Almost 100

This, according to Blogger is my 98th post. When I started I never imagined that I'd get to 100, muchless get to 100 in less than 6 months! I guess I talk a lot!

Anyways, I wanted to do something special for my 100th. I thought about listing 100 things about me, and then I thought, that you'd be bored out of your seat trying to read it. Not that I haven't done anything exciting like: ride a ski lift to the top of San Fransisco Mountains in Arizona on a clear September day just for the view (my first off of the earth experience~ and scary is mildly putting it); or be questioned by the FBI on a suspected suspicious fellow passenger on a train trip, (pre 2001); or go white water rafting as a young adult without knowing how to swim; or seeing some of the sites of NYC for free ; or logging over 30,000 miles on Amtrak, or ...nah, you thought my life was boring, so I better stop while I'm ahead.

Anyways, for my 100th post, I want to do something for others. I really don't know how many readers I have. But for the small amount of readers that I do have, I wanted to reach out to you. I want to create a list of at least 100 unsaved family or friends that you care about. Now here are the rules, they don't have to have their real names listed. I'm setting up another email just for this. Please email me your name or screen name with the names of those you want prayed for. You can list pseudo names if you want, or even initials, or simply the word unspoken. I've never attended a Billy or Franklin Graham crusade where ahead of time they pass out a Operation Andrew card to pray for unsaved friends. I've always wanted to do it. So this is my Operation Andrew list. Feel free to write a post about this on your own blog, but link back to this post. Please don't put my email address on your post, thanks. For example the list I'll post on my 100th post will be something like this:
Please pray for
1. unspoken
2. Joe S.
3. J.K.
4. Dolores

Please indicate how you want your list to look like when I publish it. I'm NOT going to mention who submitted what names. It's only going to be a collection of names to pray for.
email me at pastorswife504 at yahoo .com (take out spaces, and change the word at to the symbol) Questions ? please use this comment box. Thanks

This week's In other words

"God has delivered us, He has parted waters for us, He has made water gush forth from rocks and sent us our own manna from heaven. He has brought us into our own Promised Land. Will I miss the opportunity to tell the story to our children?"~ Ann Voskamp, Holy Experience ~
For more posts regarding this quote click here.


This week's quote focuses on God's miracles as He led the Hebrew people, later to be called the Israelites out of bondage of slavery in Egypt into the Land that He had prepared for them. The stories of this journey can be found beginning in the book of Exodus, in the Old Testament in the Bible.

I have had the privilege to teach these lessons to children. The most memorable group of children was on the high desert of the Southwest US. They were Native Americans, and I was their kindergarten teacher. It was a Christian Mission school so we were permitted to have Christian Education classes.

I will never forget how I began the story inside in our classroom(symbolizing Egypt), and since the weather was good, in the coming days, took the story outside. Using dress up clothes, and the girls carrying dolls, we ventured out. Our class had a Moses and as we traveled the desert path, it was so easy to visualize the hardships and the difficulties that the Hebrew people faced. We 'pretended' to camp for the night, and the children closed their eyes, and with delight found crackers symbolizing manna when they 'woke' up. Another day's lesson was the striking of the rock that brought forth water. Thanks to a 2 liter jug, propped up on the rock there in the desert, with the clear wide blue sky above, and the gentle breeze which brought sand to our eyes, the story came alive. We were ever so thankful for the water, and filled our 'paper' cups quickly to quench our thirst. We discussed the hardships of finding water, and food in the desert for their families.

They knew all too well. Theirs was the life of the desert, for generations. They could easily pretend to feed their dolls. They delighted in learning about how God supplied quail and manna. There in the desert, yet also on school grounds out on the cross-country running track, we relived the story of Moses. From that day on, I never was the same. I could easily relate to the hardships of the Hebrew people many many years before. There on the high desert country, I had my own wilderness experience. I met God in a new way.

Even today, though I no longer live in the desert, I am once again facing a difficult time. I remember how God brought the Hebrew people out of bondage, and I continue telling the story of their deliverance. I have told it to other children in Sunday school classes, and even my own son. God is a God of deliverance. And it seems I have another bunch of 'children' to tell this story to. The members of this church where my husband pastors needs to hear and live the story of God's deliverance. They too are under bondage from Satan in many forms. Who will tell these children? Here I am Lord, send me.

Praying

I love to pray for others. If you want me to pray for you, leave a comment. You don't have to tell me the specifics, but just let me know if you want me to pray for you in the coming weeks as we move toward Christmas.

