Just call me Sari....soon to be known by all as Sarah

Waynesville, N.C..
"Abram".....do you know where we are going?
No.
How long will we be gone?
Not sure.
Should we call an agent to look for a home for us to buy?
God already knows what He has for us...He will take us to it.
Besides, I am not even sure if what we are going to get is for sale yet.
:0.....um, so are you just going to go up to their door and ask them to sell us their house?!
"Sari", God will show us the way. He has been asking me lately...."what are you waiting for?"
So, we are going.
Deep breath....O.K, I will pack.
"Sari".......just have Faith...God will provide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So........just in case you could't tell from the conversation above...my faith is being stretched.
Do I believe that God is still the same yesterday, today, and forever more?
Could He still possible call some to blindly walk without knowing the where?
This is where we are.
I want to thank ya'll for praying for the sell of our property.
We have had two takers on the two pieces in Franklinton and still need one for the property in Covington. Thank you for your prayers.
We should sign the papers for the Franklinton property next week.
In my mind.....human mind of course.....I still see some things that need to be taken care of before we leave. But, if I believe that God can lead and guide us through my husband.....then I must trust that he is hearing God loud and clear right now.
Yes, I have pictures of the big "SUBMIT!" floating through the air above my head.
So...... we are going to go and look around somewhere North of Waynesville , N.C.. And we will be gone for a few days.
God knows what we need, what we would like to have, and what He has already planned for us.
Exciting? YES!
A little scary? Yes, oh yes!
But I do feel like I am being stretched. And that is a good thing.
I don't always have to know the how's, the whens, the wheres and the whys.
The answers to these always bring a bit of security to my life. But I know He is to be my security. He holds my future.....and He says it is a great future!

So...... Sari.....is going now to pack a bag for a few days of traveling.
I will bring my computer with me so maybe I be able to drop in every once in a while.
North Carolina....here we come!

A Modern Day Parable...He still speaks

She sat there looking at him like he had lost his mind.
Where had the gentle lover that she had just spent two days with disappeared to?
She found it almost impossible to think that the few words she had spoken
had driven him to this reaction.
From deep inside she felt the pain begin to rise. She wanted to set him straight.
To let him know how wrong he was. Her words had been misconstrued.
How did he even get what he got out of the words she had spoken?

She turned her head and looked out the window......just plain afraid to open her mouth. She knew if she spoke now her words would have the intention to wound.
Dear God, what went wrong here?
How could someone I shared my heart and body with so suddenly turn on me? Help me respond in a way that will not drive a deeper wedge between us. God speak to his heart and let him see what he is doing to our beautiful relationship. Dear God I am SO angry! Help me not sin in the middle of my anger.

At one point during their ride he reached over to touch her arm while making a comment about something going by. And as if it had a mind of its own- her arm withdrew itself from his hand. Her mind recoiled from the intimacy that he was assuming was still there.
Deep in her heart something had been broken. She still loved him and even immediately missed and long for the closeness of "them"......but the words spoken needed to be addressed and dealt with before the sweetness could resume.

While sitting, staring blindly out of the window, the Holy Spirit began ever so gently to speak truths into her heart.
He would begin to transform Knowledge into Wisdom. He would teach her things that she had not understood or acknowledged. He was using life circumstances to teach her
heavenly lessons.
~~~~~~~
...............it hurts doesn't it He said? Many times in the past you and I have shared such sweet intimacy. Times when you sat at My feet and listened to My every word. Looking into your eyes I could see that you were taken by My beauty and My love for you. We had times of conversation that blessed My heart. Times when you lifted your heart to Me in song and I longed to step down out of the heavens to let you see My face so that you would know how deeply your words moved Me.
And then, although I knew the times were coming, I would look down at my feet and you would be gone again. How you could leave after such sweet closeness- hurt My heart beyond words. You would go on about your business and do and say things that were like a slap to my face...and yet, I loved you still so deeply.
Then there would be those times in church on Sunday or the times when you were riding in your car listening to Christian music- when you would begin to sing the same words to me.
They were really great words....but the intimacy between you and I had been broken. You would often wonder why it felt as though your words were hitting the ceiling.
Why you did not feel My Spirit warming yours.
Then remember the words of conviction I would send? And then your heart knew why.
You had a choice-- to renew intimacy by repentance
or you could continue to let the relationship grow cold.
That you are hearing me now shows that you are sitting at my feet listening.
Your husband/brother in Christ has offended you---I know. But, you must forgive. Just like I open myself to you for your return....you must keep yourself open to him for his return.
