Christmas 2007

We had a lovely day in Ottawa, IL hiking around Starved Rock Park. Enjoy the pictures. Jenn did a lovely job as the Storyteller in the Christmas play on Sunday.

Sledding photos...

Infinite

Our Minds Cannot Comprehend It.


Who created God? My son asked me that question a while ago as I am sure many other children (and adults) have asked before him.

Some things our minds cannot comprehend, cannot fathom, cannot embrace... even our faith can be tested with these concepts.

My mind cannot comprehend how God will orchestrate the things He has shown me...I KNOW He CAN do it all, but the moment 'I' am added into the mix I feel overwhelmed by the enormity of His plan.

Pictures from Uganda

Meeting the children


Lunch time at His Embrace: No table, no spoons, no soap to wash hands...


Naptime on 'new sheets'. Four mats for fourteen children...


Mama Sara ~ the blessed one who cares for the children at His Embrace

Mukama Yebazi bwe!! Praise the Lord!! We are home safe and sound in Waukegan, IL once again. We were blessed with a beautiful white landscape on our arrival and it has been pure torture for Jordan not to be out sledding yet. Saturday when we got to the house we started unpacking and settling into our home again. We made a few phone calls to let everyone know that we were home okay and finally ordered the long awaited pizza from Pizza Hut. There was a two hour delivery wait and so it was almost 5pm when we finally ate dinner. We all decided a nap was in order and none of us woke up until Sunday. When we got home after Church yesterday and had some lunch of leftover pizza we all decided another nap would be just the thing for all of us. I woke up on Monday morning and headed to work at 4 am.

We are here at last!

We are here safe and sound and once again humbled by how spoiled we are. The adventure begins with Jordan and his Advair Diskus,… He woke up this morning and Shalom was ‘clicking it’ back and forth dispensing his medication. He came with 60 doses and only has 10 left now. : ) I figured it was a blessing that Cory is coming soon! Of all the things to expect, this was one I didn’t prepare for.. my heart breaks whenever I am here and see so many needs and yet still their hearts are 100% trusting God to care and provide. I am humbled as usual.

We went to meet the children at His Embrace Children’s Home and what a blessing! They have next to nothing and yet were so happy. I will try to post pictures soon. They were so blessed by the clothes, sheets, and medicines!! They are in desperate need for so much more and I will be actively working on their behalf to raise the funds for a permanent home for them when I get home. Right now they have only some cookware, dishes (not enough for everyone though), foam mattresses, and clothes. Nothing to put clothes on or in, nothing to keep the mattresses off the floor, nothing to eat at (table or benches), nothing to play with or do during the day.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support!
Danae

Give Thanks!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

The kids and are prepared for our adventure and I thank God for His awesome provision, grace, and love for us to give us this opportunity. We will be back on the 9th of December. We covet your prayers!
Danae

November is Here!

We have gone through 10 months and I am wondering how so much time goes by so fast. Remember as kids how time seemed to slow down and Christmas, Birthdays, holidays,etc.. would take forever to arrive?? Not anymore! The more years that go by the faster they go!

I have been busy getting ready for our upcoming Thanksgiving Blessing! Will post more when I get a chance. In the meantime.. I have really enjoyed keeping up with Kendra's blog and the other's on my favorites list.

Fall back into Summer!

Wow! Gorgeous doesn't describe how wonderful the weather is right now and if I didn't see the beautiful colors on the trees I would be tempted to think it was spring or early summer!

I will try to get some pictures posted tomorrow. To anyone who doesn't believe in God the Creator of all this magnificence... I can only say OPEN YOUR EYES!!!

I have done some thinking lately about what I would like to be doing for the rest of my life and what I came up with is pretty far out there. Well maybe not for me; however, for the regular 9-5 career minded folk it would certainly be on the verge of crazy.

I would like to have a ministry to reach adventure lovers. Adventure Racing, White Water Sports, Endurance Events, etc... A ministry that shares the Gospel with those who are into extremes and channels their passions, focus, and energy back to the One who gave it to them. There are so many who invest time, finances, and energy into pursuing their passion for adventure and I would love to see them touched by the Truth and take their passion to the rest of the world through their endeavors. God knows my heart!

Just a little Catchin' up!

10-13-07
Saturday the kids and I were up at 7 and at the car repair shop by 8:30 to get the car fixed. We walked to McDonalds from the Lake County Tire shop and waited there until Mark called me to let me know what was going on.. It turned out that I needed to have some major work done and it looked as if it might be covered by my warranty. So we walked back and I tried to contact the warranty company and we finally figured out we needed to get it into the Hyundai shop for the repairs. Since I was so close to the end of my warranty (by less than 100 miles!), I didn't want to drive any more than I had to!! We went from there to the Sign of the Dove to collect the bags of groceries from people who were dropping them off and also to help Alma decorate for the Fall season. We were at the church from 10:30ish until after 5:00 pm with a small break where we went to the neighborhood to collect the bags we had distributed the week before for ShareFest.
Oh, and Jennifer agreed to be in the Christmas play so she has practice every Saturday now from 3:30 -5:00. At 5:00 we went with Stephan Baily to Village Church of Gurnee to deliver all the food we had collected so far (635 pounds!). Then we ran over to the PetSmart to get crickets and to Target to make a return. By then it was after 7pm and I was tired, cranky and just plain beat!

10-14-07
Sunday I woke up all congested and missed first service. After second service the kids and I went directly back to Village Church to deliver all the food bags that people had brought to church with them that morning. Our total weight was 935 pounds!!
We stayed there in the rain and help sort food and load boxes to put on the truck (Northern Illinois Food Bank) until almost 6pm. We were wet, cold and tired but ended up heading to Michaels for Jennifer to look for something to decorate her boots with and then to the Card & Party Store to look for a stuffed animal net. All in all the trips were not successful. Then Jared asked me to come and help him with his computer and DBI Final and so we dropped by his apartment and tried to get him straightened out and after an hour or so realized I had done all I could short of doing it for him and we left there. We finally made it home around 9:30 and got snuggled into dry clothes and had family devotions and went to bed fairly early.

