Blessings In The Storm....

"In the eye of the hurricane; in the center of the storm; in the chaos there's a comfort; a harbour safe and warm...Though the strong winds may blow, they can't change what I know; as I hold to The Rock; that the winds can't erode....." Eye Of The Hurricane" as sung by Trace Balin~from the album "Here and Now" 1990

Hurricane Irene....I'm sure I need say no more...my anxieties began last week as the storm reports associated with Ms. Irene began to worsen....words like Category 3, Category 4,  flooding, tornadoes, etc...threatened to throw me into pure panic mode....Can I get a witness????
As I gazed out of our kitchen window on Friday morning, knowing that the storm was bearing down us, there was one tree in our backyard that was of particular concern for me....having gone through other notable hurricanes such as Bertha, Fran, Isabel and Ophelia....I had learned from experience that one lone tree standing off by itself in the midst of an impending storm can mean trouble for any homeowner when the winds start to blow....As the day wound on, I was encouraged by reports that the storm had weakened, but that tree just kept needling at my mind....so I started to pray...I asked God to give His mighty angels charge over all of the trees around our home...to help them to stand and if any did fall; to guide their fall away from our home......
By 6 AM Saturday, Ms. Irene and her winds were getting into full effect...I was the only one awake in our household, our power had finally gone out and as I stood in the window watching ( something you're never supposed to do...I know) the trees sway and bend in the wind; I found my eyes drifting back to that tree and reaffirming to myself what God and I had already discussed.....Many of our friends and family had also affirmed that they were praying for us, so I immediately felt peace in my spirit....
As the hours progressed and the winds grew stronger in the process, I woke my gang and called them all downstairs for safety's sake... At some point, I must've drifted back off to sleep, because the next thing I remember was opening my eyes to find everyone else sleeping as well.... before dozing back off, I looked out my window to see that "the tree" was leaning severely and beginning to pull away from the ground!!! Before I knew it, I was yelling "Oh no!!!! It's gonna fall; the tree's gonna fall!!!" At that instant, everyone jumped up from their slumber to check and see for themselves!!!
I immediately felt bad for scaring everyone half to death...so this time, instead of affirming my conversation with God silently, I affirmed it for everyone to hear!!! Things settled right then, but about 2 hours later my son started screaming..."The tree is falling; it's falling!!!!" Before I could get to the window, all I heard was a loud crash and thud.....
Once I got to the window, I saw that not only did the tree fall, but it had taken another tree along for the ride....Thankfully, by the grace of God, the trees had completely missed our house...BUT...."the tree" had not missed our neighbor's house.....again, I immediately felt bad...I started wondering and questioning if I had left something out of my prayers for safety...perhaps I had prayed too selfishly for our well-being and not enough for those around us....I knew that these were all lies from the enemy, but I felt bad nevertheless....we ran out in raincoats to try and assess the damage done to our neighbor's home...and to me, it looked terrible...you could see a spot where the roof had been crushed, not to mention, there was a long scratch running down the side of the house where one of the branches had dug in as it slid down the house....on a positive note, I did also notice that there was a window just to the left of where the branch had scratched the house....unbelievably, it was still in tact...needless to say, I quickly thanked God for that!!!
You see, I had only spoken with our neighbors on a couple of occasions as they had moved out of their house just as we were moving into ours...they were a nice older couple who were in the process of "downsizing...." by moving into a smaller home across town...
