Your close friend with a spot on her lung and her thyroid.
Your parent's struggling because someone robbed them.
Evil makes us empty, but He makes us full.
Through our praise He sits with us and fills our cup until it runs over.
Thankfulness and praise.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:5-6
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
I don't know how else to say this.
We cannot adopt Stephen.
It has nothing to do with us or Giving Hope, it is a situation beyond our control.
The Lord is still Good.
He loves Stephen with a perfect love and He has BIG plans for him that will not be changed by his circumstances.
This is a very personal matter and one that will remain in our heart. I share only to glorify the Lord. It is through the hard places we see His face. Jonah said, in chapter 2:9 : "But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, 'Salvation comes from the Lord." He said this while he was in the belly of the great fish. Sometimes we find ourselves in the belly of a fish where it is cold, it is dark, and it is lonely. But our God cares so much more for us than even the sparrows, and not one of them fall without Him knowing. He knows the plans He has for us and they are all for our good.
Stephen still has parent's, we are still his mommy and daddy. We will continue to love and support him. But more importantly than us he has his Father God. His Father in heaven is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He will carry Him under His wing and teach Him through His Spirit. Stephen's name means crown. God changed his name to Stephen for a reason. God has crowned him with His loving-kindness and His tender mercies. What satan intended for evil God will make good.
Please pray for us, but most of all please pray for our boy. Our sweet boy with the curly eyelashes, contagious laugh, and beautiful smile. Please pray for my arms as they ache to hold him, my lips as they ache to kiss him, and my heart as it aches with love for him.
My favorite scripture for Stephen in his language.
Sòm 103
1¶ Se yon sòm David. Kite m' di Seyè a mèsi! Kite m' di Seyè ki pa tankou tout moun lan mèsi ak tout nanm mwen!
2Wi, kite m' di Seyè a mèsi. Mwen pa dwe janm bliye tout byen li fè pou mwen.
3Li padonnen tout peche m' yo, li geri tout maladi m' yo.
4Li wete m' nan bouch twou a. Li beni m', li fè m' wè jan li renmen m', jan li gen pitye pou mwen.
5Li kouvri m' ak benediksyon pandan tout lavi m', li fè m' rete jenn ak tout fòs mwen, tankou malfini.
6¶ Seyè a pa nan patipri. Li rann jistis an favè tout moun k'ap sibi lenjistis.
7Li fè Moyiz konnen sa l' te gen nan tèt li, li fè pitit Izrayèl yo wè mèvèy li yo.
8Seyè a gen kè sansib, li gen bon kè. Li pa fè kòlè fasil, li p'ap janm sispann renmen nou.
9Li p'ap pase tout tan l' ap pini nou, li pa ankòlè pou lontan.
10Li pa aji ak nou jan nou ta merite l' la, li pa pini nou jan l' ta dwe pini nou.
11Menm jan syèl la byen lwen anwo tè a, se konsa Seyè a renmen moun ki gen krentif pou li.
12Menm jan kote solèy leve a byen lwen ak kote solèy kouche a, se konsa li wete peche nou yo, li voye yo jete byen lwen nou.
13Menm jan yon papa sansib pou pitit li, se konsa Seyè a sansib pou moun ki gen krentif pou li.
14Li konnen ak kisa nou fèt, li chonje se pousyè tè nou ye.
15Lèzòm menm, lavi yo tankou zèb. Yo grandi, yo fleri tankou flè savann.
16Kou van soufle sou yo, yo disparèt. Pesonn pa rekonèt kote yo te ye a.
17Men renmen Bondye pou moun ki gen krentif pou li yo, se bagay ki la pou tout tan. L'ap gen pitye pou pitit pitit yo,
18pou moun ki kenbe pawòl yo ak li, pou moun ki chonje kòmandman li yo pou obeyi yo.
19¶ Seyè a mete fotèy li anwo nan syèl la, l'ap gouvènen tout bagay.
20Nou menm zanj li yo ki vanyan, ki gen fòs, nou menm k'ap fè tou sa li mande nou fè, nou menm k'ap koute sa l'ap di nou, fè lwanj Seyè a!
21Nou tout ki fè pati lame ki nan syèl la, nou tout k'ap sèvi l', k'ap fè volonte li, di Seyè a mèsi!
22Nou tout kreyati Bondye, nou tout ki toupatou kote l'ap gouvènen, di Seyè a mèsi! Wi, kite m' di Seyè a mèsi!
Psalm 103
Bless the LORD, O My Soul
Of David.
