tired of wandering...

"I am the LORD your God,

which brought you out of the land of 

Egypt, to be your God;

I am the LORD your God."

(Numbers 15:41)

I love how God placed the phrase 'I am the LORD your God' at the beginning and end of this verse. He uses it like two bookends to get His point across to us that He is our LORD! There are times when God says things several times in a row and when He does this, it is because we need to take heed of something very important. Here the Lord is reminding Moses and the children of Israel, that He is the one who brought them out of Egypt and therefore He can certainly take care of them in the wilderness.

Have you ever felt like you were in the deep, dark, wilderness with no sense of direction? Are you there now? Perhaps you're not even sure how you got there, and you most certainly don't know how you are going to get out. You are just wandering around looking for a way out and coming up empty. I think we have all been there at some time in our lives. But I think it is imperative that when we find ourselves in these kind of seemingly hopeless situations, we remember who our God is. Who our Lord is. And we remember where he brought us from the first time and that He can most assuredly do it again.

I am trusting God for an amazing revelation pertaining to a wilderness that I find myself in at this time. I'm tired of bumping into walls as I search over and over for the right path and I realize that it's time for me to get still and let God be God. I haven't been still before Him like I need to be. I haven't spent the much needed time on my face that He has been beckoning me to do. He is telling me, "I am the LORD your God, Beth. I have healed you and delivered you and carried you and provided for you for almost 49 years. Do you think that I am going to leave you now?"

I know that He has something awesome to show me. I know that there are mysteries to unfold and revelations to receive. I am ready to prostrate myself before Him in total humility and brokenness. I am ready for Him to move. He is the LORD my God.

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Sawyer, Eli, Bryton, Silas, Mikaela, Mercie

(Just had to share this Easter picture of all 6 of my grandyoungin's. It's not easy getting them all to look at the camera and smile. And then later we noticed that Silas was holding a caramel swirl marshmallow and we have no idea where it came from!)

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Do you remember my post about John and Terrylyn? Well, I have a BIG prayer request. This afternoon, my husband boarded a plane and around 6:30 PM he landed in Las Vegas, Nevada. Terrylyn picked him up at the airport and they went to see John. They spent a little time with him tonight but will be going back tomorrow to spend the next few days with him. He was so glad to see Jimbo although he didn't recognize him at first. The last time we saw them, Jimbo was 35 years old and he's now 56, so he has changed a lot! 

I just know that God is going to do something so amazing in John and Terrylyn's life. I don't know what it is going to be, but I do know that God didn't orchestrate all of this for nothing. He led Terrylyn so she could find me on the internet. He allowed Jimbo to be able to fly from Louisiana to Nevada. He has given us the most amazing church family that so graciously allowed their pastor to take this week to go and minister where God was leading.  I just feel God's power beginning to work and I am so excited! I am just praying that whatever it is that God has for this precious couple, that it will just blow their minds! I pray that God will reveal Himself to them in such a mighty and real way. I pray that they will see Him like never before. I pray that their lives will NEVER be the same!  I would ask that y'all please join me in prayer for John and that if it be God's will for a miraculous healing to take place, then so be it!!

They will be taking pictures tomorrow and I will post them as soon as Terrylyn emails them to me. Thank you so much for praying and believing! He is the LORD our God! Hallelujah!

worship the One... (and the winners)

"Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
and thy glory above all the earth"
(Psalm 108:5)

Worship the One who is worthy.

the King of kings.

the Lord of lords.

the almighty God.

Worship Him with our whole heart.

Seeking His face.

Experiencing true peace.

Enjoying His presence.

Lingering in His embrace.

Lifting our hearts and hands toward heaven

in sheer adoration of who He is.

Savior.

Healer.
Deliverer.
Friend.

Feeling His Spirit wrap mighty arms around us in

a holy embrace.

Basking in His love.

His protection.

His glory.

Radiating in the splendor of His awesome presence.

Acknowledging the sovereignty of His Word.
The truth of His promises.

Accepting the gift of His grace like manna from heaven.
Bread for the hungry.
Water for the thirsty.

