He Has Risen!..We Are Free!

Custom Sock

I have a favorite pair of boots; brown of course. During the winter we noticed something peculiar about them. The pair did not match.  One boot was a completely shade lighter than its mate.  We wracked our little brains trying to figure out what had happened. Had I somehow switched a boot with some poor unsuspecting soul? Is there a lady out there somewhere trying to figure out a similar dilemma? Could one been overly exposed to sunlight while packed away for our recent move?  It is yet another mystery from the Jackson household!

I thought of these boots during my sock adventure. Over the course of blogging with the sisters, we have undoubtedly changed.  Our solitary believe in Jesus is still favorably strong and matched.  However, we have grown and changed in our walk with the Lord and in our personal lives. We are all fortunate to have each other to encourage, pray, laugh and cry together whatever may come our way. Who would every think such a kindred ship could come to be through computer screens around the world?  If you have happened by, I heartily encourage staying tuned to find out for yourselves!

Our sisters are a network of beautifully gifted women inside and out.  I am forever amazed at the range of personalities and talents. Their kindness,generosity and willingness to share with others are a constant blessing and a challenge to live better. We are custom made by Christ to serve each other.

I have passed along my sock to the next sister.  Little did I know I would be required to complete a customs questionnaire?  As you can imagine explaining my sending a sock around the world was hmm …very interesting.  The postmaster asked me several times if I was sure I wanted to spend "that kind of money" to send a sock.  My replaywas a firm, “Yes”.  She of course could not understand the true value of this precious package.

 

As this sock travels to its next destination I will pray especially for the one to whom it is being sent. No doubt it will bring as much joy and peace to its newest recipient.  I anxiously wait to hear about the next adventure of the traveling sock! For me putting a pair of socks has taken on a totally different meaning. Not only are my feet warmed and comforted; so is my heart.

Praying a happy and blessed Easter to my sisters!

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

I Thess 5:11

I'm so confused!

I have checked over here at our Scarf Sister blog a few different times and it seems that Linda's blog has gotten superimposed over the Sister's blog...is that possible??   I saw where Linda received her sock but I have not seen any more of her posts regarding the sock adventure or her socks that she will be pairing with the one Sandy sent her....I think blogger is acting weirdly or something....does anyone know what's going on??

Saturday Breakfast



"La Belle Vita"

Saturday morning my sweet husband announced he was going to make breakfast for us.  Great!  He had planned eggs, biscuits and turkey bacon. Surprised I asked if he had done this before. He replied, “Sure!” 

A few minutes later he appeared in the doorway. “Are you supposed to defrost the bacon before cooking or leave it frozen?”  I showed him how to defrost the bacon in the microwave. Next question, “Are you suppose to put butter or something in the pan before the eggs?"  Now he knows all the ends and outs of preparing this breakfast menu. I hope he doesn’t lose interest too soon. Maybe we will practice these a few times before moving on.

Whether it is a cup of coffee and cereal or a great banquet, it does not matter.  What matters is his heart. He delights in serving with love and grace.  It doesn’t get better than that! 

We had a Tenebrae or Service of Darkness at church tonight.  As we approach the Easter weekend, we are particularly mindful of the One who shows us the most love and unmerited Grace—the greatest servant of all.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

Blackened Bagels

It seems my ADD gets more pronounced as I get older.  After playing phone tag with my old long term friend Ladonna, we spoke for over an hour this morning. I shared about the UN trip and she all that was going on in her world.

She like so many of us is pondering what direction to go in next.  What would God have me do?  The bottom line to our conversation was to put a for sale sign in the yard. While we are waiting just start walking – He will guide our steps. It sounds simple enough. But it is not always so clear.  We are human. We desire to hear clearly God’s voice but often are just not sure.

I have shared before how artistically gifted Ladonna is.  At the UN many pieces of art from various nations in many forms are displayed.  I find one in particular of great interest.  I would be most curious as to your comments on this one.

Top:  Front View
Bottom:Side View

Later I will share miscellaneous pictures from our trip. As always God has a way of putting an explanation point to the end of our journeys. He sends us a special kiss in the way of a gentle message from Heaven, “I gotcha!”

