Blog Archives

Tingly Toes

8/25/2014

Our three-year-old grandson, Mason, hopped down from the table and walked gingerly into the living room. “Mimi,” he said, “my legs are tumbling.” It took me a minute to understand that he was trying to tell me his legs had fallen asleep. “Oh, your legs are tingly because you had them folded under you at the table” I said. “Oh yeah, right, they are tingly. Ouch, they hurt me” he said as he sat next to me, rubbing his toes. I told him to stretch them out and the “tingly” feeling would go away in a few minutes. I gave his legs a rub and went back to the care of his sister, Emery. Then I heard him begin to pray, “Jesus, please heal my legs. Jesus, You my Lord. Jesus, make them stop being tingly. Amen.” He went on to talk to Jesus about his tingly legs for several minutes. In my opinion, one of the sweetest conversations anyone will ever eavesdrop in on is the one a child has with Jesus. It brought a smile to my face and a joy in my heart to hear his faith spoken. It also allowed me to witness the fruit of loving, faith-filled, parents and grandparents who follow the instructions found in Deuteronomy.

- “Only take heed, and guard your life diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen and lest they depart from your [mind and] heart all the days of your life. Teach them to your children and your children’s children”— (Deuteronomy 4:9, AMP)

- “He said to them, set your [minds and] hearts on all the words which I command you this day, that you may command them to your children, that they may be watchful to do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 32: 46, AMP)

The Israelites had seen God move in tremendously powerful ways as He led them through the wilderness and out of Egypt. He wanted the stories passed down from generation to generation. That’s why His instructions were to teach them. Unfortunately, that didn’t always happen as we learn from reading in the book of Judges.

“And also all that generation were gathered to their fathers, and there arose another generation after them who did not know (recognize, understand) the Lord, or even the work which He had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10, AMP).

An entire generation who did not know the Lord rose up because no one taught them about the Lord or what He had done for their ancestors. How can this be? There was no longer anyone who could share the stories of how God rescues, how He heals and saves. No one spoke life into this generation and because of it,

“The people of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, Who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods of the peoples round about them and bowed down to them, and provoked the Lord to anger” (Judges 2:11-12, AMP).

Is it possible that we have failed a generation by not revealing to them the stories of the Bible? Have we allowed them to forsake the Lord because we stopped speaking of His work in our own lives? Mason prayed because we pray. He talks to Jesus because we talk to Jesus. If you have children or grandchildren, I encourage you to -

Teach them the word of the Lord by reading them the Bible.

Share with them the promises He has made to them.

Instruct them in the ways of the Lord by knowing His ways.

Show them faith by living a life filled with faith.

"But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven”(Matthew 19:14, NKJV).

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Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, Off To Camp I Go

8/15/2014

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On July 20th I kissed my sweet hubby, Pat, goodbye, hugged my family and hopped in the car to begin my drive 125 miles to Montrose, PA. I was on my way to my first Writer’s Conference, ever. I was hesitant to leave and to say that I was nervous might have been an understatement. I was beyond nervous. I was about to embark on a new adventure, by myself, and I wasn’t certain I would make it. I reviewed, daily, my responsibilities at home and counted the reasons leaving was not wise. I remembered thinking back to my youth when Camp Findley was going to be a blast, until I discovered I had not been placed in a room with my bestie, Janette. I was heartbroken and ready to leave. Thankfully, my mom understood if I weren’t with Janette, homesickness would probably ruin any possibility of my making it through the week. She asked for a room change and all was well. I am much more comfortable in the safety of close friends or family, aren’t you? Having to attend something new alone, even at the age of 50, stretched me, pulled me and if that wasn’t enough, I think there might have been a yank involved as well. Still, there was one thing the Lord brought to my mind every time I made an excuse for why I shouldn’t go. I had a strong sense that If I allowed fear to keep me from attending I would miss what God had waiting for me in Montrose. I was sure He had blessings waiting for me there- I just had to go and find them.

That is just what I did and some of those blessings were Divine Appointments. I would have lost the opportunity to meet Cindy, Debi, Jayme, Ruth, Cris and Mary Kay, if I had chosen to stay home. These are women I loved getting to know and am certain the Lord brought us together for a purpose. I clearly see that it was for His divine purposes and they weren’t just for me, they reach others in my life. I wouldn’t have met my roommate, Connie, who gave me advice and encouragement each night before sleep took over. Connie and I shared some great late night laughs and chats. I met beautiful people, Writers, who all love the Lord and carried with them a wealth of knowledge they were willing to share so freely.

I was able to sit and learn under Cecil Murphey, Kathy Ide and a host of others. I also soaked in workshop after workshop by Shaun and Suzanne Kuhn, otherwise known as SuzyQ, who shared wisdom on marketing yourself and your book. I met Larry Leech, who helped me by encouraging me to pursue the dreams in my heart. He thought my ideas were good and he urged me to share them with Eddie Jones of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolina’s. Eddie gave me Godly advice and instructed me to take care of the baby I had birthed, The ABC’s of Who God Says I Am, before I began the process of another. Now, I know the timing of the next book and I believe there will be more.

