Life and Death

 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

 a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
    a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
  a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Hello, dear friends. My heart is full of "stuff" to share with you. Some of you know what my week has been like, and some of you will have no clue at all.

First, I have to tell you - and proclaim it from the rooftops! - GOD IS GOOD. He has plans for all of us. And He works ALL things for His glory, for the good of those who love Him and are called, according to His purposes.

A week ago today, my youngest nephew, Elijah David (right), died. It was a stunning blow for our family; his family had been here a week before! It was my time to meet him. So it was incredibly difficult to think he was gone

But God had gone before us, and given us that time with him. We have wonderful, precious memories of him. And every one of us in my family has thanked God for the time we had with Elijah. No one has asked, "WHY?" I am so blessed to be a part of this family, who all have faith in the One Who holds it *all* in His hands.

Let me tell you about God's timing. On Tuesday, the day that Elijah's temporary, earthly vessel was put into the ground, my other sister had her first baby, Naomi Faith (left, obviously!). My middle sister was so excited for our baby sister; she said she'd be able to remember the 22nd as a day of joy.

It's been a difficult week, full of emotion - but also full of healing, of faith, of blessing, and of love.

And I'm sharing this with you for several reasons. First, because I must. My heart is still hurting, and it helps to talk about it. :) Second, because I know some of you have experienced a loss of some kind, also. And I want you to know that God knows your hurt. He sees the pain you still feel. And He loves you. He wants to help you grieve. Not "get over it", but turn it over to Him and let the grief be what He wants it to be, not become bitterness in your heart.

And third, because pain and loss are part of walking on this Earth. If you've not experienced a close loss yet, you will. And I want to encourage you: love Him now. Let Him grow you now. Experience how BIG God is now - and when something happens, you'll be able to trust His goodness, mercy, grace, and love without trying. You'll know He has plans for you, and that He will work it ALL for good.

Thank you for reading this. :) Thank you for your love, and for your encouragement and support. I am SO blessed to have each one of you in my life. Please continue to pray for our family, as we continue to walk through this loss together. And REJOICE with us, in the birth of Naomi!!!!

And if you need prayer, or to talk, or *anything*, please let me know! Be BLESSED, dear one. You are SO loved by the Father!!!

Sometimes in our lives....

Hello, dear ones! I know I'm very sporadic over here; I'm sorry, but I'm glad you love me enough to come check once in a while. :)

Tonight, I read Beth Moore's blog, and had to come talk to you. :) Actually, to ask you a couple of questions.

If you're over 39, do you have someone younger than you that you kind of mentor, or encourage, or love on? Do you feel like that's an important thing for you?

If you're under 39, do you have someone in your life who does any of the above for you? Do you wish you had someone to do so, if you don't presently? How do you feel about approaching someone if you'd like that kind of relationship?

The older I get, the more I know how important this kind of relationship is - one that allows us to see someone older's walk, to share ours with them. to gain insight into their understanding of God that can only come with walking with Him.

I'm really blessed; I can look back on my life and see that I've almost always had that kind of person. Sometimes, they didn't have much choice - I was best friends with their son or daughter, I was appointed to them at church, I decided I liked them and they needed me to be around. :D

I'd love to hear what you're doing, what you think, how you FEEL. I'd also love to know where God's got you right now. Are you in a place where you really wish you could just let it all out to someone? Or are you in a place where you want to be His arms for someone, to help a younger person get through some of the - well, I'm going to call them "focus" issues. :D It's all where we place our focus, isn't it?

TALK TO ME. :D I love you! I really, really think this is an important issue, just as Beth does. I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Romans 1:12

Good morning, dear one. I'm so glad you came by to see if I'd posted today!

I know I've shared my struggle about what I want this blog to be. Today, God gave me another clue that I'd like to follow with you. :) Romans 1:12 says, "That is, that we may be mutually strengthened and encouraged and comforted by each other's faith, both yours and mine." (Amplified)

THAT is what I want! I'm not strong on my own. I need to be encouraged, too - that's why I treasure your comments. :) And when we pray for each other, we're not only strengthening each other, but comforting one another, too. And when I get encouragement from a sermon or lesson or book, and share with you - THAT is ALL what I see this blog for.