Transportation by taxi in New York City is an adventure within itself.  Mix in the ice and snow---it WILL bring you closer to God! God did give us a beautiful clear but cold sunny weekend.  Tuesday, my departure date, brought along torrential rain. I asked

the doorman if he could find a trustworthy cab driver to take an old lady to the airport alone.  He whispered to me, “Our limo is parked out front.  Would you like to take it for cab fare?”  What??  Do you have to ask?  Thank you Lord for this rainbow! It was better than a pair of sneakers after walking in stilettos all day!

Now I love blackened fish and blackened chicken.  My ADD kicked in this morning.  I put bagels in the toaster and forgot them.  A new dish---blackened bagels was created. I do not recommend it. I will spare you the photo of this carnage. I know you are grateful!

If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.John 7:17

Brown Shoes

Good Morning Sisters!

As requested I have copied and pasted from my other  blog www.apairofbrownshoes.blogpot.com
my journals, thus far, of our United Nations trip.  For those of you who follow A Pair of Brown Shoes I hope you won't be too bored!

More later!



[A song by David for going up to worship.] See how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in harmony!  Psalm 133:1

Space Bags and Other Ramblings

While preparing for my trip we hit upon the idea of packing with space bags. You know the plastic bags you hook your vacuum to and suck out the air? The space saving wasn’t exactly as we expected but what else is new right? Upon retrieving my luggage in Newark, I found it soaked through and through. Thank goodness for the sealed bags. Otherwise I may have had mildewed clothes. That is not a happy thought.



Luggage anyone?



Apparently my luggage was de-iced too?

 I just put our down comforter in a bag and reduced it down for storage. I love my comforter—Dan hates it—thus stored. The thought occurred in my brain; what if there was a body bag we could zip ourselves up in and suck all the fat out. Now really, how awesome would that be?



We all are stereotyped in one way or the other. I forget where I was when the question was asked but someone asked where I was from. They said, “You don’t sound like you are from Arkansas. Why don’t you talk like Paula Deen?” My reply, “Honey, if I made the millions Paula Deen made I would not only talk like her I would be willing to lick my fingers too!”



The very observant Pauly often sat up front with the taxi drivers. We listened to her perky self engaging in conversations with them. They loved her down to earth sincere heart. “Hey, where are all the pick ups?” she asked one day. The driver puzzled, “Picking ups? What?” Upon further explanation he said, “Oh, the Russians in Brooklyn use them.” We hope, for construction.

Speaking of our Pauly, she has written a wonderful book on healing from sexual abuse and trauma. Check it out! You can get your digital copy of Puppy Kisses & Butterfly Wings for only $3.99 at www.nationalhelpline.org.



Our newest member of the helpline staff is Arleen. I actually take credit for praying her in. We need more Spanish speaking staff and I prayed more would be sent. Arleen was born to a Puerto Rican Mom and a Chinese Dad. One day heavily wrapped up in clothing to shield us from the cold, we were schlepping along with shopping bags. I commented we looked like bag ladies. “Excuse me, she says, the correct term is Puerto Rican luggage thank you.” Yet another great laugh from her quick wit. Love, love this new friend and colleague we do!



Cartier watch- $4950.00....not even in my WILDEST dreams!



While greeting and networking at another presentation, I felt someone touch my wrist in the crowd. I turned to find a gentlemen next to me. He said he was admiring my Cartier watch. He wanted to know where I purchased it. “Umm….Wal-Mart?” Later when I discovered my “Cartier” missing, Arleen suggested perhaps another person admired it so much they took it right off my arm. “This IS New York!” Gifted they are. I did later find my watch inside some clothing when unpacking. (Finding weird things inside of clothing after 60 is a story for another blog. Sigh.)



Thank you Lord for friends who laugh, work, cry with you and love you inspite of our human frailties!


