things He has shown me...

God has been revealing some things to me lately. Most of them are things that I already knew, but perhaps wasn't living like I knew them. I pray that maybe one of them ministers to your hearts today in some way. If we learn something from our Lord, I feel like we should share it with others as a testimony to what He is doing in our lives.

Things God has shown me recently:

1. That who I am in Him is far more important than 'who I am'.

If I am not living a life that glorifies Christ, than my life is for naught. I was created for His glory. I don't need to be concerned about 'making a name for myself', but for making a name for Him and His glory.

2. That fear is a powerful stronghold that the enemy uses to hold me captive. I need to face those fears and let Him loose the chains that bind.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power

and of love and of a sound mind"

2 Timothy 1:7

3. That I can easily let material things become an obsession. God isn't concerned about outward appearances, like a picture perfect house or expensive wardrobe. He is concerned about the state of our hearts.  My desire is to be transformed and conformed to the image of Christ.

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined

to be conformed to the image of God"

Romans 8:9

4. There is no such things as secondhand faith. We have to discover the truth of God's Word for ourselves and not be dependent upon what other people have gleaned through His Word. Although it is important to broaden our knowledge with books and study helps, we need to make sure that we listen for God's voice to speak to us and to search His Word for our own, personal, firsthand encounter with Him.

5. Prayer is vital to our relationship with our Lord. If we skimp on our prayer lives, the neglect will clearly show in our daily walk. Prayer is the foundation for communing and growing in Him. It is the way that we enter into His presence and hear His voice. Failure to communicate with Him makes us weak and ineffective. If satan can interrupt our prayer lives, we play right into his hand and leave ourselves vulnerable to attack.

"Pray without ceasing"

1 Thessalonians 5:17

6. In order to heal, we need to forgive. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is forgive someone when we have been wronged. We want vindication and we want the other person to KNOW they were wrong. We want them to know that it wasn't all right that they hurt us.

But God whispers to our hearts, "Forgiving doesn't make IT all right, but forgiving makes YOU all right."

Thank you, Lord, that you continue to reveal new things to me daily. Thank you for being patient with me when you have to show me things again and again. I am so grateful for your loving mercy and grace in my life. Help me to take the things I am learning and use them to strengthen my walk and strive to go deeper still with you.

Ever Captivated by Him,

Beth

time to be thankful on thursday...

I am thankful for Greg at http://www.gregsgeneralstore.blogspot.com/ and his dedication to this wonderful theme of thankful thursday. We need to be thankful all of the time, but it is nice to have one day set aside to dwell on the goodness of our God! Thanks Greg!

I am thankful for my (older!) sister and my precious mom. I got to spend some time with them a few weeks ago and it was so nice. I am thankful that God gave me such a wonderful family and I am thankful that all of us know Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord. There is nothing that gives peace to my heart more than to know that when this life on earth is over, we will see each other in eternity! Thank you, Jesus for that promise in your Word.

I am thankful for the water of Life. I am thankful that when we drink of it we will NEVER thirst again.

"but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will

never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will

become in him a fountain of water springing up

into everlasting life."

(John 3:14)

Thank you Jesus for being the only thing that we need. When we have You, we have everything. You supply all our needs. You satisfy our thirst for all eternity.

I am thankful that Melissa made it safely to Bolivia yesterday morning. She is very tired, as they traveled all night and morning, but she is so excited to be back in Santa Cruz. She has such a love for the people and the country. I am thankful that God provided the funds for her to go and be a witness for Him.

Lord, help me to always have a thankful heart. Help me to never take any of my blessings for granted and help me to be able to see blessings in disguise. You are so good to me and I am just so grateful that You reached down and rescued me from my life of sin. Thank you, Lord.

send the rain

There is nothing I like much better than waking up in the morning to the sound of a rain. It is so soothing and just brings such a peaceful presence to my spirit.

I hear the gentle tapping of the raindrops on the window, and I feel His love just wash over me.

As I close my eyes I can almost feel the rain falling gently on my head and cascading down in a sweet river of cleansing. My senses are heightened by His Spirit and I can smell the sweet fragrance generated by the heavenly downpour.

Inhaling, I breathe in the aroma of His wonder. The tantalizing scent of His majesty and power assail my senses. He fills my soul with deep longing for His presence.

I feel the merciful cleansing and restoration that accompanies a drenching rain. It washes away my iniquities and my imperfections. My uncleanness. My sin and my shame.

Covering me in a new awareness of His forgiveness and mercy. His amazing grace. His awesome love.

As the rain subsides, it leaves behind a rainbow of hope.  A rainbow of promise for the assurance of eternal life through Jesus. I feel cleansed. I feel renewed. I feel whole again.

