faith, family, friends + farming = abundant life

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
 It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
’Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;
Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born.
O night, O holy night, O night divine.

So I came across this song today…and yes, though it is a “Christmas” song…i needed to hear its words… tonight may not be the actual night of my Savior’s birth, but oh it is a holy night nonetheless! Each minute that passes, that He allows me to breathe, to take in His wonder, to enjoy my family, to revel in His presence, to watch my children grow in their understanding of Him, to praise Him, to weep and to mourn…all holy moments. All divine moments. A thrill of hope and this weary soul rejoices! For His mercies meet me each day! Yes, when I fall on my knees, the voice I hear is His! O night divine! O holy Night! Here is my Redeemer!

February and March are hard. Several family members have passed away during these months.

Feb 1989 Clara Hunt-my great grandmother; March 17, 1994 Mildred Money -my grandmother; Feb 4, 2015 Mary York -my mother in law; March 11, 2015 Betty Gallimore -my grandmother; March 13, 2015 Carolyn Money-my mother. 

Women. Generations. Family that helped shape me into the woman I am…some good.some probably not so good. 

I first saw Jesus through my great grandmother. Her faith and love of His Word forever etched on my heart. I always considered myself blessed immensely to have three “grandmothers”.  Her death was my first real encounter with grief! 

My MawMaw Money. I think I get my OCD tendencies from her! She always liked things just a certain way. She made me believe I could accomplish anything!

My mother in law. She set the bar high for how a mother should treat her daughter in law. There was never a day that I felt like a daughter in law. She loved me as a daughter! 

My MawMaw Gallimore. She taught me how to play Rummy and we never stopped. She took me camping and I loved to watch her cook. I learned a few tricks by watching!

My mom. I think I got my love for reading from her. There are numerous times when I cannot get enough to read! I’ll devour an 600-800 page book in a night!! 

Lives. Deaths. Legacies that live on in children, grandchildren, great grandchildren.

Oh how the enemy must smirk when we fall into his trap of tolerance.  By definition, tolerance is the act of enduring pain or hardship for the sake of accepting feelings, habits, and beliefs that differ from ours-even to the point we become so adjusted to that “something” that we no longer notice or experience the negative effects…we become numb, blinded, dulled, and deadened.

On the contrary, how the enemy must glower when we accept what Jesus did on the cross…He endured pain, He suffered death on a cross, He redeemed us with His blood- not to leave us numb, blind, dull, or dead; but to save us from sin and evil! Jesus exchanged His life in order for us, who confess He is Lord, to experience eternity in Heaven! Through His Word, He transforms us!

Thoughts from the message at Farmington Baptist Church…listen to the entire message hereFarmington Baptist Church Jan 31 

“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35,48,51). 

“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

“I am the door of the sheep”(John 10:7,9).

“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11,14).

“I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25).

“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

“I am the true vine” (John 15:1,5).

Steady Obedience…Psalm 23:6… And I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever…

David’s desire was to dwell (live) in the continual presence and nearness of God! Even though at times David failed and sinned…his heart was always seeking a life of steady obedience and fellowship with God! 

Oh, How I want my life to be characterized and defined as one of steady obedience! There is no place I would rather dwell than in the presence of …

The Great I AM…

Fruitful Obedience…

My prayer…Lord I have chosen the way of faithfulness. I have set your rules before me. I hold fast to you Lord. I will not depart from following You. I hasten and do not delay in keeping your commands. Praise the Lord! Blessed is the one who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! Oh Lord I want to obey Your voice, and You will be my God, and I will be your people.  I want to walk in the way You command me, so that it will be well with me. As I walk in your ways, keeping Your commandments, I cling to You and serve You with all my heart and soul. May I be a doer of Your Word, not just a hearer! Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!  I incline my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the end! Just as Ezra set his heart…I set my heart to study Your Word, to live it, to proclaim it those dying from worldly desires…to proclaim and glorify my God, who so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Lord, I surrender my will…may I be about Your work!

…of FBC’s devotional…Ready to Go again…Ezekiel 37:4…”Again, He said to me…”

God called Ezekiel. More than once. To a valley of dry bones. And Ezekiel was available and ready to serve each time.

Reminds me of others whom God called…

God called Abram. To leave family. To go to a new land. Abram responded.

He called Moses. To lead His people out of slavery. And Moses said, “Here I am”.

God called Samuel (as a boy). And Samuel said, “Here I am”.

God called Noah. To build an ark. Noah responded.