10-15-07
Monday was another crazy day of go-go-go! Jordan had skateboard lessons, Jennifer had Volleyball practice.

I had a call to pick up a bag that was not picked up on Sunday and then Jared called again in a panic. (His class and final were due at 7pm) I had a ton of phone calls to make and take and so before I knew it the day was gone and I was still feeling like I had a million things to do. One of the calls was about my car that needed to go into the dealership and I found out that they couldn't look at it until Wednesday. Uh-oh! I was afraid that I would go over my miles so I called my friend Wanda Siler to catch a ride to work Tuesday.

10-16-07
So Tuesday I didn't drive my car at all and the kids just stayed home all day. I didn't get home until 5:30 because Wanda works 9:00-5:00 and so after I got home and helped the kids with school work it was time to go to DBI. I stayed busy all day Tuesday at work and didn't even email or stay online because I was so far behind.

10-17-07
Wednesday I took the car to the dealership to drop it off at 6:45am and by 8:00am I was driving to work in a rental car waiting to hear what would happen with my car repairs. The good news came around 10:30 that the work was all covered by the warranty and I shouted "Praise God!!" They weren't sure how long it would take so I kept the rental all day. I drove down to Fox River in the afternoon to meet Anne Tronetti so she could use the four day bonus stay there for us. We had too many commitments this weekend. Tonight Jennifer has Volleyball game at 4:30. Friday night prayer 7-9, Saturday morning, When We Pray, and I am leading PrayKids!, and Saturday afternoon Jennifer has Christmas play practice from 3:30 till 5:00. So we offered to let Anne and Darlene Rajala stay and enjoy the resort. I pray they are blessed.

Praise Report
I need to backtrack a little…
Tuesday night I had gotten a call from a lady who wanted to freecycle a bookcase and I was really interested in it for the kids to use in the basement for their games etc. So she said it was mine if I could pick it up Wednesday. Well, when I asked if she thought it would fit in my car she said no but I went on faith and told her that I would find a way to get it to my house. Remember, my car was going into the shop first thing in the morning and the rental I reserved was an economy which would likely be smaller than my Elantra. Wednesday when I saw the Enterprise fella drive up in a cherry red VW beetle I thought to myself “NO WAY!” but took a deep breath. After signing the papers and going outside he asked me what type of car did I have in mind and I said whatever the ‘economy’ would get me for $27.45. He said he had about 4 cars there at the dealership or I could take the Bug. I told him I would rather drive ANYTHING besides that bright red dot. He went inside again to get some keys while I stood outside waiting. As I looked around I saw a little pick-up with extended cab and bed liner that had an Enterprise plate on it and thought to myself “Now THAT would be great!” thinking that I had until 12:00 noon to pick up the bookcase. He came back out and walked over and asked rather hesitantly “How would you feel about driving a truck?” Inside I was jumping up and down and doing back flips!!!! Praise God once again. I got the truck for the same price and was able to get the bookcase and not worry about driving to Fox River in the rain and wind. God is SO GOOD!!!

His Embrace

Sign of the Dove Ministries Uganda has opened His Embrace Children's Home for the orphans in and around Zana, UG. Erica Kaggwa, Pastor Daniel Kaggwa's wife, has told me they already have 14 children and over 500 registered. Here are some pictures of the children and also a copy of Erica's email regarding the work they have begun. I am so excited that we will be able to partner with them to help these children! Please keep them all in your prayers.

My dear sister,

The kids are fine, we have 14 children in the house which we are renting for the orphans, and pastor is working on the registration for the children. It takes a lot of time and money to do it, but he is a hard working man of God, trying to put everything together. They were brought from different districts and churches. Yesterday we bought for them sacks of food and we still need hundreds of kilograms of food to support. We bought some matresses for them and cooking pots and other neccesities.We recieved orphans funds from the SOD and this was a good begining for us.They are lovely childen who had never gone to school , most have lost both parents though some have one parent who cannot care for them. We have registerd over 500 orphans so far!

You will love them when you come in November and I know you will spend some good days with them. We have the youngest at three years old. She lost both parents and they died of AIDS and we don't know much about her life but I think we shall take her for a blood check up. Most of these children lost their parents through AIDS and they are very young , we shall take them for blood check ups.

They came with worms, we are asking the Lord to give me wisdom and enough support for them. They had giggers, in their fingers with big stomachs . I thank the Lord because He answerd my prayers. He has given me more compassion to help them, I need your prayers and I ask you to sell the vision to all the well wishers who are your freinds, workmate and family members.

I spend over 14 hours of my time with them at the house and we shall have good time with you and your children when you come. I thank you for the support of these innocent kids and may the Lord bless you soo sooo much.
love you and miss you.

Erica Kaggwa

Children eating maize


Erica and the Children


David, Age 7


Benson, Age 7


Vincent, Age 8

Praising in the House!

"Motive" Police?

The new Defense Authorization bill with it's attached Hate Crimes provision that recently passed the Senate is a very scary reality and one to which most people are totally oblivious. The bill allows the government to subjectively police our thoughts and motivations. You may think that I am stretching things a bit far but if you look at how similar laws are already being enforced in Europe, Canada, Switzerland, and Australia you would come to the same conclusions. Click Here for more info.

To read the hate crimes provision click here.

Happy Birthday the Greatest Brother Ever!

Daniel Jeffery Lincoln

I have always admired you from the day they brought you home from the hospital in Kodiak. I thought that you were the cutest baby ever and was really quite jealous over all the attention that you were given. Until I realized you really were a BOY! Then I felt sorry for you because you had that thing sticking out of your belly. (it was gross!) Soon I discovered that you were really were pretty neat because when Mom was busy with you she generally forgot about me and since Debbie was in school already and I was not... I began feeling pretty independent with you around to be the 'baby'. Having a brother was wonderful again!

I remember playing on the teeter-totter with you and trying to figure out what we could stack on your end to make you heavy enough that you wouldn't fly off when I bounced you..

Playing with your super-wowie self-peddled car since your legs weren't quite long enough to reach the peddles.

Building forts with lincoln logs for your cars and trucks and teaching you all the important details of construction. Details you quickly destroyed with one big fling of your arms so you could show ME how it was supposed to be done.