Ah, yes Lord. Send the rain.

++++++++++++++++++++++

(Bryton, Melissa & Me at her house in Baton Rouge)

Sorry I am late announcing the winner of the 'word' canvas. Jimbo and I went to Baton Rouge (along with Ashlie and her 2 boys) to spend the day with our sweet daughter (and sister) and to tell her goodbye before she heads off the Bolivia, South America (for the 3rd time!). She will be gone until July 8th, so please pray for her and the group that is going as they minister, spread the gospel and teach the children.

Kat, of Heart2heart, is the winner and I will be emailing you with the details! Congratulations precious sister. You are a blessing to me and many others.

desiring to listen

"Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And let your soul delight itself in abundance"

(Isaiah 55:2b)

I desire to be a woman who listens to God.

Determined

Purposed

Seeking only Him.

Maintaining my focus.

Keeping my eyes and

my gaze locked on Him.

Willing my heart to beat in tandem with His.

Allowing Him to strengthen

and supply.

I draw fortification through the linking

of my eyes with His glorious countenance.

I feel the oneness of His ministering Spirit in

 the depths of  my needy soul.

Like a spring rain, He drenches me

in refreshing abundance.

Bestowing an extra measure of grace.

Sweet whispers of mercy.

A double portion of His mighty touch.

His presence cascades over me

like a mighty downpour.

And I overflow.

Puddles of blessings.

Splashes of glory.

Drops of His radiant splendor.

Determined

Purposed

I am seeking.

Oh, Lord, I am listening.

seeking expecting to find... and a chance to win something!

I just love the word 'seek'. It represents so many things to me pertaining to my walk with God. It is my desire. It is my joy. I love being a seeker of Him.

When we are seeking, we are expecting to find something. There is no seeking unless you are looking for something specific. We are all seekers in some form or another. Everyone seeks, but not everyone seeks good things.

Some people just seem to be seekers of trouble. Others seek fortune or fame. There are those who seek to harm or discredit other people. And then there are seekers of God.

Matthew 12:43 tells us that an unclean spirit seeks rest in dry places. As Christians, we need to be seeking rest in the well-watered fertile ground of God's Holy Word.

Dry places only contain thirstiness. Unrest. Discomfort. Lack. Barrenness. And drought.

But when we seek Him and our precious Lord brings a fragrant rain to those places, we will be satisfied. Rested. Comforted. Rooted. Fruitful. And abundant.

My absolute favorite verse in the bible is Jeremiah 29:13. It says, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

Seeking is searching. It is looking with great expectation to find something. Seeking also indicates that we realize there is something to be found. Seeking can stem from not being satisfied in the flesh. Our spirits long for more. As Christians, we should always be in a state of seeking.

Seeking more of Him.

Seeking to go deeper.

Seeking to love him more.

Seeking to know Him more intimately.

Seeking a life fully grounded in Christ.

To accomplish this, we must stay in the Word. His Word is where the power is. His Word is where the Truth is. His Word holds the treasure we find when we are seeking Him passionately and with purpose.

Let's gaze into the water of His mighty Word.

Seeking to find and reflect the image of Christ.

And find the abundant and effective life that He so desires for us.

Thirsting for more,

Beth

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leave me a comment between now and Monday, telling me what you are seeking in Christ and I will enter your name in a drawing to receive a hand-painted (by me) canvas like the one in my picture. I will do any word and any colors you desire. (If you don't like the canvas - just tell me and I'll find you something else!!) I will draw a name Monday morning.

a daughter, two grandsons and a thankful thursday

I am thankful that Greg at http://www.gregsgeneralstore.blogspot.com/  has posted another Thankful Thursday and that I was able to join in for the fun!

I am thankful for my baby daughter, Ashlie. Even though she is 20 (almost 21) and married with 2 precious little boys of her own, she will always be my baby. I thank God for her every day. She has blessed me immeasurably.

I  am thankful that she was given a day at the salon by her husband for mother's day and I got to keep Bryton for about 6 hours! She took Sawyer with her so it was just me and Bryton and boy did we have fun. She hardly ever leaves the boys - she just hates to be away from them. So anytime they are at the house, she is there with them. So it was fun to spoil Bryton even more than normal! Ha!

We played cars and trucks. We swam in the little pool and played in the water. He watered my flowers. We ate healthy corndogs for lunch. We played outside until this Nana was totally exhausted.

I am thankful that we had such a great time and when Sawyer got home with his mama, we played outside again and had even more fun.

