Moving!!

Well here is a story that is a true God send.

A friend of ours in Miami knew of a place in Miramar that was for rent. Actually the landlord was holding it for her, but she was unable to move there. But told the landlord of our need. She agreed to let us have it, and we met the man in charge today. We gave him the rent money and he gave us the key!!

This week will be moving week!! Agape has a team in Tallahassee ready to help him load the truck. He has a team in Miami to help him unload!!

God is always on time. We are so excited. Praising God. Our search is over.

Thanks to all who prayed for this need!!

God bless you

Comforted by God

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves have been comforted by God."

He does comfort me, but not that I can just enjoy it, but so that I can comfort others who are also in tribulations. Have you ever noticed how people with problems listen to you more if they know you have suffered the same? So we have been comforted by God but not just for our own comfort, but to pass it on.

When you are miserable, try comforting another and blessing them. You can always find someone who has more severe problems. I remember 5 years ago when I broke my hip, I was a bit whiny because I couldn't get around quite as well. Then I saw someone in a wheelchair with no legs. Thank you Lord for reminding me of my blessings. Of course now, I don't have both legs, but I still have one!!

God bless you

Life is daily

Psalm 13—How long O Lord, how long? How long will the enemy be exalted over me?

Can you not feel David's frustration? He's praying, he's on the lam, hiding in caves and I think frustrated. As David Jeremiah puts it "life is so frustrating because it is so daily." That is a big statement. Every day those frustrations can get up with us, follow us all day long and often back to bed with us at night. What is the answer to all this? It is not an easy answer, but there is one.

We can choose our attitude. We can complain or praise. We can look unto the hills, away from the problem. God is ready to help us. Oh He will allow us to wallow around in the pit of frustration until we are ready to lift our hearts in praise. As Patrick says, "with every challenge and problem, my first response is What can I learn?" He knows until he learns the lesson God usually doesn't move him on into another plateau.

Today the frustrations have been mountainous!! I've been angry, sad, not understanding. But God!! He is here. His promise stands true that my walls are ever before Him. Has he moved the wall yet? No. But they will move. I don't understand, neither can I see an answer. But in His time, I will know the answer.

I have my prosthesis, but have a lot of pain. Not sure why. It wasn't supposed to be this way. I was believing that I would put it on and walk away. Not so!

Have a wonderful blessed weekend.

Praising and Praying

Off to Miami tomorrow to have a meeting, our hopes are to have a key to the house in our hands. We believe God will provide.

I received my prosthesis today. Not walking in it so well yet, but hopefully soon I will. At least I have it now.

My heart is so blessed with a good meeting this evening with Ladies' Night Out. Meeting old friends, new ones and reconnecting with friends of long ago. The worship was so wonderful. God is so awesome to provide friends for us.

I will write more tomorrow, Lord willing.

God bless you each one

Liberated

Being free in Christ, is being a liberated woman. I am liberated to be all Christ wants me to be.

I'm afraid I have been bound the past several days, wondering where God is taking us. What is going on? Why hasn't He provided a place for us? My prosthesis?

Then comes the whispers "Haven't I always cared for you? Have I ever not been with you every step of the way?" The answer is a definite NO. God is always with us. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Even better than that, He goes before us. So He has already walked the road.

Thank you Lord. I need only trust in you. Stand still and see what you will do!

I will get my prosthesis tomorrow. Then back to Sarasota.

God bless you

In His Hands

Isaiah 49:16 "See I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me."

This verse is a great promise. To have my life inscribed in the palms of HIS hands. I love the 2nd part of the verse. My walls—those times between a rock and hard place. Those times when I keep walking into the walls or closed doors. He sees those times. If those walls are continually before Him, does He place them there? Or does He cushion the "hit" so I don't totally damage myself? Perhaps I would be totally destroyed by those walls were they not continually before Him.

The walls are before Him, so maybe that is why we feel we are alone banging on them. God is not limited to a wall. He can pass right through them. I picture Him putting up His hands to remove the wall, and He sees me in His hand. Such Love!!

We have had 2 days of wall banging, very tiring, yet God shows me this at the end of today. Thank You God. I know you have my life in your hands.

God bless you.