I will never forget the day you ran away. I felt so bad and wanted to stop you but Mom said to just leave you alone you would never make it to the end of the driveway. She was right as usual. You made it as far as the alders at the edge of the yard. I watched you the whole time from the balcony window!

I remember feeling guilty that you had to be the cowboy so I could be the indian because I always thought that the cowboys were the bad guys to hurt the poor indians who had lived in our country first.

I remember playing london bridges with you and Debbie and we would lock you up and you could never get out until we felt so bad we had mercy on you.

I remember sledding down the hill with you for hours. You were the only one who would stick it out with me no matter what the weather or amount of daylight.

Watching you figure out things was amazing and always made me feel a tad inadequate. I prayed once that God would give me more 'common sense' like you had. Book learning was easy but common sense was foreign to me!


I could go on and on about the blessing you have been to me but for now just know this...

I love you with all my heart and wish you the best birthday to date!

Happy Birthday!!

Just when I think I have it all figured out...

We love the library! (We average 4-5 visits a week)
The obvious reason is that we love to read. Well, Jennifer and I do.. Jordan is still being coerced into reading but does well when the subject matter is appealing.

This past Wednesday I took the kids to the library to drop items off and check out new materials and took the opportunity to get some good reading material for them to expand their school learning.

We plan on visiting Amsterdam in November/December and I thought how great it would be to learn about Anne Frank. (The Hiding Place) Well, I found several children's books and picture books and even came across one in comic form. However, Jennifer was adamant she was not intending to read any of them unless I 'made' her do it. I figured I was going to have a slight fuss on my hand and had decided we would pick one or two and read them together each evening. We are currently reading This Present Darkness, by Frank Peretti.

Imagine my surprise when I came home Thursday and found her reading the largest volume, "The Diary of a Young Girl: the definitive edition" and was almost finished! She finished it Friday.. I am still in shock! Not over the fact that she put away 400 some pages like it was nothing but because she decided to read it and kept reading it and is able to really discuss Anne Frank's life.

It doesn't take much to make me smile and feel good inside and that definitely did it!!

Fall thoughts

School is going well for the kids and they seem to be enjoying it so far. Jennifer is playing volleyball again this year and they will both probably play soccer. Jennifer had her first game yesterday and the other team cancelled so it was a rather sad first non-game.

I am having a hard time right now in my personal life and if you don't mind the boring details and the fact that I sound like a broken record...

Why do I always do what I know I shouldn't do??? --- read instead of folding clothes, and the list goes on long enough to make your head spin..

I know I am not completely lazy afterall I am an endurance athlete and love most challenges. I realize I am an addict. Addicted to reading. Anything with the exception of the Word. That I spend a fraction of the time reading. (I spend about 6 hours a day reading!)

There are times when it seems I have to stay distracted because I don't want to hear what He is trying to say to me. I vacillate between guilt and justification and neither one is acceptable.

Big question is why do I keep falling for the same trap over and over again??

Obviously once I recognize what the enemy is doing... maybe it is not the enemy but my own rebellious heart! Ughhh!!

Setbacks are not Failures

A counselor once told me this truth and it has proven itself out over the years. Setbacks are just that- a set back from where we once were. They do not equate to failures unless we allow them to. I have encountered a setback and it has been disappointing but I am not allowing the enemy of my soul claim any victory in the matter. I merely have to keep pushing on and persevere just as Aposple Paul encourages us. What is my setback? I am back in a splint and cannot do much at all with my right hand. Mowing grass, everyday household chores, and even shifting gears to drive are once again out of the question or at least severely limited.

God is still on the throne and He still has His best interests at heart and that is my confidence.

Thanks Rich!

A good friend of mine sent me a sweet email and made me realize that I haven't followed up on my blog. Praise God for His ear is quick to hear our heartfelt prayers and He has answered mine! I have had some sweet precious time since the previous entry and am once again up early in fellowship and spending time with Jesus! It is a JOY and not a burden to spend the wee dark hours with Him!!

Today I am struggling with feelings of failure, dread, grace, regret, excitement, and hope. Well, that is at least a start to describe the myriad of emotions that have been toying with me the past few days. This is the deal. I love Jesus and wish to spend time with Him in prayer, His Word, meditation and worship; however, like Apostle Paul stated so eloquently in Romans 7:19 "For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want." I realized that by not being diligent in my devotional time and fervent in seeking Him daily I am in effect doing worse than nothing at all. Knowing what to do and not doing it is worse than just not doing something.
See, it really hit me hard that I have no excuse (except love of self) for my lack of effort in maintaining a healthy relationship with my Lord. By the way, what is healthy for one is not necessarily healthy for another. I basically put Christ in the 'unwelcome visitor' status where you give token attention and time to but really wish you could be off doing something different. Subtle rudeness is still rudeness. I laid on my pillow last night with the song "I Miss My Time With You" running through my head. I feel broken. As my body heals I realize that I need my spirit to heal and get back its strength. I don't want to have any regrets over lost time, moments, days that I could have been basking in His presence but I chose not to.

Forgive me Lord! Draw me close to You and Hide me under the shadow of Your Wing!

Pictures For Daddy

These are pictures that Jennifer and Jordan have taken with their new cameras and they wanted to post so that everyone can see them. Enjoy!

Trust and Obey

Jennifer & Grandma JoJo


(Jordan: Above, Josh & Jennifer's birthday celebration)

This will be the first of many thoughts today.

Trust is more than an idea or a feeling it is an action. As an action word, trust is something that is not static but rather is in motion, a doing, something that has cause and effect. Do I trust You Lord?


Love is an action word too! Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Do I love You Lord?

August Already?

I know I am starting to sound like a broken record but...Where does the time go? It seems like it was just Memorial Day and I was breaking my arm and now it is two weeks from school starting back!

To catch y'all up on what is going on in our neck o' the woods I am going to keep it simple and bullet pointed. Email me if you have any questions, need details or just feel like saying 'hi'!

Since last post...