God called Esther, Jonah, Samson, David, Joshua, Daniel…

And God calls us. He calls from where we are – in the prime of our careers, the mess of life, the wilderness, the celebrations, the grief, the ravages of illness, the mundane – He calls us, He seeks us out, His desire is for us to trust Him, to walk with Him, to deepen our faith, to be available for His purpose, His glory, His Kingdom…

Do we hear Him calling? Are we available? How will we respond?

advent. the arrival of a noteable person, thing, or event. 

preparation. expectation. reflection.

preparation. oh how we take painstaking efforts to prepare our homes for this season. Christmas. Miles traveled for the perfect tree. hours are spent decorating. Sparkle, glitter, lights, themes. 

expectation. The rentless pursuit of the perfect gift- to give or to get. Endless wish lists. More. More. More.

reflection. was that gift good enough? did I spend enough on that person? am I accepted more, loved more, liked more? did my fancy decorations, expensive gifts, and ‘perfect’ family photos help me fit in? 

Those are the preparations, expectations, and reflections of this world…the trap of the enemy…the things that can never fill us with hope, love, peace…

My prayer this Advent is this…

preparation. Hours and hours preparing my heart. Matthew 12:35; Luke 6:45; Proverbs 4

expectation. Instead of things, give me Jesus! The perfect gift! Give me boldness to proclaim His gift of salvation!  In place of wish lists, I will kneel at the Throne of Grace with a prayer list and The Word! Psalm 37. Trust in the Lord, delight in the Lord, commit to the Lord, be still and wait patiently for the Lord! He will deliver me, He is and will be my refuge, He is my stronghold!

reflection. On His grace, mercy, faithfulness. Psalm 8 … O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth! God declared me worthy. His declaration of love demonstrated in the sacrifice of His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him, will not perish, but will have eternal life! 

Questionable. That was the sermon title today. The message has bounced around in my head and heart all day. Has God ever asked me to do something questionable?

Yes. Yes, He has. 

I questioned God the day He asked me to adopt 2 children. (Truthfully, sometimes I still question Him!) I really questioned Him when Dennis seemed more accepting of the thought than me! I was like, “What?!”! His reluctance was going to be my way out! 

Of course, as Pastor Phillip pointed out today…there are things we do when we feel like God is asking us to do something questionable. We make sure we are hearing God’s voice. We make sure what we are being asked to do lines up with Scripture.  

Yes. I already knew the answers. I knew God was speaking and I knew nothing He was asking was against His Word! In those initial days, my faith was small. How could we provide for 2 more? Where would they sleep? I was not equipped to parent these children who had been through so much. So on and so on…

Yet God remained persistent. Did He answer all my questions? No and yes. Did He answer each one directly? No. But I had the only answer I needed…Jesus.  Jesus will always be bigger than my problems and more than capable of providing and equipping and meeting needs!!

I stepped out in obedience. I trusted my Savior. He is sufficient. With each step of obedience, God grows my faith. Some steps of obedience have been painful, some sad, some joyful!  

I believe many of the things God asks us to do are questionable. Questionable when compared to the ways of this world! The Lord declares that His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts! Isaiah 55:8-9 

One thing I know for certain, I don’t ever want to miss His voice. I want to be ready to serve and follow in obedience. The best way to know His voice from all that demands my attention? To devote myself to reading and applying His Word and to devote myself to prayer! I am blessed that the Creator of this universe desires to commune with me through His Word and prayer! 

Today my mother-in-law would have been 86. Today I choose to remember her legacy of gentleness, humility, silliness, and unconditional love! Mary did not treat me like a daughter-in-law; instead, she embraced me as a daughter! Mary only saw the good in others. She loved each of her children and her grandchildren with the utmost of her being! I will be forever grateful for the wisdom she imparted…the life we can all hope to emulate- a woman who honored her Savior and loved without reservation- a woman who, without any doubt, rests in the peaceful presence of her Heavenly Father! 

It was a long day

Overcast. Rain. Clouds.

Questions.

Surrounded by family and friends, yet alone in my thoughts.

Months, weeks, days, hours, minutes of prayer, fasting and feasting on His Word.

Did He hear me? The shouts from the depths of my soul? 

He not only heard me, He held me. He still holds me.

7 months ago…my heart ached as my grandmother was laid to rest…and my heart ached as my mother took her last breaths.

Tears that refused to form then…fiercely appear now…randomly and unexpectedly…

Tears that remind me…life is precious and short…I must not waste it on the things of this world…

Tears that remind me…Jesus wept…He loved me enough to bear my griefs and carry my  sorrows…He loved me so much that He took my sin upon Himself and He carried it to the cross! 

The One who weeps with me is the very One who wipes away my tears!

Jesus.