How Long O Lord

Psalm 13:1-2 "How long O Lord....How long shall I take counsel in my soul..."

I'm sort of taking this phrases out of context...my version right now would be— How Long O Lord will I talk to myself of my situation? You know our deadline for a house, and yet nothing has worked out to this end yet. We all talk to ourselves, don't we? At least I do. We pray tomorrow will bring answers.

But again, God has always taken care of me/us. He has a plan, but hasn't revealed it totally yet. The flip side of this coin is that if we are living along without challenges and detours, we best pray. For you see when we are seriously serving the Lord, the enemy attacks. When all is going very smoothly, pray!! The enemy attacks when the Lord is praised! He is faithful and Ever Good!!

We had a good trip to Miami this afternoon. The next couple days will be busy checking houses, take a load of boxes for Haiti to the boat for shipping.

The final thought in the message this morning was to run the race, and give it all you got. Let's start the week with praises for our Lord

God bless you

Lift My Eyes

Psalm 121:1 "I will lift my eyes to the hills. From whence comes my help?"

I love the way David Jeremiah explained this verse. Lifting my eyes to the hills is like looking above my problems, my bend in the road. Where does my help come from? Not from the hills, but from the Lord. The Lord is the Lord of the situation. If I keep my eyes on my problems then the situation will cause worry and stress. Looking to the hills, mountains reminds me of God's majestic creation.

A couple of situations have risen this week which brought the ugly head of worry and distress. I started praying, asking God what He expects us to do. In a quiet nudging, I felt Him respond, "Have I not always cared for you? Are you not more than the lilies in the field? Are the cattle on a thousand hills sold out?"

Ahhh what a humiliation that in my unguarded moment, the enemy had thrown me into a worry mode. Praise the Lord it was but for a moment. God does take care of me!! He knows my needs more than I do.

Pray for a very special friend who is very ill. Pray for her husband as he cares for her. Pray for housing for us.

Rachel has started a new job. I have one more week before getting my prosthesis. Pray my leg has totally healed by then.

May God bless you.

Bookends

Rev 21:6 “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end..."

Bookends remind me of the Alpha and Omega...Bookends are the beginning and end of a row of books. They hold the books in order and together. Without the bookends, books tend to fall over and make a mess of the organized row.

So it is with us, without the Alpha and Omega we tend to make a mess of our lives. We fall apart. We live life between the Beginning and the End—the bookends. We are all "writing" a book. Does your book fall off the shelf at times? Does it have tattered, torn pages? Are the pages yellow with age?

Praise the Lord, our Beginning and End knows the beginning from the end. He is the Master story writer. Don't be amazed at trials coming your way as those interrupted moments only make us useful for the Master!! Let Him write our story.

God bless you.

Hurry and Wait

That is what it seems like today...

But God says "Stand still and see what the Lord will do." "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength."

Often we see waiting as a difficult time, and yet it is what the Lord requires of us. Waiting with a right attitude refines us. I am so thankful the Lord didn't give me all my desires instantly. That would have destroyed me. Oh how good God is!! He knows what is best for us. Just like our children, they need to wait on things that are not appropriate for them now.

Most of the time during our waiting moments we do not see what value it could possibly have...for example waiting on my prosthesis. He could have healed the damaged tissues in a moment. But He chose not to.

Stand still, Barb, and see what the Lord will do. Fill in your own name.

Blessings throughout the weekend.

Today is enough

"So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own." Matt 6:34

What am I doing worrying about tomorrow? God has always taken good care of me. He has always provided. He knows my needs more than I do.

Isn't it amazing how one little spin in our lives takes us on this worry roller coaster? Immediately I was convicted of this verse. We need not worry. We can totally rest in His love and provision. At least for me, it isn't the big things that throws that rolling stone across my path, it is the small irritating things.

Praise Him, praise Him...no matter what I feel about what is thrown at me. God is greater, even greater than anything I can imagine. I do want my Father to nudge me when I get too comfortable in this world. After all, the comfort begins a little at a time.

Thank you Lord for trials, and reminders how much you love me. How much you care for me. Even Solomon was not dressed as much as the lilies of the field.

If you are having a "befuddled" day, look up. God is caring for you and loving you!!

Be blessed.

