turn the world upside down

Waiting quietly.

Anticipating eagerly.

Vowing to be still. And listen.

Oh, Lord, pour down on me like rain.

Speak to my spirit.

Flood my soul with the quiet whispers

of your heart.

Show me direction.

Guide my thoughts and desires along

the path that you have created. 

You are the author of my life story.

In the stillness of our communion, send

forth a Word to my seeking heart.

Satisfy my hunger with manna from heaven.

Quench my thirst with life giving water.

I am broken. Surrendered. 

I am fully committed to your calling.

Willing to go. Ready to serve.

Desiring your fingerprints all over my life. Prepared 

to do your will no matter where it takes me 

or what it demands that I do.

Empower me, Oh, Lord, to fulfill your 

purpose in me and through me. Give me 

a passion for the gospel that is 

eclipsed by nothing else.

Fill me. Equip me. Use me.

Take this broken vessel and use me to spread the good news 

of the gospel of Christ to a lost and dying world. May I bring 

nothing but glory and honor to your name and may 

your name be magnified in all that I do and say.

May I turn the world upside down for Jesus.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"And when they found them not, they

drew Jason and certain brethren unto the

rulers of the city, crying,  These that

have turned the world upside down are

come hither also..."

(Acts 17:6)

always learning...

Things that I learned this week and things that I love:

I loved the sweet morning I had with the Lord yesterday. I was fixated on a passage of scripture - something that Bill Hybels calls 'saturation reflection' - and the more I read it the more it just pierced my heart with deep emotion. God began taking me back to my 9 year old self and just showed me the love I had for Him even at that young age. He was teaching me about a child's heart and the sincerity of my profession of faith during the early years of my life. I saw the sweet love I had for Him and saw how small it was in comparison to the abounding love that He had for me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that the decision I made 40 years ago was true and it was binding. I became His child at that time and even though it took me many years to begin to grow, I had salvation at the very moment I believed and professed His name. Thank you, Jesus, for your everlasting love for your priceless gift of Salvation and eternal life.

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

I love my husband with all of my heart. He is faithful and true and He loves me even when I am not very lovable.

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

"If we are walking in God's will, we will experience God's power"

"God's power is what propels the mission He has called us to.

Regardless of where we're headed, the power is not ours

to provide; it's His. The Spirit of God propels us."

(Greg Matte)

~~~~~~~~~`

Jeremiah 29:13 tells us that if we are seeking God with all of our heart, we will find Him. 

~~~~~~~~~~

I love my sweet granddaughter Mikaela and miss her so much!

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

I miss my precious Mercie and miss her so much!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Oh, how I miss my little Eli! I miss him terribly!!

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

I love my baby boy! Little Silas is growing so fast and I miss that little fella so!

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

God showed me how special our time together was in Pennsylvania and taught me to cherish every moment. Even the moments when they were making funny faces....

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

Sin doesn't mix with the Holy. Mixing the Holy with the profane only leads to destruction.

