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)

the Lord's purpose prevails

"But now, O LORD, thou art our Father; we are the clay,

and thou our potter; and we all are the work

of thy Hand" (Isaiah 64:8)

I love the fact that our Potter is the Master Creator. He is the One who holds everything in the palms of His hands and everything that He makes is perfection.  As the works of His Hands, we simply have to be willing to be molded by Him into what He desires us to be. It's not always easy turning our lives over to Him and allowing His will to take precedence over our own but it really is the only choice.  Whatever it is that He has planned for our lives is always the best plan. 

When my daughter, Melissa, graduated from LSU with a degree in Biological Sciences 2 years ago, her immediate plan for her life was to go on two mission trips that summer and fall. She was going to Bolivia, South America for 6 weeks to work with Campus Crusade. Then she was headed to Cameroon, Africa, to volunteer at a Medical Mission hospital for 10 weeks. Upon her return, she was going to apply to medical school in Boston and would hopefully start the following summer. Being a mission doctor was her lifelong dream and she couldn't imagine anything else for her life.

 But after she returned from Africa and landed in ICU literally fighting for her life from a complicated case of P. Falciparum Malaria, things changed. It took her almost a year to fully recover from the damage done to her liver and red blood cells. She stayed so weak and her immune system was compromised so she stayed ill, but gradually the Lord brought her to a full recovery from this horrible disease.  The next year found her unsure of her calling as a doctor and fervently seeking God's will for her life.

She was working as a substitute teacher in Baton Rouge and began to have a real love for little children and a real desire to become an elementary teacher. As the Lord began to reveal to her what His plan for her life was, she began to move forward in that direction. She took her MAT (Millers Analogy Test), scored very well,  and applied to graduate school.  And God continued to work.

As the Lord just continued to pour out His blessings upon her, He began guiding her step-by-step and  provided for her needs at every turn. He has shown Himself faithful to Melissa and His goodness has just overwhelmed her. This morning she was here beside me and tonight, my sweet girl will lay her head down in Boston, Massachusetts. She will begin her new journey with the Lord by her side tomorrow.  

(Boston University)

Please pray for Melissa as she begins her first class in grad school tomorrow evening. She is enrolled in a one year master's program and this time next year will be a teacher. She is so excited at what the Lord has in store for her and is ready to place her life fully in His hands.

It's always exciting to go with God. Even when we don't know where He is taking us or what we are going to do when we get there! But just to know that we are in His hands and submitting to His plans is the greatest source of peace that we can have. He is faithful. He will never let us down. He will never lead us astray. He will always guide us down the correct path if we keep our eyes on Him and let Him lead the way.

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails"

(Proverbs 19:21)

Overwhelmed by Him and His goodness, 

Beth

grateful for God's hand of protection

"You are my hiding place; you shall

preserve me from trouble. You shall

 surround me with songs of deliverance"

(Psalm 32:7)

Bolivia, South America is a long way from here. It seems like it is getting farther and farther as each day passes. The past 3 weeks have been filled with a medley of emotions and feelings. There has been joy and sorrow. There has been expectation and disappointment. There has been sickness and health. There has been healing. And today? Well, today there was abundant protection. God's merciful hand of protection upon my daughter and 2 of her friends.

Their group 12 (plus 5 Bolivians) traveled late last night from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba, which was about the halfway mark to their destination of La Paz. They will be in La Paz about a week building a church. They will be laboring for the Lord and helping to erect a house of worship for the glory of the Lord to settle in and minister to the lives of new christians and those needing salvation. The elevation in La Paz exceeds 12,000 feet and so the group needed to become aclimated to the altitude, so that is why they traveled to Cochabamba for an overnight stay.

When I answered the phone this evening, I heard Melissa's voice and knew something was wrong. The tentative, "Mama?" was filled with trepidation and tears. My heart just fell to the floor as I heard her telling me what had happened to her just a few short hours before. I almost couldn't catch my breath as I stood there listening to the details. I wanted to be at her side immediately, hugging her and checking her out from head to toe to make sure she was unscathed! I must have asked her 100 times if she was okay.  It's a long way from here to there when your daughter is sick. It's a REALLY long way from here to there when her life has been threatened.

