Faith's Power...

Faith does not operate

 in the realm of the possible.

 

 There is no glory

for God

in that

which is humanly possible.

 

Faith begins where man's power ends.

George Mueller

 

 

 

Thanksgiving on Thursday...

The Little Things

Sometimes  you think the things you do 

count not at all...

You go along and play your song on

 faulty strings,

While other people do great deeds and

 shun the small,

Release your fears, 

God sees and hears 

the little things.

You wear a smile,

 extend your hand

Speak words to 

show you understand,

And thus you tell

 the world that 

hope eternal springs,

No greater deeds can e'er be done here in this land,

And all the while the Savior smiles 

on little things.

The rivers, 

running 

deep and wide,

 from shore to shore,

Tho now they dart, they got their start from gentle springs;

So is it true, and it must be forevermore,

The souls that grow in Spirit know the little things.

A man once climbed a wayside tree, the story goes;

It wasn't much, but it did touch the King of kings,

And as you climb to greater heights the Savior knows,

You'll find your place and grow in grace with little things...

This song has been a real blessing in my life for many years.

Today I find myself being really grateful for 

oh, so many little things that have been 

a real blessing to me recently...

a birthday filled with so many well wishers

and little but special moments

that it ended up being one of the best birthday

celebrations I have ever experienced!well 

a family visit the night before

to our little

frozen yogurt shop,

Hoopla!

...

a letter from my daughter

(a huge blessing for this mama who 

struggled with motherhood and in early days,

the fear that my children would not

be close to me)

...

a special lunch at my favorite 

Fruit and Salad Company

with a very special young lady

(thank you, Kristina)

...

so many well-wishers 

who

took time from their

busy days

to acknowledge life

and wish blessing upon me

...

a beautiful card from my husband

(and an all fridge to store my 

wonderful supply of fruit and veggies)

