Hearts Entwined Forever

  The moment that my oldest child was born, I was amazed at just how much God loved me!! He had entrusted into my care this perfect, beautiful little person.  She was my constant companion.  As my children grew older, I learned how to 'play' again, how to be silly and laugh out loud at silly things. To giggle and share  the 'fun' things of life.  I learned all over again how wonderful and entertaining children's books could be. I learned that jumping rope, and playing in creeks were just as much fun as they were when I was small. I learned that everyday chores  could be full of joy.

My children's smiles delight me now just as much as they did when they were small.   I began to learn what it is to be a mother from being with them. And now I am learning all over again from my grandchildren!!!!  Which says once again, you are never to old to learn.

                               "My daughter introduced me to the soothing luxury of a bubble bath and to the charms of reading out  loud  and pretending.  Her expressiveness has encouraged my own.  I find the edges of my personality rounding out..."           Angela McBride

                         TINY TEACHERS

              Children are the best teachers in the world.  They teach young women how to be mothers, and young men how   to be fathers.  They teach older men and women how to be grandparents.  They even teach other children how to be brothers and sisters. 

               Think about all the skills children teach people.  They teach moms how to be nurses and dads how to be heroes.  They teach brothers and sisters how to share, toys, rooms, dreams and cookies.  They even teach teachers how to teach in creative and fun ways.

              Children teach the world how to love.  They teach us to look past a person's skin color right to his or her heart.  They teach us how to be honest and open and innocent.  And they teach us how to hug and laugh and be enthusiastic.

               Children make us keep our promises because they never forget one that we make.  They even make us into scientists and professors by asking, "Why!" about everything that moves and many things that don't!

               Isn't it interesting that while we are teaching our children to be adults, they are teaching us to be children? That's especially important when we remember that Jesus said," Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14)

                                                                                                      (Raising Children by Mary Hollingsworth)

  Without children, what a boring, depressing world this would be!!!  There would be no infectious giggles, no peek a boo, no patty cake.   Who would make older people smile just by walking into the room?  There would be no use for toy trains, dolls or tiny bikes. Barney would have no one to hug, there would be no need for Kermit the Frog.  Caterpillars would never get petted, and turtles and bunnies would never get to sleep in the house.

  Let's face it, without children life would be a drag!!!   Children are the essence of Life!!  They are God's answer to depression, loneliness and hate.  They are Joy and Love Personified!!!  God Himself In Tiny Bodies...

     "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven."(Matt.18:3)

                               

This post is dedicated to a very special child... in honor of his birthday

 

Mary Spirit Week 3

Marked by Love.....In her book, Having a Mary Spirit, Joanna Weaver states; "I believe the ability to love people as we should, only comes from the security of knowing we ourselves are loved. For you cannot share what you do not have. This is another reason we need the Holy Spirit--- for He bears witness with our hearts that we are God's children and dearly loved." (Romans 8:15-16; 1 John 3:1) Which brings me to the thought process of the Sweet Southern young woman when asked... "So what has God been saying to you lately?" "Well, I have been realizing how much God loves me, but the most exciting thing is that I feel like He loves me more than ya'll"She quickly clarified that by saying that she knows that God loves everyone, and that she didn't think she was better than anyone else. "But you know, I still feel like His favorite!" She said with a wide grin.Then Joanna asked, "What happened to make you feel so secure in God's love?" What Happened? This question reminds me of the story of the mother who wrote a letter to all of her children to be read after her death... the mother wrote to each of her children telling them that they were her favorite, and then explaining why they were. And as a mother of four, I so understand this mother's heart... because each one of my children are my favorites... because God created each of them to be different and He knew that I would love them because of their differences.It also reminds me of my grandmother, whom I called Mammy. Her favorite hymn was In the Garden. I still here her sweet voice singing this song as she was busy in the kitchen or doing the laundry, or whatever she might be up to that day. But most especially singing it to me at night as I lay in my bed as a small child, waiting for sleep. I come to the Garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I hear falling on my ear, The Son of God discloses.He speaks and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing, and the melody that He gave to me, within my heart is ringing.I'd stay in the garden with Him, though the night around me be falling, But He bids me go, thro' the voice of woe, His voice to me is calling. chorusAnd He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own; And the Joy we share as we tarry there.None other has ever Known. Being 'raised' on this song, I know that I am special to Him.The times I spend with Him are special,Because the Joy We Share, As we tarry there, None other has ever Known. Oh Sweet Ones... You can know this Love, too.