Uttering praise to the Maker of the stars.

Creator.

Keeper of eternity.

Bowing our hearts low.

Broken.

Surrendered.

Feeling His peace wash over us.

Relaxing in the safety and security of

His loving arms.

Allowing His sweet embrace to comfort our spirits.
Experiencing sweet restoration.
Encountering Him like never before.

Worship the One who is worthy.

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The 2 winners of "Experiencing the Resurrection" are Elizabeth of http://frenchvillagelife.blogspot.com
and Dana of http://danabugseyeview.blogspot.com.  Congratulations! Email me and leave me your mailing address. I'll get your books right out!

bethherring62@ymail.com
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thankful for JOYful blessings - and a giveaway!!

God is so good. He graciously gifts me with little graces every day that remind me of His infinite Mercy and His lavish love. I am so thankful for each minute of life that He gives me. I am so thankful for the amazing family that He has blessed me with. I have a husband, children and grandchildren that totally fill me... they complete me in Him. He is good.

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

 Mercie fills me with JOY. Just lookin' at this precious face with her adorable ponytails and sunglasses is enough to just do me in! This little girl loves her Nana and for that I am so blessed. The other night as we snuggled in bed she was laying with her face right in front of mine and she said, "Nana, we are bes' f 'iends"  - oh, what joy....

I love how she is crazy about her cousin, Bryton. They are 12 months apart and have always had a special bond.

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Bryton fills my heart with JOY. He is such a precious little boy and he LOVES God so much! We were in the car the other day and he said, "Nana, I dreamed about God last night. I just love it when He hugs me. I love God very much!".  I thought his mama was gonna cry at the sweetness of that moment! (and Nana, too!)

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I am filled with joy at the thought that these 2 little boys are going to have a precious baby sister to love! 

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I am thankful for the joy that I receive when I see my 3 oldest grandchildren in their weeball/t-ball/softball uniforms. Nothing cuter than that!

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

I love watching Eli play t-ball and get filled with joy each time he hits the ball from a pitch and doesn't have to use the tee. He gives a big thumbs up each time! He loves being on the pitcher's mound and as you can see, he keeps it clean.. makes his Nana proud - ha!

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My youngest grandchild, Silas, is such a bundle of joy! He has an infectious smile and a laugh that will fill you up! He is taking his first steps and I love to see him begin to explore the world. Here he is, watching his brother and sister play ball!

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I am filled with joy when I see my oldest granddaughter, Mikaela, becoming such a gracious young girl filled with the love of God. Where did the past 8 years go??

I was filled with joy as I watched the excitement on Mikaela's face as she called her daddy (who is off working on a pipeline) and told him that she scored her teams first run!

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I am thankful that Mercie is feeling better after being sick last weekend.

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I receive much joy from the smile of this precious grandson. Eli is missing a few teeth, but his face lights up when he smiles!

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I am still so thankful that I can continue to fill up my '1000 gifts' journal with blessings each day.

I am on #256 - "that we can walk in the Spirit". Thank you, Lord for that...

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I am thankful for my 3 girls. Megan and Melissa just celebrated their 26th and 25th birthdays within 24 hours of each other. I am so blessed with daughters who love me and their daddy and who love the Lord.

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I am thankful for this book, "Experiencing the Resurrection" by Henry Blackaby. There is so much GOOD stuff in here that I want to share! I will be giving away 2 copies of this book to 2 commenter's on this post. If you are a follower, please tell me and you will get an extra entry!

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"For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall

lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all 

tears from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17)

no doubts... let's KNOW that we KNOW!

Have you ever doubted your salvation? Have you ever had that thought, "Am I really saved"?  I daresay that all Christians, at some time or another, have had those fleeting thoughts of doubt. Usually those thoughts come at a time when God is convicting us of sin in our life, or at times when we aren't walking as close to Him as we should. Those thoughts come straight from our flesh. 

You see, in our flesh, we can't comprehend that God could love us enough to sacrifice His own Son for us. Or that Christ died willingly on the Cross for all of our sins. Past, present and future. In our flesh, we know our sin. We know our unworthiness.