"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than himself,” Philippians 2:3

UN-Winding Down

 "Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night" shall keep us from walking down Broadway.  No Dan, not ' broad away'  Cute that husband of mine!!  :0)

Dan and I took a sunset cruise this evening. We hadn’t really intended on going so late but our afternoon nap ran late putting us behind. You will hear it here first--the wind actually broke Dan’s hair today! That has never happened before. The warm breeze and sunny skies are healing to the soul! Come on spring!



Several have asked how so many nations and tongues communicate at the United Nations. I wasn’t sure either. They have a pretty nifty way of doing that. Each station is equipped with a head set and a machine from which you may select your preferred language. Whatever tongue is being spoken translates to your choice. This little small town gal thought that was just the cat’s meow!



And no....southern was not a dialect choice. sigh..



After our presentation was complete, it was time to wind down some. Pauly was leaving early Sunday and wanted to experience some of the city. We walked down Broadway's Times Square. First order of business was hamburgers and shakes at Ellen's Stardust Diner. The food was great and the entertainment first rate. If you don’t have the time for a Broadway show; this is a definite runner up.


New York at night




Pauly with server/singer at Stardust



After our burgers we began our stroll back to the hotel. We stopped in several shops bursting into bouts of giggles for no apparent reason. Except that laughter is good medicine and we needed a healthy dose. One stop was the M&M store. Like so many places in NYC, it was ridiculous. There is three floors of every shape size and concoction of M&M gifts including "live" dancing ones.

Pauly had a great time dancin' with the help!

Saturday morning Lillian joined us for the day. We left mid morning for the Mike Huckabee show on FOX. The weather was nice and FOX was only a few blocks away. We visited with him for quite awhile. He was never in a hurry and took time with each of us. When I addressed him as Mr. President, he laughed. I told him we were working on forgiving him. He may be away from Arkansas but he is not removed from it. It was clear he was very well informed with all that was happening in the legislature. In between breaks in the show, he walked over and chatted casually. And thank you “Mr. President” for lunch. (Name dropper I am!)


Gov. Huckabee, me and sweet Lillian


After the show, we took the subway to the 911 Memorial. The subway was another NYC experience Pauly had on her list. She now agrees, once is more than enough. The fountains are beautifully done. The museum is not open yet but we could peer through the glass to look at the few remnants of steel from the twin towers.


A somber but beautiful moment---both beauty and devastation reflected upon the waters.


We ventured on to Battery Park which overlooks the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately the Lady is closed for repairs from Sandy’s damage. Next visit, time and weather allowing, I would like to take a harbor tour. We had our subway experience; time to take a taxi back to the hotel.

Sunday morning we rested. It was a beautiful day and I took the opportunity to stroll through Central Park and taste a vendor hot dog. Again, as I watched families playing, skating and picnicking together, I was reminded that we are all the same. I walked over to Time Square Mall. It is massive and overlooks Central Park. I stopped in the mall to sit have a cup of coffee and enjoy the park from on high. I heard someone say, “Ya’ll”. I followed the accent to the family sitting next to me. They were from Jackson, MS. It is truly a very small world.


Beautiful day in Central Park... Thank you Lord for the reprieve from the snow and ice!


During our walk Saturday night we “happened” upon Times Square Church, pastored by the late David Wilkerson. Although the doors were locked and services in progress, we were allowed entry. The gentlemen kindly let us tour the beautiful foyer of this stately old theatre turned worship center. He asked is we would be in town for the weekend. When we replied yes, he told us Nicky Cruz was in town for a visit and would be speaking Sunday night. We were so excited at this unexpected blessing.


Beautiful Times Square Church (Formerly Mark Hellinger Theatre)
8000 people representing 100 plus nationalities worshiping together--a taste of Heaven!


The weekend weather was clear, sunny and mild. We were blessed and happy as we started back to our hotel after the worship. Lillian had joined us along with Millie, Alan and Arleen. Not ready for the weekend to end, we stopped off at a restaurant called AppleJack Diner. It is Greek but they have every dish imaginable. The staff was hilarious. We enjoyed them as much as the food. Some places are just like home away from home. We would be visiting again soon. But it was time for rest and to gear up for another day of work at the UN.