Can you trust that I am able to make contact with his heart just like I made contact with yours?
Then......trust and obey.
Do you understand the lesson I orchestrated?
Good.......now go and take this truth and do like I do.

She leaned her head against His knee and whispered......
Thank you for loving me.

Feeling a little Crazy?

Crazy ... I'm crazy for feelin' so lonely
I'm crazy ... crazy for feelin' so blue.

Have you ever found yourself feeling just a tad like Patsy Cline?
Just a little crazy?
I know this post is a little longer than most...but I pray that those who stick it out find that their mind has been renewed and they have a stick of dynamite to use the next time fear rears its ugly head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before I start I want to let everyone know that these are bits and pieces if the notes that I took while at the taping of the Life Today show featuring Beth Moore.
I don't want to take credit for the words given to her by God so if I write my own thoughts I will try and let you know.
This is the second session that we attended. The title was---A Sound Mind.
Here are the scriptures she used.

2 Timothy 1:37
3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

I want to let you know that I did think twice about posting this info. Simply because I did not want to mess up the words that were so simple and straight forward. Also, I do believe that we hear in a message what God intends for us to take away.....so, someone else may have come away with a whole different focus. That is a pretty cool thought in itself....isn't the Holy Spirit something else? What other teacher could get up and teach the material and make sure it sinks in to each person just the way it needs to......we serve a MIGHTY Powerful God.

So, Beth's main concentration was on the last verse for this session. She talked about what our minds can do to us...under the influence of our enemy. How about this-- How many of us have had conversations with others who were not even there? Conversations about what we would like to say and then went ahead and filled in what we thought they would say? And then walked away from that mental conversation all mad at the person for something that did not even take place? I just had to laugh. I have been here so often.

She also talked about having conversations with yourself. How your mind often gets going and sometimes the other half of yourself just has to tell it to "SHUT UP". Been there done that...especially at night when my body says go to sleep but my mind says....we have unfinished business. I am learning more and more how to turn it off.

Beth talked about how the fear issue is usually the thing that sends us off into the crazy mode. We begin to fear what has happened and how it will ruin our future. We fear what will happen and how it will ruin our future. For every person there is a new group of fears. Fears that we will never be loved. Fears about what the ones who love us will expect from us. Fear that we will not have the things we need. Fear that we will not be able to pay for the things we have gotten to fill the empty void. Everybody has their own list of fears.

Theses fears take on a life of their own and begin to lead us around like a dog on a leash. And then how many of us can remember in the heat of the moment standing at the edge of the point of no return thinking.........If I take one more step forward
It will be all over and I will loose my mind.

Now this is me. I have been here. These past few years gave me quite a few situations that drove me to the edge. I can remember standing in my room in the rental thinking......I've had enough-more than enough. I will just let go and go ahead and go "there" and it will be all over. I was tired, stressed, and at the point where there seemed no hope. And then something would happen and I would seem to be able to hold on for one more day. How thankful I am for The Rock who lets me stand on Him to keep my head above the waters that so want my death.

Beth talked about how God orchestrates the events of our lives. How nothing would be allowed if when turned over to the hands of our creator they would not be for our benefit and His greatest glory. You can put both Joyce Meyers and Beth into that equation as women who were molested at a young age. Look what God has done in and through them.

I don't want this to become a book so I will try and wrap it up here. Bottom line...satan would like to use circumstances or vain imaginations to drive us crazy. So manic that we think our only choice is to disappear into a world run by fear. Fear that leads to a lack of self-control, fear the drives us to hysteria, fear that leads to jealousy, and fear that just makes us do stupid things. And we all know that fear is the opposite of faith and without faith it is impossible to please God.

We have a right to the things that God says He gave us.

Me talking here.
Do we want to believe the lies of satan that says if we really were to sit back and look at our lives and our past we would loose our minds? I have been here. We can not keep running from the ghosts of our past. The things that crept in while we were not looking. And because many of us have not taken our past before the throne.......it looms just beyond the shadows ever waiting we think to turn our world upside down. Let's take the ammunition out of our enemies hands. For years I feared some things from my past being found out. Every time it became a topic of conversation I could feel fear begin to rise like yuck in my throat. Finally, I decided to be done with it. I sat down with the person I needed to sit down with and placed it all on the table. It was not like I thought it would be. Now I will admit that when I decided I would do this that I fasted and prayed and then basically I felt like I laid my head on the block.

God kept my head on my shoulders....why.......BECAUSE HE HAD GIVEN ME A SOUND MIND and when I went to Him......He set me free from that fear.