The storm finally passed and clean-up began. I stepped outside Sunday morning to lend my gang a hand and saw a car parked in our neighbor's driveway...I was more than a little trepidatious, but felt I should go and speak with them about the unwanted guest that was now lying against their house...as I strode up the driveway and approached the lady of the house, I knew I was in for a treat, when as I apologized for the damage done to her home by our tree; she simply remarked..."Better the tree hit our house and do minor damage than hit your house and cause major damage....." I was immediately humbled and blessed by her grace and kindness....little did I know that it was only about to get better....we stood in her rose garden for the better part of an hour as she shared with me all of God's faithfulness to her through the storms of her life...she shared how God had faithfully seen her through all of the sadness, disappointment and anger she had felt struggling and battling through years of infertility....amazingly, she proudly recounted that although God had not given she and her husband children of their own, He had graciously allowed them many "children of the heart" (as she called them)....she then shared how God had miraculously spared her life in what should have been a fatal car accident....she commented that her face had needed to be reconstructed and she looked nothing like she had before the accident, but then turned right around and praised Him with great joy that she could speak and eat  on her own, because the physicians who treated her said she never would!!!
Lastly, she shared with me what she called "The  Beauty of the Roses..." She lovingly looked around her rose garden, and told me of how the young man who had planted them for her had once been married to a family member of hers...she expressed sadness that their marriage had ended, and was transparent as she remarked about how she had struggled with strong emotions against the young man for his behavior during the divorce...but then she said... "You know, I asked God to love him through me...and as soon as I did...He brought to my mind the beauty of the roses..." she went on to say that every time she felt inclined to be angry with him, she would remember his kindness shown her in planting that rose garden and God would ease her anger and lend her compassion toward him....
Perhaps most lovely to me in she and I's "Divine Appointment" was when she told me of how God had allowed "the roses" to be her "open door" to share the Gospel; the Truth of Jesus with the young man...she told him how when she thought of the roses that he had planted; she thought of 3 people, him.... for his kindness in planting them, herself...cause they meant so much to her, and Jesus...for the thorns that He wore on His brow and the "red" of the roses that matched the blood which He had shed for us...she told him that she wished that he would remember that just as Jesus had given her hope and peace in the trials of her life; that He would do the very same for him if he would only ask Him by acknowledging Him as his Savior....
Unfortunately, the young man did not receive Jesus that day, but  she was confident (as am I ) that the seed had been planted in his heart, and that God would do any watering and growing of that seed that needed to be done...
I, in turn, quickly shared with her how I was stepping out in faith and obedience by trusting God in a new ministry journey. I shared how I'd been feeling a tad down lately, but had been reminded because of her words, that God can absolutely be trusted with everything....
 As I stood there with tears in my eyes, my neighbor and I laughed as we both commented on how convinced we were that there was a reason God had allowed "the tree" to fall the direction it had....I only hope now that I adequately expressed to her how very, very much my heart had been blessed by her taking the time to share how God had proven so faithful to her over the years....it seemed only fitting that she would be speaking words of such triumph and faith despite having been through so much pain and disappointment...the fact that a literal storm had brought she and I together in the first place; only added more poignancy to her testimony....
As we embraced and promised to keep in touch, she extended me an open invitation (until their house sells anyway) to go over in her rose garden and pick as many roses as I'd like....I thanked her and assured her that I would...
Let me just say that I have more than a few rose bushes of my own growing around my house and although they're beautiful and I greatly enjoy them, this one thing I know for certain.....every time, from this point on, that I look over next door...I'll remember how faithful our God is....I'll remember the beauty of my neighbor's roses....but most of all, I'll always remember the truth that there truly is a blessing in every storm......