I am thankful that they spent the night and I got some really good morning snuggles and lots of good lovin' from both my sweet grandsons. We had another good day with lots of playtime outside enjoying the amazingly beautiful day that God granted us.

I am thankful that I am a child of the King. Forgiven and redeemed by His precious blood.

Thank you, Jesus, for life eternal.

"That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,

And tell of all Your wondrous works."

Psalm 26:7

In eternal gratitude to Him,

Beth

a drink of love from God

"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;

And His greatness is unsearchable."

(Psalm 145:3)

It's 6:45 am as I write this and the quiet in the house is almost deafening. Almost too quiet, if that is possible. As I sit at my desk, snuggled up to God's Word with a steaming cup of coffee and a hungry spirit, I am filled again with the amazing wonder of God. His love for me and His generous grace on my life is overwhelming.

In the bedrooms in the back of my house, sleep 3 of the precious gifts that God has graced me with. Mikaela, Eli and Mercie have been with me and their Papa for a few days to let their mom go visit their dad, who is off working, before the new baby arrives.

These last few days have been filled with much laughter and a few tears. Good times together. Snuggles, kisses and hugs. Lots of bedtime stories and musical beds as Nana had to take turns sleeping with everyone.

The love I have in my heart for these babies grows with each passing day. As does my life for their mother - my sweet firstborn daughter. Sometimes I look at them in amazement and just can't believe that my baby has 3 (almost 4) babies of her own. God is good.

We've certainly had fun these past few days. We have had conversations about Jesus and they have asked a myriad of questions. We have praised and prayed. We've stayed up late and gotten up early. We've read tons of books, colored oodles of pictures and watched quite a few (but not too many) DVD's. We've told stories, played games and raised the noise level in the house by a few notches.

There have been lots of 'I love you's' spoken and many bubble baths given. I have slathered little bodies with wonderful smelling lotion. I have fixed and curled hair and enjoyed every minute. I knew I had gone a little too far with Mercie's hair when she walked into church and my daughter, Ashlie, said "Well, hello Farrah...."  OK, maybe I used the curling iron too much that morning, but it was SO cute!

We rushed to get to church as this Nana lost track of time and forgot just how long it took to bathe 3 kiddos and get them all fed, dressed and ready for church. We made it just in time and I was glad that I live basically in the church parking lot! Ha!

Mikaela kinda summed up the magnitude of love that I have been feeling lately, as they played in the water hose yesterday. She had the water hose held up to her chest and here is our conversation:

I said, "Mikaela, what are you doing?"

"Watering my heart, Nana" was her reply.

I said, "Oh, your heart needs a drink?"

Mikaela said, "Yes. A drink of love from God"

Ahh, yes. A drink of love from God straight into a thirsty heart. Indeed the love that my husband and I have shared, and passed on to our daughter has now trickled down into the lives of our precious grandchildren.  I pray that I continue to water their hearts with the love of God that He has so generously watered my soul and my heart with. God is good.

Encompassed by His love,

Beth

walk in love...

"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself

for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a

sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)

To truly walk in love, we have to learn how to love others as Christ does. Not an easy task. But a doable one nonetheless.We must learn to love with an unconditional and all encompassing love.

No strings attached.

No holds barred.

Just pure unadulterated love.

Dependent upon nothing except the amazing ability through Him, to tap into God's power and let His love shine through us.

To look beyond the surface.

See as He sees.

Feel as He feels.

Esteem others higher and just love.

Ultimately, Christlike love requires effort on our part. We must work at denying self. We can't love based on merit. We can't love based on our measure of worthiness. We must love regardless. We love instead of... We love in spite of.... We love anyway. It's not about us. It's all about Jesus.

The only way we can begin to acquire the kind of love that Christ demonstrates is to daily take up the cross - and follow HARD after Him.

".... let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23)

To love others like Him? It is costly. It may cost us our pride - our heart - our selves. But  we can learn to reach way down into the depths of our being, and pull out the love that He put there. And lovingly, purposefully and generously bestow that love on others, we will be a sweet smelling aroma to the Father.

Oh, to be a pleasing fragrance to the nostrils of God. That He might savor the sweet scent of obedience from His children. The sweet scent of us conforming to His image.

To walk in love.

No strings attached.

Just the amazing love of Christ.

It's all about Him.

In His captivating love,

Beth

I love Thankful thursday!

Thanks, Greg, for allowing us the privilege of offering thanks on this "Thankful Thursday" to our precious Lord and Savior!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

I am thankful for 'weeball'. Yes, you read that right. Weeball is like t-ball for 3 and 4 year olds. It has been such great entertainment to watch these little fellas get out there and play and have such a fabulous time doing it. They fight over the ball, they play in the dirt, they chat with each other in the field and they run for the ball even when they are they ones supposed to be running bases! It is hysterical and heart-warming at the same time. I am thankful that I get to watch my adorable little grandson, Eli, have the time of his life out on the ballfield.... or just laying on the ground...