I wanted to look satan in the face and say...NOW TAKE THAT!

Next time fear rises to the surface......if it is based on something real or just your imagination you open your mouth and tell your fear and your enemy......

I have not been given a spirit of fear--but of POWER and of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND!

And then stand on the ROCK!

I'm Back! And you thought T.V commercial breaks were long!

Recognize the set?

This is the set for the James and Betty Robinson's show Live Today.
We had such a great time in this intimate close setting. We arrived on the set on Friday night and Beth taught twice that night. She would teach for an hour and while we had a fifteen minute break- she would change clothes. Each hour will be broken down to segments on T.V to be aired some time in the fall I believe.
Tracy and I had a good time trying to figure out the mapquest directions on the way back to our hotel after the first session. We are both map challenged. ;)

We got to spend some time together on Friday morning just hanging out and doing some shopping. We went and got some books for Beth to sign -but the questions went on for too long at the end of the last session so we did not get them signed. But I do have a new book to read....we got the one on the life of Paul.

We were both glad that we brought a jacket and sweater because it was like an ice box in the studio. We sat both days at the top and it felt like we were right in the path of all the wind entering the studio. But all the bodies kept us reasonably defrosted and we enjoyed the heat once we got outside-well we enjoyed it for a few minutes anyway. :)

I took notes like crazy.......felt a little bit like I was back in college. Relax.....I will not share 5 hours of notes with you!
The sessions were great. I will share a few thoughts with you a little later. I think probably the most powerful sessions for me were the ones on a "sound mind" and on praying a blessing found in scripture over those we love.

At first I was afraid to take pictures of Beth since they gave us pretty strict instructions on what we should or should not do while in the studio....especially during filming time. Things like not chewing gum and ...heaven forbid...not doing unpleasant things with your nose that might just be caught on camera for all the world to see. :0! Now I was not worried about getting caught doing the former but I was having horrible times with my allergies and it felt like someone had a feather tickling the end of my nose the entire time. And of course time eventually caught up with me and the yawns started . I did my best covering those up........hey!, we wouldn't want anyone to think I was bored with Beth's teaching. :)

Here is a sweet picture of our beautiful girl! She was full of energy
and The Spirit as she shared Gods word with us. Her outfits were stylish and colorful and I love that she made a point of saying that she had not spent a lot of money on her clothes because God had really set that in her heart after the Daniel study.
I can not even begin to think how tired her body was after teaching 5 one hour sessions. God was with her.
If you have never had the opportunity to do one of Beth's studies I would highly suggest that you try one. You can do them on line or you can go to her site and find out about one being done in your area.

I will share some of my notes later. Thanks for your prayers-we had a great time.

I think I have gotten around to about half of the blogs I read.......I will catch the rest of you a little later on......life and responsibility calls.

Sharon will return after this commercial break........ ;)

........will be found missing in action here on this blog until next Tuesday because a good friend (who will remain faceless since she does not like to have her picture taken) is taking her to

the Dallas Forth Worth area to be exact.
Why oh why will Sharon be going back to Texas since she was just there?
Well, knowing the love that Sharon has for the woman that mentored her(Beth Moore) this friend has arranged and paid for the two of them to go to the taping of one of the series that will be viewed on Wednesdays With Beth on the Life Today Show
with James and Betty Robinson.

Sharon will be flying out on Thursday afternoon to attend the taping on Friday night and Saturday. Then hang around for some fun time.

Is Sharon getting a little excited?
Ohhhhhh Yes!
Will Sharon take lots of notes and hopefully pictures?
Ohhhhhh Yes!

Does Sharon feel totally blessed?
Boy oh Boy does she!

So....Sharon will be back in a few days--Tuesday to blogdom. She will have lots to talk about.
She will be refreshed and her heart will be overflowing with the incredible things that God shared with her through this awesome woman of God.

Thank you Tracy!

Oh, that is the faceless friend who is going with Sharon.
;)

Tender Like Him

Several months ago I walked into a drug store in our area and saw a woman at the counter who was dressed to impress. I realize right away that I knew her but I could not remember where we had met. There is still a little of the former insecurity left in me-- so honestly, I just wanted to avoided the reintroductions and move on.
What makes matters like this even worse is a heart that is very tired and tender. You just never know what someone will say that will poke at the tenderness..... and then the fight begins to contain the emotions.

So being the social bee that I am not...I walked the long way around. :)
I know, you have never done the same. ;)
But, I am learning from the behind view--that is, looking back on the situation now---- that God was about to teach me something that would make sense much later.