Now, I know that we're a small group. But I believe that God has helped us find each other for this reason!!! PLEASE, continue to put your prayer requests in - you can either email them to me, or leave them in the comments area. And be sure to read and pray for each other when you get a chance. If there's something REALLY important, I'll post it in the blog. Update us when you get an answer, so we can ALL be encouraged and comforted. You don't have to give lots of details, if you don't want. Let us know praise reports! Blessings shared are AWESOME things - they encourage us to remember that God is working on our behalf, even if we can't SEE it!

I saw a church sign a few days ago that REALLY impacted me: "God adds and multiplies. Satan subtracts and divides." Let's share how God is adding and multiplying in our lives, dear friend!

I cannot WAIT to pray for you - and I know there are others that feel the same. I cannot WAIT to hear how God is blessing you! And I can't WAIT to continue to share what God is doing in my own heart and life. :)

Toward that purpose, I have put the video below. You don't have to use MY verse to meditate on when you watch this approximately two-and-one-half-minutes of the ocean, but fix your mind on whatever verse is yours for the day, and just bathe in God's creation. This is the Gulf Coast at Fort Walton Beach, where we were two weeks ago. Expect a little from Oregon, too. :D

Be BLESSED, dear one. God has a plan for you, a purpose for your life. Expect to see Him move today. Keep your eyes open for all the little blessings He's sending you; they're gifts, letting you know how much you're loved, and how much He delights in YOU.

Psalm 148:7-8:
Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,

YOU can make a difference!

After you read this story, you'll realize the SMALLEST act of compassion can change someone's life. I encourage you to look around for random acts of kindness YOU can do. If you see it, DO it!

It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey &Meredith and this note:


Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by..
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.
I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

This, that, and the other!

Well, it's been a mixed bag so far; so I guess I don't have any more direction from y'all than I did! :D It is nice to know that you do want to hear a little bit of personal stuff, that you care about Kenn and me! :)

The reason I haven't posted too much about sermons lately is that our pastoral staff has been sharing about how they were called, and what led to their calling in their lives. It's been really wonderful; such an eclectic group of people, all who love the Lord with their whole beings! Besides that, you can always download the sermons HERE. :)

We aren't going to church tonight; Kenn's fighting off a cold - just when he's starting to get a gig every now and again, FINALLY!!! SO. I'll share last Wednesday's notes with you. Again, Pastor Barbie's class is on being under pressure. Please note: All Greek spellings are entirely my fault. :D We don't have overheads or handouts, so I'm doing the best I can!

Text: II Corinthians 1:3-6:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.

In the depths of your inmost being, we first need to re-establish God's sovereignty; God is bigger than everything, and we tend to allow everything else to become bigger than He. He created you to feel what you feel! "God, You created me to be able to stand in this place (under duress or pressure or crisis) to feel what I'm feeling."

The comfort spoken of here is "paraclexis" - to draw you near to Him, to take every single particle of what you're experiencing, and giving you comfort in its place. He's using that experience to shift you from one place to another.

Verse 4 shifts to "paracleo" - comfort not only flowing from Him, but flowing out to others now.

God even heals self-inflicted wounds! We refuse to let Him in close, because we defied God, and know we deserve punishment. It's in our minds!

He wants to protect you from you!

He wants to heal you from you!

He want to RELEASE you from you!

Everything God has FOR us, He imparts into us.

"We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY!" but how OFTEN we refuse to share! We want to forget where we came from! But if I can comfort someone with ANY part of my testimony, how DARE I withhold that?????

Romans 6:21-22: What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Verse 5: Your suffering will never outweigh His comfort and grace.

Peace comes in your life when you realize you control NOTHING!

We have to participate in order to GROW.

Sometimes, God will allow you to go through something (SUFFER) in order to affect the lives of those around you.

Verse 6b: The only other time this phrase is used is in Revelation 1:9, "patient endurance". It refers to a person who is NOT swerved!

Girls, I'm doing a Bible study with Amy and Cris P. on ESTHER. I HIGHLY recommend it, if you ever get a chance to go through it!!! But a LOT of what Beth's been saying on the video is what God's been showing me at church. :) I'll talk about that more later. In the meantime, don't forget to enter the giveaway! :)