* Although I am most grateful to God that our encounter with Hurricane Irene ended as it has, it is not lost upon me that many did not fair as well. My prayers for God's peace and comfort continue with those along the east coast who lost loved ones and possessions through the devastation of that storm...*

No Test....No Testimony.....

James 1:2-4 (NLT) "Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything."

Many of you may find yourselves embroiled in a great struggle or battle....feeling attacked by the enemy and overwhelmed too...Well, my friends, I have been there and I offer today's blog as a channel of hope for you in the midst of this difficult season of life....
Tests come to us in many forms, but the hardship we experience is unmistakable....We're often left wondering and crying out before God as to why in the world He would allow such happenings in the first place....but let's think for a moment about the folks who have inspired and encouraged us as they have overcome great hardship and adversity in their lives.....I am reminded of people like Corrie Ten Boom; the Holocaust survivor, who through the horrible suffering and hardship which she endured, has encouraged many thousands with her writings which clearly testify to her strength, grace and all-encompassing faith in God.
Another awe-inspiring figure, is Mr. Horatio Spafford, the hymn writer, who wrote the beloved hymn "It is Well with My Soul" as a result of having lost a son (4 yrs. old) to scarlet fever, losing his home to a fire, losing 4 of his daughters (ages 11, 9, 5 and 2) at sea; when the ship they were sailing on while on vacation, was struck by an iron sailing vessel and subsequently sunk....after losing his daughters, Spafford and his wife had 3 more children only to lose another son (4 yrs. old)  to pneumonia....
Knowing their stories, I've often pondered on the lives of both Corrie Ten Boom and Horatio Spafford....marveling at their will to survive such tragedies and wondering HOW they did so....but then, I think back through the recent history of my own life....admittedly, not wrought with nearly as many trials and hardships, but certainly not without......I think back over all of the financial distress my husband and I have gone through, the marital/familial trials we've had to overcome, caring for and then losing both of my parents to cancer, etc......yes, some of our trials were self-inflicted, while some were beyond our control, most have been a combination of those 2 things....nevertheless, the lesson's we learned in the midst of them, have helped me better understand how folks like Ms. Ten Boom and Mr. Spafford kept going...kept living....for the glory of God...."How???" you might ask....they invited Him into the midst of the test with them....I imagine they may have wondered "WHY" at some point (we sure did), but in their wondering they did not turn their back on Him....and now, as we look back over their lives in the form of history, we see that God took their test and through it, He gave them a testimony to share with the world....
This my friends, is the very same lesson God has taught my husband and I....this is the very same lesson that God wants to teach us all....
I can't encourage you enough to invite Him into the middle of your test to sustain you and see you through it.... I promise you, He will most assuredly reward you with a testimony of His faithfulness, goodness, lovingkindness and mercy that you will, in turn,  be able to share with others.....not only that, but you will also be endowed with increased faith in God....because it's only when He brings us through something that we learn to believe that He can be trusted to do it again....
Even right now, like many of you, my husband and I are standing at the threshold of what looks to be a rough season approaching.....if this were perhaps 10 years or so ago, I imagine we might be fretting and worrying about what will come next for us, but because we've leaned on God through other tests and know from experience that He can be trusted....now,when one of us starts to sound fearful or full of doubt, the other of us will gently recall our favorite calming phrase...."God has brought us too far to leave us now....." and the same is true for you, my friend....the same is true for you......

Don't Hate.....Appreciate....

Matthew 5: 44 (NLT) " But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!"