As I got ready to go to the counter to check out.....the woman turned around and of course she saw me AND remembered my name. Don't ya just hate that?
So I stood there and smiled and wondered if I looked as old and harried as I felt. And as a gracious southern gal.....I acknowledge her greeting.
Following these reintroductions I was reminded that we knew each other from two places.....one the Christian school our boys had attended and two I had been the manager at the Country club she belonged too .
She really was a sweet person and she couldn't help that she was just naturally beautiful. :)
So we started in on the conversation I wanted to avoid and then it began to go where I did not want it to go....our sons. Hers was doing great in school and would be graduating and going off to college on a sports scholarship. Life was good and they were so proud of their boys. Then came the question.....
Well, how is Michael doing??????? What is he up to? Where will he be going to college?

I wish I could freeze frame this section and take it in slow motion....because that is exactly what I felt as my mind began to scramble for an answer to her questions. I felt like time had stopped and I was about to answer her question over the store microphone.
I don't remember my exact response.....but I do remember the Holy Spirit stepping up to the plate and reminding me that I needed to represent Him in a godly way.
In other words....Don't run and don't lie. ;)
So, I told her that Michael was not sure what he was going to do yet..... I was truthful.

So why share this with you?
Well, I wanted to share what God has been teaching me and
because after looking back over the things that I have been allowed to go through........I hurt for the woman who felt like she had been cornered. I feel bad that she felt shame and embarrassment for the things she could not correct or do anything about.

And I wonder if I have without thought or mean intent treated other women as that woman treated me that day in the drug store.
Here is my point.
I believe that when Jesus approached people He approached them looking for their greatest need. Many times their pain or suffering got in the way of them receiving His message. He wanted them to leave His presence knowing that they were important and loved.
He listened and watched for the area of their lives to be exposed so that He could touch the darkness and bring a glimmer of hope to their hearts.
He just loved them at their greatest point of need and they were healed.

There are so many women out there who are hurting and lonely. They may look well put together on the outside or they may look like someone who needs to be put together.....but they all need the touch of God in their lives.
We are here to offer that touch.
I guess I just want to offer this little thought to think about.
I know that we all have areas where we are proud of the things that God has done.
Our children are perhaps healthy, happy and making good grades. Our husbands are experiencing success and our marriage is doing good.
But, the next time we see someone who we have not seen in awhile........or maybe someone who is a new introduction.......could we take a second to think about what may be going on behind closed doors? Maybe something that they are not willing to talk about to someone who appears to have it all together.
Understand?
I know that God allowed that situation in the drug store for a reason.
For one....... it revealed the pride in my heart. That has to go.
And now it makes my heart tender toward others who are walking painful paths.
Maybe I should have opened up and told her what was going on. I could have shared some of the lessons God was teaching Keith and I. Maybe she was not as put together as she appeared.
Could it be that because I was not willing to look--"un put together"---that I missed an opportunity to give God glory even in the mess?
I don't know....but I so want to be His heart here on this earth.
We can be that......I know that as ya'll share your lives with me....I hear His voice.
Others can see Him in your lives. Yes, even in lives that do not look all put together perfectly.

I pray that we will walk the tender walk He walked.
Lets not be afraid to share our scars with the world.......they need to know that He still heals.

Thanks again for listening.
And remember.....your scars are beautiful when placed in His hands.

Walking out the parable of love

Hey guys, I am back home in my home on wheels. :)
We had a great time serving the Lord and we also had some fun just spending time with Mom and Dad after the conference was over.
Keith's truck is in the shop....so I am home bound while he uses my truck.
And that is fine since I have had some thoughts running around in my head that I want to get on "paper" before I forget them.
So, follow along if you have time. I hope that my thoughts will make sense...but I want to get out of my head and heart down in writing all that I feel like God has been teaching me.

I guess my question to you would be.....Do you think that God would orchestrate circumstances allowing bad things to happen just so that He can teach you what you think you already know?
O.k, I know that was long winded.....here is what He has been teaching me.

First I guess I should let you know that God used the mess in my sons life to teach me a few things about Himself.
I knew when our son was still a little guy that things were not going to be easy.
And even though he was brought up in a Christian home and was in church as often as the doors were open......something was not working according to plan.
By the time he was 8 or 9 my relationship with God took off in an extraordinary way.
I had been a Christian since I was 5 and I knew a lot about the Bible and God.