His prayer of thanks and blessing

 over me at supper

was like icing on cake!

~~~

Other little things as well...

a daughter who put the

smoothie fixings away this morning

on  her own even tho it wasn't 

her turn to do the dishes...

...

a visit with a new friend

where we shared much on

the things of eternal value

...

a bouquet of flowers

delivered to my door

from a friend from afar

'just because'

...

hubby who left the space heater

on in the bathroom one nite

when I was later coming 

to bed than he was...

(this old house is hard to heat!)

...

new paint on the bathroom walls,

thanks to husband and children's

efforts.

...

a clean and organized home

thanks to my wonderful

Kristina

and my daughters who

all work very  hard to

help me keep our home.

...

a tent house with the boy 

the other day,

in which he went out of his way

to be a gentleman and

prepare a comfy seat

for me to sit...

complete with my Bible, journal and pens

which I usually use during school with him.

What a man!

...

Little things...

I know that I shared about little things

the other day,

but little things are just on my mind right now,

so I hope you bear with me here!

(I am OLD now, or so I have been told!)

How special a little thing can be.

Go forth and do great things,

with little things...

Compelled...

"It is the man who knows firsthand what it is to walk

quietly, intimately, serenely

with Christ

whose life carries a special

compulsion."

W. Phillip Keller

"For the love of Christ constraineth us..."

2 Cor. 5:14

The Secret Place...

My family is currently working on memorizing Psalm 91 and I am being so blessed by it every time we share it together. It is a wonderful thing to dwell in that secret place while the world goes rushing by, and the waves rise above my little boat at times, looking very intimidating.

In this life, the enemy of our souls would have us to believe that we can be in control and win. But it is not so. In order to walk with God, we have to give up every ounce of control we have so that He can guide us and show us great and mighty things that we don't know.

In my experience, it is a far, far better thing to let go of the rope and step onto the old ship of Zion than it is to stay onto the dock holding onto the railing for dear life. It is a far, far better thing to walk with God than to stay stuck in unbelief, bitterness and rage against a God who seems to not know what He is doing.

I encourage us to walk by faith and not by sight. And I encourage us to passionately believe that God does all things well. And I encourage us to live unashamedly, unabashedly as His children, praising Him who does have all things in His control.

I am His child. Nothing and no one can take me from His hand.

Hallelujah!

The Secret Place

by David Gibbs

Idols...

An idol

of the

 mind

 is as

 offensive

 to God

 as an

idol of the hand.

A. W. Tozer

The Pure Word...

In Psalms and Hymns...

My uncle is dying.

This man has blessed me many times by his love of Jesus Christ. For years, he braved America to raise his children to love the Lord in simplicity and love of His people. After they were grown with homes of their own, he sacrificed much to go to Asia many times, taking the Word for eager hands to hold and hungry hearts to read. Over the years, he helped many young men to sacrifice their time to risk smuggling BIbles across communistic borders with a love for people who need the Lord. I wonder how many people are going to be in heaven because he gave his life to do this when he could have settled back in retirement and ease. But years before, he gave up his opportunity of big money to settle for the lesser traveled road of simple faith in Jesus Christ and a focus on eternity and the dying souls of men around the world.

I am blessed to call this man my uncle. I look forward to meeting him on the other side of things one day and worshiping Jesus face to face...and I am just a wee bit jealous that it appears he may get to go there soon.

My heart beats strongly with the conviction that I will live out my days, however many or few I am given, holding to His nail-scarred hand and doing the task His wisdom has assigned me...loving, and giving, and praying, and telling the Good News to whoever will hear me.

I love my uncle John, and ask that you will pray for him if you think about it...

 

 

Here for a Little While

The Prayer of Faith...

Faith has nothing to do with feelings or with impressions, with improbabilities or with outward experiences.

 

 If we desire to couple such things with faith,

then we are no longer resting on the Word of God, because faith needs nothing of the kind.

 

Faith rests on the naked Word of God. When we take Him at His Word, the heart is at peace.

 

George Mueller

 

What a testimony from a man whose life sure backed

up these words!

 

Read his story:

 

George Mueller
       1805-1898

 

       Among the greatest monuments of what can be accomplished through simple faith in God are the great orphanages covering thirteen acres of ground on Ashley Downs, Bristol, England. When God put it into the heart of George Muller to build these orphanages, he had only two shillings (50 cents) in his pocket. Without making his wants known to any man, but to God alone, over a million, four hundred thousand pounds ($7,000,000) were sent to him for the building and maintaining of these orphan homes. Near the time of Mr. Muller's death, there were five immense buildings of solid granite, capable of accommodating two thousand orphans. In all the years since the first orphans arrived the Lord had sent food in due time, so that they had never missed a meal for want of food.
      
       At the age of seventy, George Muller began to make great evangelistic tours. He traveled 200,000 miles, going around the world and preaching in many lands and in several different languages. He frequently spoke to as many as 4,500 or 5,000 persons. Three times he preached throughout the length and breadth of the United States. He continued his missionary or evangelistic tours until he was ninety years of age. He estimated that during these seventeen years of evangelistic work he addressed three million people. All his expenses were sent in answer to the prayer of faith.

 