• Finished the guest room and I am pleased for now. Still need to paint the room.
• The Sign of the Dove Ministries International Conference was a great success.
• I had a wonderful, totally awesome time with Mama Gloria (Cooper) from Grants Pass, OR. What a blessing that was to fellowship with her.
• Talked to Don for the first time in forever and it was so pleasant. God is answering prayers!!
• Jennifer turned 12!
• Pastor Daniel Kaggwa and Mama Gloria both left for their respective homes. Miss you guys!
• Jordan made it down to the big Reptile Swap at the Du Page County Fairgrounds and finally got what he really wanted all along, a crested gecko.
• Kendra called and we caught up and it was such a BLESSING!!! (Love you guys!!)

Disappointments

Today I had a big one. My cast came off.

I thought I would be "all better" and that life would resume as 'normal'. I know many are thinking that normal and I don't belong in the same paragraph to start with! Well I at least thought that I would be able to have some freedom but what I have is more pain than I had to start with and less mobility. Oh, and a swollen, bruised wrist that can't even hold up my little purse or a 32 oz. cup of soda. I felt like crying when I left the doctors office and am still walking around in a daze wondering what I am going to do and how I am going to survive the next 6 months. Yes, that is how long my wonderful doctor Frank thinks it will take to heal.
He is disappointed in the pain and swelling too which didn't make me feel any better. Please keep me in your prayers as most of you know this is so hard for me and not having the cast on to protect my arm is like an accident waiting to happen. Trust me I have already screamed more than once as I tried to do something I shouldn't!!

I still trust Him completely.

So much to catch up on.. We had an emerald Ameiva for 5.5 days before she died. Possibly from complications with the egging. Anyways, it hasn't been very cheerful for any of us. We all get pretty attached quickly and we were so looking forward to incubating the eggs. Time to rethink our next pet and right now we are leaning toward a crested gecko and praying that we can find the perfect pet for Jordan to have for a long time.

Last Thursday in the midst of our normal daily chaos we received a very pleasant call from Silverleaf Resorts with great news.. 3 nights at Fox River if we wanted to drive down that night. I answered immediately, "Yes!" We had so much on our 'schedule' but I realized in a heartbeat that we desperately needed the break as a family. With my broken arms and the heavy workload at home, work and church, the kids and I had very little down time to spend enjoying one another as a family. I made the necessary calls and we drove home, packed and hit the road. PRAISE GOD!!!!

It was a lovely, delightful, restful, and absolutely needed break for us! God is SOooo SO GOOD!!!

Now we are rushing to get things done for the upcoming Conference at Church and our guest who arrives tonight, Gloria Cooper. I am so excited and yet understand that it will be a hectic, busy, and challenging 10 days ahead of us. God has refreshed me and given me the courage to actually look forward to all He has for us!

Forgotten?

I was thinking about all that has happened in our lives over the past four years and I realized that many things have been 'forgotten'. Well, temporarily at least.

I was talking with someone at work today and was sharing how Jordan bought a new lizard this past Saturday to replace Lizzy who died while he was in Idaho. I described how I tried to give Lizzy (Jordan's yellow plated lizard) chest compressions to revive her and how I put her in the wooden box Jordan had made at Home Depot for burial.
Well, during this conversation I realized that I hadn't journaled about the whole experience (broken arm excuse) and hadn't blogged about it either (same excuse). Then realized how many things in our daily adventures that are just memories and until something jogs those memories they lie there seemingly forgotten.

Then came the realization that although the memories may be pushed way into the dark recesses of our memory banks one day they will all be replayed. Good and bad. The day we stand before our Creator and Judge will be the day that every memory will be remembered and with it every motivation, decision and outcome will be charged to our account.
Scary.
It won't be our version of reality either but will be remembered in light of the Truth. In other words, we often remember incidents through our personal 'filters' which may or may not be the true reality.

Well, for those who are interested we now have an Ameiva living with us who is pregnant and ready to lay her eggs soon. We don't know if they are fertile or not though.. Should have asked that obvious question when we bought her. Jordan went Saturday to the Reptile Swap and was thrilled with all of the 'critters' with the exception of the pinkie mice. He really wants a crested gecko and bearded dragon but for now we have settled with the Ameiva who can live with the skink, Small Fry. Celly, his Russian tortoise, has an outdoor enclosure for the rest of the summer and seems to be thriving with the new habitat. Soon we will be makeing her an indoor enclosure for the winter that is much bigger.

Update

These past five weeks have been very interesting for me. Not in the sense that I have been doing anything especially amazing, but in my limitations, what I have managed to examine about myself. If you are not one for introspectiveness then stop reading now.

I warned you.

Some things I have learned since breaking my left arm on May 30th:

• I do not like being dependent but I enjoy being taken care of. (Go figure!?)
• I get easily frustrated with my own limitations but not so easily with others.
• I don't like to ask for help but I have fewer issues accepting unsolicited help.
• My muscles in one arm tend to cause the muscles in the other to contract.
• Kids know how to take advantage of you to the nth degree.
• Sometimes drugs are good.
• Two broken arms provide a great excuse for many things. (Eating out, not doing dishes or laundry, not writing out bills, having a messy house, not brushing very well…)
• We should all learn to be ambidextrous so we can brush our teeth well with either hand.
• Showers are a luxury we take for granted.
• I am a compulsive list maker.
• I can survive without lists.
• God hears even when I am on Vicodin.
• Life is not as stressful when we are not thinking we are in control.
• Kids are the best for hugs!
• My children love me and think I am a good Mom. (Amazing what you hear when you are almost asleep!)
• God doesn't make mistakes. He can't--He is Perfect.
• I make a lot of mistakes. All my mistakes or poor choices are covered by His blood.
• It is hard to talk on the phone with broken arms.
• Reading is opening windows to the world.
• I cannot worry about tomorrow, nor today but only this moment.
• God is still molding me and the more pliable I become the easier it will be on both of us!
• God is so good to me!

Good news. Bad news.

Good news: Left arm almost as good as new just very weak and tender still.

Bad news: I broke my right arm last Thursday. Serious. Monday the Ortho Specialist said it looked good considering they did a horrible job casting it in Urgent Care and he knew I was a lot of pain. They should have set it with my hand in a 'natural' position and not straightened out like they did. The cast kept constant pressure on the injury and didn't allow any swelling to go down. He kept saying to me "I am SO SORRY!" he is so sweet and gentle. (in his late 60's!! so don't read anything into that!)
He will check it next Monday to determine if I'll need surgery...right now he's thinking not. : )
Feeling awed by God's grace and goodness to me (Body cast came to mind) and grateful that I am never alone and without defense. God is on my side.