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

I love my sweet Bryton. He is always such fun to be around!

~~~~~~~~

Sweet Sawyer. He's such a mama's baby but is always willing to give me some good hugs and kisses!

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

"But unto every one of us is given grace according

to the measure of the gift of Christ"

(Ephesians 4:7)

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

As I wait on the Lord to reveal to me the next step He has for me, I rest in the assurance that whatever it is and wherever it takes me, He will be right there with me. He never calls us to a place that He won't go before us. So I sit and learn to be still and listen. I open my ears to receive, my heart to hear and my spirit to discern His precious voice. Speak Lord, your servant is listening....

who is this King of Glory?

Who is this King of Glory?

He is mighty. He is powerful.

He is all knowledge and all strength.

Who is this King of Glory?

He is infinite love and eternal life.

He is an all consuming fire. 

We glimpse His power in the beauty of

a sunrise as His glory is splashed across the 

horizon in an array of colors.

We witness His might in the majestic

waves that grace the largest oceans and

the smallest bodies of water.

Who is this King of Glory?

He is God.

He is Redemption and Forgiveness.

He is matchless in mercy and grace.

His Splendor is untouched by any.

His love is eternal.

His beauty undeniable.

He is Righteousness.

He is Salvation.

His Name is unmatched in sweetness.

His Embrace unparalleled in security.

His Glory beyond our wildest dreams.

He is our King. He is our Lord. He is our God.

Who is this King of Glory?

He is our Savior. Our Redeemer. Our All.

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

(Pictures from an amazing and restful women's retreat this weekend. We had a glorious time in the Lord and in fellowship with one another. God is so good.)

(My friends Sherri, Jean and Lulu) 

Word of God speak

I love seeing God work in the lives of loved ones. I love seeing how God allows things to happen in our lives that  He then uses to grow us, make us stronger, or perhaps draw us closer to Him. I love it when God does what only He can do and how it gives us the opportunity to tell others what a mighty God we serve.  I love it when God speaks.

I have seen Him work this past week in many different ways.  I have seen the parents of a little 4 year old girl who lost her life in a church van accident just 3 weeks ago, give their hearts and lives to Jesus. I have seen the father of the young man who also lost his life in that accident beginning to ask questions about being a Christian. I have seen a young 16 year old girl who lost her mom and 2 sisters in that accident come to church to worship the Lord that she still loves with all of her heart. I have seen a community shower a sister church with love and compassion as they struggled to come to terms with what had happened and how to deal with the aftermath. I've seen the true Church of God act like the true Church of God. I've seen God work in the life of my son-in-law as He saved him from potential death or paralysis and instead graced him with a second chance. I have seen his heart begin to draw closer to God in a way that has happened before. I have seen my young daughter stand by her husbands side with love and strength that only came from her Savior.  I have seen God speak.

I glimpsed God in so many ways this past week it just blew my mind. We serve such a loving and compassionate God. We serve a God of infinite power and might. We serve a God that can and a God that will. Our God loves us with an unparalleled love. He is merciful and gracious. He is patient and kind. He longs for an intimate relationship with us. He wants to be wanted. Oh, how He longs for us to long for Him.

I believe that God is beginning to call His true Church out. I believe that God is in the process of pruning and refining. God is speaking and it is imperative that we begin to listen.  He has so much to tell us and we need to have the ears to hear. 

I am desiring a Word from the Lord. There are some things that He is speaking in the life of my husband and I and it's time for us to be still and hear what He has to say. It's time for us to put our lives totally in His control To put our whole life in His hands and trust Him fully. There is no place that God can call us to go that He won't go before us. There is no place of surrender that our Lord will call us to that He won't walk beside us. The place that I desire to be is smack dab in the middle of His will. Wherever it is. Whatever it entails. However long He calls me to be there. I want what God wants.

I am ready for God to issue a powerful and audible whisper from His lips to my ears. I am eager for the power of God to begin flowing freely and fully in my life. I am ready for God to use me for His glory in a new and mighty way. I yearn to hear Him speak. And when He does, I pray for a discerning spirit, a surrendered heart and the guts to respond.

God always knows best

"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that

have no might he increaseth strength"

(Isaiah 40:29)

My birthday certainly didn't turn out the way I had planned. Early yesterday morning, I got a frantic call from my youngest daughter Ashlie saying that Cody had fallen off a roof while helping a friend fix his shed. He was about an hour away from home in Arkansas and was being taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital. She took off with her in-laws and her 2 little boys expecting to find Cody bruised but okay. After 4 hours in the hospital waiting for results of the x-rays, they discovered that Cody had broken several vertebrae, ruptured 2 discs and needed surgery. He was then taken by ambulance to Shreveport, La, which is about 3 hours from their home in NE Louisiana. 

Ashlie didn't get to ride in the ambulance with Cody as she is almost 35 weeks pregnant, so her father-in-law went with him and she made a flying trip home to get some clothes for her and the boys and to drop those precious boys off at my house for me to keep. They were hoping for surgery last night, but it didn't happen.They had several emergencies come in last night and things in the OR have been backed up. After he arrived in Shreveport, the hospital did all those tests again. X-rays, MRI, EKG and all that good stuff. He has 3 broken vertebrae. T10 is the worst break and it is pretty bad according to the neurosurgeon. The other two are fractured but not near as bad. They will go in and put screws and possibly a plate and do the repair work on the ruptured disc. He also has a broken piece of bone protruding into the spine but is not causing any damage. He can move all his extremities and so all is fine there.

Surgery didn't happen last night. Or today. And it likely will not happen tomorrow. They came in this evening and said that they would be discussing his case at conference tomorrow to make sure they had the best fix for his problems. They are debating about whether or not to go up 1 or 2 vertebrae and down 1 or 2 vertebrae with the screws and plates. (or something like that)... So in the meantime, they have him in a neck/back brace and he is a little more comfortable. They are giving him morphine every 4 hours and for the most part it is keeping him fairly comfortable. 

Jimbo and I made the trip here today to bring the boys to see their daddy and mama. They really miss her and she misses them terribly! When we got here we still weren't sure about surgery, but after we found out it wouldn't be today or tomorrow, we had planned on going back home this evening. My precious little daughter just fell apart. She has had so much to deal with and she has been so strong, but she has just reached  her limit. She is only 21 years old and dealing with an injured husband, the unknown of his work status for awhile, a 4 year old and a 2 year old, and a little girl that is to be born in 5 weeks. She is tired and emotional and just plain stressed out. When she just finally broke down, it really got to me and I just couldn't leave her. I got a hotel room for me and the boys. We will stay here near the hospital so that Ashlie can see the boys and I can be here to comfort my sweet girl. Jimbo had to head back home to take care of some business but will come back Friday.

Please keep them all in your prayers. Cody is doing a little better this evening, but is so ready to get this surgery done so he can begin to recover. I know that God is in control and He has a reason for the delay that we don't understand, but that we know is for our good. I am so thankful that we have a loving God that holds us and strengthens us and carries us when we are are weak and sinking fast. He upholds us with His power and Might and He bestows His mercy and grace on us just as we need it. He dispenses that amazing strength at just the right time and in just the right amount. He is so awesome. Thank you all for your prayers. I feel them and need them more than you will ever know. It is so wonderful to have Christian friends that stand in the gap for you. 

Having fun at Nana's house in our pajamas.... and then needing a second bath that day.

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

Modeling the coonskin hats that Aunt Megan sent home from Pennsylvania.

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

Being very careful while sitting on daddy's bed for just a few minutes.

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

Having fun at the hotel with Nana. A good bath and then coke and M & M's in the bed.... shhh.. don't tell their mama...