But the awesome thing about Salvation is that is has nothing to do with us. It's not about what we can do. It's not about what we deserve. It's not about us at all. It's all about Jesus and what He did on the Cross for us. It's about Christ giving His life in obedience to the Father's will to be the sacrifice for all.

"By the which will we are sanctified

 through the offering of the body of

 Jesus Christ once for all"

(Hebrews 10:10)

Jesus did it all on the cross and we only have to believe and accept it. We can stand assured of our eternal salvation if we have fully placed our trust in Him and fully accepted Him as our Savior. We don't have to doubt.

God doesn't want us to lead defeated lives of doubt. He wants us to live victorious lives of surety and knowledge! He wants us to KNOW that we KNOW! You see, God knows our hearts. He knows that exact moment when we recognized our sinful condition and realized that without Him we were destined for hell. He knows when we reached up and grabbed Him by the hand and said, "I am yours and You are mine". He knows our mistakes. He knows our failures. He knows us. 

In our flesh and of ourselves, we think we have to work our way to heaven.We think that we aren't good enough. We think that we haven't done enough. Our works don't save us. But when we are truly saved and truly His children, we want to do good works! When we have encountered God in a real way, we want to serve Him in all things and for all time. When we have an intimate and personal relationship with Him, the natural outcome is service. 

"For whosoever shall call upon the name

of the Lord, shall be saved"

(Romans 10:13)

If anyone has doubts, it's time to nail it down. It's time to begin living a life of victory. It's time to walk in the certainty that God desires for us. We can know without a shadow of a doubt that we belong to Christ. He did everything for us. He prepared the way. He made the provision. He became the sacrifice. All we have to do is accept and believe and commit.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth

the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart

that God hath raised him from the dead, 

thou shalt be saved."

(Romans 10:9)

Let's start walking in the newness of life that He gives us in His abundant grace and mercy! Let's be secure in the knowledge of our glorious salvation and begin living a life worthy of our calling in Him! Let's KNOW that we KNOW and be confident of who we are in Christ. 

all that I am in Him

I am:

seeking more,

hoping and longing for His presence.

Finding Him faithful

and

loving Him deeper.

I remain:

captivated by Him,

intriqued with Him,

amazed by Him

and

totally in awe of Him.

He:

frees me,

completes me,

covers and loves me,

astounds me,

compels me.

 I am:

a child of the King,

forgiven,

redeemed by His blood.

Captured by His grace,

surrendered to His will,

surrounded by His glory.

His mercy:

is generous,

unwarranted,

undeserved,

indescribable.

He is:

my everything,

my all-in-all,

Jesus,

Lord,

Master,

Friend.

I'm amazed at His goodness.

I'm overwhelmed by His love.

I'm astounded by His blessings.

He is all I need.

All I want.

All that satisfies.

Reveal yourself to me, Lord, in a new and powerful way.  Open my eyes fully, that I may see the extent of my sin and realize the depths of my depravity without you. I desire an encounter with you like never before. One that leaves me speechless. One that blows my mind. I surrender my all to you. May my life be pleasing to you and may I glorify you in all that say. All that I do. All that I am.

"Examine me, O LORD, and prove me,

try my reins and my heart"

Psalm 26:2

 

God at work.... so amazing!

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all

flesh; is there anything too hard for me?"

(Jeremiah 32:27)

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"Ah, Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the

heaven and the earth by thy great power and

stretched out arm, and there nothing too

hard for thee."

(Jeremiah 32:17)

When I met my husband 27 years ago, we were living in Shreveport, La. He had a good friend named John who had a sweet girlfriend (soon to be his wife) named Terrylyn. We enjoyed lots of good fellowship with them at their house. We grilled steaks a lot and had lots of laughs and fun times. They were very special to us. Jimbo and I married, started our family and were transferred to Texas with his job. We saw John and Terrylyn one more time after the birth of our third daughter and then lost touch with them. They had moved to Nevada and after we moved a few more times, life just got busy.