Today I am coining a phrase from my kiddos..."Haters..." to be sure, we've all heard that word and rightly know what it means...Mary Southerland has written a book in which she calls them "Sandpaper People..." (1)
However you term them,  I'm sure at one time or another, we have all experienced the painful, discouraging reality of dealing with those for whom we have had to do nothing more than be who we are, in order to get under their skin and for them to flat out dislike us....or perhaps, and sadder still, we may have to repent and confess before God to the truth of being someone else's Hater....
Either way, I see shirts all over the place these days...I'm certain you've seen them too..."I <3 My Haters", "Gotta <3 A Hater" and yes, "Don't Hate...Appreciate..." these mantras of today are just new words used to speak to an age-old issue...enemies....
In most cases, we can't live with 'em....but, I dare to offer, that in God's economy, we shouldn't live without 'em either....Now, I know that most of you probably think I have taken leave of my senses, but we need only re-read today's scripture reference to know that I haven't....
Understand, I am not talking about inviting folks smack over into the middle of our lives to wreak havoc.... boundaries are healthy and necessary....No, I am talking about God's economy, and in God's glorious economy,  things are just....well, different....there is no waste or lack in His hands....in His Word are many promises and we can know each one of them to be true if we just trust Him....
It's taken me years to learn that our "Hater's"  or "Sandpaper People" can and do serve a very useful purpose in our lives....naturally, this requires some "adjustment of focus" on our part, but it's true....
First, as we begin to adjust our focus from them to God...we find an abundance of (His) strength in our weakness, the ability to supernaturally love others through Him, and  best of all, Holy refinement for our humanity and the coarse edges of our own personalities....
You see, God will often allow the constant grating on us by those who don't care for us simply to make us more like Jesus....not perfect of course, but more grown-up in the Spirit and far more inclined toward grace, love, compassion and all of the qualities that reveal the character of God in us....
One of the most valuable lessons God ever taught me in dealing with those who have served this purpose in my life, came on a day when I found myself in prayer...lamenting, yet again, over what I perceived as unfair treatment and hurtful behavior being leveled in my direction....suddenly.... in my mind's eye.... there we were...my Sandpaper person and I....standing at the foot of the cross as Jesus hung there....and then a question proceeded to ring out loud and clear in my spirit...."Which one of you did I die for?...." as the remembrance and conviction began to settle on me of how level the playing field is at the foot of the cross, I purposed then, before Him to endeavor (with His power) to never look at the difficult people and relationships in my life the way I had up to that point.....
I wish I could say that it has been an easy process to live in that truth every day...I wish I could say that I have always succeeded at doing so....but alas, I cannot...on either account.....
I will say though, that I have learned to be more willing to give people over to God...to allow Him room and time to work in their hearts and lives and to trust that even the hardship, difficult situations, people and relationships which He has allowed to touch my life, are in fact, serving a far greater purpose...a purpose, I admit, I may not ever fully understand on this side of life, but one I fully expect to see unfolded in eternity......
So, be encouraged today, My Friends.... Don't hate....but rather allow God to stretch, grow you and adjust your focus on that tough relationship or difficult person....begin to pray.....or continue in prayer for them, and appreciate the fact that in His hands, all things are somehow working together as they should..... 

   


1. "Sandpaper People: Dealing with the Ones Who Rub You the Wrong Way" by Mary Southerland; Harvest House Publishers 2005

One Step....One Day At A Time....

Proverbs 3: 5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths."



As I look around the landscape of my life these days, I can recall many a good pal who is standing on the threshold of a new season. Many are trusting God and standing in the midst of a ton of uncertainty while doing so....perhaps many of you can relate as well...
I suppose I can relate to so many of them because God has been moving in some of the very same ways within my own life...Back in April of this year, I finally yielded to following God in the call that He has on my life to encourage and affirm the faith of other women by serving Him in speaking ministry....as God has lovingly (and firmly) clarified His call on my life, He has given me what I like to term as a few "Guidelines of Encouragement"
 I feel led to share them here in the hope that those of you who find yourself on the "cliff of faith" waiting to take the next step with God; will use them to encourage your own hearts as well....(Please know that God has shared these with me over the course of many months so they're not written in any order of importance per say...just in the order as to which God has brought them to my heart/attention....)

1. Remember God: Always be mindful of the God you represent... (Exodus 19: 16-19)

2. Remember Obedience: God called Abraham to follow Him to the land that He would give him...Just as the particulars of Abraham's calling were God's responsibility, the same is true for us...Abraham had only to be obedient and available to God and God took care of the rest....the same is true for us as our part is to simply be obedient to God and exercise faith and trust in Him....

3. Remember God's Word: Meditate on and keep your heart full of God's Word...the benefits are endless and obvious...

4. Remember Courage: Be strong, courageous and do not fear. (Joshua 1:9) (2 Timothy 1:7)

5. Remember to be Congruous: Be mindful that people are watching and are heavily influenced by what they see in your life...Seek God and ask His help in bringing and maintaining harmony and balance between your private and public persona...

6. Remember Servanthood: Be prepared to stay the course with God...a servant doesn't give up because others bulk and criticize....rely on His faithfulness to strengthen you...

