From the Archives. When you have to let go... and let grace take hold this season.

"In every situation God is doing a thousand things that we cannot see and do not know."

-John Piper

Lately life’s blows have left me speechless.

If you know me then this is a feat in and of itself. (Wink, wink.)

At times it's been over-whelming and yet we have been quietly trudging forward. The verse that says,

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

 has never been more poignant. (Matthew 6:34)

And while I could go on and on about our own families “stresses” my heart is more heavy laden for those dear hearts of my friends and family around me.

One dear young friend who is grieving the loss of not only her mother, but the grandmother who raised her. Both passed only a week apart.

A mother who is grieving the gut-wrenching loss of her baby.

A brave heart who is fighting the attacks of the enemy as she heals from the damage left by childhood abuse.

A few of my friends who are about to celebrate their Christmas season for the first time without their loved ones. 

A friend who was told his place of work would be closing at the end of the month when he has 4 little mouths to feed.

One who is about to undergo another barrage of medical tests as the Doctors search for a diagnosis yet again.

Another in debilitating pain, still trying to work and support the family.

And more than one of my friends are dealing with the pain of affairs and divorce.

Yet still, there’s more my friends, so much more.

I am sure you have been there because life is not always rosy, and every rose has its thorns as well.

 I am reminded of something the Lord revealed to me on a cloudy, rainy day as I sat in the airplane awaiting the take-off. The rain dripped down the windows of the plane and carried the heavy cares of the day downward to the ground.

The heavy clouds hung low, dark and gloomy, but as the plane made its decisive turn  on the runway and began its ascent. As it continually pointed its nose upward towards the heavens something amazing happened.

Onward and upward we plunged into the dark clouds. They grew so thick around the plane that I found myself unable to see through the masses of gray apparitions. 

Suddenly a flash of blinding light broke forth searing my eyes. I blinked several times and had to look away, but yet there it was…The blue sky, the sun, they were still there even during the storm.

The deep azure expanse of bright glowing sky was all the more alluring after the hopeless pallor of the storm clouds. The rain drops that were being pushed back across the window pane from the ascending winds, sparkled in the suns bright and blinding light. A light that caused the once gray clouds from below to almost glow, stretching into fluffy white rolling plains here above the storms.

And then I heard the Lord whisper to my heart,

 “You see my daughter? I am still shining even during the storms of life. I am still working good things for my children. I am always here.”

And so my friends, in our dark nights when our questions and "whys," pour out in a torrent into our tear stained pillows, this I cling to...

This I absolutely know.

Our God never grows tired or weary and He never ever stops working for our good.

Isaiah  40:28-31

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

So like a sweet friend encouraged me the other day, I will let “grace take hold” for I have nothing left to offer and in the end I know the result will be His masterful craftsmanship.  A life's work that will point gloriously to the Lord because it is showered in His beautiful finger prints.

When you have to let go... and "Let grace take hold."

"In every situation God is doing a thousand things that we cannot see and do not know."

-John Piper

Lately life’s blows have left me speechless.

If you know me then this is a feat in and of itself.

At times it's been over-whelming and yet we have been quietly trudging forward. The verse that says,

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

 has never been more poignant. (Matthew 6:34)

And while I could go on and on about our own families “stresses” my heart is more heavy laden for those dear hearts of my friends and family around me.

One who found her daughter has wandered into the dark and dangerous territory of a cult.

A mother who is grieving the gut-wrenching loss of her baby.

A brave heart who is fighting the attacks of the enemy as she heals from the damage left by childhood abuse.

Another that is planning her sweet Daddy's funeral after he was taken too soon.

A friend who was told his place of work would be closing at the end of the month when he has 4 little mouths to feed.

One who is about to undergo another barrage of medical tests as the Doctors search for a diagnosis yet again.

Another in debilitating pain, still trying to work and support the family.

And more than one of my friends are dealing with the pain of affairs and divorce.