Fill in the blank

Sunday morning the mission pastor opened the service with the verse

"For me to live is ___________, to die is ____________." We were asked to fill in the blanks. How many times have I read this verse and quoted it, "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain." But never stopped to wonder if I really believe this, and is it true of my life.

What would you write in the blank? For me to live is a better job, a family, a nice home, more money?? Or is it Christ? What is death to me? Is it gain? I wonder if this world is so good to me that heaven is a bit of a blur.

I'm still hopping around on one leg with my walker. I'm waiting for Feb 25, and believing that will truly be the day for a permanent prosthesis. It is much more difficult than it was when I was using my walker before. I feel like I am taking 10 steps back. I see so many things I want to do. Praying that our move, my prosthesis will all come together soon.

God bless you

What is a soul worth?

Matthew 16:26 "What does it profit man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? Or what will man give in exchange for his soul?"

Someone asked the question "what is a soul anyway?" I do pray we never throw our soul away as worthless. Our soul has cost our Lord a great price. It is worth more than the whole world's riches. What is my desire? Do I covet the world's riches more than a closer walk with the Lord? It breaks my heart to think that people are selling their soul to other than the Lord.

Let's stand in the gap. We need to intercede for those who have yet to come into the Kingdom of God. We need to intercede for those who have fallen into temptation, have fallen away from the Lord. We need to intercede for each other that we will not fall into temptation! God help us!!

This world will pass away but God's Word Never!! God and God alone loves us eternally.

God bless you with a wonderful and precious Lord's Day!

Pursue for Peace

The following thoughts are not original with me, but definitely worthy of sharing. I confess I have felt a bit "empty" the past several days. But this was a challenge/blessing to me.

"For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another." (Romans 14:18-19)

If we insist on our freedoms, we may damage the weaker person. If we argue over matters, they may be encouraged to do something they do not have faith to do. Let the Holy Spirit convince them if it is necessary. Can't we trust the Teacher to do His work in their lives? Our insistence on others seeing our perspective is often no more than pride. Do and say what leads to peace and mutual edification.

Is destroying another just to have your own way worth it?

Whenever you are doing something that threatens the peace of a community, or a church, or a group, or an individual, so that they cannot handle it, so that they become angry and upset, then back off. You, who are strong, bear that burden. Do not insist on your rights. Some people get so intent on having their rights that I have seen them indulge in the very presence of people they knew would be highly offended by what they did, simply because they wanted to show how free they were. Paul says that kind of thing is absolutely wrong. (Ray Stedman)

What are some permissible things which, given the call to be mindful of other believers, I need to personally limit or eliminate?

Praise in all things

It has been a difficult day. I was sure I would have my prosthesis and be walking tonight. Instead I am back on the walker for at least another week and maybe two. I have some damaged tissue around the end of the stump. It is swollen and has a red pressure spot. So I will have pain if I wear any prosthesis. The order is "to leave it off and let my leg heal"...Disappointing to say the least. This set back was not on my "to do" list. :)

So what is the bright side to this: I am not sick in bed, not in the hospital, I'm able to use my walker and I will have more strength in my arms. Some people wait for years to walk and never do. Many people in Haiti can't even get to a doctor.

It doesn't matter what I "feel" I need to glorify God in all things. I am sure He can use me on a chair. But the flesh is screaming out "NO"...Lord help me.

God is good. God bless you.

Tomorrow is the Day

Tomorrow is the day to receive my prosthesis. So excited.

But we are only promised today. Today is yesterday's tomorrow and Tomorrow's yesterday.

I know many of you have been praying for me receiving my new prosthesis. Thank you so much.

Pray we will soon hear that our application is cleared and we can move soon.

I feel like I'm not blogging very well. I have struggled with not being able to be online on a daily basis. I feel much is falling between the cracks. I need an "office." I pray I will always be thankful when I have an office. One that is organized. So often we want things so badly, then when we have them we fail to be thankful. Then we start wanting other things. We need to be thankful in all things. We should never forget the goodness of the Lord. Yes, He is good even though we don't always get what we want.

Food for thought: It is the grace of God that He doesn't always give us what we pray for. For me, I would have self-destructed. God in His wisdom saw what was best for me in all things.

God bless you