" Be careful for nothing;

but in every thing by prayer and supplication

 with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

 

Phil. 4:6

Thanksgiving on Thursday...

Little Things...

There
 are many of us
that are

willing
 to do great things for the Lord,

 but few of us are willing to do little things.

 

D. L. Moody

This fits well with thoughts I've been pondering
alot in recent days.
Little things...
menial work that seems to be
thankless and mundane at times.

*Housework.
*Teaching, yet again, an immature one
who needs to be reminded.
*Cooking yet another meal.
*Making sure the house stays uncluttered and tidy.
*Daughters folding Daddy's handkerchiefs the
way he likes them because Mama taught them how...
*Keeping laundry caught after, folded and put away.
*planning nutritious meals for the family
*listening to another story from the boy
with big dreams
*taking time out of any day
to hear the hearts of growing teens
with questions of life

Little things.
Perhaps without a vision beyond today
I miss opportunities to do them right for God.
And much to my sorrow,
I have regrets over missed opportunities.

BUT...
the beautiful thing is that
missed opportunities,
while not a perfect way to live,
can help us grow and be mindful of life,
living on purpose
with purpose
because God has a plan for
all these little things
to be used for His glory.

*Clean homes, tidy drawers and
laundry done create a comforting environment
for growing children, and hard working husbands...
They do not have to struggle thru
grime and filth to find a comfortable
place in their home.
*even the little, seemingly insignificant thing of
handkerchiefs folded the way he likes them
can be a blessing to him
to avoid distraction or having to struggle
against petty, little annoyances during
his hard labor of the day...
*taking the time to plan and prepare nutritious
meals for the family has its benefits in the long run,
promoting good health and lower medical expenses
*taking the time to listen when the children and
Farmer speak to me, hearing their hearts and
knowing how I can bless and encourage them

Little things,
and often seeming to be insignificant
and unnoticed perhaps.

BUT God has called me to them
and so I bow my heart to do His bidding.

Because Jesus is who I follow.
And Jesus says that I am his family
if I do His will.


Little things...
but oh, so big if left undone.

Lord, let me be content to do the little things.
Some day I will look back and realize that
they are big things.

I pray that God will plant firmly in me every day
a continually growing vision of life and godliness
for generations that shall come after the ones
that I am living in and raising up...
that someday there could be thousands of
faithful ones because there was a mama
'way back when who cared enough
to come inside her house, close the door to
distractions and be content to live
simply and fully in her home...
who cared enough about God's design to
do what it took to learn at Jesus' feet
to be kind, loving, loyal, gentle and
in her place as a wife and mother.

I pray that I will not miss opportunities
because they consisted of
'only little things'.

Love and blessings,
Marcia


A Tribute to my Mother...



On the anniversary of my birth,

I pause to weep for a mother
I  never knew...

Having been placed for
adoption from

 the moment I was born, I was blessed with a home and godly influences in my life for which I am deeply grateful.

 

 But the older I become, the more I find myself contemplating on each birthday's eve,
 the mother  I never knew.

 

Quite possibly even now,
 at this hour,

38 years ago,

as the pains of birth ripped at her body, her heart was ripping into millions of pieces as she thought of the separation that was imminent. I weep for that mother, and I bless her wherever she is.

 

And if she walks this earth,

 I pray that she knows Jesus.

I pray that she knows how much He loves her

 and I pray that she knows that I am safe and happy.

 

If I never see that blessed woman on this earth,

 my heart beats high with the hope

that I will meet her in heaven

with the One who rescued me

from hell 

and died to give me a birth

 that gives me the privilege

 of being adopted twice in my lifetime.

 

God bless mothers everywhere who

 have had to, for many different reasons,

 place their babies in another's arms for

loving and safekeeping.

 

 

And God bless my mother for

giving me life,

and not ending it before I saw the light of day...

 

I desire to live my life fully,

 on purpose, with purpose, and for the purpose

 He created for me to fulfill

while I am waiting to go to my eternal Home.

 

 

The Love of God

 

God has written my story in a way

that only He can write it.

I have stained it in many places

 but I am so thankful

for His never-failing

love...

that sent Jesus to die for me

and to wash that story

white as the driven snow...

 

Like Paul, I say with deep conviction:

"...forgetting those things which are behind,

and reaching forward to those things that

are before,

I PRESS toward the mark...

in Christ Jesus."

 

One day my life will be over.

And time will be no more.

Oh, may I live it fully for Him.

 

Love and blessings,

Marcia



All of Him...

 

An infinite God

can give all of

 Himself

to each of

His children.

 

 

He does not

distribute

Himself

 that each may

have a part,

but to each one

 He gives all of

 Himself

as fully as if there

were no others.

 

A. W. Tozer

 



The Pure Word...

In Psalms and Hymns...

 

The Wayside Cross

 

 

Increase My Faith...

"If we desire our faith to be strengthened,

we should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried,

and therefore, through trial, be strengthened."

 

George Mueller

 

 

My thoughts were running along the same lines as this quote this week