But, something changed when I began to pursue God during this time. I wanted to KNOW him in an intimate way. I devoured scripture. Wrote things that God was teaching me
and I also began teaching.
I really saw my relationship take off. I was being blown away by truths being revealed in scripture.....and I knew that I was living a life pleasing to God.
Things that had bound my life were disappearing or loosing their hold on me.
I guess you could say.... the car was on the road and all was working the way it was meant to. Even when things began to get really rough with Michael.....things were being held together smoothly in my relationship with God. I was studying several hours a day(while the children were in school) and teaching womens group and children's church.

Then one day I got a call from the police wanting to make sure I was home...they were bringing Michael to me. He was being brought in by the sheriff off of the river.....he was in handcuffs...he was 15. I can not even explain what went through me as I saw my young baby being helped out of the sheriffs boat while in handcuffs.
I do believe that this is when the lesson first began for me.
I talked to my pastor.....who just happened to be there when this happened....about stepping down from the areas of ministry I was involved with. He told me that I was to stay put......my enemy would want me to step down.
And so with a broken heart......I kept going. This was the beginning of several years of events that would slowly chip away at all that I thought I knew about how God worked and how He loved me.
We then went through the storm -Katrina....which gave us about 6 months off of school. During this time Michael work hard with Keith. Things were pretty smooth.
And then school started and things went down hill again.
We tried everything with we could to help Michael.
You know how people who have never been through the things you are going through give advice so freely? We got lots of advice.
Michael spent some time talking to our pastor....we thought this might help with what he was going through. I did not. Grades at school began to fall and eventually we decided to send him to a boarding school. It was a Christian school about 4 hours away and for the first month we would not be able to speak to him except by mail. We had a good friend working there so we felt very good about this move. Again....my heart broke as we took him there and left him.
I felt like God was allowing my heart to be shredded.
Where had I gone wrong?
He did not stay there long ---he was kicked out after 3 weeks.
He came home and put down some strict rules. And it was not that we did not have strict rules before all of this started to happen....we did.
We told him that he could abide by our rules or he would be asked to leave. He was 17.
During this time we tore down our storm damaged home and moved into our camper as we began to make plans to rebuild.
I can't explain what the things with Micheal did to our family. Julia began to show evidence of the stress. Keith and I forgot what it was like just to enjoy each others presence.
And yet, my relationship with God was good.....it was my hiding place.
Then came the time we found Michael was not going to school. There were so many lies.
And, then he got suspended from school. That was the last straw.
While Keith went to pick Michael up from school I pulled out bags and bagged up all of Michaels things and put them out of the camper.
There were so many other things going on during this time that I truly wondered if I was going to make it mentally.
My heart could not be broken any more than it had been as I saw my son take his bags and set them out on the road in the rain waiting for a friend to come and pick him up.
Our pastor came by......I can not even tell you how having him and his wife helped during this time. He spoke with us and with Michael and then Michael was gone.

I finally stepped down from everything at church. I had nothing left to give.
Nothing seemed to work as it was supposed to.
My walk with God became one of obedience. I read my Bible because I was supposed to. I prayed because that was what I was called to do.
I felt like I had been left on the side of the road after being beaten and left for dead.
I thought of Michael often during this time. We would go for weeks and not hear from him. I wondered all of the normal things a Mom wonders. Was he eating? Did he have what he needed?
I cried a lot....Keith and I cried together.
Eventually after about 3 months Michael came and asked to come back....he said he had learned his lesson. We would later find that he had not.
And so he came home and things were good for about 3 weeks.
And then things went back to horrible.
Meanwhile we took on Keith's Dad. We moved out of the camper into a home down the road.
By this time I was so numb that nothing mattered.
I did not even try reading my Bible any more.
I could still function during this time because I knew so much spiritually.
I knew what was right......and so I had the right words.
But I was so raw......and angry.
here were times that I let it all out with God. Honestly, it did not seem to make a difference.
I would call this year the black night of my soul.
Sounds pretty bad doesn't it? It was.
I really think during this time that God used blogging to hold the pieces together.
Hearing you all talk about your relationship with God really helped me to remember what was right. And there were times that God spoke to me and reminded me that He was still there.
And yes, I felt like I was being picked on during this period of my life.
There were rough things going on at home and rough things at church.
Then Paw Paw passed away.
We moved out of the rental and Michael moved in with some friends.
And then......Peace came home.
----------
Sorry I had to go through all that. But if you are still with me at this point maybe you will be able to follow me when I explain what God has taught me. But.....I will give this warning.....before you read what I have learned and think....Yes, I already know that.......stop!