Hairs on the head

My son and I were in a Christian bookstore yesterday. A young man was minding the store for his grandmother who was away at a conference. He noticed my son's hair and asked him if he just got his hair cut. Now I know that sometimes haircuts are obvious,especially in the summer where the summer tan/burn line is evident. Haircuts are also obvious to people who come in daily contact with you. However its not summer here, and we had never seen this young man before. I told the young man, "yes indeed he had a haircut the day before". I asked him how he knew. He said that he was a hair stylist/barber. He had noticed how his hair was cut around his ears.

Later this incident made me think of the following Scripture verses:


29 "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. 30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 "Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Matt 10:29-31 (NKJV)


It comforted me to realize that Jesus cares so much for us. All of our hairs on our head are numbered!! We are of great value to Him. If that young man noticed my son's haircut~ how much more does our Father in Heaven notice not only our haircuts, but all the other details of our lives. The thought that He knows everything about us and really cares for us brings great comfort to me.

Dignity

A verse I came across this morning really helped me today.

For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation. 5 Let the godly ones exult in glory; Let them sing for joy on their beds.
Psalms 149:4-5 (NASB)

My eyes caught this part of the verse:

For the LORD takes pleasure in His people

The fact that the Lord takes pleasure (aka delights) in His people, and that includes me...was overwhelming this morning. On the heels of having received some of the meanest, downgrading statements of my life this week, I really felt like a piece of dirt. But, when I read this, I knew that God didn't see me that way. He actually delights in me! That was news to my ears. And slowly as the day progressed I knew deep down this was true.

His people...you, me, are not dirt in His eyes. Though we may receive insults, feel like dirt, and feel so useless and hopeless....The Lord Takes pleasure: Delights in His people....let's shout it from the rooftops today.

Looking

In some states here in the U.S. children are back in school before Labor day. I know, because in the state I grew up in, school bells rang before September. However the state I now live in Labor Day marks the last official weekend of summer. School usually begins a day or two after this holiday.

This past Labor Day, I found myself in a department store, frantically searching for a couple overlooked items on my son's list. {How is it that when I was young, we had no such things as back to school lists. The schools provided everything necessary. Remember those writing tablets? And if you wanted any special folders, it was optional not required. No, I'm not that old, but still young enough to have those memories LOL.}

Anyways, this Labor Day, my husband kept my son in the car, while I bravely fought the store traffic in the aisles to get the few things necessary for his return to school. It was a mistake. The aisles were crowded. The items, what were left of the supplies were few and far between. I soon found out that I would have to try at another store. Why didn't I check over this list, and discover the missing items last week?, I regretfully thought.

It was about that time, I heard something. Words. Not English, nor Spanish, which I'm getting used to hearing in stores. Another dialect. Another accent. Something familiar, yet strange. Then I saw one of the speakers. A young girl~ a very small girl. And a father. They were trying to decipher her back to school list. She was trying to translate the words out loud from English into their native tongue. They were trying to read in broken English, the labels on the shelves to see if they matched the list. They were having problems.

I stopped my mentally regretting of fighting the crowds. In fact in my mind the crowds disappeared. I noticed they weren't getting any help from anyone. I volunteered. I tried to in slow simple English to talk to the father. Often the girl standing looking up at me, had to translate. They showed me the list. Basic items. But in the midst of all the jostling, and rapidly dwindling supplies, it was turning out to be quite a challenge. Together the three of us worked at the list. Finally we had to give up on about two of the items. This store simply was out. He would have to look elsewhere.

In departing, I wanted to share with them something of my love for God, verbally. The language barrier was there. I could not effectively cross it. I ended up saying a few words, not wishing them luck{because I don't believe in luck} but God's blessings on the little girl's school year. The father warmly gave me his name, and his daughter's name and his hand in a firm handshake. I gladly took his hand and returned his handshake. They , I had learned during our hunt, had been living here in the nearby city for five years. Originally they were from a Eastern European country. As we departed, I prayed silently for them. Often throughout these weeks since Labor Day I think of them. I wonder how they are doing. I wonder if he is married and if he has other children. I also wonder if they know Jesus. Or are they looking for Him too? I pray that the whole family will find Him if they don't already know Him.

Are you looking for Jesus too? Are you lost in the crowd of choices and trying to decipher which one is right? Are you trying to follow a list that seems so hard to understand?

The Bible says:

"If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me."
Jer 29:13 (NLT)

God wants to talk to us, He speaks our language.

8 My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me." And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming."
Psalms 27:8 (NLT)

Are you looking? God says, "COME".