As they were doing a little sight-seeing and hiking/climbing today, the group got temporarily separated on the way back down the mountain trail and my daughter, Melissa and 2 other girls were held-up by a Bolivian man at knifepoint. One of the girls actually had the knife touch her chest and was pushed to the ground before he stole their backpacks and purses. He had come out of the edge of the trail shouting and waving the knife and he scared the girls half-to-death. They are OK. They are quite shaken up and very unsettled. Melissa had actually seen the guy at the edge of the trail and said for just a minute she felt very fearful and said she immediately prayed and asked God for His protection.

As I sit here and think about it, I am angry at the man who had the audacity to attack my daughter. And steal her purse and her camera and her money and her keys. I am angry that he has stolen her trust and her security. I am angry that her joy has been temporarily replaced with sorrow. I am angry that she now has fear instead of peace.

But then the Lord tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me that HE is our peace. HE is our joy. And HE is our trust. He reminded me that the material things that were stolen, can be replaced. But Melissa and her friends lives could NOT have been replaced. And I realized that our precious Lord once again reached down His loving arms and wrapped them tight around my daughter and granted her life. His mercy was abundantly dispensed upon her today.

And I am humbled beyond words. Astounded at His love and grace. Amazed at His tenderness. In awe of the wonder of who He is.

As I hung up the phone with Melissa, they were about to go to dinner. She said, "Mama, I am afraid to go out there. But I am more afraid to stay here alone. I know I can't live in fear, I have to trust Him."

Yes, Melissa. We indeed have to face our fears. Otherwise they will overwhelm us and threaten to drown us in their uncertainties. God already has our lives planned and He already has our days numbered. He knows what will take place each step of the way. We just have to walk in His will. Walk in His ways. Be surrendered and obedient. And seek His face.

"When You said, 'Seek My face', My heart said to You, 'Your face, LORD, I will seek.'"

(Psalm 27:8)

And He was there with Melissa....

Melissa - January 1, 2010

November 27th. ER Trauma room

 the beginning(click to read from the start).....

Do I believe in miracles? Oh, yes. I believe. I have seen miracles. I AM a miracle. My daughter, Melissa, is a miracle.

When I think back to that Friday morning, November 27th, God readily reminds me of what He did in Melissa's life beginning that very day. Indeed, a miracle had just started taking shape.

After several days of feeling bad and not getting any better, I knew that it was time for Melissa to go to the doctor. She didn't want to go. She said she was too weak to get up and get in the car. All the doctors offices were closed due to the Thankskgiving holiday, but I finally managed to get her up and out the door and we headed to the ER at our local, small-town hospital. I was still thinking that she had the flu and just needed some medicine and then we would be on our way home.

When we got there, the nurse asked Melissa what was wrong and she said in a very soft voice, "I think I have malaria". I wish you could have seen the look on the nurses face as she took a step back and just kinda looked at us both for a moment.

Melissa quietly told her it wasn't contagious, but explained about her trip to Africa for 10 weeks and said that she had been home for 10 days, so with the incubation period,  it was possible that she did have it. Melissa saw a lot of malaria while she was working at the hospital in Cameroon, Africa. She was familiar with the symptoms and treatment of it. Most of the time they gave them medicine for 3 days and then they went home, so she didn't seem too worried about it.

As I really began looking at Melissa while we were waiting, I noticed that her eyes and face seemed very yellow. She had been in bed the last few days in the dark, so I hadn't really had a chance to see her face very well. I quietly took out my compact to look at my eyes in that room lighting and my eyes were very white. I handed the mirror to Melissa so she could look at hers and she was a little taken aback and just looked at me with fear in her eyes. It was at that moment that I knew there was something seriously wrong with my baby girl. My heart began beating fast. But, He was there.

As the girl from the lab came in to draw blood, I had her look at Melissa's face and eyes. She agreed that she was very yellow and after she drew several tubes of blood, left to go find the doctor.

The doctor on call sent for another doctor, Dr. Toe Ho, who is from the Philippines, and she was very familiar with malaria. Once she arrived, things started moving and they began drawing more blood and asking many questions. I had told her about Melissa's eyes and skin color and she said that she was definitely jaundiced.

When Dr. Toe Ho came back in, she told me that she herself had done a blood smear and lyced the red blood cells and that based on her knowledge, she was 99% sure that she had malaria. She also noted that her platelets were extremely low - 19,000 - and said that Melissa needed to be at a bigger hospital, where they could give her platelets if necessary.