I am becoming more and more aware that God lets us do our book learning and then He orchestrates the circumstances to allow those truths to become a part of the core of our being.
Saying we KNOW it.....well, sometimes we will later find that we wish we had kept our mouths shut. Maybe it is kind of like opening the flood gates when we have not yet gotten in the boat.

Before we left for camp I began reading a book Mom had given me a few weeks ago.
The name of the book is ....Lost Boys And The Moms Who Love Them.
God had already started to whisper little words to my heart when I picked this book up.
Little reminders of prayers that I had prayed about wanting to be used by Him and that I was willing for Him to do whatever He needed to do to get me ready.
Prayers that I had prayed for the body of Christ....burdens that I asked for. Things like asking God to let me see the love He had for the body of Christ and for the lost soul. I wanted to experience these things so that they would become the major thing in my life.
I never realized that He would begin to show me this my using my life.

During the past weeks I had begun to really miss my son---- in a way that showed me that I still loved him. Now that might sound horrible but unless you have walked the walk I have walked....you will not understand how you can even begin to wonder if your child's behavior could wipe all signs of love from your heart.
And, then reading the book I saw that other Moms had walked in my shoes. Their hearts had been broken, stomped on, crushed, burned.......and still they loved. Sometimes with a love that hurt them more than it did the child.
And when I saw this......I said, "Yes! I know what you have been through...I have been there too!"----it was at that point the Spirit began to speak to my spirit.
So sweetly He said.......Sharon, I have been there too.
For these past two years as you have twisted and squirmed trying to get out of my grasp. As you have screamed at me and stomped your foot......I have loved you.
You did not understand the changes taking place in your life.....you did not see the lessons that I was trying to teach. And you were down right ugly to my face at times....and even though my heart was being crushed and broken.....I still loved you with a Mothers love.
Though you neglected my Word and refused to talk to me at times.....I still wanted to be around you because you were part of Me. You will always be part of Me. You are flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood. Nothing you could do could separate you from my love. You can not earn it....and you can do nothing to try and keep it. You said you knew this.....but now that you have experienced it with your own son......You KNOW it.
Now do you understand one of the reasons for the journey?
And my heart cried.....DEAR GOD...... I LOVE YOU! I am so unworthy of Your love.
Thank you that no matter how I act.....You love me with a Mothers heart. A heart that you gave me as a mother. Thank you that you still want to be around me even when I am not walking perfectly. Thank you that sometimes you just want to say, "Let's not worry about that at this moment.....just sit with Me...... I miss you".
-----------
I am going to end this now because it has gotten very long.
But I want you to know that God is a God of purpose. He does not allow things to happen for no reason. There is a plan. If what we were going to go through was for nothing or would destroy us.....He would stop it.
I can not tell you how many times I have prayed over the past few years---Dear God, please don't let me go through this without learning what You planned for me to learn.
And He is faithful to complete that that He begins in us.
Each time I think I have understand His love.......He takes me a little deeper.
I will never understand how deeply He loves me.
I will never understand why He would want to be loved by me.
But He loves us.
He loves us with a love that is
deeper,
wider,
and stronger
than our earthly minds will ever be able to understand.
I will tell you that right now I am walking in a peace that is beyond my understanding-
It is beautiful. And I have missed it.

Closing Out Our Time In Texas

Tomorrow will be our last day here at Mo Ranch.
It has been one of the best years yet.
I wake with a song on my heart and my strength has lasted all week!

Here is a little picture of the project that we have been working on this week.
We have 20 little trash cans ready to go home tomorrow.
They came out really great and the kids had a great time putting them together.

Here is the river by our camp. Sorry to say but I did not even get into it this year because I was still to0 burned from my time in the sun before we left home.
There is a slide that goes into the water along with a big rope swing.
If you start further up river you can actually tube down the crystal clear waters.
It is the most awesome place.
Out in the middle of nowhere and brimming with the touches of God.

One afternoon we went out for a drive in order to get the best beef jerky in the land.
While out Keith decided to visit the country side....we got lost...who knew TX was so big.
But while out we enjoyed some unusual Texan farm decorating tips.
Save all old boots and use them to top your fence posts!

Thanks again for your prayers!
I look forward to getting caught up with you all once I get back to Louisiana.
May our God-- of all peace-- fill you till you want no more!
Throw your head back and soak the Son in!

Just a Do Rag?

Each year at camp (the conference we do) we have families return and are amazed at how the children have grown. Mom and Dad have been doing this conference for 20 years and Keith and I just 7. But we have become familiar with faces that were just little ones when we started and now they are in high school. :0

Each year as they graduate and leave our class Keith has a bandanna ceremony.