7. Remember your back story: No one but you and God know how God has prepared you throughout your life to take this next step with Him....trust that He has lovingly orchestrated every circumstance of your life for the work that he has in front of you today....know that His equipping is with you and will follow you....

Friends, we may be standing on the threshold of different seasons and callings...some may appear extremely difficult, while others may seem filled with excitement.... most are probably a combination of the 2... nevertheless, the main truth is....the God we serve is the same and His promises apply to each of us....Once He's given you clarity and confirmation, follow Him in the next step and know that I pray rich blessings upon you as you accept His invitation to the greatest adventure of your life!!!

Fan The Flames

2 Timothy 1:6  (NLT) "This is why I remind you fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you."

Let's begin today with a couple of questions.....What Spiritual Gifts has our Heavenly Father bestowed upon you? and...Are you using them?
These are vital and important questions for those of us within the household of faith....Why? you might ask...well, simply because God hand picks at least one Spiritual Gift for every believer and "A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other." 1 Cor. 12:7 (NLT) 
We find within Scripture that the human body is used as a parallel to describe the church or Body of Christ  and just as the human body has many parts that function in unison depending on each part to do it's job, the Body of Christ needs every believer to do the same through the spiritual giftings of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 12)
Scripture mentions at least 21 different types of giftings which we often divide into 3 categories.....1.Ministry/Office, 2. Motivational/Practical, 3. Charismatic/Miraculous and these gifts carry such names as, Administration, Leadership, Teaching, Intercessory Prayer, Wisdom, Discernment, Faith, Hospitality, Service/Helps, Encouragement/Exhortation, Prophesy, Mercy....etc.
But perhaps more important than categories and names are what we do with these supernatural abilities that God has so lovingly given us in order to build up His church and one another....In other words, knowing categories and names is a great place to start in understanding how God has gifted us to better serve Him, but, out of love for God and that same love flowing through us (1 Cor. 13) we should always allow room for the Holy Spirit to quicken our hearts and lead us to serve the Body in the capacity to which God sees fit and as He leads, we should plainly trust that His equipping will follow....
Many have often wondered and also asked..."How do I know the difference between natural abilites and Spiritual Gifts?" and the best explainantion I have ever found to answer this question was one given by John Piper where he explained..."It is good for us to know that our Spiritual Gifts are given for us to use in helping others because many an unbeliever has great strengths and giftedness in teaching and administration and yes, these abilities are God-given whether they recognize them as such or not, but they would not be something we would call "Spiritual Gifts" of teaching and administration because they are not expressions of faith and not aiming to strengthen the faith of others in their use. It is our faith in the promises of God which is the channel through which the Holy Spirit flows on His way to strengthening the faith of others. Therefore, no matter what abilities we have, if we're not relying on God and aiming to help others rely on Him, then our ability is not a spiritual gift because the Holy Spirit is not flowing through it from one's faith to that of another...." (1)
The reasons for us to take the time to know and better understand our spiritual giftings are many, but a few of the more important reasons are so we might be more effective in serving God and the church, maintain an appropriate commitment to ministry, begin to more clearly know/find God's will for our lives, and finally, so we might be helped in overcoming feelings of inferiority....
Truly as we boil this all down today, my hope in highlighting the importance of our spiritual giftings is just so  we might begin to think more seriously about "WHY" we were given these giftings in the first place....we often get so hung up on the idea that we are "volunteering" within the church that we seriously undermine and negate the idea that we are in fact, "serving"...and when you line the 2 words....volunteering and serving side-by-side, you come up with 2 very different meanings....Yes, we have to be where God would have us to be and there are seasons in life where God may even side-line us to prepare us for greater service for Him, but those facts do not change the truth that serving (and not volunteering) is what we are called to do....
So with that said....I will end today, just like I began....with a question....Are you allowing God to fan into flames the gift/s He has given you in order to strengthen the faith of the people around you?



1. John Piper: Desiring God: Series: 4 Sermons on the Spirit, Topic: Spiritual Gifts, March 15, 1981