I arrived on Sunday doubting myself and doubting that God had really called me to be a writer. I thought, quite possibly, I wrote a book and any day now I would hear God say, “Ha! Just kidding!” After all, what could I possibly say that anyone really wanted to hear? However, when I left on Friday morning, I knew that I was a Writer, a Speaker and an Author. I knew that God had placed me at the Conference to encourage me, educate me and edify me. He set before me a clearer understanding of what He desires for me to do, and a better awareness of how I can do it. Now, I’d like to encourage you to pursue the dreams God has placed in your heart. Don’t allow the fear of being the new kid, or the fear of being without your friends and family hold you back from the place God has called you to go. There are blessings waiting for you that can only be attained by going where God asks you to go. Invite Him to show you where He wants you to be, who He wants you to meet so He can use you, and them, in His plans and purposes. He has good things waiting if you are willing to embark on a God adventure.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28).

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Cadence and the Cat

8/5/2014

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After years of standing firm in our answer of “no” to the question posed by our boys, “Can we have a kitten?”, Pat and I gave in to the pressure and agreed they could. Not only did we allow them the privilege of one kitten, but we were informed Ash should have a friend, so Sweets moved in too. I will be perfectly honest, we really are not, nor have we ever been, huge cat lovers, but the boys were happy and the kittens were cute.

As the years progressed, life brought changes as the kids left for college, relocated for jobs and then moved on to marriage. The cats, however, remained steadfast in our home. We encouraged both boys to take their kitties with them, but one reason, or shall I say, excuse, followed another and the cats remained within the comforts of their familiar abode. Ash and Sweets, it would appear, would be here forever. That’s what we always assumed... until the day Sweets decided to take a taste of the Hydrangea plant we brought home following my mother-in-law’s funeral.

I noticed she wasn’t acting like herself; she had spent the entire day in a paralyzed state in a chair, unwilling to eat, which was completely unheard of for her. So, I contacted our local Veterinary office and took her in to be checked. I also contacted our Vet-Nephew and his advice was, “Treat her aggressively or put her to sleep.” Once at the Vets, many options were presented which would have taken a mortgage payment to complete, so I opted to bring her home and give her fluids with a syringe. Within three days, she had moved on to life number eight and we had our Sweets back.

For a few months, that is, until one day when she began acting a little strange and crawled under the crib in the spare bedroom. When Pat came home from work, he asked if I had seen Sweets. I replied, “She was under the crib the last time I saw her.” I then added, “I hope she didn’t crawl under there and die.” Now, at the time, I had a Daycare in my home and my little 4-year-old friend, Cadence, stood outside the spare bedroom while Pat checked under the crib. I couldn’t believe it when he said, “She’s dead.” Oh my goodness, that was unexpected. Pat quickly gathered supplies for her burial, he found an old piece of carpet and wrapped it around her lifeless body. Then he slipped her into a couple of garbage bags and we headed out to the woods where he had dug a hole for her. Cadence helped us perform a little service by offering a sweet prayer and we said our goodbyes. It was very precious.

A couple of weeks later our daughter and grandson came for a weekend visit. It was in the midst of playing with one another that Cadence turned to Sarah and asked if she had heard the news, the sad news, that Sweets had died. “Yes” Sarah replied, “It is sad, isn’t it? But now she is in kitty heaven.” Cadence seemed a bit confused by this statement and you could read it on her face. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. She tilted her head, and then she furrowed her brows a bit. Her hand came to her chin, she puckered her lips and now deep in thought, she frowned while concern seemed to overtake her. Finally, after watching her struggle with the thoughts that seemed to overwhelm her, she spoke. “Ummm…. or actually, maybe, she’s wrapped up in a garbage bag out under the dirt.” Oh my goodness! Sarah and I could not contain our laughter. What Cadence's eyes saw and her ears heard from Sarah’s lips, were worlds apart. She witnessed what happened to the cat. She was there when Sweets was placed in the ground and convincing her otherwise would be tough.

In John 20, we are made aware of Thomas, a disciple that was with Jesus when He walked to the cross. He witnessed what happened to Him. He watched as they placed Him on the cross, he knew where they had taken Christ’s lifeless body, so hearing the other disciples tell him, “We have seen the Lord” caused him to question their sanity, I am sure.

“Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ So he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’ And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’” (John 20:24-29).

What a precious moment that is for me to read. Jesus, showing Thomas what Thomas needed in order to believe. Don’t you just love how important we are to Him? God wants us to believe, even when we can’t see, even when it may feel impossible to believe, He says, “Do not be unbelieving but believing….Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Reach out to Him. Touch Him and be blessed by believing.

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