~~~~~~~~

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they

shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not

be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint"

(Isaiah 40:31)

knowledge of the Holy

God's Holiness should fill us with awestruck wonder. His Holy nature should astound us and overwhelm us. It should leave us breathless. Yet it should beckon to us and inspire us to be like Him.

'God's Holiness separates us from Him - 

yet it compels us to be like Him'

(James Mac Donald)

I love the fact that the unattainable Holiness of our indescribable God compels us to be like Him but at the same time it represents God's distinct 'otherness' that clearly separates us from Him. Holiness is what we should long for. It should draw us and fill us with a deep yearning to try and achieve the same in our own lives. 

Holy. Sanctified. Set apart.

Our quest for Holiness is a daily undertaking. It requires not only the knowledge of the Holy, but it requires action on our part. We study the Word. Hide that amazing Truth deep into our hearts. Apply this knowledge to our lives. We must hear it, receive it, believe it and then live it.

We aren't going to obtain perfection in this life, but we can walk in His ways and allow Him to be manifest in our lives. We can aspire to be Holy. Paul tells us in Ephesians that 'we should be Holy and without blame before Him in love'. The road to Holiness isn't an easy one. It depends upon us keeping our eyes constantly fixed on Jesus. Our focus has to be His purpose and His calling for our lives. One step at a time. Growing in grace along the way. Desiring to be like Him and willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

"Because it is written, be ye Holy; for I am Holy"

(1 Peter 1:16)

The eternal, Holy nature of God should draw us into deeper, more intimate relationship and fellowship with Him. The harder we try to be like Him, the more we will become aware of how unlike Him we are. His Holiness transcends all that we can imagine. Against the backdrop of His Holiness, we are left wanting.