1(A)Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name! 2(B)Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and (C)forget not all his benefits, 3 who (D)forgives all your iniquity,
who (E)heals all your diseases, 4 who (F)redeems your life from the pit,
who (G)crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who (H)satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like (I)the eagle's.
6 The LORD works (J)righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his (K)ways to Moses,
his (L)acts to the people of Israel. 8 The LORD is (M)merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9(N)He will not always chide,
nor will he (O)keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us (P)according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For (Q)as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his (R)steadfast love toward (S)those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he (T)remove our transgressions from us. 13 As (U)a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion (V)to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame;[a]
he (W)remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like (X)grass;
he flourishes like (Y)a flower of the field; 16 for (Z)the wind passes over it, and (AA)it is gone,
and (AB)its place knows it no more. 17 But (AC)the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on (AD)those who fear him,
and his righteousness to (AE)children's children, 18 to those who (AF)keep his covenant
and (AG)remember to do his commandments. 19 The LORD has (AH)established his throne in the heavens,
and his (AI)kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the LORD, O you (AJ)his angels,
you (AK)mighty ones who (AL)do his word,
obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the LORD, all his (AM)hosts,
his (AN)ministers, who do his will! 22(AO)Bless the LORD, all his works,
in all places of his dominion. (AP)Bless the LORD, O my soul!
This blog began earlier today as I watched my children play. I was overwhelmed with thankfulness. Thankful that God has blessed me with the opportunity to teach my children at home. But God has shown me so much more as the day has gone on.
I'm reading again. The book, No Longer A Slum Dog. A story of tragedy in Asia. The caste system that makes people at the bottom, inhuman, unwanted, disgusting, worthless. Children are sold to be slaves, prostitutes, and beggars.
How can we sit in our homes and bake cupcakes? Our savior died for these. Why do we not care? How can we not have the ultimate gratitude for those cupcakes, and the little girl that made them? My children are precious, and I'm so thankful to be HERE everyday with them. I am training my children in a home, a comfortable home, where they have an abundance of food, and an excess of clothing. WE ARE BLESSED!
I'm thankful and humbled by:
Little boys that make BIG messes so they can hang out in drawers
Making peanut butter and jelly cupcakes
Learning about the Zoo, planning a trip there, and being thanked for teaching my children
Monkeys.....Lily's on the left....Sam's on the right
Names spelled backward and upside-down
Elephant's and Hippopotamuses (the purple thing on the left)
God is good! I want to bless His heart the way He blesses mine. I want to be used up for His name sake! I don't want to be comfortable, content, lazy, or complacent. I want to be His servant, in my home, at the hospital, at church, in Haiti, at the grocery store, and wherever else my feet walk.
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:16-17
I just want to praise the Lord this morning for the way He intricately weaves and forms us for certain callings. I want to praise Him for His provision.
I am leading a team of 11 women to Haiti in November. When I started asking women I know if they wanted to go I never thought about how God would send certain women with certain gifts. Why? Why did I not consider His ways? I'm amazed how He formed our team. Each lady is going with a specific gift and talent to be used to glorify God.
His provision. Two of the ladies were told they wouldn't receive their fundraiser bracelet's for 2 weeks, but God had them shipped within a couple of days. I needed $35.00 for flight insurance. I called to reschedule our family vacation and the lady said, "this is strange, you get $35.00 back." It's not strange to me....He always provides.
If you would like to be part of His provision please visit the website below and order something.
We are His hands and feet! Help us help the orphan in their distress!
I was riding in the car tonight listening to a christian radio station. They were doing a story on people in the ministry losing their faith in God. There is even a new website that you can go to and express your new unbelief in secret. The worse part of this interview was when Southern Baptist pastors were confessing that they continue to preach even though they don't believe in God. Most of these clergy are trained in seminary's and are very well educated. I guess so educated that they undo the scripture with their intellect. One preacher made the comment that he had studied the Bible and it just had too many inconsistency's. He made the statement, "you would have to be simple minded to believe the Bible is the true word of God."
I was driving and I began to praise the Lord and thank Him for the giftof faith. I'm so thankful for a simple mind and child like faith. These are the last days and men are getting more perverse. To think that someone that doesn't even believe in God would continue to preach just for money. It's heartbreaking really.
I turned off onto my exit and there was one of the most beautiful rainbows I have ever seen. It was huge, so full, and bright. The God that created this universe has left signs for us to remember that He does exist. I'm so thankful for His reminders to us and for giving us the gift of faith.