Have you ever had something happen that made you scratch your head and wonder? Most of us have! Well, I am wondering now. Is God sending me a message or is it pure coincidence? The wall clock in my bedroom stopped three weeks ago while the kids were gone. I replaced the battery. This weekend it stopped again. It's still stopped 'cause I'm one armed and lefty at that! Tuesday when I got to work the wall clock in my lab was stopped. Grrr.. I cannot reach it. All day it bugged me when I looked at it and it was still 7:45. Then when I arrived home Tuesday evening I noticed the dining room wall clock had stopped... What is with time standing still??

Today has been a long day but I can only praise God!
First, for my friend, Thanh, who shares a love for Jesus and comes to fellowship and pray every Tuesday and Thursday at work. I needed that time together today sharing God’s goodness and His revelations to us and of course the time of prayer where I am so refreshed. I know that when I am feeling less than wonderful that I have a brother in Christ who is just a click, call, or short walk away. Secondly, I praise God for His patience with me!

I am really missing Jennifer and Jordan and can’t wait until they are home again and we can go outside (still can’t play much but soccer) and just go for a walk or shoot off Jordan’s rocket. The house is so quiet and although it has been great for my time with Jesus it hasn’t felt much like ‘home’.

God cares about me.

This morning I woke up ‘late.’ However, I have been relying on the Holy Spirit to wake me up for some time and now that seems like a very absurd statement. What do I mean? I pray before lying down to sleep for the Lord to wake me up when He desires for me to start my time with Him. I changed this way of operating a few months ago when I realized that my quiet time was more like a routine that I got into - waking at 4 am to spend time with Jesus. I was having a hard time getting up in the mornings and after praying I decided to trust Him in this area and it has been interesting to see Him in action. Sometimes it is several times a night that I awake knowing in my spirit that I am to pray for something, at times it is specific like a certain family member and others it is something general like a nation or a project. Other times, I am wakened to a peace so sweet and a love so strong that it draws me out of bed and into His presence with eagerness. I realize it is not quite the usual discipline for believers but until He changes my heart to do differently I am sticking with my Holy Spirit alarm clock. Back to this morning…

Well when I went to bed last night I was in a lot of pain from my injury and when I woke up this morning (slept straight through!) the clock read 6:29 and my arm was hurting just as badly as when I went to bed. Pain killer had definitely worn off. I was going to be late getting to work (Praise God I can flex my hours like I can!!!) I was trying to read my daily reading (John 17) in a rush when I felt that the Lord was trying to tell me that He woke me when He wanted and that today I was to totally trust Him. I stopped reading and got ready to leave for work. Driving in the pain was really bothering me (hard to drive a manual transmission with one arm) and I was listening to worship music but not really entering into the worship. I felt like I wanted to just have a good cry and call someone who would understand and really empathize with me. Ever felt that way??

Then it was like the absurdity of it hit me! WHO?! Who could I call at 7 a.m. that: 1) would not care that I was interrupting them or possibly waking them. 2) would even be able to understand the pain and the frustration of my injury. 3) would be able to empathize, comfort me, and actually help me feel better. I thought through my list of possibilities and came to the conclusion that no one I could call on my cell phone (I couldn’t even use it while driving one-armed!) would I dream of calling because while they may fill some of the needs, I didn’t believe they could fill all of them. Call on Jesus! The words to a familiar song echoed in my head and my heart and soon my mouth!! I began to praise Him, I began to call on His name and glorify Him. Peace and comfort is probably the most precious commodity in my opinion. That is what I had. I drove on into work with a secure awareness of His love for me, knowing that He does fill my every need and even those I don’t know I have yet. God cares for me!

So what?? Well as I was walking from my car into the building I got a beep indicating that I had a message on my phone. It was a simple text message. “Be encouraged God loves u so much!” sent at 7:19. Now, my heart started singing because this person had no idea what God was doing or what I needed but obviously they were obedient to the Holy Spirit and He used them in a very powerful way! God cares about me! He cares about you too!!

Eternity

Some days I feel like I should just start walking with a sandwich sign-board on me declaring “Repent now for the time is short!” or maybe “Eternity is forever… are you ready?” The urge sometimes to start shouting out the truth as declared in His Word to everyone I see can be overwhelming. I have found myself asking the Holy Spirit “Is this of God or of me?” Scary and yet very exciting because the urgency wells up and with it an excitement to see what God is getting ready to do. Will I be ready? Will my lamp be lit? Will my oil be full?

Some of you are already thinking.. “She’s lost it finally! Must be the elbow or the constant pain she is in..”

Just sharing what is on my heart. Praying you are ready too. Do you know what God has to say about Christ’s return? Have you studied His Word to prepare yourself? When He surprises you will you use the excuse “I didn’t know what all that stuff meant!” or will you admit your lack of preparation was due to complacency. How do you know if what you think about eternity is true? Have you searched it for yourself? Just asking… I do not want my Lord to ask me at the time of Judgment why I didn’t warn you or teach you what His Word says about eternity.

If you have any questions now, please send me a note or post a comment.

In His Eternal Love,

Danae

No pain, no gain!

I think that orthopdeic specialists must have a warped sense of humor.. well at least the one I saw yesterday. The cast is off and physical therapy has started and I have never felt like such a big wimp! The object is to maintain mobility and heal quickly but the cost is MUCH PAIN. I want to thank everyone for their prayers and calls! I am so blessed to be a part of the Body of Christ and it is evident in all that has happened how much we need one another.

So if you are feeling like God is not using you or cannot use you, take this bit of advice and make yourself available to 'the least of these' and watch Him do miracles! He has showed up in a mighty way this week and I praise Him for sending to me, Althea in the ER, and Jessica from Dallas. Two Christian women who didn't know me at all but took the time to pray with me and encourage me in the Lord. He is so GOOD!