as I was faced with a situation that required my choosing

 to see beyond the unanswered why's

surrounding it.

 

I was put into a situation where I had

 to choose to lay aside

personal hurt and broken dreams for

the sake of showing Jesus to those who

seem very blind and decidedly

 closed to the real Truth

or to remain aloof and withdrawn
because in my flesh I just
had no desire to go into
that situation,

and possibly miss an opportunity

to show JESUS to someone.

 

I thought about how my heart has longed for

miracles in this situation

and that this

circumstance just well may be a

test of my faith

to see whether I am willing to

walk by faith and not

by sight,

whether I will choose to lay my own 'life'

down for the sake of extending

love and kindness

to others.

 

I am blessed to serve a God

 who has provided

a better way than the way of self

to live this life.

 

Being hands and feet for Jesus

requires me to give up all of

the 'me' that I am before

He came into my life.

 

It requires me to reach beyond

what personal needs and even

godly desires I have

for the sake of blessing those

who are not fulfilling their

God-designed place

in our lives.

 

It is possible, I think,

to grieve what breaks God's heart,

while at the same time reaching

palms stretched open to the

One who knows

the end from the beginning,

and choosing to lay down

what is not that should be.

By the power of our

precious Savior

this is possible.

 

May He receive all honor and glory.

And with the disciples, I say,

"Lord, increase my faith,"

all the while I honestly admit

that "the spirit indeed is

willing, but the flesh

is weak."

 

He is the Power.

I am the vessel.

He gives the Life.

I give Him my heart.

 

Amen.

 

Be Still, My Soul

Thanksgiving on Thursday...



This old world has things so staggeringly hard to understand at times.

Why there is disease from starvation and malnutrition and poor hygiene in one part of the world while another part is dying from the diseases of kings and queens caused from our feasting 21 times a week...

Why there are godly wives whose husbands refuse to bow completely to the Lord Jesus Christ...

Why there are parents who refuse to acknowledge Jesus Christ in their children/adult children...

Why there are people who refuse to appreciate one another in spite of their differences that are of no eternal consequence...

and on and on the list goes.

 There is the temptation to stay stuck in the confusion and heartache, looking at the waves of sorrow that come from gaps left by people who dropped the ball of responsibility or threw it improperly, or even the gaps that have come from my own 'dropping the ball' and the reaping that comes from it. The temptation comes to be blown about by the winds of contempt and cynicism that come when we look at people, circumstance and our own failures that we've repented of,  instead of trusting in the One who never changes and looking full in His wonderful face.

I was reading the other night during family Bible copying time, Psalm 31. What a treasure I found there:

O love the LORD, all ye his saints:

for the LORD preserveth the faithful,

and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

 

Be of good courage,

and he shall strengthen your heart,

 all ye that hope in the LORD.

 

Psalm 31:23, 24

 

 

A deep thankfulness rises in my heart that I KNOW Him,

the one Who sees all things and who

takes care of all in due time...

both in rewarding the proud doer

PLENTIFULLY

(not that I hope this happens to anyone,

but it is good to know that God keeps

His Word and that we don't have to

avenge ourselves or even Him...)

and in preserving the faithful

(that confirms the Revelation promise

that it is possible to be an overcomer

by the blood of the Lamb).

 

I choose to stay on the side of the faithful.

And I come into my house,

shut the door against all the evil,

wickedness and sorrow outside,

and thank my God that

in the quietness of my own home

I can lift up a standard of holiness and faithfulness,

raising the flag of faith

saluting the Savior who lives.

 

 I am thankful to God today that

I don't have to know why, how or where...

I just have to know HIM.

 

I am thankful to know the One

who preserves the faithful.

 

Let's thank Him together today

and let Him keep our hearts soft

and pliable...

Let's keep our eyes looking upward

and not around us at the waves

on the Sea of Life...

 

 

The Lord is My Light

 

 

 



Prayer for Our Loved Ones...



Have you prayed for someone close to you for a long, long time and seem to have no 'voice' with them when it comes to things of eternal value? That is tough, I know! As I was reading through an old journal recently, I found this prayer that I had copied from a book that really blessed me. (for anyone interested, the book is titled "Divine Intervention" by Mark Shaw. I found it to be a very good read, and not what you would expect from a modern book on addictions)

This prayer is so beautiful and I was blessed to be refreshed by it again (I had it hanging on my fridge for a long, long time til the paper got raggedy and worn):

 

God of heaven and earth,

Who made the seas and the land

and everything in them,

I ask You

in Your mercy

to send Your faithful people

to accurately and passionately

share the good news of

Jesus Christ

and His salvation

freely offered to my loved one

(insert their name here).

 

Cause me to seize any and every

opportunity to share the

Gospel message

with him also.

 

I realize that apart from

real and personal

relationship with You,

through Jesus Christ,

there is no hope for

(loved one's name).

 

Amen

 

I have struggled lately with temptation that

what is the use praying, and believing...

I have faced the temptation of growing

a crust over my heart

and letting it get cynical and cold

as I look at the discouraging things...

 

BUT

I hold fast to His unchanging hand

and will not try to figure out the

stuff of life.

(walking by faith and not by sight...)

 

