COME APART

Our Bible study leader used to say "You need to come apart once in a while, or else you'll come apart." He was SO wise!

Life gets hectic and filled with stress from every angle. It wears on you after a while. That's why when you CAN get apart for a time of rest and relaxation, it is not being lazy, it is being good to your body, your mind and your soul.

God has graciously blessed me with the most magnificent treasure. I know I've mentioned it here before, but it is a special group of friends that we affectionately call Divine Divas. For most of us, our friendship dates back 30+ years! We have a shared history of church fellowship, watching our children grow up...go off to college...get married...and have babies! We have been there hosting the showers and been there when parents have been buried. We have laughed together and cried together. We have agonized for each other in prayer. We have a bond that cannot be broken and the tie that binds us together is the Lord Jesus Christ.

I had the privilege this weekend of being with 7 of these precious women. Oh what a joy and delight it was. With the backdrop of a beautiful lakehouse and a setting that only God could orchestrate, it was a perfect weekend. We all needed rest and we all needed time alone with the Lord. It was a laid back weekend filled with lots of hours of sitting on the deck overlooking the lake talking. Now for you men, that will be hard to comprehend how you could talk for HOURS! But believe me when I say, we had no problem! My husband thought we were going to scrapbook. When I told him this was not a scrapbook weekend, he curiously asked me "Well, then what are you going to do for 4 days!!?" I said, "Talk, eat and sleep". He just shook his head, unable to figure out how we could possibly find something to talk about for FOUR days! But we did and we were still talking as the last of us pulled out of the driveway!

Laughter is good for the soul and laugh we did. That is one of the joys of a shared history...you have so much to call upon. We reminisced and relived old memories. But we also had plenty of current material to keep us in stitches too.

I arrived in a state of complete stress and agitation after having wasted hours trying to complete a project to share with them that just would not come together. I was still fuming when I arrived and one of my dear friends sweetly told me her husband (the aforementioned Bible study leader) always used to tell her "Just let it go". Somehow that phrase kept being repeated all weekend and became our theme....JUST LET IT GO!!!!!!!! So "let it go" I did. I went to the dock, stretched out on my back and just let the Lord wash all over me. Still and quiet, gently rocking from the waves, just looking up into the blue skies dotted with fluffy white clouds. Aaaaaahhhhh...there is nothing quite like it!

In addition to time spent sharing and enjoying delicious meals and plenty of CHOCOLATE (women HAVE to have chocolate or the event is not complete), we also found time alone with the Lord. My heart was so warmed as I would come into the main room and see these women absorbed in Bible study or a devotional or just reading the Word. It was not planned. Just one by one as they would come down from getting dressed for the day, they would grab their Bible or devotional book and get a spot to be alone. Some were curled up by the fire. Others were scattered along the deck outside, wrapped up in afghans. But it was a precious site for it reminded me that this was not just an ordinary retreat. These were all my sisters in Christ, bound by a tie stronger than history...we are bound by a third cord...Jesus. And that is what makes it So very special.

Before we left, as we always do, we spent time together in prayer, lifting each other up to the Lord, then closed by singing Bless Be the Tie That Binds.

What we have is rare. We talk about it often. It is rare for people in this transient society we live in to maintain a friendship for a few years, let alone for decades. It is rare for friends to really bond and spend the time together we do. We meet monthly for dinner and again one day a month with our grandchildren for Grandmothers' Day. I guess you could say we work at this thing called friendship. It is like a delicate flower that must be tended and nurtured for it to flourish. But we cherish what we have and we do not take it for granted. It is a blessing beyond compare.

We are sisters, sisters in the Lord.

Our faith in common, sisters in the Lord.

No matter how the world defines us

Nothing can break the tie that binds us

We are sisters, sisters in the Lord.

Take my hand,

I'll take yours

We'll reach together

For the Hand of the Lord.

We are sisters,

Sisters in the Lord.

Dick and Melodie Tunney 0 1983 BMG Songs

LIGHT BREAKING THROUGH

We were driving along the expressway late yesterday when I was captivated by the marvelous display of God in the clouds. The backdrop of blue was punctuated by very dark, gray clouds...very much like storm clouds. But the sun was behind those clouds, and it was outlining the dark clouds with a golden band of light and rays were streaming down from there. One expected any second that that sun would just come bursting forth in a glorious ball of fire! It was a beautiful sight, but even more a beautiful picture of God in our lives.