For you

I know I'm writing a lot tonight, but I have a lot to say. After I shared the first three breakthroughs earlier today, (see post below), I was thinking. The past few weeks have been quite a turnaround for me spiritually.

I don't know where you, my reader, stands with your relationship with the Lord. Would you categorize it as great; good(but could improve); satisfactory; bewildered; or non-existent?

I want to share that even though I became a follower of Jesus as a youth, I mostly had head knowledge. I also had a lot of issues that were preventing my true following Him. It seems lately that the Lord has been using different things to really get my attention on Him.

The one thing I want to share tonight is that for years I really didn't understand what the symbolism, what the true meaning of the cross was. I knew that Jesus paid our sins in our place so we wouldn't have to. But how did the cross fulfill the OT laws? Why was Jesus called the Lamb; Why did His death end all sacrificing of animals to God? Those questions as well as others boggled my mind. And I'll expand more on it. Last year I found those answers.
I will be posting links, and verses that answer these questions.

I am still a learner. I don't have my act together or know all the answers. I do know that God thru His Son Jesus has prepared a way so that I(and each and every human) can have full, abundant, eternal life. I know that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide, direct, infill, and enpower believers. I pray this for each of you.

I want you to know that I pray for each of you who is reading this blog. I pray that you can find the joy that I have in Jesus. My life has had many turns and struggles. I am definitely not perfect. But I love Jesus. He has met me anew recently while I was in a deep valley. His presence and love mean so much to me that I want to pass it on to you. Please use the comment section. I'd like to hear from my readers where you are spiritually. I want to pray for you, regardless of wherever your relationship is on the above spectrum. Please let me know how I can pray for you. Sometimes we need to rededicate ourselves to Him. Here is another quote from one of my most favorite Christian authors, Corrie ten Boom:

"God is voting for us all the time. The devil is voting against us all the time. The way we vote carries the election.

'Choose you this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' Joshua 24:15 KJV

Yes, Lord, I again, or for the first time, choose to be Yours. What joy to know that You chose me. I lay my weak hand in Your strong hand. Together with You, I am more than conqueror."

Each New Day, Corrie ten Boom; Revell: 1977, p. 15



Here is a concise way of becoming a follower of Jesus:
http://www.billygraham.org/SH_StepsToPeace.asp

Which way are you voting?

Any requests

I'd like to ask if anyone has a prayer request, I'll be glad to pray for you over the weekend. Please leave a comment. :)

Only by a few inches

Yesterday was voting day. In our town, the polling place is at the town hall which is in the same building as the police station. As one faces the town hall building to the left is a parking lot and then beyond that is a church. To the right of the polling place is a narrow driveway and then the fire station and beyond that begins the property of a bank.

As I walked by I noticed two small signs one to the right of the building, and one to the left of the building. The signs were the size of a marker that a utility company will place in the ground marking the location of a underground pipe. These signs read something to the effect, 100 feet from the polls. I'm not sure exactly what the distance was, but you get the idea. The message was clear, no political signs or posters were allowed within that measurement. They had to be posted beyond the 'marker' signs. Just beyond those marker signs indeed the grass was littered with political ads. Now on the side of the church, I'm sure that the property lines were very carefully monitored to ensure that no political signs were on the church property. However, on the other side of the building where the property becomes the firehall, and then the bank's, there was something interesting I found this morning, which was not there yesterday morning when I took my morning walk. Apparently, sometime yesterday, political posters were added to the utility pole. Now that in itself is nothing unusual. Poles are often adorned with signs advertising everything from lost animals, to garage sales, and political candidates. However what made these signs unique, was the fact that the pole was within the measurement, within the area of no posting! It was literally only inches from the border, only about 6 or so inches from the designated line that marked the no posting edge. I noticed that the narrow grassy area had become too cluttered with signs and someone had decided to post signs on the utility pole, obviously thinking that its so close to the limit, it surely must be okay. I also noticed the sign stating the distance was crumpled, but still standing, as if someone didn't want that marker sign to be seen.

There was a clear distinction on the side of the building next to the church, however on the side of the firehall and bank, someone wanted to "blur the lines" and still make it 'right'.

How true this is in other aspects of life. There is a clear distinction with God between right and wrong. There are absolutes. However in the world today, how often do we see blurred lines of right and wrong. How often do we see people, even Christians trying to make something that is wrong~ right, even if it is so close to being right, but yet still in the boundaries of being wrong?

