"When You Know--Go!"

These simple words were spoken to me by my oldest son yesterday. These words mirror what the Lord spoke to His disciples. First, He told the disciples to "tarry in the city of Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). They waited on the Lord and then they were obedient in response to His command, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!"

Sometimes this command seems daunting to us but then we remember Jesus showed us how to reach out to people. He did it one person at a time, in small groups and in large crowds. He spoke to the woman at the well, revealed the amazing truth of God's love to Nicodemus in the night, healed the blind man, brought truth and guidance in word and in deed to his disciples. Oh, and the huge crowds heard His words and were fed miraculously by Him both physically and spiritually. He blessed and loved the little children.

We simply need to be obedient to His command and not be frightened or overwhelmed with it. He said, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world." (Matthew 28:20)

Lord, I wait on You for direction and as You lead me, I want to be obedient to You and go where You want me to go and be what You want me to be.

In the book of Numbers people were assigned to take care of the ark even to the point of how to carry the frames and posts and sockets, etc....Numbers 4:32 says, "You are to assign by names the items that each man is responsible to carry." Oh, Lord, I pray that I will be faithful in the assignment you have for me to "carry" and do today! Help me to realize that nothing is too small or too big! The most important thing of all is to be faithful to Your task and command for me today!

Oh, and He says, "Trust Me!"

No Limits

The other morning I woke up with this prayer on my lips, "Oh Lord, I hope I never did anything to limit or stifle the dreams you put in my precious husband's life. Please forgive me if I did." I reflect on different aspects of our life together daily. We would often discuss possibilities and we had many dreams for the future and thoughts of what we would do when he retired from the Air Force. My prayer continued, "Please don't let me stifle or bring limitations to what You would do in our lives."

Shortly after that, a precious person called me and told me of an opportunity that they were pursuing which included an amazing blessing but also great commitment. I knew that the Lord had dealt with my heart earlier in the day. I believe God was preparing my heart for this news and my response. I would not want to limit what God would do in this person's life even though it will involve great dedication, unselfish love, perseverance and sacrifice.

When God calls us to something, may we pursue Him with all that we are, knowing He will do what He wants to do through us and most of all, make us who He wants us to be. We have no idea where it may lead, but let's allow Him to surprise us and be "confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6).

Oh! A Baby Brother

Surprise, it's a boy!

Stella and Judah have a new baby brother and his name is Abram Bruce. He was born at 10:09 in the morning and weighed 8 lb and was 19 1/2 inches long. He is such a handsome little guy and he is definitely a little Sunnie/Jason baby, so many similarities in appearance to his big sister and brother. Both mommy and baby Abram are doing very well and are healthy. And little Abram has the signature "Oh" face down! His daddy is very proud!

We are also rejoicing that our little February birthday boy is doing so much better after not being able to walk because of pain in his leg due to an infection. Little Judah, now two years old, is running and playing and jumping...Praise be to God! So thankful for prayers and also for the care Judah received while he was in the hospital. We give thanks!

Oh, how baby Abram is loved! We love them all!

How is it possible?

How is it possible that a man with such kindness and love cannot be here with us on earth anymore? How is it possible that I can miss him more every day? I don't know, but it is....

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen."

Oh Lord, You are my Rock and my Salvation. You are the Way, the Truth and the Life! Thank you for being with us on this journey....keep me ever mindful of Your presence and Your love.

How is it possible that You have given us such an amazing family? And You have blessed us with two new little precious grandsons and another granddaughter is due in July....nine incredible, beautiful grandchildren! Gifts from God!

I don't know, but it is....

Thoughts about Starlit Skies

I saw the stars the other night and they were shining so brightly. We have been stationed many places where I have been overwhelmed by the beauty of the stars due to the lack of city lights or bright street lights or the lights have been knocked out altogether as in Guam (hit by 4 typhoons while we were there). We were on the plains of North Dakota, at remote beaches in Hawaii, and many other places and drives along the way which included a sleepy little village in Germany and the stars have been amazing.....the darker the surroundings the brighter the stars.

Occasionally, I would arrive home from some event and would run inside and encourage Lonnie to come outside to see the stars with me! He would come out....even when it was freezing....and would marvel at the stars with me. Oh, I can only imagine what he is marveling at now!

Thank you, God, for Your handiwork, Your creation! Thank you for the reminders of "You" all around us! You, God, truly are our great reward!

"He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite" (Psalm 147:4,5). And this awesome God "heals the brokenhearted and binds their wounds" (Psalm 147:3). He continues to love us and be our Emmanuel, God with us, every day.

One more thing about the stars....I often think about Abraham when I see the starlit sky. In Genesis 15:1,5 "The Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward".....then He took him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them...."

Of course, Abram couldn't, but we know Who can count the stars and He is our great reward! And even when the clouds are covering the stars, we know. He is here!

A Life Lesson from Wallpaper

Years ago Terri and her friend worked hard to put some lovely wallpaper on the walls of a suite at Camp Hope in Connecticut. I know it was a blessing to all who stayed there to have such a pretty place to relax and find rest. But as the years went by, the wallpaper started to get old, curl at the edges, tear off at places and even get out of style.

I was thinking about this as I was driving from Alabama to Missouri. I think it is a perfect lesson on how we need to stay focused on the Lord. I need to move forward with Him every day and not just live and learn from the lessons and work He has done in my life in the past. I might become just like that wallpaper which once was fresh and new but after many years came to the place where it needed to be pulled and picked off the wall piece by piece.

Lord, please help me not to become brittle, bitter and old in my spirit but to be fresh and renewed with Your touch on my life every day. Help me to build on that firm foundation in You and remember Your presence is with me every day.

"Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are my God, my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long." Psalm 25:4,5

Life Journeys

As I was making my way to visit Tiffany, Zachery and little Isaiah, I had a set of directions that Zach had sent me. They were all printed out and I was ready to go. I decided to turn on my GPS for reinforcement. All was going well until I came to my first turn, and little "Miss Navigal" started to tell me to go another way. Zach had been on this trip before so I trusted his directions. Eventually my GPS would catch up and go with me for awhile.

Toward the end of my trip, she was telling me that I had 500 more miles to go when I was about 2 hours from my destination. I would turn her off, put the destination in again but she wouldn't budge. I stayed with the written directions on my sheet of paper and I arrived with no problems at all. If I had listened to my GPS that day I would have been driving a very long time and would have gone the wrong way.

As the voice of my GPS kept trying to get me to turn around, do a u-turn, etc..., you may wonder why I didn't just turn her off. I wanted to see when she would catch up with the way that was written on my paper. Don't worry, I was listening to music...she was just in the background.

It seemed to be a perfect illustration of some of the voices and thoughts (even in our own heads) that we may hear in the background on our journey here on earth. I am thankful for the voices that have encouraged me to trust in our Sovereign God.

We have Someone who has gone before us and has made the way for us. We may hear voices or thoughts that say, "Turn left here, turn right here, make a u-turn. See, these things shouldn't happen. If you had gone this way, it wouldn't have. This is beyond understanding...how can you trust if you don't understand?"

All I can answer is what is written in II Samuel 22:31-33, "As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect." Psalm 18:30 states, "As for God, His way is perfect: The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him."

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" says the Lord (Isaiah 55:8,9).

I choose to trust in Him today. I don't understand it all but I choose to trust in the One who created all things. May the Lord help me to listen to His voice and follow His ways.