This week's in other words

"We are urgent about the body; He is about the soul. We call for present comforts; He considers our everlasting rest. And therefore when He sends not the very things we ask, He hears us by sending greater than we can ask or think."~ Richard Cecil ~


"I long to worship Jesus with the heart of a child, in a state of pure and true adoration. Yet so many things of the world cloud my thoughts and pull on my heart until it's no longer just a girl in the arms of the Father"~ Darlene Schacht ~"The Mom Complex"


If you notice, there are two quotes above. The first one is for this week, the second one is from last week, which I never wrote about. When I read the quote for this week I knew that I had to share my experiences from the past 10 days or so. When the quote from D. Schacht was posted, that caused me to cry. Iris last week chose such an excellent one that it really touched me and the Lord used it. I saw it on Friday Feb. 2, when it was first posted and it started a chain reaction of events. It was the turning on of the light bulb so to speak, or the straw that broke the camel’s back. I began to examine what was wrong with my spiritual heart. It took me several days to really unclutter everything and get down to just hearing the Lord’s voice. I felt uncomfortable. I felt unloved. I felt in between two points. I was being tested, and much more. Last Tuesday came and went when I could write about the quote. I felt too sad, and inadequate to write anything. I made a conscious decision to begin praising the Lord on Wednesday morning of last week despite my feelings. Soon some of the gloom lifted. Then bang! Thursday afternoon, my husband (who is a pastor) brought home news of another added dimension of our church conflict that we are in the middle of. It was another awful attack against us. How could people be so cruel? I really was sad.

On Friday the weather was good for a change and I had some shopping to do. I found a Christian book which really spoke to me. I glanced through it and knew that it was a ‘keeper’. When I brought it home and began to read it, and the corresponding Scripture verses, I began to see some of the things that the Lord was trying to tell me earlier. I was convicted of my thoughts, attitudes, etc and other areas of my life. I finally began to see that the Lord loves ME!! These past few days as I have been reading the book and searching the Scriptures and being convicted~have been uncomfortable, and where I sought comfort the Lord was calling for me to make changes in my heart and mind. Now, the first and second quote is so true in my life!! I feel loved, and I know that He is at work in my life.

Thankful Thursdays~Small Praises 4

This week's theme could be considered "Nostalgia". I have some very painful memories of growing up~ yet I also have some good memories. The more I looked for the good, the more they came flooding into my mind. I am not yet 40, but over the age of 30 LOL, so I have had some unique experiences of old fashioned things, especially early in my childhood. I am thankful for the memories of:

1. A creek. Sliding on the creek in the middle of winter, with no ice skates ,but our boots. We had it slippery enough to go from one edge of our property to the other, and maybe even a little beyond. :)

2. A driveway. In one of our houses growing up, we had a 1/4 mile driveway mostly downhill (coming from the house to the road). It made an EXCELLENT sledding hill for us in the winter, and a hard driving for my father! I remember him parking the car often at the bottom of the steepest part and walking up.

3. A wringer washer. This was in my early years, helping with the laundry, we would put the clothes from the electric washing tub, through the wringer, into a metal tub with rinse water, and then again through the wringer, into another metal tub filled with rinse water, and then again through the wringer into the basket, and then we hung them out on the line.

4. Outhouses. I remember my grandparents having one. Even though they had indoor plumbing, it was so convenient when playing outside to use it without having to go inside.

5. Potbellied stoves. I remember as a teenager, when we were looking for a new church, visiting one that had its source of heat from two pot bellied stoves, one on each side of the room.

6. Old fashioned drugstores. Up until my teens, I remember getting prescriptions at a drugstore that sold magazines, candy and had a counter with a fountain~ a soda (pop) fountain. The counter had stools we could sit on and look up into a big mirror, and other nostalgia items. I think we could also get ice cream. The pop was served in a nice tall "Coke" glass with ice and a straw.