On any ordinary "blue sky" day in our lives, the storm clouds can gather. They roll in unannounced and unwanted, marring what had started out as a perfectly beautiful day. These clouds can come in the form of a sudden illness, a phone call alerting us to someone in trouble, or even something as small as a disturbing email or an unkind word that stabs our heart. The clouds roll in, overshadowing the Son. We feel the cold winds of fear and anxiousness as they grip our hearts. But....we must realize that God has not moved. He is there. The clouds may have overshadowed Him temporarily, seeming to dim His light. But make no mistake, it is there and if we will trust Him with our circumstances, He will break through the dark storm clouds and once again we will see Him in all His glory and brilliance!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today, no matter what storms may invade your sunny day, be assured that just beneath the clouds, there is light breaking through and the SON will shine in your darkness!!

HE AROSE

After Friday and the cross, came Sunday and the empty tomb. JESUS IS ALIVE!!

That is the central message of the Gospel. HE IS ALIVE.

No other religion worships a living Savior!

Because HE LIVES, I have hope for tomorrow.

Because HE LIVES, I have eternal life.

Because HE LIVES, death has no hold on me.

Because HE LIVES, I have a home in Heaven.

Because HE LIVES, I can have victory over sin.

Because HE LIVES, I am never alone.

EASTER = "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

LEST WE FORGET....

I pray you will not just watch this, but that you will listen intently to the words of the song....it is powerful! And remember, that although this is FRIDAY....................SUNDAY IS COMING!!!

A VIRTUOUS WOMAN

"Who can find a virtuous woman..for her price is far above rubies." Proverbs 31: 10


Who can find a virtuous woman? I can . Her name is MOTHER.

Proverbs 31:13 :"She seeks wool and flax and works willingly with her hands....

My mother has worked hard all her life, providing for me as a child, doing without, sacrficing for me. She still works circles around me, caring for several acres of land, raising daylilies, caring for a beautiful yard. There is not one lazy bone in her body!

Proverbs 31:14: "She is like the merchants' ships..she brings her food from afar."

Mother is an excellent cook....coming from a long line of excellent cooks! And just as she likes to share beauty from her yard, she loves sharing what she cooks with those she loves. Her chicken salad is to die for and she doesn't dare show up for Christmas or Thanksgiving at our house without her fruit salad. Her grandchildren would disown her!!!!!! She is happiest when she is cooking to share.

Proverbs 31:15 "She rises while it is yet night...."

Mother has always been an early riser. She CHOSE to get up at 4:00 am and go to work early when they had flex time at her job. And, now that she is retired, she still CHOOSES to get up early. She is having her "second breakfast" by the time most people are having their first!

Proverbs 31:16 "She considers a field and buys it, with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard."

Mother has always had to support herself, and she has always done a fantastic job at it. She is not afraid of physical labor and her yard is living proof of that! She has had hundreds of daylilies in bloom in her yard... the site of numerous garden tours and even been featured on Mid South Gardens twice. She has a business mind and is meticulous about her business. She taught me volumes about handling business matters. One thing she pounded in my head was "NEVER sign anything without reading it!" It stuck. I pounded it into MY kids' heads. I have had to chuckle as I've heard BOTH of them say, after signing papers to buy a house or other legal documents, that the people they were dealing with could not believe they were actually going to READ it all. They, in turn, replied "My mother would kill me if I didn't read it all!!" THANKS MOTHER FROM ALL OF US!:)

Proverbs 31: 20 "She stretches out her hands to the poor, yea she reaches out her hands to the needy."

Mother is SO tenderhearted where there is genuine need. She would do anything she could to help anyone in need. Carry meals, get together clothes, give money...whatever it takes. If there is a need, she is there to meet it. She cared for her elderly sister for months before she died. She was bedridden and Mother tirelessly and selflessly tended her right up to the day she died.

Proverbs 31: 25 "Strength and honor are her clothing and she shall rejoice in time to come".

Yes, Mother is definitely a strong woman...she has had to be. But her strength comes from only one source...her faith in Jesus Christ. And honor....there is no more honorable or honest person alive than my mother. Her character is above reproach.