The name Kedesh comes from the verb (qadash) to be consecrated, hallowed, sanctified. Many scholars believe that this verb originally meant to separate, but that belief is made challengeable by the lack of occurrences of this verb in a secular context. in Akkadian this verb means to be clean or pure. The Biblical usage of this verb is pretty much on a par with the English verb to consecrate or be holy.
I was sitting in the rocking chair rocking Sam about 2 years ago and the Lord spoke the word, "Kadesh" to me. It was so clear I actually saw the word written in my head. I looked up the meaning then, but it really didn't apply to my life like it does now. I believe the Lord has shown me this week why He spoke this Hebrew word to me 2 years ago.
My husband and I attended a Baptist church for 7 years. We loved the congregation and served along side some amazing people. The Lord called us to leave 9 months ago. In that 9 months I have "seen" some things through spiritual lenses that I feel I must share.
I have a lot of very close friends that I love very much, but we are all different. I have a friend that has been my friend for 22 years that is a Messianic Jew. I have a close friend that is very dear to me that knows the deep things of God. I love listening to her wisdom. I love watching her serve her husband and children. I have learned so much from her, but she too is very different than me.
We can become so consumed with doctrine's and theology that we forget our main purpose and that is to win others to Christ. How do we win them? By our love..... I heard on Christian talk radio recently about many pastors leaving the church because they have become non-believers. Many of them have attended Seminary and have degrees that line the walls of their homes. And many of them sadly are still preaching for the money. They were obviously never converted, but it goes to show you that head knowledge doesn't save you or bring you to repentance. We all are so different and I am in no way saying doctrine isn't important. I am however, saying that if doctrine has replaced your love it has become your love. We MUST be steeped in the scripture lest we be deceived by false teachers. We HAVE to discern the preaching from the pulpit. We also have share what the Lord teaches us with humility. And our lives need to be a reflection of what we have learned. God said, "to love Him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength." He also said, "to love your neighbor as yourself." How can we be loving Him or our neighbor when all we do is judge our brother or sister's heart. We judge them on an external level when we have no idea where they are in the refining process. We think it is our job to sanctify them. I'm writing this blog in hopes that you too will "see". We are all so different, but still His just the same. When we become puffed up with knowledge to the point we ourselves become unteachable, then we become like the Pharisee's that Jesus rebuked. I have personally "seen" the fruit of all of the friend's I mentioned above. Even still I can't know their heart, only Christ Himself can. When we become the judge and jury of someone else's convictions, I believe we cross a line that is only to be crossed by the judge of the world, Christ. We will stand before a Holy God, and no one will be there to blame for our life. We can't blame our pastor, husband, friends, or enemies for the way we lived our life. We must stop looking at other people and turn the mirror on ourselves. Is Christ really in us? Are we Kadesh? Are we set apart? Are we holy? Are we being sanctified? There are so many "things" that can separate us from each other. Paul said he became like the Jews to win the Jews, he became like the Gentiles to win the Gentiles. He brought himself low to proclaim the gospel to the lost. This made me think, "what did Paul and Peter preach?" They preached the gospel, they preached Christ and Him crucified.
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was please through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
The gospel is so simple even a child can understand. It goes on in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 to say that there is a message of wisdom for the mature and in chapter 3 that we should advance from the milk of the word to the meat of the word. We absolutely must hide the word of God in our heart's, we must search out the deep things of God, we must learn from other godly men and women. But we can't become cold and indifferent to the cross.
Jesus came to set the captive's free. It was His love that hung Him on a cross for our iniquity, for our sin, for our shame, for our healing. I think of His ministry here on earth. Does our ministry mirror His? He touched the untouchable, He healed the sick, He allowed a sinner woman to kiss His feet. Have you ever thought of that doctrine? A prostitute that earned her living by sleeping with men. Took the oil that was no doubt paid for by her earnings as a prostitute and lavished it on our Lords feet. Imagine sitting at a table full of very devout men, and in walks a women with immodest clothing, letting her hair down, (which was a disgrace), kissing the feet of Jesus, (a very intimate thing to do) and washing His feet with her hair. Does that make you bristle? Does it make you cringe? To think of a dirty prostitute washing holiness. He sat with the tax collectors and sinner's, and the Pharisee's rebuked Him for it. They called Him a drunkard and a wine-bibber.
We are all different, we have all been delivered out of darkness. I don't know what your darkness is. I don't know what the Lord has pulled you out of. So how can I judge you? As Christian's we all should be striving for holiness. Holiness isn't if you home-school or not, holiness isn't what day of the week you attend church, holiness isn't clothing or food. Only Jesus can produce holiness in our lives. True Kadesh!!!