He wears them because of a shortage of hair and when he realized how the kids loved them he thought it would be something fun to give them...a neat memory.
Last year we had about 6 that were graduating.
One was a girl named Abby. She had been a little quiet during the sessions because her Mom was not with her--she was home battling cancer.
We told the children about her and we prayed for her during the week.
At the end of the week Keith went and purchased a special bandanna (do rag) for this Mom.
He told the children about Paul in the New Testament and how people took cloths from Paul to people who were sick....and they were healed.
So Keith had all the children sign it and then he anointed it with oil and then all the kids laid hands on it and prayed for this Mom to be healed.
(Yes, I am sure some parents thought that we had gone off the deep end...but this is in scripture and our God is still the same)

Abby took the Do Rag to her Mom and that was the last we heard...... because we don't live in the same area of the country.

Not long after we got here this year Keith ran into Abby.
He asked her if her Mom was here and she said yes.
So, during the first meal Keith sat down and talked to her and asked her about her health and if she would come and share with the children......some of the same ones who had signed her bandanna.

We started the evening with this song and then the Mom got up to speak.

The first thing she did was pull out her Bible and open it to pull out her Do Rag.
She told the children that that is where it had been since she received it over a year ago.
And that the reason she was standing before them today
healed
and cancer free
was because they had prayed and sent the bandanna to her.
She cried a little as she as she talked about having had no hair and how she leaned on scripture to make it through that time.
She told the children that she knew she had been healed because of their faith.
Ya'll, I had a hard time not bawling.
The faith of a child.
I don't know that the children really realized the power of the moment.
I don't know that they understood what power was released when they said
their simple child like prayers.
But at the time they knew that one of their friends Moms was really sick and they knew an adult told them that they could pray and send a cloth and God would heal her.......and they believed.

So.. we have had testimony of a healed Mom......and we had one saved this afternoon.
The Spirit of God is moving!
We have a Spiritually young group this year. But.....that is good because when we teach they are hearing us with no filters.

And let me just tell ya'll how much I appreciate your prayers.
God has been moving in an amazing way in my life and heart these past two weeks.
It has been a long time since I have enjoyed teaching- Since I have felt the power of God flowing through me as I spoke.
I have missed it.
I have come to realize some pretty huge things that God has been working on teaching me the last two years. It is sweet and I look forward to sharing some of it when I have time.
Keep praying......I feel like I am stepping into the light after a long time in prison.
Sometimes it is not so bad to be in prison.....that is---- if you come out with great truths.
Paul gave us some great things from the prison cell.
Now think on that one!
;)

And so went the evening and the morning..........

(This is a picture of our classroom-I took this last year.)

Well, we made it through the first night and morning fine.
Mom and Dad missed their flight last night because they were unable to get through customs fast enough. So they did not actually get here until after the morning session was over.
Besides what I teach each morning they have their own sessions.
So I went ahead and taught my Esther session that I was not supposed to teach till Wednesday.....good thing I had taught it before and know the story. We found out last night about 10:00 that they would not make it in in time......so just as I was about to panic at a schedule that would now be messed up......my level headed husband said, You know the story and you know you are ready to teach--just go to bed.
And, so I did. :)

This morning went fine.
My object lesson was on the fact that man looks at the outward appearance
but God looks on the heart.
I used two vases-- one plain and the other fancy. I asked the children if they were a flower what vase would they prefer to be put in.
Then after they made their choices I added water to each vase.
The small plain one filled up with clear water while the fancy one ended up with black looking water. (I had added food color to the bottom of the fancy one before class)
I then talked about the fact that we might look at ourselves and think we look great compared to another---but God is not as concerned about the outside as He is the heart and what is found there. And of course we were reminded that the Bible says, All have sinned and so our heart looks to God like the dirty water in the vase.
Then I talk about how God chose to give us a solution to the problem of our sin---if we choose to take it. I then added a little bleach to the water as I talked about the death of Jesus and the price that He paid for us. When the bleach is added the water turns a royal blue...pretty cool.
But then we talked about how our lives are still not perfect...we need help living this life for God. And so God sent the Spirit to live in our lives...at this point I added two Alkaselzers(s.p)...and with the Spirits help -God begins to clean our lives so that we then lead lives pleasing to God.
Of course the tablets stir the water mixing the bleach around and the water is once again clear.
It is a good visual for the children.