He sees the end from its beginning.

I do not.

 

I only know Him

who never changes.

 

Let's pray on, dear friends.

He holds the whole world

in His hands.

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all,

 supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks,

be made for all men...

For this is good and acceptable

 in the sight of God our Saviour;

Who will have all men to be saved,

and to come unto the knowledge of the truth".

1 Tim 2:1, 3 & 4
 

Love and blessings,

Marcia



Above Average...

 

Refuse

 to be average.

 

 Let

your

heart

soar

as high

 as it will.

 

A. W. Tozer

 

 

In one of my earlier days of walking with Jesus, I heard a sermon in which the pastor shared about some of his fellow citizens in the country of India who were puzzled about American missionaries who came to share Jesus with them. They said, "You make such extraordinary claims but live such ordinary lives". I pondered that many, many times and pray often that God will do what He must to lift me to each spot of higher ground that He needs me to be (being changed from glory to glory).

 

I have prayed that our children rising up will choose Him from a young age, living extraordinary lives even in their youth. One day as I was pondering this, it came to me that:

 

 it is no ordinary thing for our young people

 to choose Jesus Christ,

despite all the distractions

in this 'age of reasoning' we live in today.

 

It is no ordinary thing for daughters to rejoice in serving

in their father's house,

 and cheerfully put themselves under his headship

 for protection and direction,

in this day where women

have struggled long and hard

 to be free of that God-designed order.

 

it is no ordinary thing for sons

 to rise up and assume responsibility

at a young age,

 choosing to embrace their God-given design

to protect women, and to serve their families while

learning of Jesus...

 

it is no ordinary thing for young people to

embrace the true message of the Cross,

choosing to let Him change their hearts from

stony, selfish hearts

to hearts that are soft and pliable, willing to be

molded and conformed into the image of Christ

 

These are not ordinary things.

 These are things that come about

by extraordinary power that comes

 when a heart is yielded to

Jesus Christ.

 

I am encouraged that there is a

smattering of youth today

across the globe who are part of the

'few that find (the narrow way)'

and walk in it.

 

I am encouraged to see them

 rising up and serving

the God who made them

and the God whom they love.

 

My heart is greatly encouraged

and beats with a passion to support them

and teach them what He has shown me

so that they may be encouraged to continue

in the things they have begun with Him.

 

Pray for these our youth.

They face things that many of us

in our youth

have not had to even know.

 

And my heart says

"Come dear Lord Jesus...

Come and take us Home to You

soon."

 

 



Thanksgiving on Thursday...

Well, I missed last week's Thanksgiving post but here it is, one week later...and I am almost missing posting it today!

I am so blessed with the answer of a friend who was publicly praised for liking something of the world (the author of the praise didn't know her friend had mended her ways) who graciously but courageously answered her friend this way:

"I actually don't (_________) anymore. 

I realized a while ago that I like (______) more then is right.

 I idolized (________________) and was convicted about it 

and put (____) away. 

 I felt (_____) isn't Phil 4:8 approved. So be careful."

I am so blessed with a husband who, after weighing the pros and cons from many angles in a situation we have been facing for several years, chose last week and, altho an imperfect situation, his choice was based on what God would have him most responsible for in life: his family/children. My heart is gladdened, although it struggles a bit to know how things will turn out. But I rest in Him, and thank God for a godly husband who cares about his family and takes his responsibilities and a husband and father very seriously.

I am blessed to have read in my journals from the past 5 years, specific prayers and supplications for my children, to see them being brought to positive fruit today. Despite the imperfect mother they have :( . Because of JESUS. My heart is blessed and comforted amidst much sorrow and disappointment.

I am so very blessed for a cozy spot by the fire these days to ponder, pray, read, write, do school with my children, and communicate with my sisters in Christ whom God has given me.  

I praise my Jesus for being a continual living, pulsing Presence in my life, teaching me, guiding me, leading me over rough roads and narrow ways, safely, higher and ever toward the goal of HOME with the Father.

I am so blessed as I think of my sisters in Jesus 

from near and far away...

so many have inspired and encouraged me 

in a very real way this year...

(random order here): 

Rachael, Kia and Trish...

Kristina, Carolyn, Marie, Laura, 

Jenna, Wendy, Heather, Holly,

 Billie, Darla, Minnie, Rhoda, Melanie,

 Sue, Sherri, Sheri, Ruby, Heidi,

 Lisa, the Rachels, Becky, Bettina, 

Christina, Susan, Betty Ann, Mary, 

Misty, the two Ann's in my life, 

Lynette, Judy, Joanna, and many more. 

Yes...I am blessed beyond measure 

Thank you for lifting up my hands when they hung down and strengthening me in God.

 My heart is comforted.

May you have days filled with Thanks Living and may you know the joy of the power of praise. That has been one of my greatest lessons this year: to praise Him in the storm and wilderness, leading to the experience of the power in that act of faith.

Walk by faith and not by sight.

 It's not for the faint of heart.

 It is for those who choose to be brave

 to to lay it all down at His feet

for His glory.

 Because He can take care of us better 

than we can do it!

 Much better.

I will bless the Lord 

at all times;

His praise shall continually be

in my mouth...

(Psalm 34:1)

Day by Day