It is Monday morning... and we have plans today at the lake. But OH do I have things to blog about.
COMING SOON!
Love to you all
We are sooooooooooooooo blessed!
Ps. 86:12 "I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Your name forever."
SPC Jonathan D. WarrenWe offer our praise to our Lord for his hand of protection..
My heart is full this morning. I am sitting on the balcony of the condo looking at the water and the beautiful blue sky...
Lots of praise going on in this heart of mine....
And as I think about Jonathan ... I want to share with you a song that has been my song for him for about the past 6 years....Our friend, Rick sings it for us at church (maybe we can talk him into singing it again soon).
Here are the words:
Mercy Said NO
I was just a child, when I felt the Savior leading
I was drawn to what I could not understand
And for the cause of Christ, I have spent my days believing
That what He'd have me be, is who I am
As I've come to see the weaker side of me
I realize His grace is what I'll need
When sin demanded justice for my soul
(Chorus)Mercy said no
I'm not going to let you go
I'm not going to let you slip away
You don't have to be afraid
Mercy said no
Sin will never take control
Life and death stood face to face
Darkness tried to steal my heart away
Thank You Jesus,
Mercy said no
For God so loved the world,
that He sent His son to save us
From the cross He built a bridge to set us free
Oh, but deep within our hearts,
there is still a war that rages
And makes a sacrifice so hard to see
As midnight fell upon the crucifixion day
The light of hope seemed oh so far away
As evil tried to stop redemption's flow
(Repeat Chorus)
And now when heaven looks at me
It's through the blood of Jesus
Reminding me of one day long ago
Mercy said no
I'm not going to let you go
I'm not going to let you slip away
You don't have to be afraid
Mercy said NO
Sin will never take control
Life and Death stood face to face
Darkness tried to steal my heart away
Thank you Jesus,
MERCY SAID NO
I'll probably be singing it all day. :)
Blessings
Of course there are many more...those are the ones fresh on my mind this morning.
And this passage ends with "and I will give thanks to Him in song"....
So let's sing today - praises to the KING of KINGS!
Blessings to you all - Have a wonderful day in the LORD
(for more Thankful Thursdays - visit with Iris at Sting my Heart)
Sorry ... we will not be available to chat tonight....
Lots to do before our Jonathan comes home
Mom… Momma… Mother…what ever you may call her – the very word brings immediate thoughts and memories to your mind and heart. So today I want to share with you about MY Mom... how she reflects the Heart of our Heavenly Father. There are many ways but they all are rooted in the fact that she has spent a lifetime “sitting” at the feet of our Savior..
Interestingly, her name is Mary. How fitting.
Early memories are of Mother taking my brothers and me to church with her. Dad was not a Christian (yet), so this role fell in her lap and she took it very seriously. Not only did we go, but we were very active. Worshipping our Savior with our church family was a priority in her life. She did not just take us – she went with us. She wanted us to “sit at His feet” along with her.
At home, Mom had her quiet time early in the morning before her day started – and we were witness to it. I can still picture her sitting at the dining room table with her Bible in front of her and a pen or marker in hand. Many times, as we would come into the room, she would be praying. Mary would be “sitting at His feet”…even when there was much work to do.
As I entered the teenage years, our church had a vibrant youth ministry. We had the privilege to travel and sing in many churches in the Southeast. Mom was a youth sponsor. I shared her with approximately 100 teens from our church. She was a teacher, counselor, and prayer warrior for us. Many of the youth who came through that ministry will testify of the influence of “Mrs. Mary” in their life. She loved us – taught us – cried with us – disciplined us – fed us – prayed with us – prayed for us. She wanted us to grow in our relationship with Christ – to sit and learn from the Master, and then to live a life that reflected His Image. She led us there.