After snack time and bathroom time I got to teach Esther. I actually got almost an hour (50 minutes) since Mom and Dad were not there. It was nice. And it is amazing how you can keep 19 2nd-5th graders spell bound for that long with just words and a picture book.
I really love this time.
Usually I would have only had thirty minutes.....so I was able to really brings some truths home.
I love looking out at their little faces as they realize what cool things are in the Bible.

Did you realize that Haman in the story of Esther was a descendant of the people that
King Saul was supposed to have killed?
And because King Saul didn't kill the king right away after the battle as well as his wife....the wife escaped-pregnant. She passed along a huge hatred for the Jews to the generations to come.
Now we know why Haman hated Mordecai so much.

Well, I guess that is enough for now.
We serve such an amazing God.
He looks down from heaven for hearts that are open and willing to be used by Him.
He does not look for the strongest person with the greatest earthly beauty......He just wants hearts that are true blue.
We are a generation that needs to humble ourselves before the Lord.
We will either pass a huge love for our heavenly Father to the next generation.....or we will pass along a desire to follow the world and its master.

Love you guys!

Texas....here we come!

Well...it is about time to head out to cactus country.
I do love this time of year and the excitement (and nervousness) that starts to grow in the pit of my stomach as we get ready to do our conferences.
Excitement- because I know what these conferences did for my life when I was young and attended them. Nervous-because I know that when I stand to open my mouth in His name.....
I had better be right.
We have a great time planned this year.
Our theme is........ Children Mighty In Spirit.
We will be using several characters from the Bible to show how God will use those willing to be used. I will be teaching the story of Esther with a flip chart story book.
This has long been one of my favorite stories in the Bible.
As a young girl..she gave me hope that God could use a "Sharon"
just as well as He could a "Paul".
Not a whole lot was being taught in the church at the time about God needing females--just a few good men. :)
So, On Wednesday I will teach her story.
For such a time as this......if you do not know her story pull out your Bible
it will be worth your read.
Then each morning I will be sharing an object lesson with the children to get the morning started.
I love object lessons......I kind of feel like they are modern day parables.
I have some really cool ones this year...the kind that brings amazement to the kids faces.....
I love that.
Mom and Dad will be doing a majority of the teaching. Mom is teaching the missions section on the life of Corrie Ten Boom. That is another story that would be worth a read. You won't find her in the Bible but if you can get a hold of --A Hiding Place or the movie put out by the Billy Graham association-----you'll love it. She was a powerful woman of God.
Dad will be teaching on the lives of a few other people from the Bible....Daniel,Paul,David...
He uses flannel graphs and has a great time with the kids.
We will also be teaching them to share their faith using the wordless book colors.
If you don't know about this...you can find our more through Child Evangelism Fellowship.

And of course we will have a project for the children to do. This year they are making a wooden garbage can for their rooms. They will sand and glue and paint. I'll try and post a picture of the finished product.

There will be plenty of afternoon play time. Our sessions with the children are in the morning and at night while the parents are in their sessions. In the afternoon we are free to float down the Guadalupe River --clear and beautiful--or just hang out, sleep or shop.
Keith loves this camp...cuz ya know he is just a big kid and this is a great time for him to let go.
Our ages in class are 2-5 grade......so he has a blast.
He keeps the kids together and they love him.

Please be praying for the hearts of the families that will be attending. That hearts would be softened by the Holy Spirit so that seeds would be deeply planted.
And pray that the Spirit speaks freely through us so that His words will not come back void.

Love you guys!
Next time I talk to you will be from the huge state of TEXAS.
Yehaaa!

What a difference a year makes!

Hey all---Tonight I hope to get around to say HI! and see what has been going on.

At least for a month I am using a friends little device that hooks into the side of my computer and allows me to get on line.
I have promised God not to over do it--the quiet has been good.

Today I went and ran some errands and then we went to the gravel pit to swim.
As I floated soaking in the sun I thought about how a year ago my life was full of so many responsibilities that now I no longer have.
It does free the mind....and removes the guilt of taking time for yourself.
So we had a good day and enjoyed soaking in some sun.

Keith is outside with some friends putting up our old shed.......so......if it looks like things are running a little slow with us getting our of here --I can move in my washer and dryer and frig.
But right now I am content with things just the way they are.
Yesterday I did not move all day.
I had gotten a book by Ted Dekker and I read the whole thing.
It was fab......the reading....but I am not sure that I like the way the book made me feel.
It was his book ..Adam.
Kind of dark.

So I am not going to linger here because I want to get around and visit.
Thank you for your prayers and for checking in.