For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. Mark 9:41

UN Presentation Day

Tonight Dan and I took our routine walk after dinner. It is so nice to be back home safe and sound and getting back into our daily routine. New York is such a fast paced city. It takes a while for your body to idle down.

Millie with phone to ear as always.  This women is the hardest working, most dedicated woman for life of anyone I know.  We are blessed to have her! 

I connected with so many awesome women and men, I really felt sad as we began exiting in different directions. Many I met for the first time but they will always be lifetime friends.




In Session---Alan Parker looking on.

 

The sunny skies of New York were short lived. The worst weather was the day of our presentation. Looking back, we can see the hand of God even in that protecting us. Some of the other presentations were met with much more aggressive hostility than we.  We look like street urchins in the picture below.  Could we get more layers on or what???




Sam Casey, Millie Lace, Me, Pauly Bunting,
Ildi Curtis and Arleen Elias in Front
Alan Parker and  Karen Swenholt in the back




The presentation designed to educate the public and parliamentary representatives was well attended and received. There were a couple of hostile guests. My heart was filled and encouraged as young women from around the globe jumped in to defend life. One petite young lady stood, shaking violently and crying asked why being conceived in rape made one less valuable and aborted. Passionate responses as this from the audience quickly abated the naysayers.




Presenting



Helpline Staff Arlene, Pauly and I presented. Millie Lace, MSE, LPC Founder and Director of National Helpline for Abortion Recovery/Concepts of truth moderated healing trauma. We all give God the glory for our personal healing journeys.








Artist Karen Swenholt, displayed her pieces of sculpture and poetry as she presented healing through art.



Alan Parker



Millie


Pauly



Artist Karen Swenholt

Arleen with Tricia



Lastly, but certainly not least, attorneys Sam Casey and Alan Parker presented on forced abortion and legal avenues available for women and girls subjected to the trauma of violence.



Chinese Embassy

 



Baby it is COLD outside....

  
Before and after our presentation day on Friday, we networked with and helped others with there upcoming events. Several embassies were called on during the week. Millie, Pauly, Alan and I visited the Chinese Embassy/Mission


We prayed for God’s divine appointments. The loveliest appointment was with a precious Asian woman named Lillian. Though polar opposites in the natural realm, spiritually we were immediately connected through His Spirit. We not only adore Lillian we are thrilled at the opportunity to serve others with her. The Garden of Hope Foundation with which she is affiliated has a network of shelters for women traumatized by abuse; particularly trafficking victims.



Lillian

 




Young women and defenders of LIFE~

 

I will have to say my first time at the United Nations was overwhelming. There were so many different nations represented. As we began to share in meetings or just over a cup of coffee, it came clear, inside we are all the same. We are mothers, wives, sisters and friends struggling to make a difference in our world.

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb."

Revelation 7: 9

UN Journal

I had the honor and privilege to attend the United Nations in NYC as an American Representative for Endeavor Forum, Inc. Australia. The CSW (Committees on the Status of Women) forum 2013 is ending violence against women and girls.




Another lesson in humility-bleary eyed from flight!

 

Four women from the state of Arkansas were invited. We were traveling from different areas of the state at various times. I was scheduled to leave early Tuesday morning from the Little Rock airport. Late Monday night I received an urgent message: all flights to LaGuardia have been cancelled.



Last flight out!



Upon receipt of the message, I thought, “And so it begins.” We have learned to expect adversity. The airline found one flight into New Jersey but repeatedly warned that I would most likely be stranded in Chicago where I was to take my connecting flight into NYC. Knowing God would get us there in His time, I booked the flight.






Upon my arrival in Chicago, the boards where all yellow; cancelled; except my flight out to Newark, NJ. I was informed we would be the last flight out of Chicago then the airport would be closing due to the snow storm. I arrived in New Jersey to sunny skies. A vast contrast to the snow and ice left behind in Chicago!



I took a shuttle to our hotel in Manhattan where two of my colleagues, Pauly and Millie were to meet me. We stowed our luggage with the door man and raced to the United Nations to retrieve our passes.