I am thankful that Mikaela plays softball. It has been such a joy to watch her  become a great hitter and to really love the game. I was always one of those parents that wanted the kids to just have a good time and not "one of those parents" who got all uptight about the game. I didn't understand people gettin' all excited about "just a game"! I wanted my girls to just have fun and not be stressed about winning. I mean, some parents just get downright ugly out there and I want to say "They're just 7 and 8 years old! Give 'em a break!" But last week, in the heat of the moment, as our team was behind and they had a girl on her way from third to home, I looked up and saw one of our players headed to home plate with the ball  and just for a second, I forgot who I was and what I was saying. I heard myself say, "Get her out!" I realized that I had become "one of those grandparents".....

I am thankful that when we do go to the ballpark to watch Eli and Mikaela play ball, there is food! Oh, yeah. Nothing satisfies your hunger like a corn dog and fries from the concession stand. And nothing keeps Mercie occupied better than a little junk food.

I am thankful for these sweet boys. They don't play ball yet, but they are at most games with their mother cheering their older cousins on. There is just nothing like family.

 

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

'it's too much'

As we walked through the doors, I immediately felt the chill go up my spine. I took a deep breath to fortify myself and stepped further into the building. I could feel the sorrow hanging in the air. The room seemed to be filled with whispers of grief. Heavy with sadness. Tinged with disbelief and shock.

Glancing sideways at my husband, I can see that he has spotted him. The man we are looking for. The husband who is grieving for his wife. The daddy, who just 29 months ago stood in this same room grieving the loss of his 20 year old son. A man who just lost his wife in a single-car accident and a man who lost his child in a freak work accident. A man who witnessed that accident that took the life of his son.

I see the empty stare on his face and the red eyes filled with tears. And I can feel the lump in my throat expand and the tears welling up in my own eyes. I walk very closely to my husbands side, gaining strength from his touch. "It's too much", I whisper.

We approach him and he bravely tries to smile. We spend some time talking with him. The pain he is experiencing is evident. He is far away in his thoughts. He is simply going through the motions. He is in survival mode. We join hands with him and we pray.

This is the part of my husbands vocation that I immensely dislike. I do not like funeral homes. I do not like funerals. I don't like seeing people so broken and hurting. I don't like death.

As I go into the other room, I see the casket. This always takes my breath away for just a minute. It takes me back to my daddy's funeral. Back to a place where I don't want to go. Back to a memory that is too painful to resurrect.

This casket is holding a 43 year old wife. A mom. A daughter. A sister.  I see a card propped open on the end of the casket and I immediately know what it is. But I am drawn to it. I step over and see the signatures of her 2 living sons under the words "Happy Mother's day".  That just does me in. I feel the tears and there is no holding them back. I am just standing there thinking... "it's mother's day". She should be with her family today. Enjoying her boys. Not lying in a casket.

"It's just too much", I utter again to no one in particular. I begin searching for my husband. I am ready to go.

The ride home is spent mostly in silence. There is just nothing to say. There are just no words.  As we are lost in the quiet of our thoughts, I finally look up and voice a question that has been in my mind many times before.

"How do you do it? How do you do 30 funerals a year and not get affected by it?", I quietly questioned.

My husband looks at me and says, "God. The grace of God"

We enter back into our respective silences. I begin to pray. For my husband. For the grieving spouse. For the stunned children. For the family members. Death is no respector of persons. We don't know the time or place. We don't know the details. But we do know that it is appointed man once to die.

The one thing we can know? Our eternal destiny. We can have the assurance of an eternity with Christ by the salvation we receive through Jesus. He sacrificed His life and bore the burden of our sins, so that we could have forgiveness through accepting Him as our Lord and Savior.

I am so thankful, that when Jesus was on the Cross, He didn't think 'it was too much'. I am thankful that He loved us so much He was willing to die for us, so we wouldn't have to.

Oh, Father, minister to the family as they are mourning the loss of  their precious loved one. Grant them peace and comfort. Help them to find rest in your arms. Draw them closer to you, Lord. Thank you for the promise of eternal life.

"For I will turn their mourning to joy, will comfort them, and make them rejoice rather than sorrow." (Jeremiah 31:13)

In Him,Beth

Another fabulous Thankful thursday with Greg

I am thankful for Greg at Greg's general store - he hosts this awesome Thankful Thursday post and I am so grateful and honored to be part of it. Thank you Greg!

