He leads her in a different direction than she anticipated
• Her Perseverance: Ultimately she surrendered to the Shepherd's will and because she persevered, she was able to reach her goal

My 2nd session will focus on Encouragement through Mentoring - People Who Influence People

This will be a tribute to a women who mentored me; what I learned and the importance of passing that on to the next generation

• Her Exhortation 
• Her Example
• Her Encouragement

My 3rd session will focus on Encouragement through Hospitality - Fulfilling Christ's Command to Make Disciples

      

This will be a recap of how I have used Hospitality in my life and ministry

• Using Hospitality for Evangelism
• Using Hospitality for Discipleship
• Using Hospitality for Fellowship

Now I really need to start to focus, so I'll let you mull this over in your mind this week and maybe I will expand on each of these topics in the coming weeks. Please pray for me as Satan has already tried to discourage me though some physical pain issues that have come up this last week. I'm praying that the pain will be masked while I speak and I'll deal with it when I get home.

Forgiveness

I've never really struggled with forgiveness. When people came to me and said they were sorry for something, it seemed like I  had already forgotten it and tossed it behind my back. But then it happened. Word and deeds were said and done that were designed intentionally to hurt, or so it seemed. People who claimed to love us, stood by and watched it happened and then criticized us for not being stronger. We began protecting ourselves and to pull in and then we were criticized for that. We kept waiting for someone to acknowledge their wrong and change their way or for someone to stand up and say STOP. But the attacks kept coming. We cried out to the Lord with the Psalmist when he said in Psalm 55 "Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication . . . I said Oh, that I had wings like a dove and I would fly away and be at rest."

Now I had a problem. This kind of forgiveness wasn't coming naturally. The only way I could begin to cope was to look at how God forgave us when He sent Jesus to die for us, even when we were sinners (Romans 5:8). And when He forgives he tosses it behind his back and never looks at it again, tossing them into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). We, on the other hand, when we forgive those that hurt us we want to go pick it up again and keep nursing the wound.

Rich illustrated this recently in a children's message. He gave each child a piece of candy and asked them to throw it behind them. He then talked about how God forgives us and never thinks about it again. Needless to say the kids couldn't walk away without their candy and most picked it up and took it with them.

What a reminder of ourselves. We say we forgive and then keep bringing it up again and again. To truly forgive means that we don't even think about it again. Ouch! This is so easy to say when we are thinking about others forgiving us, but it's a different story when we are the one who needs to do the forgiving.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray he said to say:
. . .
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespasses against us
. . .

The next time Satan brings something from your past into your mind; some word or action you've already forgiven, grab a piece of candy and throw it behind your back!! When the pile gets big enough, have a "depths of the sea party" and eat them up.

See you there!!

New Beginning

I know I have said this so much lately, but it still fits. The last months of transition have been anything but consistent with traveling to see the kids, following my husband around Rome checking out all the church history stuff, making a major move, participating in a family affair in Michigan in the middle of it all, but now, today, I am hoping to get into a mini routine.

Monday is our day off and I need to keep that open for Rich as he needs a day to relax and clear his mind for the week ahead. It's our "Saturday." Now that I don't have to get up and go, I'm going to try and set Tuesday as my day to: 1) update my blog 2) work on Word for the World stuff and 3) prepare for different speaking/teaching engagements and 4) hopefully finish up my book that has been setting around for about 12 years.

So here goes the blog thing!

When we arrived at our condo in Turkey during our Sabbatical in 2005 our first thought was "where do we get food?" As we watched the miles fly by through the taxi window we knew we were driving away from the city center wondering what our final destination would look like. It turned out to be a nice condo unit, BUT . . . 1) no one spoke english 2) the restaurant was extremely expensive i.e $5 for a coke, $45 pp for dinner, etc and we knew we had to find a way to get to the grocery store or we would be loosing a lot of weight. After a few hands signals we were able to derive that there was bus everyday at 10 a.m that went to town and there we found our food. That's a little how I felt the other day when I forgot to pick up a jar of spaghetti sauce and we were having company for dinner. I jumped in my car and drove and drove and drove and finally came to a store. About an hour later I was home. Guess I need a new strategy.

Since we live "out" compared to what I am used to and I just can't run to the store and pick up what I need at the last minute, I need to start thinking ahead and stocking up. So yesterday was our day to go exploring. After looking at a few houses with our realtor, we decided to try to find B.J's Wholesale. We had tried once before, but got lost and now with new directions off we went.

Our first stop was, of course, at the Apple store. Rich had promised me an iPad when we sold our house and since papers were signed on Friday, we had gone to purchase one; I just needed some questions answered. What fun! The store was buzzing with excitement. As we left the store behind a gentlemen that had just purchase an 24" iMac, I said "I have one of those." He beamed and said "Now I'm part of the family." As we headed to our car I commented on how owning a Mac computer does put you into a family. Maybe we are all Nerd's, but there is a bond that binds us together that makes one feel they belong.

In our ABF class on Sunday we are studying 1 Peter. Those early Christians were undergoing intense persecution and they needed each others encouragement just to survive. Although Christians today might not be in that intense of a physical battle, we are still in a battle. Ephesians 6:12 says "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly place." This battle is even more intense as we can't see it and sometimes think we can wing it on our own.

Rich and I have been reading through a pastor's devotional called Pause, Recharge, Refresh by H.B. London, Jr. Page 134 is entitled "When We Shoot Each Other." We've all been shot at and sometimes it causes permanent injury or scars. Here are some verses he shares that were a good reminder to me.

• Proverbs 21:23 "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity."
• Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Some verses I thought of were:

• James 3:5 "Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles"
• Proverbs 16:27 "A worthless man deviseth mischief; And in his lips there is a scorching fire
• Proverbs 26:20 "For lack of wood the fire goes out; And where there is no whisperer, contention ceases."

Whether you are the shooter or the target, join me in making sure the words that roll from our tongue are like a healing balm and not a scorching fire; that they benefit those who listen.

Looking Unto Jesus

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

One of the wonderful things about becoming a Christian is that we have no past. Old things are gone and everything is new. What a refreshing thought. Those of us who came to the Lord at an early age didn't have too much old to throw off, but if you happen to be someone who has come to know the Lord later in life, you can better understand how precious that truth is.

But what about the time between salvation and now? Where is my "fresh start?" Well, Lamentations 3:23 say that the Lord's mercies are new every morning. "Great is your Faithfulness." What a promise!!

Yesterday we received word that papers were all signed and we were no longer residence of Iowa. Last week we got our New Jersey licenses and registered to vote so we now have a new home. It's now time to plow ahead and stop looking back. I can't begin to understand the process that brought us through this journey, but we have seen the hand of the Lord in so many things that we can only say "Thank You."

We've all read the poem "Footsteps" and have seen it portrayed in so many different way from plaques to jewelry; but I must admit that these last few months I've experienced it. The peace God has given us through this transition has been amazing.

I'm not sure how well I did on "trusting the Lord," but I'm convinced I've made progress in this journey and God has promised to complete the good work He started in me when I called on Him to save me until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6.

Today I'm "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right had of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2.