Thanking God for His Provision

My son Phillip, or as he is known at home, "Buck ", and 12 of his "kids" from Trinity Church, along with Teams of 'Kids" from three other churches were on mission in New Orleans July 13 until July 20. Phillip said that they had a good week helping with the clean up of New Orleans (yes, they are still cleaning up), painting houses, and clearing out overgrown yards. He remarked that had he not known that he was in the United States, he would have thought that he was in a third world country... so much destruction... I had heard this from some of my friends who had been there since Katrina.

Phillip also said that the people they met were kind and helpful and very much appreciated all that he and his team were doing.

But on their return trip, Sunday evening, something very frightening happened...

Fellow travelers along Interstate 95 began to point to the van...and at this point the Dad who was driving the van slowed down... that's when a lady rolled down her window and told them there was something wrong with the rear tire. As they began to pull over the tire blew!! After they were finally able to come to a stop, they got out to investigate and to change the tire. It was a blessing that no one was hurt, because before the warnings by other travelers they had been traveling at a very high rate of speed.

Upon investigation the tire seemed to have come apart.... then they discovered that the spare tire was flat... Here they sat just outside of Savannah Georgia on the side of Interstate 95. Praise the Lord that they had also taken Phillip's car to help carry everything they needed.

Phillip called AAA only to find out that they would charge him three times the normal rate to tow the van and have it fixed... it was Sunday!!! It was decided that they would 'ferry' the 'kids' to a Wendy's nearby, so that they could eat and be off the side of the road. Phillip had concluded that they would probably have to find a place to spend the night. But as they sat discussing their problem (he and the other chaperones), a young man came over and said, "I couldn't help but hear what you were saying, and I want to help." It turns out that he was a Youth Minister from a church near Savannah. His name is Joel... He told Phillip that he would take them all to his house to spend the night... upon further discussion, Joel asked Phillip what kind of van he was driving. Phillip gave him the information on the van. Joel got a look of excitement on his face and said that he had a van at his church that was similar and thought they should at least try and see if one of their spare tires would fit on Phillip's church's van.....

IT FIT!!! So after Thanking Joel and exchanging information about how to reach each other... Everyone was on their way home!!!

Now here's the strange part.... this tire that blew.... was sold to Phillip along with another one the week before the trip as a new tire..... I am including a video that may help to explain all of this and I hope is helpful to you too!!

Twisted Sisters... Tawanda and others...

Week 2... Having a Mary Spirit

James 4:7 The Message " So let God work His will in you. Yell a loud NO to the devil and watch him scamper!! Say a quiet 'yes' to God and He will be there in no time!"

Colossians 3: 5-7 , 12-14 The Message "You're done with that old life, it's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you have stripped off and put into the fire. Now you are dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your 'new life' is custom-made by the Creator with His label on it.

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you.... compassion, kindness, humility,quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on.... wear Love. It's your Basic All-purpose garment..... NEVER BE WITHOUT IT."

"Only Jesus can rescue me from this body of death, but I must be willing to be rescued." Joanna Weaver..

Several years ago I was under a major attack of the enemy.... There were days when I wondered what he would do next... it was during this time that I was attacked and maligned by a perfect stranger.... Truly, I would not know this person even today if I fell over them... Yet, this did not stop it from happening.... And worst yet, this person chose to attack my youngest child, too.