Proverbs 31: 28 "Her children rise up and call her blessed."

Today I bless you, Mother. I thank God for you and pray His richest blessings upon you as we celebrate your birthday today. May you know today that you are treasured by all of us and you are greatly loved. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

OUR SECURITY

How secure are you? On what is your security based? No, I'm not talking about are your doors locked, your windows barred and the alarm system engaged...although living on the fringe of one of the most crime-ridden cities in America, those things are a necessity.

No, the type of security I'm speaking of does not consist of bars or locks. I guess the best way to define it is in very elementary terms. Who is holding your hand?

Now to some people that will be a very demeaning question. "Holding my hand? Why, I'm an adult! I don't need anyone to hold my hand!" or maybe your reply might be "What...do you think I'm not (a) beautiful enough (b) strong enough (c) smart enough (d) capable enough..........you fill in the blank......to get along in this world without someone holding my hand?"

Yet the truth is we ALL need someone to hold our hand. We need someone to cling to, someone we can trust our lives to, someone who will never let us down. However, most people.....in fact, I would dare say.....every person alive has felt insecure at some point in his/her life. For many, they have spent MOST of their life feeling anything BUT secure.

I read a disturbing statement yesterday, "When key people in your formative years were supposed to bring you security but brought insecurity instead, you inherit a tremor in your soul that is impossible to naturally still."* Stop! Please read that statement again. Can you relate? I believe there are far more people who would say YES to that question than NO. Many adults today have struggled with insecurity their entire life. They have tried to find it in lots of things and lots of people. But there is only one true source of real security and that is in God.

God created us to love Him. He created us to have relationship with Him. He loves us unconditionally, immeasureably and infinitely. No one else will ever love you like that! He loved you so much He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to earth to bridge the gap between you and God that sin had created, then sent the Holy Spirit to reside within you so that you would never be alone and one day you will join Him to spend eternity in Heaven.

Psalm 125: 1 says "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mt. Zion, it cannot be shaken, it remains forever." You can be sure of this, GOD WILL NEVER, EVER FAIL YOU. You can trust Him 100%! There is no real security apart from Him.


*Stepping Up by Beth Moore - Song of the Ascents

GOD'S PLANS...NOT MINE

"For I know the plans I have for you, saith the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 HCSB

We live in a day of "Blackberries", daytimers, and all sorts of technical devices to keep us organized. We are SO busy that we must have some means of keeping track. Our calendars are filled with business appointments, social events, doctor's appointments, our children's schedules, church events, holidays and more. Yet for all of our planning and scheduling, all our organizing and technical maneuvering, God still has the final word.

I knew when this month began that it was going to be a super busy one. I had many things going on this month. Yet overriding them all was the fact that I really did NOT know how things would REALLY go, as all was dependent on the outcome of one doctor's appointment. Even last Sunday as I was heading home from a wonderful week in the Caribbean with my husband, my mind was filled with the "what-if's" and wondering where I'd be THIS weekend. My calendar had "Writer's Seminar" written in for today...an event I very much wanted to attend.

Well, as I reported earlier this week, I got a wonderful report from the doctor (THANK YOU AGAIN LORD!) and so all seemed to be on target for the rest of the week. I was eagerly looking forward to the seminar and on with the rest of the month's plans.

Well, I was NOT at the seminar today. Instead the closest I got to writing today was sitting here in my pjs composing this blog. I have been waylaid by the flu....and for those of you who have not had it, let me tell you it is one mean little bug!

That was NOT in my plans and NOT on my calendar. But, for some reason, God had it on HIS calendar so there has to be a reason. Not sure what that is, nor if I will ever know. But one thing I do know is that I trust Him and that is enough.

In our Bible study this week, Beth Moore asked the question, "What do you think you'd do if you thought you had God completely figured out?" I am glad to know that I will NEVER have God completely figured out. My God is past finding....My God is SO big and so powerful and so awesome that there aren't words in the vocabulary of man to describe Him! And that is part of what makes Him God.

Don't get me wrong. Sometimes I do wish I knew what He was up to when things don't go the way I want or when things happen that are so painful and make no sense at all, but one thing I know....God loves me and He is for me. So when things happen that I don't understand, I have to just rely on that. As Job said," Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him," and as a popular song says "when you can't trace God's hand, trust His heart".