Yet still, there’s more my friends, so much more.

I am sure you have been there because life is not always rosy, and every rose has its thorns as well.

As we sit here with a silly flooded basement and a hubby who has been ill, sick kids and some of our own life’s plans thrown up in the air, it really all seems minor in perspective.

 I am reminded of something the Lord revealed to me on a cloudy, rainy day as I sat in the airplane awaiting the take-off. The rain dripped down the windows of the plane and carried the heavy cares of the day downward to the ground.

The heavy clouds hung low, dark and gloomy, but as the plane made its decisive turn  on the runway and began its ascent. As it continually pointed its nose upward towards the heavens something amazing happened.

Onward and upward we plunged into the dark clouds. They grew so thick around the plane that I found myself unable to see through the masses of gray apparitions. 

Suddenly a flash of blinding light broke forth searing my eyes. I blinked several times and had to look away, but yet there it was…The blue sky, the sun, they were still there even during the storm.

The deep azure expanse of bright glowing sky was all the more alluring after the hopeless pallor of the storm clouds. The rain drops that were being pushed back across the window pane from the ascending winds, sparkled in the suns bright and blinding light. A light that caused the once gray clouds from below to almost glow, stretching into fluffy white rolling plains here above the storms.

And then I heard the Lord whisper to my heart,

 “You see my daughter? I am still shining even during the storms of life. I am still working good things for my children. I am always here.”

And so my friends, in our dark nights when our questions and "whys," pour out in a torrent into our tear stained pillows, this I cling to...

This I absolutely know.

Our God never grows tired or weary and He never ever stops working for our good.

Isaiah  40:28-31

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

So like a sweet friend encouraged us the other day, I will let “grace take hold” for I have nothing left to offer and in the end I know the result will be His masterful craftsmanship.  A life's work that will point gloriously to the Lord because it is showered in His beautiful finger prints.

Sharing with Inspire Me Mondays, Mercy Ink

Prayers and a story unfinished...

As I write this today I have tears wetting the corners of my eyes. Even though laughter echoes through my home as dainty little feet pitter-patter around and precious sing song voices call for a fashion show bounce off the walls and into my heart.

Two little munchkins twirl by in a swish of tulle and lace in their dress-up gowns of blue and pink… 

They are little moments of sunshine on this grey, wet, and rainy day.

But I know as this unfolds here that my dear sweet sister in Christ is holding her Daddy’s hand.

She along with her mother and sister are bravely making big, hard, heart wrenching decisions as her Daddy’s life hangs in the balance.

As the sounds echo in the hospital room, as she sits, stands, and paces weary from the mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion.

While she walks the halls of the hospital with questions fraying the edges of her mind and she stretches her tired frame from the many days of riding a roller coaster that no one intends to buy a ticket for. One filled with hospitals moves and surgical procedures, hopeful moments and scary ones too…

I ask and plead for you to pray for them. I ask for you to pray for her sweet Father for healing.

 If you met him my friends, I am sure you would adore him too.

My poor words cannot do justice to his quiet, friendly, and easy going nature. A nature which takes great joy in discovering the items others have tossed out, and deemed worthless. He would then work tenaciously to restore these objects, giving them renewed purpose and life again.

A beautiful reflection of how our Heavenly Father works in our lives daily.

And so as I hear the voices of her sweet girls playing with mine filter like rays of sunlight through my home…

 I ask that you would hold her, her sweet Daddy, and their family in your prayers as the sounds of hushed voices, machines, and beeps echo in their ears.

Today as my mom put it,

“God is all powerful. If God wants him now we cannot stand in His way...”

We will be praying.

God will let us know whether it is time for him to go home to his beautiful place in heaven or whether her  sweet Daddy is to bless us with his presence by remaining here for some time to come.

Please pray my friends.

Will you join me?

James 5:13-15a

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.

Phillipians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And this is Where my heart breaks...Part 2. there is hope.

Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me…

Oh I used to sing that little ditty, but oh mama... It was not true.

I have scars from words that have lasted far longer than the bruises and scrapes I got into as a child.

I have been sharing about the damage that labels can have in our lives. This stemmed from an over night youth girls only event that we recently had at our church. If you feel a bit lost while reading this, it might help if you read the previous post, "And this is Where my heart breaks..."

I have a confession to make…

Each time I stare at these blasted stones with their crushing words of condemnation my eyes begin to tear up. 

Each one of these stones represents a person who is living under its chains and bondage.

I find myself holding each stone and praying,

 “Dear God let this one know she is loved.

Let her know she is wanted. 

That her past failures do not mean she is destined to fail forever.

Let this precious daughter know she is worth our time, our love, and efforts."

Can you imagine these being the defining labels in your life?

Have you been there? Do you remember when?

I do.

And my heart breaks and my soul cries out,

“Who will advocate for them?

Who will defend their worth?

Who will stand in the gap?”

You?

Me?

I mean we can try, but the the bill to be paid is too big for just you and me my friends.

Except there is someone.

I know Him, and believe me when I say He gets it... In fact He's has been there.

His friends left him. They didn’t stick around when the chips began to fall and the pressure hit. When the people yelled false accusations at him...

 His friends weren't there to defend his honor.

When he was being beaten and whipped, mocked and spit upon...

 While people yelled for his death his friends hid in the shadows and watched in fear. Some claimed they didn’t even know him.

As the skin on his back was ripped away by the glass and metal barbs connected to the end of the Roman Guard's whip, he held firm.

When the crown with piercing thorns more than an inch long was driven into the flesh around his head. He kept each of us in locked in His heart.

When they threw the cross upon his back with wounds gaping open down to the very bones, he soldiered on seeing each of our faces before him.

As the spikes were driven between his wrists, and ankle bones connecting him to the roughly hewn and splintered wooden cross. His blood and love poured out forgiveness for us all.

I still find myself humbled and in awe over Jesus.

Taking on my sin, my most wretched moments, my labels, my own destructive ways, and then He willingly paid their price putting them to death so that I could walk free.

Me...

Little old me.

And you too my friends.

And, here is the hard part...

He also died for the lady who was rude to you in the store the other day. The guy who cut you off in traffic, and even the bully in your class who pushed you into the mud while mocking you...

He died for the one who is in a relationship with someone of the same sex, and the guy who swooped in and broke up your marriage.

He died for the druggie mom who forgot to feed her kids because she was too stoned, and even the one who is sitting in a church pew today thinking they have it all together because they don't look like, “that guy”.

Amazingly, He died for each and everyone of us so that we could be...

FREE

Free through Him...

His life. His death. His resurrection.

All because He loved us. This Holy, Perfect, and Righteous God wants to spend eternity with us. We didn't ask him to pay this price. We definitely did not deserve this sacrifice, but He did it so that we could have the choice...

And this turns me into a bleary eyed mess.

How can I not begin to see others with God's eyes filtered through love, grace, and truth.

I find it amazing that if we choose to live our lives for Him, and love like Him then one day, His glorious light of truth will spread through our love.

Out of the crumbling walls, and heaps of rubble and wreckage... Through beautiful tears of repentance there springs forth a beautiful rebellion to combat the misery and lies of this world.

It rises up from the dirt birthed by this undeserved grace and pure enveloping love.

Once again Hope blooms.

There at the foot of the cross a new label is born from this sweet and blessed truth.

“I am LOVED.”

A new cornerstone for our foundation.

“I am Loved”

Do you know this my friends?

Say it out loud with me.

"I am Loved!"

Are you with me friends?

We are loved by an amazing and all powerful God and it is an everlasting and amazing love.

Isn't it beautiful?

So today, will you choose to see past the labels in others and listen to their story?

Love them right where they are at and live out love the way Jesus did?