Uh..it's hard to explain

So I won't even try. I have just gotten back from the ER. Diagnosis: Fractured Elbow, as in one or more breaks in the bone.. No more bike riding , playing basketball at lunch, or playing baseball with the kids, at least for a while. Will go see the orthopedic specialist in the next couple of days... Boy is it hard to type!

Omission or Commission?

I used to be content in my way of thinking especially in terms of right and wrong. Recently the Holy Spirit has given me much to consider and it is bringing about some paradigm shifts. Those who know me well know that I love to read. That is not an exaggeration at all. I love to read! It is nothing for me to have four or more books started at one time and nothing to finish a book at one setting. : ) So what does this have to do with anything? Well, recently I was reading a few books simultaneously and I found myself pondering a common theme in each of them. Sins of omission vs. sins of commission. The books, in case anyone is interested, are Return to Holiness by Gregory Frizzel, Rescued by John Bevere with Mark Andrew Olsen, Driven by Eternity by John Bevere, and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. I highly recommend all of them. I also recommend the classic allegory Hinds Feet in High Places by Hannah Hurnard which I am reading again this time aloud to my family.

Back to my point today... What are we not doing that is keeping us from all that God desires for us?

Growth Opportunity vs Adversity

I was reading this morning in 2 Chronicles chapter 14 (this is what happens when you don’t have a planned devotional or daily reading—you just open your Word and pray God enlightens you in some way!) Truth is I was not prepared in the way I normally am and so I was grasping at straws (or so I thought!). In reality, God had a word just for me and maybe even a word for you.

Take note of one of the descendents of King David who ruled in Judah, King Asa. In verse 2 we see that, “And Asa did [that which was] good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.” That is really nice. Then I noticed that he “commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.” and I thought well sure, he could do that since he is the king and all, but it isn’t like I can go around and command my neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family to seek God and obey His commandments. Nice thought though. Anyway, Asa tore down the idols and built up fortified cities and was free from wars for 10 years. Life was good and God gave him and Judah rest. Verse 7 says: “So they built and prospered.” Sounds great doesn’t it?

Minister Debbie Stackhouse is always telling us that growth comes through adversity so I am guessing that after the period of rest God wanted Asa to grow a bit more because adversity came in about a million Ethiopians in battle array. What did Asa do? He hasn’t had to fight a battle in a long time (for that period 10 years of no fighting was amazing) and his army was only 580 thousand with some spears and bows. Asa cried out to the Lord his God. I want you to note just a little point here. He cried out. It doesn’t say he prayed long hours, nor does it say that he fasted and donned sackcloth. It simply says “Asa cried out to the Lord his God” and this is what he said: "Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!"
Lesson: Sometimes we just need to cry out! Straight from the gut and out of our own helplessness we need to just cry out to God.

I am getting excited now and thinking that maybe this isn’t such a bad place to turn to this morning. Hey, at 4:00 in the morning you need something to keep you from dozing off and Holy Spirit inspired Word will do the trick if your heart is hungry. So I keep reading on into chapter 15. (Somewhere in the back of my mind I kept thinking of Asa as being one of the ‘bad’ kings and now I want to find out why I thought that. I hate being wrong even when it is only in my own little head!)

Chapter 15 starts out sounding like things couldn’t be better. Asa gets a word from God directly from the prophet Azariah encouraging him and giving him a promise. Take a look:

"Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 3 For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; 4 but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. 5 And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. 7 But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!"

Talk about a promise. Sounds too good to be true but it wasn’t because God is good! We read that Asa went ahead full steam with the inspiration from the words of the Lord and he and all of Judah ‘entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. Then they took an oath before the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams' horns. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.’ (2 Chron. 15:12-15)

I guess in this day and age the majority of people would say he had turned ‘fanatical’ or that he was ‘going overboard’ in his fervor to seek God. I know one thing for sure, we need a King Asa!! Someone who will take a stand for God so that God will take a stand for them!! Verse 17 says that Asa’s heart was loyal all his days. Lord let my heart be loyal to You and Your Word all of my days!!

“And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.” End of chapter 15.

What?!?!?!?
I had to keep reading now because it did not say ‘and Asa died’ or that ‘Asa turned his heart’ so why did Asa have war after 35 years??? My inquiring mind wanted to know… So chapter 16 begins with telling of the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign and how this king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah. It was like some type of blockade so that no one could go in or out of Judah. Now at this point I am wondering what the big deal is and then in the back of my mind I am remembering that point noted above regarding adversity. Ah hah! God is getting ready to grow Asa again!

Sure enough! Here is how it goes down: Asa sees the threat. Asa decides to call on a few favors and family ties. Asa figures out how to handle the situation and takes charge. War is avoided. -- Or is it? Asa soon gets another visit from yet another prophet with another word from the Lord. This word was neither so encouraging nor full of the promises he wanted to hear. Listen,

"Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars."

Wait a minute! Hold on a second there! Asa didn’t seek Baal or any idols! Asa merely used his God-given intelligence to strategize and plan for the kingdom. How is that a sin?! This just doesn’t sound fair at all! I mean, after all, aren’t we supposed to use wisdom and counsel? God seems to be going a bit overboard now. Why didn’t He send the prophet before Asa made the decision for the treaty with Syria? It didn’t mention that Asa’s heart had turned or that he had stopped seeking God.

Looking for my own answers kept me reading and sure enough Asa responded just like I would have. Asa got angry too and although it says he was angry at the messenger I wondered if he wasn’t also deep in his heart a little angry at God. He failed this growth opportunity.

God is generous with us and was with Asa also, because God gave him another growth opportunity, through yet another adversity, to see if he was ready for the next level. The trial came within the next three and a half years, Asa was badly diseased in his feet and his anger must have turned into a deep bitterness because despite the Lord’s earlier promises ( “The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you;”) he turned to physicians instead of God. He was severely sick for two years and still did not turn back to God and he finally died in the 41st year of his reign. What happened?