Then Mother had the precious opportunity to lead my Father to Christ. He also had watched her live the life that she professed. She literally loved him to Christ. On that particular day, Dad left the house to go to work, only to come right back to the table where Mother was sitting. She was reading her Bible and praying. He told her, “Mary, I want what you have!” Now, this was not the first time that she had shared her faith with him. She had many times in the past. But on that day, when the Spirit called him, Dad came back in the house for Mother to lead him to her Savior. What a beautiful testimony. She gently took a gospel tract, went through it page-by-page and then led my Dad in prayer as he accepted Christ as his Savior. Once again, she had been “sitting at His feet” when Dad came through the room.
Even in her work, she has been bold in sharing her faith. She was (and still is) a dental hygienist. We have often joked with her about getting all of those instruments in the mouth of her patient and then with a captive audience –sharing with them about her Savior. Many patients have asked her to pray with them even before they leave her room. She lives what she believes. She is a reflection of the very Heart of God and people are drawn to Him through her life.
My earthly Father died several years ago. I have observed her grief. Scripture is true that says, “we do not grieve as those who have no hope” (I Thess. 4:13b) and I have seen that blessed hope in her. As Mother has moved into the role of a widow, I have witnessed the beauty of her faith and the evidence of her walk with her Savior.
Mother sold her home and moved to the city where I live. She is active in our church with us. Her ministry has changed. She was a Sunday School teacher for as long as I can remember. She has taught many women’s classes. She has mentored more than I can count. But as she moved into our church, God literally placed her in a vibrant prayer ministry. Knowing she was a prayer warrior, many would come to her with requests. She began keeping a prayer notebook. As someone would share his or her request with Mom, she would write it down.
She is now 70 years old. She still rises early – she says it is when God wakes her up. She prays through the notebook daily. She keeps notes. She stays current on the requests. I have had many come and tell me, “I am number --- on Mary’s prayer list!” We have even had people to call my husband (the pastor) and tell him a specific request – only to have them say – “Will you also ask Mary to pray and put this request on her list?” We love it!
So as I look at her life… I see a mom who took her children with her to church. I see a youth leader who taught, mentored and loved many teens. I see a wife who lived her life in such a way to lead her husband to Christ – literally. I see a teacher who has taught many how to “eat at His table”. I see a widow who has found comfort in letting our Father in heaven be a “husband to the husbandless”. I see a prayer warrior who consistently and faithfully intercedes for many.
Mary truly reflects the Heart of Our Heavenly Father. She has spent a lifetime sitting as His feet and learning from Him. I am so blessed to call her Mom.
Oh, and by the way, her best friend’s name is Martha. Really.
Next thought...
Years ago Hal and I went to a "Basic Youth Conflict" Seminar by Bill Gothard. I think it has a different name now. (I am talking YEARS ago) But one particular truth that was taught has stayed fresh in my mind and life. Probably because it is one that comes up often.
It is this: "Taking up an offense" - God does not give us grace to deal with an offense that we take up. Now, what do I mean by this? I mean someone else's offense.
Maybe the reason I have held on to it... and have had to deal with it so much ... is that I am a MOM.
Mother Bear and her Mother bear claws come out when someone offends one of my children or my husband. It happens instantly. I do not have to work on it. I do not have to practice it. I do not have to work it up. It is there. Immediately.
What I do have to work at is letting it go. I have to work at laying it at the feet of my Savior. I have to work on leaving it there. I have to work at forgiving. And it is HARD WORK. For you see... God does not give me grace to deal with an offense that I take up. It is not my offense. I have just taken it. I want to fix it. I want to appeal to God for Him to fix it. ... (or maybe He could zap someone... )
I am just being real here, ok?
But follow me... that is why the offended one can forgive much quicker. God gives them grace to do so. That is why the offended one can forget. GRACE.
So... I just tell you this. Sometimes God grants us what we do not deserve. Sometimes He allows (or maybe I should say requires) the offender to ask forgiveness of those who have taken up the offense. Sometimes our Savior knows...that will help with a little deeper healing of those deep, deep wounds.