After 5 hours at the ER in Oak Grove, Melissa was headed to Monroe by ambulance. I was alone as my husband had left that morning for New Orleans to watch a football game. He didn't have his vehicle and had no way home. I was scared and I was angry.  My heart was racing and anxiety was threatening to take over. I began to pray and to seek comfort in the Lord. And He was there.

The next 12 hours  are a blur. We wound up in the ER trauma room all night until they could find her a room in ICU. The doctor on call, Dr. Warnke, was from India and he was very familiar with malaria - God just kept putting the right doctors in the right place.

They spent the better part of the night and morning researching on the computer and trying to find her the medicine that she needed. They contacted CDC in Atlanta and by that afternoon on Saturday, her clinical trial doses of Artesunate and Malarone, were being flown to Monroe on a Delta flight and being picked up by a pharmacist and delivered to the hospital. Her first dose was given with much fanfare. Many came to watch, as this was something new and different.

Final diagnosis was P. Falciparum severe complicated malaria. The parasites had taken over her red blood cells. They had destroyed her platelets. They had settled in her liver and spleen, causing enlargement and pain. Her AST liver enzymes were in the 300's - normal is 5-40. Her hemoglobin fell to below 6 (normal is 12-15). She was almost at the point of blood transfusion, but God took over. Her bilrubin was over 16 - normal is .3-1 mg/dL. Her platelets dropped overnight to 11,000. She was 1,000 away from getting platelets. But God took over. She had fever spikes to 105. She was lethargic and weak. She hurt all over her body. She was retaining fluid from the systematic nature of the illness. She was a very sick girl, or as Dr. Parker put it, "she's one sick little puppy."

Each step of the way, God was there. He was guiding, leading, comforting, strengthening. He was performing a miracle on Melissa. He was letting others see His power and might. He was helping me learn to lean on Him more readily. He was there.

Over the next 6 days, Melissa slowly began to heal. Her counts began to normailze and she began to have a little more energy. By the time we brought her home, she was still very weak, but she was on the road to full recovery. And God was still working.

 At her last 3 check-ups, she has steadily gotten better results. Her last lab work showed her liver enzymes to be normal for the first time. ALT was 32 and AST was 36! Her platelets were 274,000. Her bilirubin was 1.8 ( a little high, but still very good.) Her hemoglobin was still only 10, but he said she was making so many red blood cells, that the differential of them was causing it to be a little low. She goes back on the 28th for more blood work, since her numbers were still a little off.

Did God perform a miracle? Oh, yes. He took my sick little girl, and put the right people in the right place at just the right time. He healed her body. He healed her soul. He was there.

Did this miracle impact others? Oh, indeed. Doctors that came in heard us giving glory to God in all things. Nurses heard the gospel. People in the ICU waiting room were witness to His sovereignty and power. Everyone that asks about her gets to hear about the miracle of her healing.

After 5 weeks, Melissa was finally feeling good enough to get out of the house. She went with a group of 40 kids from her church in Baton Rouge to the Passion 2010 conference in Atlanta. She wasn't feeling well as they left that Saturday morning at 4 am, and called me crying, but I prayed with her over the phone and she was determined to go. I told her if the devil was that intent on causing her to miss it, that God has something amazing for her to experience! She is having a wonderful time and I look forward to hearing about her trip. God saved her for a purpose. He saved her spiritually and he saved her physically.

And He was there all the time.

No Regrets?

There have been many times in my life that I have allowed regret to build a wall between me and God. I fail so often in my Christian walk and then I fail to let God apply His mercy to those failures. Sometimes it seems as if the harder I try to live a life of sanctification and holiness, the harder it is to succeed. I feel like each step I take forward results in at least 2 steps in the reverse direction.

My determination to live a life pleasing to Christ seems to bring out obstacle after obstacle. My eagerness to be all that God has called me to be seems to be an open invitation for the enemy to close in.

I feel  like I am in a constant battle against my flesh. I feel  like there is an on going war with my sinful nature.

I have learned that I have to stay alert at all times to the schemes and manipulations of the enemy. I need to be on constant guard against the mind games that satan likes to play.