About 16 years ago, we were able to find their phone number and Jimbo called John to let him know about the changes God had been making in our lives. Jimbo had re-surrendered to the ministry after years of running from what God had planned for his life. He called John and shared with him how God had given him a wake-up call and that he was back in God's will and was now pastoring a church. That was a HUGE detail in the rest of the story.

I love how God has used what happened to us yesterday to really stir my heart as to the Sovereignty and Omniscience of our Almighty God! I have been able to look back to 27 years ago and see how God placed John and Terrylyn in our lives for a specific purpose. He even used that phone call 16 years ago, to plant the seed of Jimbo being a Pastor in their minds. He even used the Internet and my blogging for the Lord to bring friends back together. For a mighty purpose. For a divine purpose.

About 2 weeks ago, maybe less, Jimbo and I were headed to Monroe on church business and just out of the blue, I said, "I wonder where John and Terrylyn are?" We started talking about old times with them and we realized that we needed to try and get in touch with them. But as usual, life happened and we got busy and we got distracted and forgot all about it. But God didn't.

Sunday after church, I was doing some studying for a class I teach at night and  got on the Internet to look up a bible commentary. I very rarely get on the computer on Sundays, but this was one exception. My email pulls up automatically and I just scanned the emails as I wasn't planning on looking at them right then. I noticed an email address that I didn't recognize, but the subject line had a name in it that popped out at me. I thought there was no way it was the John T. that we knew, but opened it anyway.

The first line made my heart stop...

"If you are not the Beth Herring that I am looking for, I hope that you will forgive me. My husband, John T., was in a tragic accident in August 2009. "

My heart was beating so fast as I scanned the email and realized that indeed this was the Terrylyn I knew and that our precious friend had been hurt badly. She went on to let me know about his injuries and the severity of them. He was in a motorcycle accident that left him on a ventilator for the first 8 weeks after the accident. He then didn't speak for another month or eat for another 4 months. He is still in the hospital or rehab center, 20 months later, with traumatic brain injury. He has no use of his legs or one of his arms. He has no short term memory. The part of his brain that controls his temperature and things like that is affected. He can't do anything for himself.

She says that through all of this, John has asked over and over for Jimbo. (They knew him as Jimmie - he is only Jimbo here in his home town). If someone comes to see him and she says, "Guess who's here to see you?", he will say, "Jimmie Herring?". Now, remember, we haven't spoken to them in over 16 years! Terrylyn remembered that Jimbo was preaching and began searching for us on the Internet. She found me through my blog and was able to email me. She left her phone number on the email and of course we called her last night to talk to her. She wants to fly Jimbo to Las Vegas to see John and talk with him and make sure that John is eternally secure.

I know that God has something amazing in store for John and for Terrylyn. God didn't bring them back into our lives for nothing. He ordained each step of the way. He orchestrated each event that has taken place in these past 27 years up until this point for a specific purpose.  I don't know if God is going to perform a miracle of healing in John's life. But I know that He can. I don't know if John will be healed completely from top to bottom - from his brain to his legs - but I know that God can do it, if that is His will. Perhaps God will heal his memory. Perhaps God will heal his arm. Maybe God will heal his precious soul....

My heart is just broken for our friend and his wife and daughter. I don't know what God is going to do, but I know that He is going to do something! I am asking you all to pray with us for John and Terrylyn. Pray for Jimbo as we begin to work out the details for his trip there. Pray that we will surrender our wills to God and that we will listen to His voice and obey whatever it is that He has for us to do. Pray for this precious family and ask God to wrap His loving arms around them in a huge Holy hug!

God, you are amazing! You are the ultimate Healer and I praise you and I thank you for the mighty work you are already beginning in John's life and in his body. There is nothing too hard for you, Lord. There is nothing out of the realm of your capability.  You are who you say you are and you can do what you say you can do! You are God and I love you with all of my heart!

much to be thankful for

I am so thankful for the many undeserved blessings that God gifts me with daily. His goodness and His love just overwhelm me. If He never blessed me another day, I have been blessed beyond measure.

