It's Not the End of the World

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Quote from Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliott

A Prayer For Thailand…

¹ I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be in my mouth.
² I praise the Lord—
let the suffering listen and rejoice.
³ Magnify the Lord with me!
Together let us lift his name up high!

Darling daughter and dear son-in-love are in Thailand.  When I rise in the mornings to pray, different Psalms come to mind.  This is the one I have been praying over them and Thailand today.  I bless the Lord, His praises in my mouth for the journey He is leading in their lives.

⁴ I sought the Lord and he answered me.
He delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to God will shine;
their faces are never ashamed.
⁶ This suffering person cried out:
the Lord listened and saved him from every trouble.  ⁷ On every side, the Lord’s messenger protects those who honor God; and he delivers them.

Father, let them be free from fear as they share your love.  Be their protector as they navigate a new place.  May their faces reflect your glory. 

⁸ Taste and see how good the Lord is!
The one who takes refuge in him is truly happy!
⁹ You who are the Lord’s holy ones, honor him,
because those who honor him don’t lack a thing.
¹⁰ Even strong young lions go without and get hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Jesus – may your light in human vessels draw others to taste and see how good you are.  To see that in you there is no lack of good things.

¹¹ Come, children, listen to me.
Let me teach you how to honor the Lord:
¹² Do you love life;
do you relish the chance to enjoy good things?
¹³ Then you must keep your tongue from evil and keep your lips from speaking lies!
¹⁴ Turn away from evil! Do good!
Seek peace and go after it!

Spirit – draw listening hearts to the team there at this time.  Open their ears to hear The Way to life.  Bring them peace on their path.

¹⁵ The Lord’s eyes watch the righteous,
his ears listen to their cries for help.
¹⁶ But the Lord’s face is set against those who do evil,
to eliminate even the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷ When the righteous cry out, the Lord listens;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he saves those whose spirits are crushed.

Father – watch over the Thailand team, guide them to those who are crying out for your salvation.  Be close to the brokenhearted in Thailand – help the team to have ears to hear and words of righteousness to share.  That salvation in Christ may come to those crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ The righteous have many problems,
but the Lord delivers them from every one.
²⁰ He protects all their bones;
not even one will be broken.
²¹ But just one problem will kill the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be held responsible.
²² The Lord saves his servants’ lives; all those who take refuge in him won’t be held responsible for anything.

Jesus – thank you that you came to deliver us from our problems.  Wherever we live, you deliver, protect, and save all who take refuge in you. 

Magnify the Lord with me!
Together let us lift his name up high!

Scripture Only Sunday

“When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot
and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall,
each to his own work.”  Nehemiah 4:15

Dear Son-in-love Follows

Today our amazing son-in-love follows his wife, our daughter, to Thailand.  He has always had a big heart for missions in unreached people groups.  It is exciting to see them begin a journey that will most likely lead them to living overseas.  Because of work his stay will be 10 days. 

Today’s prayer focus:

Please pray for his safety and smooth travel.   Pray he will arrive well-rested.  Pray the Spirit of God will speak to him as he travels giving him vision and wisdom for his time in Thailand.

“If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father.
He loves to help. You'll get his help,
and won't be condescended to when you ask for it.
Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought.” 
James 1:5

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You can read more about their vision here.

Darling daughter follows God to Thailand

Our Darling daughter left for Thailand today.  She and Dear son-in-love will be on mission there.  I will be posting snippets of her journey here.  If you happen to read here and would bless them by praying, we would be so appreciative.

“I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."  Matthew 18:20 (The Message)

The prayer focus for today…

Darling daughter flew out for Thailand at 6:25 this morning. She will be traveling all day today. Will you please keep her in your prayers today. In particular pray for comfort (she sometimes gets altitude sickness while flying), safety, and smooth travel throughout the day.

 

Scripture Only Sunday

“They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.  But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”  Nehemiah 4:8-9

Discover Joy 2012

Before May is over and done I make return to the gifts for April and put them on paper.  I reflect and recount the manifold ways He loves me. 

April's Joy Dare
Counting Gifts from #1622 - 1710

• 3 gifts round…color changing pencils, strawberry chapstick, bubbles
• 3 gifts white…clover, kitchen trash bags, antibiotics to heal hand swollen from insect bite
• 3 gifts surprisingly found…neighbor turns garden spot, tomatoes planted, Princess daughter using cookie cutters to make BIG bubbles

3 gifts in His Word…Psalm 23 as I consider Jesus journey to the cross - Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…You prepare a table before me", Zephaniah 1:7 "Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near, The Lord has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated those He has invited."

A gift at 11 am, 2 pm, 6 pm…Gold-hearted mom okay after oral surgery, exchange Princess daughter's clothes - sale price - she ends up with a pair of shoes as well, Precious husband cleans kitchen

3 gifts nailed together…His hands, His feet, my sin to a bloody cross

3 gifts waited for…Our turn to get in plane, anniversary lunch, Sunday is on the way!