Look Out!!! Tawanda is in the House!!!

It's one thing to attack me, and quite another to attack my child!!! I am like a lioness when it comes to my children!!! There have been very few times when I was so angry that I actually saw red, and all of these times were when my family was under attack. I was so hurt and angry with this person that I actually thought about seeking her out and confronting her!! But Praise God, He intervened. Seriously... the very morning that I had decided that I had had enough.... what does my scripture say....

"Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." Psalm 55:22 and this..."The Lord your God is with you He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

I felt My Father saying.... Sharon... slow down.... I got this..... get on your knees and pray for this child.... she needs your prayers and your forgiveness.

Was is that easy..... NO, NO A THOUSAND TIMES NO.... The Father worked on me awhile to help me get through this without causing more ill will.... Does this person know this??? Probably Not!!! But my prayer is that her life changed because of my prayers for her.

The verses that I quoted from Colossians, reminds me of what C.S. Lewis says in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader....

Eustace Grubb an obnoxious adventurous boy falls into treasure in an abandoned dragon's lair. After stuffing his pockets with jewels and gold, he falls asleep only to find when he awakens that he has become a dragon. He tries daily to be different, but as each day ends, he still finds himself trapped inside a dragon's body. Then the Great Lion Aslan comes and leads him to a clear pool. Eustace decides to bath... but Aslan tells him that he must undress first... Three times he scratches at the scales and sheds his dragon skin, but each time he finds an other layer underneath.

"You have to let me undress you," The Great Lion tells him. This is how Eustace describes it....

"The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. and when he began to pull the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. the only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off,... Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off, just as I thought I'd done myself the other times, only they hadn't hurt... and there it was lying in the grass; only ever so much thicker and darker and more knobbly looking than the others had been."

Growth is painful.... but Jesus is loving, tender and gracious... and Praise God, He is not willing to leave me as He found me!!!

Mary Spirit Monday - Week One

I am not usually at a loss for words, but I will tell you that I have had a tough time trying to articulate my thoughts on this study. I'm very sure that it is because I have not taken the time to just listen to what My Father wants to teach me. Too many other things have claimed my time, so today I sat on my back porch and just listened. I listened to the birds and the squirrels as they twittered and chattered. I watched as a beautiful array of birds graced my backyard looking for seeds and insects to eat. It was then that I was assured that My Father cares so tenderly for me.

I should not be surprized, but today, like many times before, The Lord gave me the same lesson, from two different sources. The Bible Study that I am doing at church with Tony Evans, and my own devotional book that I use in my quiet time with Him. And they will help me to answer the question that I have been struggling to answer.

How do I tend to view God?

I have not been struggling with the answer so much as how to best describe it to you.

A very good friend of my oldest daughter made a statement many years ago, that has stuck in my mind because it IS the way I would describe my relationship with The Father.

Becky said," Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship." And I say, like all relationships, it's how I tend it that matters. If I just treat God as a casual friend, then I don't have much of a relationship. But if I treat Him as my Best Friend, and I communicate with Him continuously, then I have the BEST of relationships. He KNOWS me even better than I know myself. He "gets Me". He knows when I hurt, when I am angry, upset, discouraged, dismayed, disgusted, disgruntled, depressed and He knows when I am happy, exstatic and joyous. He KNOWS me like no other. I can tell Him anything and He will listen, hold me, encourage me and let me rest in His Everlasting Arms.

Is He loving, but detached and distant from what is going on in my life? NEVER!! But, were I to listen to the devil, I might just believe this. But, I choose to listen to the Shepherd, because the Bible tells me that I will know His voice, and be known of Him. That Shepherd is My Lord and My Savior, who lay down His life for me. He gives me Access to the Father.

There's a story (that I am told is true or is at least based on fact) of a soldier sitting on a park bench in Washington DC. at some point during the Civil War. The man was obviously distraught, and a small boy happened by the bench, he noticed the man was weeping.