But the main thing is that when I DO fail, I have to learn to forgive myself. For some reason, I find it easier to forgive others than to forgive my own self. But I have to remind myself that God applies that same precious blood to my own sin just as He does to others.

Colossians 3:13 tells us, "Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive"

That includes ourselves. When we neglect to forgive ourselves we allow regret to move into our lives. Unfortunately, when regret moves in, it brings distraction with it. And distraction moves in with a vengence bringing all sorts of baggage with it..

Our focus then becomes on what we did wrong. Our focus becomes our failure. Our focus becomes "us" instead of God. Our focus becomes regret.

Regret steals the JOY that our Father intends for us to have. Joy that comes through our salvation. Joy that comes through the shedding of that blood of Christ on the cross. Joy that comes through Jesus. Joy that Christ wants us to have!

When we repent, God wipes that slate clean. It doesn't leave behind the fingerprints of regret. Only the fingermarks of sweet mercy and forgiveness.

Oh, Father, help me to learn how to forgive myself when I fail you. Help me to lay those failures down at your feet and ask for sweet forgiveness. Help me to allow that forgiveness to penetrate deeply in my spirit and help to me bask in the Joy of knowing my sins were covered at Calvary. May I arise from the place of repentance more determined to live for You. More purposed in my walk. More passionate for my Savior. I love you Lord and I praise you for all the blessings you have bestowed upon my and my family. You are my JOY!

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

Melissa had a good check up yesterday. Her platelets are up to 165,000. Her hemoglobin is up to 10.0. He said when it gets to 12 - 15, then she will begin to have more energy and not be so tired. She is still a little jaundiced. Her bilirubin is still fluxuating in the 3's. It needs to come down to .4 and he said that once her other liver enzymes begin to stabalize, then that will happen. Her AST liver enzymes that were in the 300's are now 52 and almost normal. I didn't realize how sick her liver really was! She was also holding 18 pounds of fluid that is now gone.

I continue to praise God for the miracle that her performed in my child. I also am so thankful and grateful to all the prayers that everyone has lifted up on her behalf. Continue to pray. She goes back to the doctor on the 22nd and hopefully that will be the final visit!

He was There.

"No weapon formed against you shall prosper..." (Isaiah 54:17)

Melissa had a pretty good day yesterday. She was laughing and talking a little and even ate a little lunch. We had a pretty peaceful and uneventful day.

Around 5 PM she received her 4th and final dose of Artesunate. They brought it early so they could give her the first round of Malarone 4 hours from that point. Thus began the downhill slide. Nausea, vomiting, fever, chills and pain.

By 8PM she was hurting in her upper stomach feeling a lot more pressure than she had been. The liver and spleen are pushing against the ribcage and causing discomfort and she was afraid it was worse. She got really scared thinking something was wrong.

The nurse sumoned the on-call doctor and he came down in about 10 minutes. Not impressed with him. Not even mildly. He was rude, uninformed, and immediately said the wrong thing to this mother and her 23 year old daughter.

"A famous cardiologist went on a hunting trip to Cameroon and got malaria and died" is what he said. I looked at him and said, "Well, thanks for that..."

The nurse look horrified that he would even say that. Then he wanted to know all about who diagnosed her and all and didn't really get to the point of the problem. The nurse helped explain things better when he left. Apparently since the hemoglobin was down, it can cause the cells in the liver and spleen to swell a little more. But she assured us that she was OK. It is a vicious cycle right now. But she did help us feel better.

At 9PM they gave her the starter dose of Malarone which consisted of 4 pills. She will take 1 pill tonight and 1 more pill Wednesday night and hopefully go home Thursday or Friday. If her numbers keep going in the right direction.

Almost immediately after the dose of Malarone, she began vomiting and Melissa's spirits plummetted quickly. For the next 3 hours I had to pray, quote scripture, sing, rub her back and rub her arm.

I had her close her eyes and told her to picture Jesus at the head of her bed reaching down and touching her.

Reaching down and breathing healing into her body.

Reaching down and breathing new life into her spirit.

I could feel Him. He was there.

I began singing softly. "He is here, hallelujah. He is here, Amen. He is here holy, holy. I will bless His name again. He is here, listen closely. Hear Him calling out your name. He is here. You can touch Him. You will never be the same."