7. Historic church. Up until I was a teenager, the church we attended was dated back into pre-American Revolution times, the early 1770's.

8. The desks we used in our elementary school, had a hole cut out for the ink well. It was no longer used, but the writing top lifted to reveal a storage space underneath.

9. When I was really little, I remember my mom being a camp counselor, and us kids went along for the week. I remember sometimes having to fill a sack the size of a sleeping bag with straw for a mattress. Within a few years those 'straw ticks' were all replaced with real mattresses.

10. Hymns and choruses. I know music is so subjective. I am old enough to appreciate the hymns and young enough to enjoy the praise choruses. So I enjoy both. I found a website with some of the old hymns. I have sung these hymns down through the years in small country churches, in ornate 'Gothic' type churches, in mission churches with wooden slat benches on the reservation, in mega churches with the most comfortable pews available and room for hundreds, in Mennonite, Catholic, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, Baptist, Methodist, Independent, Four Square, and other churches, all praising the Lord. To me what else can lift the soul than a rousing chorus of "Wonderful Grace of Jesus"; "To God be the Glory"; "Victory in Jesus"; "There Shall be Showers of Blessing"; "I Saw the Light"; "Up from the Grave"; "He is Lord"; "Shout to the Lord", "Majesty"; "Humble Thyself" and many many others.

So I praise the Lord for the many wonderful experiences He has enabled me to experience despite the many dark days of my past.

For more Thankful Thursday participants click here on Thursday.

Prayer Places

This is the fifth week of the Prayer Place project for me. I have begun this project for myself and my blog readers who are interested in intercessory prayer. Each week I am listing a state of the United States, a province of Canada, and another country around the world. I may give you tidbits of info about the country. I leave the rest up to you. Pray as you feel led.

I would like to make this week a 'review' week. We can pray for any of the places we have listed in the past four weeks. Feel free to pray for the people in the following places as the Lord leads you.

United States: Kansas, Maine, Florida, California

Canada: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island

World: Australia, Estonia, Iraq, Haiti

God Does Love Me AND You

God loves you. Three words. Sometimes they are said almost flippantly. Sometimes they are almost a cliche that the real meaning is lost. But the truth is that it is NOT a cliche.

Tonight, I didn't need a cliche. I needed the truth. I got it. I want to share it with you.

3 How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. 4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
Eph 1:3-8 (NLT)

He, God of all universe, loved me; loved you way before time. He loved us so much that He chose us....go back and reread this.

And this....

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1 John 4:9-10 (NLT)

Can you think of any other "LOVE" passages to share? It's more than just a cliche...it is the TRUTH!!!!

Esther~Week One

My books are finally here. I'm starting the study of Esther, with the guide, "Esther: Character Under Pressure" by Patty Pell. I'm also using some of the background information from the Kay Arthur book, "Overcoming Fear and Discouragement--Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther".

The book of Esther is set in the time frame of the Old Testament, after the exile, while the Jewish people have already begun their return. The Temple has been rebuilt, but the walls have not. It is before Nehemiah's return.

In chapter one we see the King Xerxes giving a banquet. The celebration lasted six months. At the end, he gave a banquet for another week. It is during this banquet where King Xerxes who is drunk requests the presence of his queen. Queen Vashti was also giving a banquet for the women of the palace at the same time. I believe it was custom for the genders to be separated during the celebration. This leads to some interesting questions about why the king would even summon the queen. But if you remember his drunken state, the mind is not in full function...so anything goes. The queen refuses the command and encouraged by his advisers the king is forced to depose of her. The advisers tell the king, that if he doesn't 'discipline' the queen then all the women of the empire would begin to treat their husbands in the same way. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM..........