Odds and Ends

Well, my kitchen experience didn't turn out that great. The food did, but it wasn't met with great responses. My son decided that although there wasn't anything wrong with the beef macaroni dish, he'd rather pass on it. He really doesn't like anything with ground beef, except for hamburgers! LOL. He's a hard one to cook for. Lots of casseroles, and other things gets the thumbs down sign from him! SIGH!!! {oh by the way...Anyone else raising a boy who is ALL BOY!! ???}

BUT he loved the cornbread. He said that it was best heated up. I agree warm cornbread (for me, heated up and with margarine is the best!)..he takes his plain. When my husband got home from a retreat and spied the cornbread, he took it from the container and quickly tasted it and gave the thumbs down signal. My son quickly jumped up and said, "I'll take care of it for you, dad, and promptly put it on his own plate and ate it! However, later my husband took a bite of mine from my plate, and said that mine tasted better....I said, of course his would have been better had it been heated and buttered! LOL again!!! So maybe I'll try another cornbread option that was mentioned before.



Another quote from Corrie ten Boom:


"FAITH is a
Fantastic
Adventure
In
Trusting
Him

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act. Psalms 37: 5 (RSV)

Lord we may do wondrous things through trusting in You. Our lives become one continuous adventure, and we know that the safest place in the world is the center of Your will. "

from Each New Day, Corrie ten Boom, p. 164, Revell: 1977

I'm trying this recipe today

It's quiet in my house today, so I'm in the kitchen...:)
Yesterday I made my Beef Macaroni dish (see my Sept. 21 post:
http://ampraisinghim.blogspot.com/2006/09/kitchen-adventures.html) for that recipe. When I originally made it, I tried making some cornbread. I followed the recipe on the cornmeal can, but unfortunately it came out too dry for my husband's liking. It was okay for my son and I. However I'm trying this cornbread recipe today:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Homesteader-Cornbread/Detail.aspx
As noted in the comments: I'm using a 9 X 13 greased pan. I also let the cornmeal and milk soak for 5 minutes. Also, I stirred the mixture for 5 minutes, as per, the author's suggestion listed in the comment section. So.....I'll be back after it comes out of the oven to let you know how it went. :)

A quote to share

Thanks for all of you who read and 'listen' to my ramblings. I know the previous post may not make much sense to you, but it sure is a burden lifter for me...it has been helpful for me to write out my own thoughts on this stage of my spiritual journey. I hope it might be a blessing to someone.

Tonight, I'd like to share a quote from Corrie ten Boom, from her devotional book entitled: "Each New Day" (Fleming Revell Co., 1977)


"dated September 23

When I worked behind the Iron Curtain it was often dangerous. Life seemed so hard and there were so many sorrows in and around me. Do you know how it feels when dangers are threatening and you are conscious of being weak while the dangers are so strong? I know, and you can know that you are never alone--no, never. Jesus was with me and is with me. Jesus is with you. You are not away from His constant care for one moment.

.....'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.'
Isaiah 43:1-2 (RSV)

Lord, sorrows and dangers press upon us. You alone keep us secure. Thank you, Lord, that we stand on victory ground with our weak hands in Your strong hand. Hallelujah!"

Till the storm passes by

Over the past few days, both blogger and my own computer was acting funny, so needless to say my time on the internet was greatly reduced.

Well, I found a hat. I went back to one of the stores I first tried, and they had more of their winter stock out, and found one very similar to the one I described. It's warm, and over my ears, and also called a 'beret' on the tag. I ended up getting two, since I know they didn't have this style last year, and who knows what styles they'll have next year. The hat was under $10.00 so I thought that getting two at that price wasn't a bad idea.

Over the weekend, because of my own computer problems I was on my husband's computer. His screen savers are a mix of both scenic and sports. One particular wallpaper picture that came up on his really touched me. It was a photo taken onboard a sailing ship. (now excuse my laymen's terms :) )It was taken middeck facing frontwards, on the left side of the deck. The deck was deserted. One could see the rigging of the sails, and the equipment on the deck. The ship was being tossed in the midst of a bad sea storm. The waves were really rolling, and very high, especially on the left side. The clouds were very menacing, and the rain was pounding the already wet deck. However, as one looked ahead to the point of the ship in the front, (again excuse my non-seaman's language), just to the left ahead, there was a small break in the clouds. One could tell that the sun was just shining thru behind all those storm clouds. There was quite a radiance of light illuminating the white puffy clouds in the break. It was as if we were looking thru the storm to heaven itself, the way the sun and clouds were. That picture spoke to me about how we could be in the midst of the most powerful storm, and just ahead is victory. God is providing a break in the storm reassuring us of His power and majesty, and most importantly His ability to see us thru and provide the victory. He keeps us in His hand, and gives us a very special protection, 'till the storm passes by'.

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