"What's wrong, sir?" the boy asked, and the soldier told him that he desperately needed to see President Lincoln but had been denied access to the president's office. "Take my hand and follow me." the little boy offered, and then he led the soldier up to the gate of the president's mansion, past the guards, and into the mansion itself. The boy then led the soldier right into the office of President Lincoln himself!

" Father", the boy said, "this soldier needs to talk to you."

There is something empowering about knowing the son of a powerful person.

That is our unspeakable privilege and position when we know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Martha, Martha, you are bothered and worried about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good.

Sit at Jesus Feet!!

Finding Joy

I have something exciting and amazing to share with you today....

This 'Bloggy Thing' has afforded me many news friends and I can't thank them enough for their friendship and sisterhood....  AND NOW IT HAS BROUGHT  me a new friend through one of my blogging buddies.

Kathy, my friend in Tampa, emailed me on Thursday to say that she had  friends that had just moved to my city, who are looking for a church.  I said have them check out my church online.....

                        They did, Joy called me on Friday and met me in church on Sunday.... Kathy chatted with me last night and is still amazed at how God worked this out!!

A friend of mine would say, "God is Good" and indeed He is , but I have another friend that says, " fried chicken is good, God is AWESOME!"

AS I have said before, you never know what a day will bring..... it just may be a new friend!!

COUNT IT ALL JOY!!!

Jumping In!!

  Most of you know that I am just "nuts" about Beth Moore....

     I am reading Jesus the One and Only, and using it in my quiet time(reading one chapter each day) as part of my devotional time, and today Beth rocked my world!!

You see my oldest daughter and her husband are learning to be Church Planters, moving outside the walls of the church.  If you know anything about this, you know that it is quite a challenge.... but they are working very hard at it, and God is teaching them so much!!

    The title of the chapter for today was...Signs of His Coming...in this chapter Beth discusses the signs the Bible tells us to look for. The Bible tells us in Luke 17:24 "the day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other." And in Luke 21:27, it says "will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Revelation 1:7 makes it very clear that Christ return will be impossible to miss. " He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all people of the earth will mourn because of Him."

  Luke 17:25-28 says that the time of Christ return will be like that of Noah or Lot.  The Bible also tells us that knowledge will increase more and more...

     But the Good News is the activity of the Holy Spirit will increase. (Acts 2:!7)  " In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams."   Beth says that she believes that God is hinting at an insatiable appetite to know and share God's Word.

  Unprecedented numbers of people are becoming armed with the Sword of the Spirit, because we are entering unprecedented spiritual warfare!!  The winds of true worship are blowing!!  The Spirit of God is Moving!!  And I like Beth do not wish to be holding on to my church pew singing "I Shall Not Be Moved"  I want to Move with Him!!

     And she concludes the chapter with this.... and this Should Rock Our World!!

              "Behold, He is doing a new thing, Shall we not know it?  He's going to make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.(Isaiah 43:19)

                           What is a Believer to do????  Look for a stream and Splash in it!!!

Along the Way

  "A friend loves at all times and a brother is born of adversity." Proverbs 17:17

  I never knew that blogging would be like this!!!

   Like many of you I have met and embraced many friends through this thing called "Cyber Space". But what astounds me more and more is that many of us have so much in common!!  I have connected with friends that I never knew existed, and yet, I KNOW THEM.  I will try to mention a few of them here.

  I have to start by introducing you to my Sweet Young Friend in Canada!! Yes, You, ValleyGirl!!  What a precious friend, not only to me but to my , daughters as well!! I love you girl!! What could I possibly have in common with someone who lives in the northwestern part of Canada?  We are both children of God, and we are both Country Girls, and we recognized each other instantly!!

Then there is my friend Kathy, we are such fast friends that we "chat" online pretty much everyday.  Each day we find that we have more and more in common. She will say something that strikes a cord with me and then we will say "NO Way!" We may even be distantly related!! If not by earthly relations, we definitely have heavenly connections.