This leads to some interesting application questions. When is it right,if ever to disrespect someone's request of us? What if someone asks something that is immoral, impolite, or illegal of someone else, how should we reply? I know if its something immoral, illegal, we would probably decline the request. But what if its a 'gray area' and some do it, and some don't, type of thing? How are we to respect our husbands in today's society of woman's rights, and feministic theology? How are we to respect God? Are we in the habit of showing others respect? What about those whose skin color differs from us, or whose income is higher or lower than ours? How is respect expected in the culture you live in?...especially if you live in another country outside of the U.S.?

Just some questions to mull over. Feel free to comment here or on your own blog, but let me know in the comments below. Read Esther Chapter 1...interesting stuff!

Thankful Thursdays ~ Small Praises 3

This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalms 118:24

I have so many things to be thankful for this week.

I'm thankful for:

1. The people for this week's Prayer Places...(see post below).
2. The way the Lord is working in the Dirty Feet for Heaven in 2007, (also see post below).
3. Snow
4. Cold, COLD winter air
5. Snow on top of bushes that remind me of cupcakes with butter cream white icing..YUMMM....:)
6. God working in my heart with my feelings and attitudes toward the people who have hurt me and my family recently.
7. My husband's church nearby; that I'm able to walk the halls for my morning walk, since the winter weather is here.
8. Sun peaking through the clouds at various times during the week.
9. Birds singing.'
10. Homemade chicken pot pie
11. My husband and son.
12. Christian friends on the Internet
13. My blog's readers
14. Good books
15. Beginnings of inner peace because of #6
16. Beginnings of a new outlook on life because of # 1, 2, 6, 15
17. YOU

Click here for more Thankful Thursday posts.

Updates on Prayer Places/Dirty Feet for Heaven

This is going to be a combo post:


First, the Prayer Places for this week are:

This week let's pray for those living in:
U.S.: California
Canada: Prince Edward Island
World: Haiti
Pray as you are led for everyone living in these places around the world.
For more info click here.



An update on the Dirty Feet for Heaven in 2007

Well, the Lord continues to lead me to do small things for him. The lady with the dog that I mentioned meeting on my walks, is rarely seen. (Click here for the story.) Due to weather, I am forced to walk inside. Since my husband is a pastor and the church is nearby, I now walk in part of the church. I saw her picture in the paper recently. She was a part of a group of ladies rewarded for their faithful service for the local historical society. I'm thinking of sending her a copy of the picture, with a 'I'm thinking of you' note.

Also last Sunday two of my Sunday school students are in the same family and they told us (I team teach), that their dad was having back surgery (again) the next day. After Sunday school and before church I met up with him. While in discussion, I asked him if he needed anything, and he admitted that he was low on food. He's a single divorced parent with the custody of four children,at least two maybe more have special needs. So after church my husband the pastor told me who to go to...and they immediately got a package of food ready from the church's emergency food pantry supply. I also was speaking to another lady about seeing how we could get meals to this family. She admitted that this outreach (meals to those who have been sick, hospitalized, etc) has been loosely organized, in the past several years. Since my husband and I are still relatively new to the church, I didn't know who to call on. So one thing led to another...and now WOO--HOO YEAH!!! I am the new coordinator of this ministry. I was able to arrange meals for this family for the next few days. I'm also putting in an insert in the bulletin to update the list of people who I can call on when a need comes up.

On Sunday afternoon, I needed to visit the man and family, who lived nearby, and has no phone, to see about arrangements for the meals. I realized that this man is definitely struggling financially. I am SO glad that he is a part of our church. I'm so glad that this is becoming a part of the Dirty Feet for Heaven revolution for me!!

I grew up in a lower-middle class income area, where we saw and (I actually lived) a lot of these same struggles that this family is going thru. I've been in his shoes and understand maybe more so than others in the church, who happen to be middle to upper middle class income levels. It's something, I'm easier to relate to the lower, and have a harder time relating to the higher income people. I guess from my experience on the Indian reservation, my level of comfortability also further increased with those who are struggling financially in this country. Now, only to get others in our church to look past their noses!!

Poverty in America: its not just in foreign lands...its right here, down the street and up around the corner. Don't you think?