Precious Lindsey



We hit the ground running and never slowed down. Later I received a call from our last colleague, Lindsey. She was devastated to learn all flights into the city were cancelled and she would not make it. We were all disappointed with her and us. God has a bigger better plan for Lindsey I have no doubt. She is a shining star rising for the Lord this young lady. I am so very proud of her!

Returning late to the hotel, we met with others from Canada and US to pray, encourage, and strategize. I being the wimp was the first to retreat to my room, crash and burn. End of day one for me!



Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23

Mail Call

I received a big smile in the mail! Dan and I have been a bit under the weather this week which made its arrival even timelier. The letter carrier backed his jeep into our driveway. I watched him retrieve a colorful pink box. He too smiled as he picked it up. It was the sock from Sandy my fellow blogger and Sister of the Traveling Scarf. Thank you Sandy for the “Hope for a Woman’s Heart” enclosed.




Of course my mind ticks counterclockwise. I thought of the peculiar character Dobby the elf in Harry Potter. Dobby was an abused servant of a wicked man. He earned his freedom when his evil master was tricked into giving him a sock. I don’t recall his being as cute as the one I received yesterday. Mine is all covered in hearts and kittens sitting in girly chairs. I love it. How can that not make a gal’s heart warm?

We too have been held captive by an evil master. How wonderful it would have been to have gained our freedom from the evil one with a simple piece of clothing. There was clothing mentioned in our redemption story. There was a special one piece garment soldiers gambled for at the foot of the crucified Jesus. His blood given freely for us covers us from all unrighteousness. There were no tricks. He willingly layed down his life for ME! His was and is the ultimate gift of freedom to us.

Again thank you Sandy for the sock. Each time I wear it I will think of all my Scarf Sisters and the One who covers us all.



Sending you love and blessings today........





I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels  Isaiah 61:10

Jesus Wll Be Coming For His Bride

for the time that sandy has been wearing those sisterhood socks, she has brought so much joy to us with her posts and with the one that she left the best till last, she has revived in my heart at least, the hope of god sending the lord jesus to take his bride...and then the song that felisol put on, it was a period...it will be so. i know that our sweet diane is waiting for her groom but we and she are waiting for our heavenly groom, eh? i have always loved this song sisters!

When He Returns

when he returns from thessalonian on GodTube.

The iron hand it ain’t no match for the iron rod
The strongest wall will crumble and fall to a mighty God
For all those who have eyes and all those who have ears
It is only He who can reduce me to tears
Don’t you cry and don’t you die and don’t you burn
For like a thief in the night, He’ll replace wrong with right
When He returns
Truth is an arrow and the gate is narrow that it passes through
He unleashed His power at an unknown hour that no one knew
How long can I listen to the lies of prejudice?
How long can I stay drunk on fear out in the wilderness?
Can I cast it aside, all this loyalty and this pride?
Will I ever learn that there’ll be no peace, that the war won’t cease
Until He returns?
Surrender your crown on this blood-stained ground, take off your mask
He sees your deeds, He knows your needs even before you ask
How long can you falsify and deny what is real?
How long can you hate yourself for the weakness you conceal?
Of every earthly plan that be known to man, He is unconcerned
He’s got plans of His own to set up His throne
When He returns

Bob Dylan

This song came to me when I read Sandy's post.

His Return

I just want to end my time with the sock adventure this evening by saying that there is nothing more important in this life than being prepared for the next. We can gain the whole world and lose our very own soul. And then what do we have? Nothing. This world has nothing to offer a true child of the living God as far as material things. Our families are our most priceless gifts here. And, yes, it's nice to have a lovely home and good clothes, a reliable car. There's certainly no harm in that. But nothing is so valuable as our salvation. And we must not hold too tightly to anything material.

Soon the Lord Jesus will be returning to this sinful world to take away His own. We who have received Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and made Him Lord of our lives will reign forever with Him in our heavenly home. The fact that He is coming back for us should keep us prepared and ever watchful.