Can we make this choice friends to do this right now this week, and the next, and the next, to be Jesus to others?

Will you join me?

Linking with these wonderful places, take a moment and visit them...  Inspire Me Mondays, Wednesdays Word, Thought Provoking Thursdays, Telling His Story, Faith Filled Friday, Soli Deo Gloria Party

Stop Calling Me Stupid! The struggles behind illiteracy....

Greetings Friends, today I am joining the blogging team with Help One Now. 
Please stay with me as we try and experience what it's like when the hope for an education is lost... 

Children who cannot read because their school was destroyed in the Earthquake of 2010 and the government has still yet to re-build.  

Please take some time and click on the following links as you read this.

May God Bless you all,

-Heather


What does this say? 

Can you figure it out? 

Maybe you just need more time. 

Try again.

What if I told you 90% of the population could figure out what this says? 

Well then... Why can't you? I mean seriously!? 
Are you stupid or something? 

Why can't you figure this out when most everyone seems to know what this says? 

Whats wrong with you? Are you an idiot?  

People have figured this out in only a few seconds...

Why is this taking you so long!?!

I hope you catch this...

I am not trying to be a jerk, but this is what it feels like when you cannot read.

People may call you stupid, but here is the rub...

You are not stupid. 

Deep down you know you are not stupid. You know why this is a struggle to read and it has nothing to do with being lazy or dropping out of school...

You were not afforded the luxury of attending a school. 

Your one hope of education, your school, was destroyed in a horrific earthquake in 2010. 

This photo of the 2010 earthquakes damage in Haiti is courtesy of Dan King at Bibledude.net 

You did not have this opportunity to learn, and because you cannot read you find yourself struggling with communication. 

You wrestle with interpreting signs, and finding locations. 

You do not know which signs lead to safety and which ones warn of danger.

You are an easy target for those that would trick and traffic you out to satisfy the sick and degrading pleasures of horrid people for nothing more than their own financial gain.

I pray my friends...

With all my heart, I pray today that you have glimpsed a small taste of the frustration that so many face today.

I pray that these few moments spent here move you past sympathy...
to compassion.

compassion 

a feeling of distress and pity for the suffering or misfortune of another, often including the desire to alleviate it. 

Do you feel it? 

Do you feel that deep distress? 

Do you feel God's heart calling you to alleviate it? 

We can friends... We can do something about this together. 

Meet Naiderson... his dreams will come true soon because people...

Blessed ordinary people, just like you and me, decided kids like Naiderson, should have a school again. 

Naiderson will have the opportunity to learn again. 

To no longer look at his world through only poverty's eyes, but through eyes filled with knowledge and hope that will help him to advance beyond poverty's trap door.

Will you join me friends? 

Will you join Help One Now? 

It's as simple as throwing a garage sale for these precious orphans and donating the proceeds.

Click here  to read how one child provided a play ground for orphaned children in Haiti by simply having a garage sale. 

If He can do it, so can we, right friends?

Or perhaps you would like to sponsor a child. You could be the one that brings hope to a little ones eyes by bringing them food, health, education and protection. 

This photo is courtesy of Dan King at Bibledude.net

I ask you friends to meditate on these things...

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.





With every breath I breathe
With every song I sing
I want to shout it out, 
Lord I am listening!
To every word you speak,
I'll go where you will lead
To love the least of these 
Is my greatest offering!

-All Sons and Daughters

P.S. Are you still wondering, what the first picture said? You know, the one I asked you to read in the beginning of this post.

It reads,

"Being Illiterate is like being blind, dumb, or paralyzed."

So yes, some of my readers can read it, but many of us cannot because we did not learn Japanese. 

I used this as an illustration because the letters we see on a page that so easily form words and sentences look like foreign characters we cannot decipher without first being taught what they stand for. 

This is what it is like for those who cannot read.
To read more on the statistics for education in Haiti from Unicef click here.

Will you join me friends?