There are those of you with whom I feel and instant connection just by reading what you have said on your blog. I have never seen you face to face, but I KNOW YOU.  I understand your heart. I miss you when you take a break from blogging.(Sheryl, Connie and Angie) Oh Angie, because of where you live, we REALLY could be kin! Wouldn't that be a riot??

Now we come to my friend Trish, thanks Trish for my award!! I love it!!!  No I have never seen her up close and personal, Oh but I know her!!  I "get where she is coming from".  We are buddies... we chat on the phone weekly as she drives home from work.  I have to mention, Just Ruthie, and Sandy@ FlipFlopFlossie, you will find them on my blog roll!!

I have connections with others, whom I do know personally, my children, Susanne, Betsy and Karen. And in their writings I get to glimpse a little more of their hearts.  And I cannot forget Cheryl, Sweet Cheryl, who shares a connection like no other.

What more can I say... Special friends, Heart friends, Sisters all.......

Thank you my friends for your comments, your caring hearts, your love, and for sharing life with me!!  Yes, there are others who lift me up too, with words of encouragement, and their prayers....  I feel so much a part of Family with you.... I have found community in of all places, Cyber Space.   May God bless you all richly as you have blessed me!!

You can join us too!!!

I am indeed most blessed...... 

                          Sharon

Lessons from Two Frogs...

  This morning as I sat on the back porch in my quiet time with the Father, I noticed a small tree frog on the side of the pool.  I watched him for a time to see if he would be able to "hop" on out of the pool, but he just sat there.  So in a few minutes I got up and got the pool net to "rescue" him. 

  As I walk toward him, I saw that there were two of them, the other one was sitting on the pool thermometer as I reached that side of the pool.  So, I scooped one up and dropped him into the  flowerbed.  He happily hopped on off, but the other one, well I reached down to get him and he decided to hop off the thermometer and into the water.  It took several tries, but I was finally able to "scoop" him up too.  Success, I thought, but when I released him from the net, he jumped back into the water.  It took several tries to "scoop" him up again, this time I took him out of the fence and away from the pool, so the silly thing would not go back into the pool.

I began to process what had just happened in my mind, and a thought struck me.... how many times does The Father do the same thing with me?  I get myself into a situation, at first I'm okay, I think I can handle it.  Then I realize as nice as the water is, I REALLY don't want to stay there.   I mean, I love to swim, but I wasn't made to do it all the time.  I'm stuck and I need to be rescued, and My Father comes and gets me out of that place, and then silly me, I JUMP back in!!  He comes and gets me again, and sometimes again, until I finally realize that he is trying to "help" me, and hop on off. 

Sometimes the lessons have to be repeated several times before we finally GET IT!  

Later, I thought about the story of the frogs that had somehow gotten into a deep hole and were trying desperately to get out.  As the story goes, there were several frogs around the top of the hole, and only one was trying to help by encouraging them to keep hopping and get out.  The other frogs were saying, "it's no use, the hole is too deep, you will never get out." Then they finally all hop away, except the frog that is trying to help.  He keeps calling and encouraging into the night.  One frog finally just gives up and stops trying to get out.  The other frog tells him, "you have to keep trying", " No, he says, the others are right, it's just to deep, and I am too tired."  And he gives up. But the second frog, with the encouragement of his friend, finally comes to the knowledge that he needs to take one "hop" at a time, and reaches the top and is finally free.

  Encouragers, we all need them, to encourage us to keep trying.... to go on... to get out of the "pit of despair", to take those steps that finally FREE us.

"Shall I come to you with a rod, or with Love in a spirit of gentleness?" (1Cor. 4:21)

"In You our fathers put their trust; they trusted You and You delivered them." (Psalm 22:4)

Celebrating Freedom

Since we are celebrating Freedom....

CHECK THIS OUT!! (This one's really cool, too!)

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!