The word of God tells us no one knows the hour of his return. If we know Him it is an exciting event and something to look forward to. I love to just think about Jesus returning and every eye seeing Him and every knee having to bow and every tongue confessing that He is Lord! He will lovingly wipe away every tear and there will be no more sin, sickness, or sorrow. What a time that will be!


On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords!


Come quickly, sweet Lord Jesus!


Sandy

Full Salvation

This is my third post and I do hope to have at least one more. We will see how the weekend goes.

Seeing as how mine and my husband's lives revolve around the constant care of our precious son, Shaun, it's hard to write about anything else when sharing about my walk with the Lord. So, I thought I would give my beliefs regarding salvation and healing and how it pertains to us. I realize some do not share my views and that's fine, but this is how I interpret His Gospel of Good News for His children.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is so profound, yet so simple. He even tells us in Matthew 18:3 that we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven. Think about a little child, perhaps a special little one in your own life. When you tell them something they believe it. They love you, you told them, so they believe your words. That's what we have to do when it comes to our Heavenly Father...take Him at His word. His word is truth. It's like Peter in John 6:68 when he asked the Lord where else the disciples could turn because he knew only Jesus had the words of eternal life.We have no where else to go! Our son needs help and we have tried for twenty-two of his twenty-six years to find help in the form of doctors, psychiatrists, specialists, doctors who turned out to be quacks, special diets, supplements, you name it. We even took him across the United States when he was five and paid thousands of dollars for a treatment that turned out to be bogus. And, he tried to climb out the windows of the plane on the trip out to Oregon. On our return trip he at least stayed in his seat. These are things you never forget.

Our son was detoxed from prescription drugs, that never helped him, only made him worse, in a special developmental center about an hour from our home. He just returned in December after being away from us for nine long months. This is the first thing that has ever been helpful. He is remarkably better but we are holding out for a full recovery. How can we say that? The blood of Jesus. Nothing speaks a better word than His blood.  The name of Jesus Christ is above the name of autism or any other sickness or disease.

We did all of this not just to see our son healed but because we believe Jesus came to give life and life abundant, as the word tells us. It is satan (I refuse to capitalize his name) who came to steal, kill and destroy. The church gets that wrong much of the time by saying God puts sickness and disease on His children to teach them a lesson. I cannot find such a thing in Scripture and we do not glorify God when we remain ill when His Son poured out His divine blood to bring us healing.

This is where I think so many Christians fall short, including myself, many times. I hear His word, I read and study His word, yet I fail to always take it to heart, yes, to believe it. I think if we always believed we would always receive. Didn't Jesus tell us in Matthew 11:24 that when we pray we are to believe we receive? Do you always believe you are going to get what you pray for? I wish I could say I do, without fail. But, no, at times I fail.

 I believe when Jesus was on the cross and He cried out "Tetelestai" He was declaring "It is finished" and He didn't mean only His human life. The work of His cross was then completed as He died. He had given all of His precious blood to save us, heal us and deliver us from all sin, sickness and disease. It was a true completed work of salvation to the fullest extent. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. I woke up singing that beautiful old hymn the other morning and it carried me through the entire day. He comes to us like that, so often and so unexpected, to bless and encourage.

 Unless it is our appointed time to die, I believe it is always God's will to heal. We should never just settle for ill health. The fault is not with God. He is perfection. It lies with man's inability to simply receive the blessing of healing. It is a package...salvation and healing. They go hand in hand.
Both are ours, paid for in blood.

Isaiah 53 is one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible and we need look no further to have our questions answered regarding what was purchased for us by Jesus.

Surely He has born our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and our pains.... (v. 4)

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole. (v.5)

Many other verses tell us that healing is ours:

Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals {each one of] all your diseases...
~Psalm 103:3

He sent His word and healed them.
~Psalm 107:20

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
~Matthew 10:8

Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick and the Lord will raise him up.
~James 5:14-15

Verse after verse promises healing for us. But should we feel condemned if we have not been able to receive our healing? No. In fact the word tells us in Romans 8:1 that there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ.

So, we keep asking, seeking, knocking and refusing to give up! Salvation is ours to the full!