Now, please don't spend your time trying to figure out my wounds. Just let God deal with you and yours. For you see, we all have them. And we could get in a "one up" contest. Or a "that's nothing" contest.
That comes back to the original topic. Forgiveness. WE are called to forgive. We will display God's Glory when we do.
Ok.... Now... Can I really be transparent for just a minute?
I have had a really hard situation to deal with for several years. I have had an offense that I took up... and I knew it. I was and I guess will always be a MOMMA BEAR. I do have MOMMA BEAR CLAWS. I tried for years to let it go. I have prayed. I have taken it to the alter. I have picked it back up and carried it back with me.
But I finally forgave. I finally let it go. And then, I finally had a little healing. The scar was still large but the wound was healed. And I KNEW that healing was taking place becauce I was finally able to begin praying for the offender. Finally able to see them and not get physically sick to my stomach. Finally able to talk to them and not feel a knot in my throat...or have my heart drop to my feet.
Then... God gave me what I did not deserve... they had the willingness - by the prompting of the Spirit - to ask for forgiveness. To apologize and ask for us (Hal and me) to forgive them. What a release! What a breath of fresh air! What a freedom! What a gift. For I know that I was not the offended one. Oh, don't get me wrong... I was hurt... I was affected. But I also was on the outskirts of the situation looking in.
Thank you Jesus - for more than I deserved. Thank you Jesus for freedom. Thank you Jesus for healing. Thank you Jesus for preparing my heart ahead of time so that I would be ready to forgive. Really forgive.
Here is a quote from the book, Forgive and Forget, by Lewis B. Smedes:
When we forgive, we perform a miracle hardly anyone notices:
But when we forgive, we heal the hurt we never deserved.
Scripture says in Colossians 3:13," Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Now...you may be wondering why I am blogging about this ??? I guess I just need to say that it is an area in our lives that is hard... and yet so necessary. I once read - "We never look more like Christ than when we forgive: since that's God's goal, we're destined for plenty of opportunities!"
Beth Moore says it so well in her book, Praying God's Word, (pg 220):
Let's face it. Each of us has been confronted by some pretty overwhelming challenges to forgive. Some seem...well, unforgivable. We argue with God that all inflicted hurts are not created equally. For instance, sometimes the person who hurt us isn't sorry. Or won't take responsiblity. Or is in the grave. Or the person might be sorry but refuses to recompense. Perhaps the person simply doesn't deserve our forgiveness. After all, forgiveness makes everything OK, and we want the record to show; we're not OK!.... If only we could understand that God's unrelenting insistence on our forgiveness is for our own sakes, not the sake of the one who hurt us. God is faithful. He will plead our case and take up our cause... but only when we make a deliberate decision to cease representing ourselves in the matter.
Time restraints once again keep me from continuing with this today... Maybe that means this is all that I need to say for now.
So, I will leave you with this. Don't try to figure out why I am writing about it today. My issues are my issues. Let the Lord help you with yours if applicable in your life at this time.
Love to you all!
Ok... I really do not even have time to be writing this...
But I at least want to tell you what is brewing in this blogging mind of mine and what is hopefully "coming soon".
I need to blog about Julia's birthday. My First Born. (a belated birthday blog)
I need to blog about Aubrey's birthday. My First Grandbaby. (hopefully before it is late)
I need to blog about Jenifer's new photography business. My Baby.
I need to blog about Jonathan coming home. My Soldier. My Son.
I need to blog about Jonathan and Brantley's wedding planning. So exciting!
I just need to blog.
Jonathan keeps telling me to just sit down and write. Not word and re-word. No planning ahead...just write. That is not my style... and not even sure if I could do it. (just to let you know Jonathan - I posted this blog and have already edited it once...no twice...now three times! ! !)
Maybe that will be a blog soon too. Maybe it would help with my "blogger's" block. That along with some time.
Speaking of time... checkout out our other blog to read my thoughts about that.
Have a wonderful Friday!
Hopefully - there will be some other blogs soon!
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