He is absolute purity. Infinite majesty. Limitless in power, strength, mercy and grace. He is a Holy God.

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. Who was and is and is to come.

Praise you, Lord, for your Holiness and praise you for compelling me to be Holy like you. My deepest desire is to strive  for Holiness every day of my life. May I be mindful daily of the awesome task of living a Holy life. May I walk in your ways and please you in all that I do and say. You are Holy. You are God. And I love you with every fiber of my being. 

His love is better than life.

God truly blessed our time in Boston with our daughter, Melissa. And then He heaped blessing upon blessing as He so graciously allowed us to travel to Pennsylvania to visit with our daughter Megan, her husband Rod, and their precious 4 children. We had a great time in both places and it was with much sadness that our time with them came to an end this morning. It was a teary good-bye, but it was a time filled with many new and happy memories to add to our every growing list.

God has been revealing the vastness of His love for us in the past few months. My awareness of just how amazing and endless the supply of His love is increases day by day. It isn't just the good things that happen that fuel my thankfulness for that love because certainly our lives aren't always filled with the good things. But I have come to fully understand that even in those 'bad' times, God is still love. He loves us unconditionally. He loves us with an everlasting love and one that encompasses more than we can imagine. And no matter what our circumstances, we can always depend on our loving God to carry us through. To give us strength. To lift us up and be our portion and our shield. 

"We love Him, because He first loved us"

(1 John 4:19)

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

Thank you sweet Father for always teaching me. Thank you for revealing your love to me in a new and a more powerful way. Help me to be ever mindful that your love is all I need.  No matter that circumstances, no matter the trials, no matter the situation.... You love me and for that, I stand in awe of You.  I love you with all my heart and I will serve you all the days of my life.

I love Boston!

After 26 hours of intense driving and covering 1574 miles in 2 days, we finally made it to Boston. I think I fell in love with Virginia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut along the way. And then Massachusetts just blew me away! It is gorgeous up here!

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

We got to Melissa's new apartment before her and took a good look around while we were waiting. She is on the 4th floor of this Brownstone. There are 2 studio apartments on each floor and of course, she is on the top floor. 

(outside her building)

(Two very weary travelers)

(she's on the top floor)

(Looking down her street)

This is the lovely winding, old staircase inside the building that leads up to her apartment. We made about a thousand trips up and down those stairs carrying all of her furniture and stuff with us. The staircase was so narrow and steep that I couldn't help my husband get the dresser and bed up them. ( I almost had a panic attack going up them. I have a big fear of  heights and the stairs looked like they were just hanging off the wall!) We found a really nice guy walking down the street and he helped us get them up to her apartment. He was so nice and we were so very thankful!

We've been having a great time with Melissa and we have been busy every minute since we arrived. We have spent a lot of time walking around Beacon Hill where she lives and we have looked at every shop on Charles Street. There is so much history here and there is also so much beauty. Even though the city is huge and there are so many people in it, there is still a very relaxed feel to the atmosphere. We have met some really nice people and eaten some really good food. We have been places that I never dreamed I would be able to visit. 

I am so thankful that God blessed us to be able to make the trip to Boston to see our daughter and to be able to bring all of her things to her. We are blessed to have a church family that is giving and loving and wants us to enjoy ourselves on our vacation. We can leave the church in good hands and not have to feel guilty for being gone and that is a HUGE blessing to us. 

God has been so good to us. He has been MORE than good to us. He has been exceedingly, abundantly amazing to us and we are so humbled and thankful. We serve a good God and we serve a loving God. He is more than enough. He is all that we need. 

"...Blessing, and honor, and glory, and

power, be unto Him that sitteth upon

the throne and unto the Lamb

forever and ever"

(Revelation 5:13b)