I text my friend and had her sing with me. Melissa fell into a peaceful sleep for awhile. I was afraid to stop or even move. So I sat and sang and sang and sang..... And the tears flowed.

I felt Him. I welcomed Him. I leaned back against Him and I melted in His embrace.

When Melissa woke this morning, she thanked me for stroking her head. I told her it wasn't me, but her Savior.....

Once again, He covered us. Once again, He tucked us safely in the cleft of the rock.

Praise you sweet Jesus. I love you ever so much.

+++++++++++++++++++
Update for this morning -

**Liver counts a little higher (but not to worry says Dr. P)
**Platelets ??? 51,000!!! Yes - they are steady coming up and that is a good thing! Dr. P teased her and told her she was getting way too many... ha! only 74,000 to go!
**Potassium low - so she got a wonderful and tasty potassium cocktail which promptly made her sick....
** We are out of ICU! Yes! She is in her own room! Thank you Jesus!

She is resting well this morning. A little nausea and very weak, but in good spirits. Nothing like a touch from Jesus to perk you up!

Thank you so much for the prayers!

THANKful Thursday is Awesome!

I join Sonya today for her Thankful Thursday and am so glad that she hosts this each week.

Megan, Melissa, Ashlie

1. I am so thankful for my 3 precious daughters. God richly blessed me with sweet girls who love the Lord and I am so thankful that they all call me their best friend.

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.." (Psalms 127:3)

2. I am so thankful that Megan and Ashlie are raising their children (my precious little grandbabies) in the admonition of the Lord. They both began teaching them the truths of God's Word when they were just babies and they continue to help their children grow in Him as they get older.

"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6)

Thank you Lord for the Truth of your Word.

3. I am so thankful for something called "skype" so I can talk to my daughter Melissa while she is in Africa. What a blessing modern technology can be!

Thank you Lord for your mercy!

4. I am so thankful that Melissa is feeling so much better. Nothing is worse than knowing your child is very sick and that she is on another continent, far away from home. She has been so sick for the last week and it was so awesome to answer the phone last night and NOT hear her crying. She was happy and laughing and it did this mama a world of good to hear that!

"For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds",says the Lord. (Jeremiah 30:17)

Thank you Lord for your healing hand upon my sweet Melissa! You are so good! Nothing is too hard for you!

5. I am so thankful for prayer. There are times when I feel like I am on my face ALL the time and I am so thankful that God hears my cry and that He answers me!

"In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me" (Psalm 120:1)

Thank you Lord for the power and privilege of PRAYER!

Saturday Steps of Faith - Believing God/ Melissa!

"And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9)

His Grace is sufficient .
He strengthens.
He upholds.

His mercy is unending.
He is gracious.
He forgives.

His majesty is matchless.
He is glorious.
He reigns.

When I feel as if the world is closing in -

I look up.

When I feel like I'm at the end of my rope -

I reach out.

When I'm not sure of my next step -

I call to Him.

When I feel like the waters are rising and the deep has closed around me, I turn to the one thing that I know -

PRAYER

When all else escapes me - I have prayer.

When I am void of a clear thought - I have prayer.

When I'm tired or lonely. When I'm overwhelmed or misunderstood - I have prayer.

I commune with Him in prayer and He consumes me.

I commit to Him in prayer and He covers me.

God is faithful.

At my lowest - He is the highest.
At my worst - He is the best.
At my ending - He is the beginning.

His sufficiency reigns omnipotent. His mercies reign immeasureable. He is God. He is worthy of our Praise. Hallelujah! He reigns!!

Thank you Lord for prayer. I am believing that You hear my prayer. I am believing that You hear my cry. Thank you precious Father, that our prayers connect us to You. Thank you that prayer is the beginning of our worship. Thank you that prayer is healing, restoring, cleansing and renewing.

I'm believing God.

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

I am thankful today that my daughter Melissa is better. She has been in Africa for 2 weeks now and for the past 5 days she has been very ill. The last I heard on Wednesday, they were going to test her for Malaria yesterday if she wasn't better, but I didn't hear from her until late last night. They didn't do the test, because she felt better. (the don't have an abundance of supplies, so they try to save if at all possible.) Not only was she better, but The Lord provided a window unit AC for her little home. Praise You Jesus!! She sounded stronger and will be back working at the hospital today or Monday. Please continue to be in much prayer for her. She has 7 more weeks and I miss her terribly.