Sandy

Growing Us Up

As the plaque on my kitchen wall reads, "Grow Where You're Planted", that's just what the Lord has been doing in our little family these last twenty-six years. Growing us! I've heard that we are to minister in our realm of influence and that's what my husband and I have done. As we have ministered love, compassion and care to our autistic son God has grown us up into people we never saw ourselves as being. He has and continues to grow us into the likeness of His dear Son, Jesus Christ.

 We are to allow God to use us wherever we are, even if that is not particularly where we want to be!

 We do not accept this situation as permanent, but rather we focus on living day by day in the peace of God which truly passes all our understanding.


I like this quote, not sure who said it, but it goes like this:
 "What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger."

We get up every morning, often after only three hours of sleep, and have a choice as to whether we will come under the burdens of life or let ourselves be lifted above them. And, the way to be lifted high above them is to come into the presence of the Lord. And, how do we do that? With praise! When we lose ourselves in praise to our glorious God and Father our faith is strengthened and we know that we know that we know that His name is above every other name and every trial we face. Nothing can separate us from His love for us!

When we go through the hard places in life our enemy, the devil, will always come and try to cause us to doubt God's love for us. He will throw out his lies such as...

If God really loved you He wouldn't just let you suffer like this.
If God was compassionate He would heal your son.
What kind of God sits by and just watches people linger in sickness?


Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that 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 perfect and complete, needing nothing.
~James 1:2

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
~Romans 12:12


The worst thing we can do as believers in God is to allow ourselves to become bitter and angry at Him. Our human nature is to do just that when we cannot understand why bad things happen. But, I urge you to love Him all the more, cling to Him, confide in Him, pour out your weary heart and watch Him work. God will work and turn everything that touches our lives around for good. His heart is to give us a hope and future in Him.

And we know that God causes everything to work for the good of those who love God and are called
according to His purpose for them.
~Romans 8:28


Sandy

Beautiful Feet

Well, I received a red, white, and sparkly silver striped sock in the mail today from sister Diane in Tennessee. So, now I guess it's time to

"rock the socks!!"

Also, thanks Diane, for the very pretty lavender "Believe" mug that you included. Who told you that is a favorite color of mine? I am enjoying a cup of chocolate hazelnut tea from my mug right now as I write. Thanks so much! Each time I drink from my mug I will think of you and say a prayer.

I have been giving some thought as to what I would want to share when my turn came around with the socks. Since our main theme is  Romans 10:15, and the beautiful feet of those who spread the gospel, I began to meditate on the word "Gospel".

gospel...The proclamation of the redemption preached by Jesus and the Apostles, which is the central content of Christian revelation.

gospel...Something, such as an idea or principal, accepted as unquestionably true.


Jesus told His followers to go into all the world and preach His good news, the gospel. Though I have never actually been on a mission trip to spread the gospel, I do try to speak about my Lord in the day to day goings and comings of life. More than speaking, many times actions do speak louder than words and people are watching. So, I try to let my life be my "tract" that I hand out wherever I go.

I also consider my blog "Faith Hope and Love" to be my small way of spreading the Lord's good news of salvation to whoever might come upon it and choose to read.

Probably not all who read the sisters' blog are aware of my family's circumstances due to our oldest son being autistic. As he needs constant supervision, we only leave our home a couple of times a week, usually for grocery shopping and errands. If we want to accept an invitation from friends for dinner we must plan a couple of weeks in advance for someone to stay with our son for a few hours.

I bring up our situation not to complain, rather, to give glory to God for all His provision and care during these last twenty-six years of dealing with autism. Though the road has been very steep and difficult, He has never left our side and has proven over and over again how He can turn bad situations around for our good and His glory.

During the next few days while I have the sock I will share some of the many ways I believe caring for our son has to be viewed as a mission. Here in our home my wonderful husband and I extend the tender love of Christ to our son as we do our best to help him reach his potential. We are not only parents, but teachers as well.

"Both of your socks should be the same color, or at least both should be fairly dark."
~comedian Dave Barry

What does Dave know, anyway?


Sandy