3 gifts rising up…Precious husband, Princess daughter, and I in a plane - anniversary surprise, hope, Jesus - He Is Risen!

A gift hiding, held, heard…Mystery of God revealed in Christ, Truth - Scripture, Christ in me - the hope of glory

3 gifts opened up…windows open to let breeze through, conversation with Library Director - and a book recommendation, jar of plum preserves made last spring

3 gifts budding/blooming…yellow flowers in field, roses in front of house, honeysuckle

3 gifts bright…sun on face and arms at baseball games, lamp on desk falling on the Word, Illumination of God's Word

3 gifts found in looking up…plane we flew over farm, hawk flying over pasture, Challenge son's eyes looking like Precious husband's

A gift in a bag, in a box, in a book…concrete to complete block laying for cabin, new shoes, Library Director recommendation "See You in 100 Years"

3 hard eucharisteos…goat babies born premature and not surviving, parenting children into adulthood, knowing when to stand firm and when to let go

3 gifts worn…cross necklace, wedding rings, Precious husband & Challenge son in uniform

3 gifts woven together…Princess daughter's hair - braided, chain link fence for dog run, me - "woven together in the depths of the earth" Psalm 139:156

3 gifts inherited…My father's height - or lack thereof, daughters curly hair from Precious husband, Challenge son having Precious husband's eyes

3 gifts square…cinder blocks, slips for prayer request at Bible study, light experiment box at homeschool meeting

A gift stacked, stashed, stilled…fish on plate - dinner with J&A, socks in sock drawer, goats settling down to graze

3 gifts found in Christ…Colossians 3:12 - I am CHOSEN, HOLY, DEARLY LOVED

3 gifts close…Tony's freshly shaven face next to mine, us packed in van for Sunday afternoon drive, Holy Spirit

3 gifts reflecting…Christ followers reflecting Christ, moon reflecting sun, word for 2012 – reflect

3 gifts fragile…Life - changes so quickly, time - ours here is short, relationships - shattered so easily

A gift cloth, steel, wood…fabric for Sensitive son & Princess daughter's DVD pencil cases, posts in basement - in place, milking stand

2 gifts moving…Sensitive son baseball- flying toward fence-a double, work on cabin,

2 gifts "ugly beautiful"…rebuilding - 1 year after major tornado outbreak in Alabama, drove 1 1/2 hour to possibly purchase a vehicle - owner could not give clear directions - frustration - stop in Lowe's and found waterline for cabin on clearance,

3 gifts orange…scissor handle, highlighter, case of oranges from farm stand

3 gifts in dirt…seeds planted in garden, flowers Princess daughter potted in hanging basket, G playing in dirt while we plant garden

A gift made, given, sacrificed…Izzy's artwork, Princess daughter buying her artwork, a gift for both girls sacrificing for the other (one her art, the other her money)

Encouraged Hands

Digging in the garden, crocheting, milking a goat, cooking and cleaning, folding laundry, grading papers, mopping floors, a little sketching – these activities keep my hands moving.  Reading the book of Nehemiah I see where their hands were always prepared.   Prepared to move the next stone into place on the wall or pick up their swords to fight. 

Reading the words “next to them”, “next to that”, “next to him” over and over in Nehemiah 3 I pencil in lines considering how important it is to know who you are working next to.  How when I work with someone I know well it makes the task a little easier and more enjoyable.   How I feel more secure with those I know better. 

Sometimes the work is repetitious and tedious.  This is where I have been this last week - my hands and heart grown weak and weary. This is when it vital to have someone to rely on working next to me.  There is no one closer than the Holy Spirit.  He works inside me, zealously repairing every weak spot. 

Today, hands encouraged and made ready for the tasks…

“Whatever you do,
work at it with all your heart,
as working for the Lord,”
Colossians 3:23

The list above – the one that keeps my hands moving – bring it on!

Scripture Only Sunday

“Next to him was Baruch son of Zabbai,
who zealously repaired an additional section
from the angle to the door of the
house of Eliashib the high priest.” 
Nehemiah 3:20

Scripture Only Sunday

“Next to him was Baruch son of Zabbai,
who zealously repaired an additional section
from the angle to the door of the
house of Eliashib the high priest.” 
Nehemiah 3:20

Reflect Silence

Baseball,

Learning new skills,

Planting another garden,

reading Scripture, digging ditches and running water line, random reading, crocheting, putting up fencing for a dog run, pencil sketching, homeschool activities, end of school year testing…

One day pushes into the next and words get pushed to the side.  So I live the days being in the moment.   Jotting notes in a journal that perhaps will one day turn into blog posts.  But for now -

I work and reflect and ponder in silence.