Good evening dear friends and family!
We had a really great trip NorthEast to Chicago and dropped off our oldest dd and her friend to spend 10 days at a sort of retreat, I have a link posted in the last update if you are interested in reading about Journey to the Heart. It is really odd to be visiting family and all without her :( We plan on bringing her back her for a few days after she is done.
I am reading a great book (of course) and wanted to share a really great "poem' of sorts that it starts out with. I pray it will encourage you as much as it has me.
The book is "I Love the Word Impossible" by Ann Kiemel.
"I love the word impossible....
it's like joy after sorrow.
people being friends after being enemies,
rainbows after drenching rain,
a wound healed,
sunsets on quiet evenings after hot, noisy days.
paralyzed, injured limbs learning to grow strong and useful again.
forgiveness after wrong.
truth after fog,
new love-made babies,
birds learning to fly and own the sky,
bitterness turned to mellowness,
fresh, genuine hope...once abandoned,
people finding each other at right moments,
in unexpected and obscure places...for God
ordained reasons.
I love that word impossible because my God believes in adventure
and extraordinary mountains, and He dares to be
alive in a world crawling with terrible
situations.
He promises to be bigger than any impossibility
because He is love...
and love always finds a way through in time.
Love isn't scared,
it builds bridges instead of walls,
it never gives up,
it always hangs on,
it waits with stubborn, strong hope, sometimes even
years.
Love makes God alive in far more than human souls. Like sun and clear sky dropping branches and dark birds and color and design and music...and the sound of water on a shore.
IMPOSSIBLE means that I,
an ordinary young woman,
can be something special and significant in and enormous, hurting world.
I can be love where I live,
and that is Christ...
and really does make ALL the difference!
I thought those were words worth sharing. Our God truly is the God of the impossible isn't He??? I have seen it over and over, time and again. How God uses the most awful circumstances to bring great glory and great revival. He will use our worst weakness to bring about great strength, growth and maturity into our lives. He uses these things to push us into ever greater service for Him. In humbling ourselves and asking for help and wisdom when we are at the end of ourselves first of allows others to see that no matter who you are, you are just as human and susceptible to the wiles of the enemy of our soul. Secondly it allows God to bring to the forefront an area of our lives He would like to change. Let Him change you! Throw away your pride and gain freedom through facing the truth and you will certainly grow in maturity and wisdom for it.
We are so greatful for God's great mercy and also for how He is such a personal God. He is so gently and yet steadily leading our family forward. Instead of focusing on the negatives we have chosen to realize that our lives are in God's hands. In surrender to Him and His will there is no telling where He will lead us or even where. Should we end up being out of an organized ministry for a few years or the rest of our lives, there is definitely a call God has placed on our lives and He will use us somewhere.
For now, we are enjoying our freedom to really get involved in our new home church here in Carthage, MO. Our children have made several friends and we have begun working with their nursing home ministry, the girls and I going along to help sing and to especially be extra ears to listen and arms to hug those dear people. We love spreading some cheer around and encouragement from God's Word. The people really enjoy seeing the children come in and hug on them. Even little Isaac gets a good bit of attention!
We ask that you keep us in your prayers still. I still have almost as many bad days as good days. I have been praying the Lord will give guidance in how to encourage my body to get stronger. Maybe a nice long walk with the children each day? Once I can sleep fairly well for a set amount of time I think I will be able to work a little more on developing some more energy. I also considering buying some of that royal jelly that comes from bee hives. We buy local honey on a regular basis from a really nice Christain family, they seel the royal jelly also. It is supposed to make a huge impact on your energy and also your immune system. Can't hurt anything, that's for sure! So, keep praying for my continued health and endurance and strength. Learning to keep telling myself the TRUTH from God's Word concerning all things facing our family right now. Also help us to pray for God's perfect peace and wisdom as we seek His direction for our lives and ministry in the next few months. We are very much at peace right now and have the beautiful freedom of having a clear conscience knowing that we have made all things right with our God and that He does not repent of a calling placed on your life.
Ps. tells us that "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delighteth in his way. Though he fall he shall not be cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand" ---- several years ago God make it so clear to me that the message here was that God is guiding us and when we stumble or even fall on His path, He quickly reaches down with the encouragement to get back up! He does not go on without us, or scold us, tell us we are stupid and should never have been given life, but instead He is our first and most energetic 'cheerleader' if you will! It was while we were sinners Christ died for us (not after we proved how wonderful we could be) and it is while we are living in human and fleshly bodies and attempting to be sanctified with the renewing of our mind that He is always there to pick us up and once again put us on the right, straight and narrow path and lead us on.
Twilla Paris has a song that says "I am here to confess the same old thing, how can He still be listening?" And yet He is~ not just listening but eager to restore and encourage.
Get up dear one! God does not expect any of us to be anything MORE that what we, He just expects us to reach out and let Him lead. We must stay humble and willing to be led, that is our one job.....humble and ready to obey at all costs-----take up our cross daily.
God bless all of you!
We are truly enjoying our visit here in OH, it will always be HOME to me, so will Broadway Assembly, the church I grew up in. It's like wrapping a warm blanket around you and just snuggling down knowing you are safe and loved :D
Keep praying, keep trusting, and above all, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength!
