Becoming Beautifully Unwrapped

I have moved over to Beautifully Unwrapped as a part of Scrapbookers Bubble Bath.  Come on over and visit me there.  I have carefully considered the option of importing Held By Him over, but, for many reasons, I have chosen to leave it open.  May you find yourself Held By Him while you become Beautifully Unwrapped :) ~ Tina

~ I Am Not Alone! ~

I don't think this needs much introduction or comments, except, glad to see that I am not alone :~)

Warning, if you are a mom, have a mom, or, know a mom, do not watch somewhere that you can not laugh out loud, 'cause, I promise you will!

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He Wants to Be Our Everything

What keeps you from Jesus?

Money....
Food....
Gossip....
Friends...
Fear....
Pride....
Family....
Children....
Schedules....

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~ Don't Miss Your Promised Land ~

So, there is a For Sale sign in our front yard....without a "Sold" sign on top.......and, my husband leaves for Houston in 4 days.

We believe this move is the Lord's plan for us ~ He has answered many prayers and opened doors that we understood as "the next stone" for us to step on.

However, here it is, time for my husband's new job to start, and, I am staying here..... just.....waiting for the Lord to move in the area of the housing market.

Although our house has been on the market for only 3 weeks, I went in somewhat of a panic Tuesday. It was one of those "What in the world are we thinking?" kind of days that was tearful and frustrating. I really felt as if either I'd misread the Lord's guidance, or Satan was doing a number on my faith factor.

I questioned my faith ~ or, perhaps my lack of it. I questioned if God really would move ~ after all, I don't deserve it. I feared His timing was wrong ~ maybe He forget about the house needing to sell as part of this plan.

Wednesday morning, after a day of literally wrestling with the Lord, in His powerful and "get your act together" kinda way, the Lord reminded me what our lack of faith can do.....

He reminded me of when Moses was told to speak to the rock and then the water would flow, but, Moses hit the rock instead ~ perhaps thinking the Lord needed help in His work. And, as a result of his lack of faith, trust and obedience, Moses was forbidden to go into the Promised Land! (Numbers 20:6-12)

I wonder how many "Promised Lands" we don't get to see because of our lack of faith, trust and obedience.....

If MOSES, the one who saw the glory of the Lord pass by, one of the super heroes of our faith, missed out on a blessing because of His doubt, man, I know I've been passed up on lots!!!

Doesn't that give you a great gut-check? It sure does me. What a powerful story full of lessons and significance. Who are we? Where were we when He created the world? Yeah, we sure ain't much ~ how could we even begin to think we know best!

We must remember that His ways are best, period. His action ~ His silence. His timing ~ His waiting. His molding ~ His holding. His construction ~ His destruction. His mountains ~ His valleys. And, His love ~ His peace.

May you have enough faith to simply speak to that mountain instead of hitting it ~ He has so many Promised Lands waiting for us, if we only have the faith, trust and obedience to see it.

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." ~ Deuteronomy 31:8

"He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he." ~ Deuteronomy 32:4

Perfect Submission, Perfect Delight

Hearing that my dad had an aneurysm in a cardiac artery and will need bypass surgery was a moment of panic for me...

What will happen to him?
What if the surgery doesn't go well?
How is my mom going to handle this?
How will I care for my mom while caring for my family, and getting ready to move?
How is my dad doing right now?
Is he scared? Does he know what is wrong?
How well will he heal?
How will I tell my kids?

I called my friends for prayer, hopped in the car to get lunch for my kids and felt my usually optimistic spirit spiraling into a panic....

Then I turned the radio on and Blessed Assurance by Third Day was just starting ~ which brought the flood of tears :~)

For the next few hours, through all the moments of fear and questions that song stuck with me. I'd drive down the road, fold laundry and pass out Hot Pockets while singing the song.

Then, the next day, I got into the elevator, singing as I had for hours, and, caught myself say "Perfect Submission, Perfect Delight"

WOW ~ now, that's the kind of child I want to be to my Jesus!!

In my complete and perfect submission to Him, I will find complete and perfect delight in Him, regardless of what happens in my world

Those 4 little words got me through the next week with a sense of overwhelming peace and amazing strength........I now add "Perfect Submission, Perfect Delight" to my list of mantras and words to live by.

And, as I pulled off the freeway to pick my dad up and bring him home, guess what came on the radio? Yep, Blessed Assurance! Ain't God good! (Of course, my speakers may never be the same after jamming, really loud, to "Perfect Submission, Perfect Delight"! :~)

May you find yourself singing and praying "Perfect Submission, Perfect Delight" as you go through your day and face whatever He has placed before you!

**********************

Blessed Assurance by Fanny Crosby 1873

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Chorus
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Chorus
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Chorus
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.

A Call to His Prayer Warriors

I created this blog, at the encouragement of my brother, who, I must say, has the gift of words that I could only begin to pray for!

And, throughout the infrequent posting, I have tried to be honest, open, and, an encouragement to others like me, who are just trying to do the best they are able, and, in some way, make the Lord proud.

I have struggled with whether to, and, how to, create this next post ~ but, I believe, as His children, we must share in our sorrows, joys, struggles, and, victories.....so, I am passing on a prayer request that has become a passion for so many world-wide.

My brother first contacted me a couple weeks ago with a "you're a nurse, so, I've got a question" call, then, shortly the calls became "would you pray" calls, and, now, through him, I find myself becoming wrapped up in Stefans journey, even though I live hundreds of miles away.

In short, Stefan, is one of my brother's friends who is a father of 3, and, just like us, living a life with the desire to serve Him. And, within the last couple weeks, he has been told he has stage 4 colon cancer ~ what a blow to a young father and husband.

You can read about Stefan and his journey here, and, read a great post here to see the amazing support he is receiving.

The internet can bring His prayer warriors together to see some mighty miracles, and, we will NEVER know the difference this gathering of His children will make. So, if you feel led, join with me in praying for this family, and, this road He has set before them. I believe mighty things will happen through this, and, the Lord will be glorified!

A Running Partner for All

I just finished watching another video at my brother's blog, and ended up in tearful prayer.

Although this video shows a dad helping his son ~ I find myself praying that I can be that kind of support to anyone who needs it in my life.

My parents ~ as they face another chapter in their lives, I pray I can be there to help them see the beautiful road they have traveled and somehow show them the many lives they have touched for Him

My husband ~ as the day to day can get so stressful and being a man of God in today's world is not easy, I pray I can cheer him on, pray Him through, and be a shoulder to lean on

My children ~ as they are just starting their race and have many amazing miles to run, I pray I can be support when needed, let go when it's time and an example of running the race for Him.

My brother and friends ~ as we do life together in all its wonder and pain, I pray I can be the one to run with them when all is well and walk with them when the road gets difficult and rocky

He put us together on this earth, and, we were created to run it with each other supporting, encouraging and loving each step of the way. I pray I can be the running partner He created, and, others need me to be!