“The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you;”

I want to take you back to Chapter 15 verse 17. Remember where it says that "Asa’s heart was loyal all his days." All his days means that even though Asa failed his growth opportunities he didn't fail God completely. He remained loyal just not all that God desired him to be. I guess that means that Asa wasn't angry in his heart against God either because you cannot be angry at someone and remain loyal. So Asa simply failed to remember God's promises and failed to recognize the opportunites that God presented him with. God is always looking for opportunities to show Himself strong and He uses us and our adversities to do it.

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. (2 Chron. 16:9)"

9:49am Pray Hard!

Zep 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame,
Zep 2:2 Before the decree takes effect-- The day passes like the chaff-- Before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you, Before the day of the LORD'S anger comes upon you.
Zep 2:3 Seek the LORD, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the LORD'S anger.

Forgive us Lord!

Today I woke up feeling like a total failure.

• I haven’t called Kendra in forever -- what kind of friend am I?
• I haven’t gotten the projects together for the Sharefest. I really am the worlds worst procrastinator. I must not want to change because that has been on my prayer list forever!
• Rushing again this morning and what kind of time is that to spend with Jesus when I am already ‘running late’?
• I didn’t get an email out to Michelle yesterday. Some kind of prayer partner I am!
• Prayer partner? Ha! I haven’t talked to Tijuwana or Caroline in at least a month!
• When is the last time Jordan took a shower? I don’t even know if his homework got done last night…
• What day is it? I wish we could skip Friday this week, Saturday and Sunday too come to think of it.. Too many commitments this weekend! Grrrr..
• Why bother? with anything… I am so tired and tired of being tired.
• I still need to get my bills done – a lot of good it did me to schedule them if I don’t sit down and do them.
• I feel fat and lazy.
• My house is a mess – I am a horrible housekeeper and steward of God’s house.
• I STILL have clothes to be folded and I took the time to finish Jennifer’s book last night!
• I have no self-control.


I woke up feeling nothing like one who is filled with the Spirit of the living God. However, I know that the Word of God says that I am:

 Loved by God ~ John 3:16
 Forgiven ~ Col 1:14
 Born Again Child of God ~ Rom 8:16
 Delivered from the Powers of Darkness ~ Col 1:13
 Redeemed from the Hands of the Enemy ~ Psa 107:2
 Called with a Holy Calling ~ 2Ti 1:9
 Created in His Image Rom ~ 8:29
 Not of This World ~ John 17:16
 Healed by His Stripes ~ 1Pe 2:24
 Free from Fear ~ 1Jo 4:18
 Crowned with His Loving Kindness & Tender Mercies ~ Psa 103
 Redeemed from the Curse of the Law ~ Gal 3:13
 Free from the Law of Sin & Death ~ Rom 8:32
 Heir of Eternal Life ~ 1Jo 5:11-12
 Heir to the Blessings of Abraham ~ Gal 3:14
 Heir of God & Joint Heirs with Jesus ~ Rom 8:17
 Blessed with All Spiritual Blessings ~ Eph 1:3
 His Workmanship Created in Christ Jesus ~ Eph.2:10
 Being Transformed by the Renewing of Our Minds ~ Rom 12:2
 Daughter of God ~ Gal 3:26
 The Elect of God ~ Col 3:12
 Filled with the Holy Spirit ~ Act 2:4,39
 Complete in Him ~ Col 2:10
 Going in His Name ~ Mar 16:15-18
 Strong in the Lord & in the Power of His Might ~ Eph 6:10
 Doing All Things through Christ Who Strengthens Us ~ Phl 4:13
 Daily Overcoming the Devil ~ 1Jo 4:4
 More Than Conquerors ~ Rom 8:37
 Overcoming by the Blood of the Lamb & the Word of Our Testimonies ~ Rev 12:11

But that is not what I felt. Feeling and knowing are not the same thing and when we operate only on what we feel, we walk in our flesh; but, when we walk in the truth of His Word, we walk by faith in the spirit. I choose to walk in the spirit by faith!!

I woke up in the flesh but I praise God that I am now walking by the spirit and choosing to walk in faith and not by feeling.

Tanzania Leadership Conference

Pictures from Bishop Alex Titus in Tanzania of his family and from a Leadership Conference this year.

Hard lessons from Daniel

Daniel 5:20-22 “But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.”
(This is God through Daniel speaking to Belshazzar regarding King Nebuchadnezzar.)

"But you his son, Belshazzar,

have not humbled your heart

, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven… and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.”

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN

V.26-28
This is the interpretation of each word. Mene: God has numbered your (days) kingdom, and finished it; Tekel: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; Peres: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians."

From my study yesterday I realized I don’t want to be like either Nebuchadnezzar or Belshazzar! I don’t want pride or a lofty spirit to keep me from glorifying my Lord.

I confess my selfish heart and submit it to You Father to transform into a heart like Yours! Keep me from a haughty attitude or spirit. I rebuke the spirit of pride and the pride of life and state with all authority given me through the blood of Jesus Christ, “Get out of my life and every area of my life that you have tried to corrupt!” I thank You Father, that the Holy Spirit You have given as a comforter will replace the self with Your love and Your life and a desire to do Your will, Holy Spirit have Your way in me.

Lessons from Daniel

Last Tuesday night in my Leadership class we were given a verse in Daniel to read and for the life of me I couldn't find the book of Daniel in my Bible. On top of it all I was sharing my Bible with someone else! Horror of all horrors, a spiritual person like me who can't even find the book of Daniel!!
The irony of it is I was mentally singing the books of the Bible song where it goes "Isaiah, Jeremiah..who wrote Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel who were true to their God!"
It was like when you want to get somewhere or find something and you are looking right at it but can't see it.. Maybe no one else has ever done this. The good thing that resulted was I felt this strange 'unction' that I needed to revisit Daniel because there was something that I was "missing" and wasn't seeing regarding this book. It plagued me for three days and when I finally pulled myself away from the New Testament and went back to read Daniel the first thing that really struck me was in verse 8. Then I decided to read the book and look at the verbs used with reference to Daniel to see what type of man he was. These are my first glimpses of his character.

"But Daniel purposed in his heart" 1:8 -- Determination, resolve, fortitude

"Daniel said …..’please’” 1:11 -- Gracious, manners, respect

"And Daniel continued..." 1:21 -- Perseverance, persistent, faithful

"Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom.." 2:14 -- Slow to speak, judgement, knowledge

"Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:" 2:17 -- Power in the unity of believers, 'where two or more are gathered.'

"Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven." 2:19 -- Recognition of Whose favor he had, praise and adoration to the giver of all things

"Then Daniel, whose name [was] Belteshazzar, was astonished for one hour, and his thoughts troubled.." 4:19 -- Not all things are easy, the answer sometimes requires our deep searching and prayer

I wonder, what do verbs in reference to me say about my character?

I realized recently that for all that I say and do throughout any given day only one thing will matter at the end of my life. Did I love Him? Did I love Him in my words? Did I love Him in my behaviour and attitude? Did I love Him in my actions and motives? Did I love Him more than 5 or 10 minutes? Did I love on Him all day?

Someone close to me once said to me after an apology, "Words are cheap, your actions speak much more richly." I was really hurt at the time because I felt my words were sincere but upon reflection I realized that their words were very true and my motivation for apologizing was not because I was 'sorry' but because I desired peace in the relationship. My intentions were for peace not repentance nor did I truly feel I was wrong.

In my relationship with Jesus, do I say what He wants to hear while inwardly thinking of what I desire in selfish motivation? -- That in itself is ridiculous considering that the God of the whole universe and every living thing already knows my motivations, thoughts, and desires better than I even understand them. Yet, I know that I operate at times as if I am not an open book to the Author who is writing me.

Faith like one of these little ones.

Jordan has Strep. I was actually getting VERY nervous when he got so sick so suddenly. I didn't want to scare him though so didn't start calling everyone or act too upset. He woke me up in the middle of the night Saturday early Sunday morning.. Panting hard but not wheezing. I listened to his chest and it wasn't a wheeze just panting hard and his heart beat was racing. I thought he felt a little warm but didn't wake him up. He woke up himself a little after 4am and said he didn't feel good and would I pray for him. I prayed and then took his temp and it was 102.1 and so I gave him some Motrin. He then had some diarrhea and said his head really hurt and his legs hurt. He went back to bed and woke up around 9am and said he felt much better could he go play outside and could I please make bacon... I didn't know what to think because I thought for sure we were headed into a major asthma episode or something.
Sunday after Church he was running a temp again and this time complaining that his legs hurt and he couldn't move his neck without it hurting. (This is when I got scared. I remember the little boy next door to my sister in Albany, GA who died of menengitis!) By 5pm Sunday it was a matter of just hovering over him to see if I needed to call 911 or take him to the ER. He was not responding to the Motrin any more and so I added Tylenol and still couldn't get his fever to break 100.8. He was uncomfortable even lying down and complaining that his throat felt like it was closing up. "It feels really small mom" and yet my experience here with the ER was not the greatest so I felt if we could hang on until 8 am on Monday when his pediatrician could see him we would be much better off. Not to mention the $100 co pay for ER that usually was a waste. NOT at all like our medical care in Tucson!!
I had taken him to the doctor twice in the past 6 weeks and both time he had these same symptoms but tested negative for Strep. I kept thinking of some hidden disease that was not being found and really wasn't doing my state of mind much good but was praying non-stop.
Yesterday after the doctor looked at him and took the Strep test again. 3rd one since March! Came back after 10 minutes and said, "It is VERY, VERY Positive for Strep!" What exactly does that mean? VERY, VERY Positive?? You know I asked! She said he has a severe case of Strep and that is why he wasn't responding to the Motrin or Tylenol. So it may have been in his system for a long time but just not showing up on the fast test that they do in the office there. Anyway, he is going to school today. (12 hours on Antibiotic was good enough in this case) and he seems to be feeling better already. Last night was rough on him and he knows to call me if he feels bad during the day today. I had to smile last night when Jordan asked me if I would ask Pastor Harry to pray for him when he gets back from Slovakia. I praise God for the healing He has already done in Jordan and I praise Him for the faith of my little one!

Questions from Joshua

While I was reading yesterday in Joshua I starting pondering some things that I had never really considered before. I am hoping someone more knowledgeable than I can shed some insight on these few questions.

1.) How on earth did Joshua convince all those who marched around Jericho for 7 days to keep quiet? This was a people known for their complaining and mumbling.

"And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall [any] word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout." Joshua 6:10

2.) Why did God wait until after the initial defeat at Ai to tell Joshua that there was sin in the camp? Joshua 6:27 says that "the Lord was with Joshua" which indicates a good relationship. Why allow the death of 36 innocent people and the guilt on Joshua?

3.) Why did God give the guilty party a whole day to to sanctify themselves if the judgement was going to be meted out regardless? Achon had until the next day to 'get right' with God and sanctify himself and even confessed his sin before all Israel but the judgement was still handed down. Stoned to death and burned. Why the delay? Didn't God usually act swiftly when it came to His judgement?

I am sure that there is more that I am missing but those three things just got me thinking.

Heavy Heart

My heart is breaking today. I have seen the emptiness and cry out for God's healing love to breakthrough to hardened hearts and blinded eyes. So little time and so many who are truly lost in the fog of deception and oblivion. There is no rest and there is no time for 'waiting for the right time': the time is now to press in and pray for the Truth to penetrate hearts.

Sweet Memories

A year ago today Valerie decided to share her song in person with Jesus and we have missed her and thank God continually for the blessings she brought to our lives. Somethings in life we don't recognize until they are gone. I am so grateful that God brought Valerie into my life and allowed me to love her and to grow through the challenges and learn more about His love during our relationship. My pastor reminded me a year ago that God is perfect; therefore, His timing also has to be perfect. That has been my comfort and constant reminder of Who is in control of not only all things but the timing of all things as well.

Send Me!

That was my pastor’s message title yesterday. I am starting to wonder if God isn’t looking down at me and saying “How much clearer can I be, Danae?” I am so tired of making mistakes that my wariness may be too great a hinderance. I am going to meet with my pastor on Wednesday so maybe I will get the confirmation that I am so needing.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Jesus?

Coincidence?? I just finished my quiet time and after my prayer time I picked up my Word and just opened it up and I found myself reading Hosea 12:6. "So you, by the help of your God, return; observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually."

Pictures Finally!