Are we Ready?

"For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night." (I Thessalonians 5:2)

We look forward to a lot of things in our lives. In fact, we eagerly anticipate so many different events that take place in our every day happenings.

I was most assuredly looking forward to seeing my daughter, Melissa, Thursday night. She had been gone for 5 weeks to another country and I was ready to see her. I had made my plans ahead of time and was doing everything in my power to make sure that those plans went off as scheduled.

I knew exactly what time her flight was coming in. I knew what airport she was landing at. (I didn't know which airline, but that's another story :) My husband and I had left in plenty of time to get to New Orleans way before her scheduled landing. We were ready.

Once we found her gate, we sat and we waited. The closer it got to that time, the more anxious I got. I was planning in my head what I was going to say to her when I saw her. I was literally having conversations with her in my head! (I know that's strange) When they landed, she text me to let me know that she was on the ground. I couldn't stay in my seat by that point and was up and walking toward the concourse to get the first look at her.

As I was watching the hundreds of people walking toward us, it didn't take me long to find my child. My daughter. My little girl.

I saw her and she saw me and she came and just wrapped me up in the biggest hug. It was so awesome to see her and to just feel her and know that she was fine.

That is the same anticipation that we ought to feel as we eagerly await the return of our Lord. We should be so anxious to see Jesus, that we make our plans early. We need to be on the look out for Him everyday. We need to make sure that we have made every preparation in our lives necessary as we look to his coming.

God gave us the flight plan when He gave us His Word. All we have to do is read it and be watching for the signs of His imminent return. We may not know the exact time but we can be ready. We can be prepared. We can be looking. And when we see Him, we will know Him.

"Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (I Thessalonians 4:17)

THANKful Thursday

I always love thankful thursday's with Sonya - it causes me to stop and dwell on the good things that God does daily in my life.

1. I am thankful that as depicted in Nehemiah, God is the re-builder of the broken walls of our lives. He can take what is torn apart and put the pieces back together again. Thank you Lord, for doing a little construction work in my life time and time again.

2. I am thankful that as depicted in Psalms, God is our song. "Praise the Lord! Sing to the LORD a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints." (Psalm 149:1) Thank you Lord, for the gift of music and the gift you gave me to play the flute. When I play, I play for you and for your glory.

3. I am thankful that as depicted in Genesis, God is the breath of life. "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7) Thank you Lord for breathing the breath of life into me and being my Creator.

4. I am thankful that as depicted in Timothy, God is our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. "...which God will bring about in his own time - God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords" (1 Timothy 6:15) Thank you Lord for having dominion over all things and being the one True King of this world.

5. I am thankful that as depicted in James, God is our Healer. "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven" (James 5:15) Thank you Lord for the healing that you bestowed upon me when I was 10 years old. You are Jehovah Rapha.

6. I am thankful that I heard from Melissa last night from Bolivia, South America. It was so good to hear her voice and know that she is OK. Thank you Lord for keeping my daughter safe and for planting the desire in her heart to do mission work for You.

Happy Birthday Melissa & God's grace

Happy 23rd birthday, Melissa! You will never know just how much I love you and what a great blessing you are to me. I am so very thankful that God chose me to be your mother. From a sweet little baby with lots of colic, to a beautiful young woman seeking after God's heart. I pray you continue to find favor in the Lord. And that as you seek Him, you will find Him and as you find Him, you will love Him more. I love you - Mama

"OUR SIN IS GREAT - GOD'S GRACE IS GREATER"

As I read these words in my devotion today, it really caused me to stop and ponder these words and think about it.

Sin entered our world through one wrong choice to follow man's path instead of God's path. Sin entered and has had a death grip on us ever since.

Without God's intervention we would be without Hope. We would be bound for an eternity in hell. Lost and never found.

But through the cross, Jesus overpowered and conquered sin and thus conquered death through His resurrection. Because of Jesus we have hope and we have life. Our sins have been covered by the precious blood of our Lord and Savior.

"Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more." Romans 5:20

Lord, help me to live in more appreciation and thankfulness for what you did on the cross of Calvary for us all. As I seek you more, help me to follow your path and not my own. Help me to flee from the temptation of sin and focus on the restoring power of God's grace.