"My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring

your splendor all day long"

Psalm 71:8

I am thankful for:

Little grandsons  named Silas in cute little jackets.

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Watching Bryton trying to decide whether or not to step into the puddle after his mama said not too...

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Little boys  named Sawyer in rubber boots and no pants..

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Seeing my youngest grandchild take 7 steps...

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Bryton and Eli. Cousins and best friends....

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My precious dark-eyed Mikaela, who loves me and fills my heart with great JOY!

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Sweet Mercie who loves me so! Her mama (my sweet daughter) asked her why she loved her Nana so much and she said, "Because she's mine..."

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My 7th grandchild. Today I got to see God's amazing power at work as I marveled yet again at the wonder of His creation. Nestled deep inside my baby daughter is this precious, perfect and awesome gift from heaven. Joining Ashlie, Cody and their precious 2 boys in August will be a sweet and beautiful LITTLE GIRL!!!!!! 

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My ever growing 1000 gifts journal. It has been such a blessing to me to keep track of each days gifts that my precious Lord grants me. He is so good.

Thank you my sweet Lord for bestowing such amazing gifts to me daily. I love you and stand in awe of your goodness and your grace.

broken and spilled out

"To be broken is the beginning of revival.

It is painful, it is humiliating,

but it is the only way"

 - Roy Hession

Broken......

shattered. stripped down. laid bare. softened.

Brokenness is not an emotion. It is a choice that is made. It is a way of life. It is coming to a true understanding of the condition of our heart. It is seeing the vast depravity of our sinful nature.

Brokenness is tears of conviction. Tears of shame. Tears of repentance. Tears of cleansing and restoration.

It's acknowledging our failures and the depth of our sin head-on. It's about releasing the grip on our pride. It's about the deep desire for God to begin doing a mighty work in our lives.

Broken. Surrendered.

We can choose to be broken, or God can break us on His own initiative. The process will be much less painful if we come to a place of brokenness of our own volition.

As God began dealing with my heart on some areas of pride in my life, I began to realize the deepening need I had in my spirit to be broken. Truly broken. Shattered. I had some places that were filled with 'self'. I had some places that lacked the Holiness that I professed. I needed to turn some things over to God and allow Him to crush them once and for all.

This shattering of my self-will was coming. I could feel it. I could sense it. I was even welcoming it. Because I knew that until I met it face-to-face, I would be virtually ineffective in my walk. Until I released that which I was clinging to so tightly, God couldn't do the work in my life that He was desiring to do. I was preventing an awesome work of the Lord with my stubborn pride.

I had been praying for a breaking of my self-sufficient attitude. I had been praying for God to allow me to be broken. I was ready for it. The anticipation of it had been building up in my spirit for some time. And when it came, it came like a hurricane. It blew into my spirit and uprooted so many things that I had been holding on to. It pulled up things that I didn't even realize were there. It flattened some places that needed a good flattening. And when it came, it came in a torrent of tears. Deep, gulping sobs.

And it felt so good. I felt such release. I felt freedom like never before. I had a new joy in my heart that I hadn't felt in a long time. I feel a lightness in my spirit that is so amazing. I feel unspeakable peace.

".... God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13b)

This refining and purifying process in my spiritual life is one of revelation and restoration. It is one of shaping and molding me into His image. It is one that will make my walk match my talk. It is about my theology becoming my reality. It's about allowing the Potter to have full access to me, the clay, and allowing Him to mold me and form me into the image of who He would have me to be.

I want to look like Him. I want to walk like Him. I want to be like Christ.

I pray that this broken state I am in remain with me to be a constant reminder in my life that alone, I am nothing. Alone, I am shattered into a million pieces and unusable. But in Christ, those broken pieces can be put back together and molded into a vessel that can be used mightily of Him and for Him.With Jesus, anything is possible. He can take me in my wretched and unworthy state, clothe me in His righteousness and use me to bring glory and honor to Him.

God takes my brokenness, reveals His glory and makes me whole.

Lord, pour me out to be used of you. May I never be the same....

"Create in me a clean heart,
O God; and renew a right spirit within me"
(Psalm 51:10)