I am thankful that God speaks. Oh, friends I have heard people say that He doesn't speak to them and I just think they aren't listening! God speaks in so many ways. When the thunder roars, God is speaking. When the water rushes over the banks, God is speaking. When the lightning flashes, God is speaking.

"The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The LORD is over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; The voice of the LORD is full of majesty" (Psalm 29:3-4)

I am thankful that God is Omnipotent. He is all knowing - all power - all seeing. I just praise Him that He is in control of all things, knows all things and can do all things. I will do my best to serve Him and honor Him all the days of my life. He is so worthy. Even in His omnipotence, He speaks.

"And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, 'Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!" (Revelation 19:6)

I am thankful that God 's Word is Forever. His Word is for yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is an on-time God. He is never late. He has a perfect and ordained time for everything and it is always the RIGHT time.

"The grass withers, the flower fades, But the Word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 4:8)

I am so just so thankful that we serve a mighty God. We serve a loving God. We serve a God that lives! He has been so good to me and I am so thankful for the mass of mercy and grace He has given me in my 47 years. He is worthy of ALL my praise and I will lift my voice in thanksgiving to Him as long as I have breath.


Captivated by Him,
Beth

Do we serve a great God or what???

Congratulations to Angel Mully - she is the winner of the "How Great is our God" dvd. I pray that it just blows her away just like it did and still does to me and my husband each time we watch it. May God speak mightily to you through it my friend. May the greatness of Him just fall afresh on you when you see it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And while we are on the subject of just how great our God really is, I have some fabulous, miraculous news. Remember Chelsea? For those who are not part of my prayer blog - http://www.athisfeetinprayer.blogspot.com/  - let me fill you in on the details. Back on February 12th of this year, Chelsea (18) was hit by a car. She had come upon a car on the side of the road and had stopped to see if she could help. That is the kind of person that Chelsea is - always wanting to help. Well, after she saw that help was on the way, as she was crossing back over the highway to get in her vehicle , a car coming around the curve didn't see her and hit her. No brakes. No slowing down. Just hit her going about 55 mph. It is nothing short of a miracle that Chelsea even survived the impact. Her family was given NO hope at the hospital that night. They have been given little hope since that day.

Since the accident, she has been in a coma and pretty much unresponsive up until just a few days ago. About a month ago, it became apparant that there was nothing more the hospital could do for her. They had taken her off the venilator and besides the feeding tube, wasn't hooked up to anything, but she had still not shown any signs of waking up. The family has tried to get her in rehab in many places here in Louisiana to no avail. They had been turned down by every place that they applied to. No rehab center, no nursing home, no place would take her. Because she wasn't responsive enough.

Within the last week, Chelsea has made amazing strides. She waved to the OT one day last week. They were astounded. She began doing a thumbs up when the nurses would come in. She has started to wake up. A few days ago when her boyfriend came in, she took his hat off of his head and put it on hers. Now, tell me that Our God isn't Great!  And yesterday, she got accepted into a rehab center in New Orleans. Today, the ambulance service from here in our parish transported her from Shreveport to New Orleans. Tonight? They met with the doctors and were given good news for the first time in a long time. God is working a miracle in Chelsea's life. God is doing what only He can. He is showing Himself mighty and He is getting all the glory.  Can I get a HUGE AMEN??

Folks, we serve an awesome God. We serve a great God. He is mighty and powerful and huge and amazing and incredible. He is indescribable. Uncontainable. Unlimited. He is God.

Continue to pray for Chelsea and her family.

+++++++++++

I just have to tell you what just happened. As I was typing this a young man and his wife called and needed to talk to my husband. Everybody in this small town knows Jimbo and knows he is a pastor - they even call him 'Preacherman'. Well, this young couple has had some problems lately and these problems have just caught up with them.. Well, tonight, they both humbly repented and just accepted our precious Lord into their lives to be their Savior! Now, just how awesome is that? They were both so excited and so ready to go forward with God. They have 2 small children and they want to raise those babies to know Jesus! I am just so thankful that God drew them in and that we were available and that the Holy Spirit fell! Please lift these new christians up  in prayer - AJ and Arzu.

Now.... do we serve a great God or what??????

"Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You"

Jeremiah 32:17

Oh, God, we give you such honor and praise tonight for Chelsea. Lord, I give you praise for all the miraculous things that you have done in so many lives. You just blow our minds, oh God. Your glory just falls and covers us and we are transformed in your Presence. We just sit at your feet and worship you tonight. Lord, we come humbled and honored that You love us so. Thank you for your sweet mercy. We love you and praise you with all that we are.

Amen.