2 Corinthians 5:10

^{For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.}

I will be out of town this weekend, but I read this verse this morning in my quiet time and wanted to share it with you before I got up and on my way.

As I read this verse, I thought,

"Wow...now there's a verse to remember and live by."

Yes, our love for Christ should compel us to live a life of righteousness. 

But the reality of standing before Him as our Judge should be a motivator too...

A motivator to live a life worthy of hearing Him say,

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

Praying that the things you do today will honor Him.

All My Love,

This summer at our family reunion, I was talking to my cousin Ann.  She shared with me about a sweet girl, Shelly, who had come to America and lived with them for some time.  She is now back in India along with her husband and together they have started an orphanage.  Ann and her husband, Bill, help support them and absolutely adore this sweet family.

I have been talking with Shelly through email from time to time and I wanted to share this info with you in case your church or family might want to think about putting together a care package to send to them during the holidays!

Can you imagine the smiles on these kids' faces as they opened a box of things from America???

I am going to be working on a package here from Grayson for this orphanage as well as one in Romania that I will share about in the next few days.

In Isaiah 58 we are told this:

"If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like noonday.  The Lord will guide you always....."

I wanted to share with you a little about the kids that they care for and ask you to pray about how you can be a part of making their life a little easier. 

This information is straight from Shelly and Meren Damsel.

About our Orphanage:

The name of our Orphanage is - CHANAN HOUSE OF HOPE ( Chanan is a word derived from Hebrew kanon which means 'Gracious'). Just running one year. And we have ten orphans in our children home, four girls and six boys. They are from different community of North Eastern part of India. Here's a brief background of each of them.

1 Name - Abigail Thondi sonla

Date of Birth - November 12^th 2002.

Sex - Female

Joined in - K.G. - 1

Her Background

She belongs to Chang Naga tribe. She is from Tuensang Village, an Eastern part of Nagaland. Her father died two years ago, on September 4^th 2007, due to the bone cancer caused on his hand. She has her mother who has another four more children and is finding so hard to support her children. Abigail was introduced and brought to the Chanan House of Hope on January 10^th 2009.

2. Name - Obed Nikika

Date of Birth - December 12^th 2004.

Sex - Male

Joined in - K.G. - 1

His Background

Obed belongs to Angami Naga. Obed's father was a drug addict and he died four years ago when Obed was in his mother's womb. Obed's mother no longer could nurse her son but rather leaving her son with His grandparents who were not in a position to raise him, she re-married to another man. Obed was brought to Chanan house of Hope on February 4^th 2009.

3. Name - Isaac Pouniamgai Kamei

Date of Birth - July 10^th 2008

Sex - Male

Now studying in - Class 1

His Background

Isaac is from Tamenglong District of Manipur State. He is the second youngest child of the 8 children that late. Pouniamgai and his wife gave birth. His father was an alcoholic and after suffering for long time with lung cancer, he died on June 6^th 2006. Isaac mother was a poor uneducated nominal Christian woman, who could not take care of her children. They hardly had one simple meals a day. Isaac was brought to Chanan House of Hope on September 16^th 2008. Now Isaac's mother is no more a nominal Christian but she changed her life accepting Christ in her heart, ever since Isaac joined the orphanage.

4. Name - Joseph Phukato

Date of Birth - December 25^th 2000

Sex - Male

Joined in . - K.G 2

Background

Joseph belongs to Sema Naga. Joseph's father is a Naga militant still alive but he cannot stay with his children at his home. His mother divorced him and run away with another man. She never wanted her children calling her mummy. Joseph never received any love from his mother and he also could not receive his father's love and care. Joseph was brought to Chanan House of Hope on February 7^th 2009.

5. Name - Samuel Vikashe

Date of Birth - January 26^th 2001

Sex - Male

Joined in - K.G. 2

Background

Samuel is the younger brother of Joseph Phukato.

6. Name - David Larningam

Date of Birth - November 4^th 2003

Sex - Male

Joined in - K.G. 2

Background

David belongs to Anal Naga, he is from Chandel District of Manipur State. David too was not liked by his father. His father refuse to say that David is his own son. His father was serving in Indian Military but two years back, he was killed in Jammu and Kashmir while fighting with the Terrorist.

His mother was a sickly woman and she could not feed her son with her breast milk. She is poor illiterate woman, who collects fire wood from the jungle every day, sell it in the market and buy food for her son. David was brought to Chanan House of Hope on December 10^th 2008.

7. Name - Deborah Ametoli

Date of Birth - June 6^th 2003

Sex - Female

Joined in - K.G.-2

Background

Deborah belongs to Sema Naga tribe. Her father died in the year 2003, due to the kidney failure. Her mother married to another man and could not take care of her. She was brought to Chanan House of Hope on February 10^th 2009.

8. Name - Sarah Lucky Rose

Date of Birth - November 10^th 2001

Sex - Female

Joined in - Class 1

Background

Sarah is from Tamenglong District of Manipur State. She is the eldest child of her parents. Her Father after suffering for many years died on June 12^th 2006 due to Cancer sickness. Her mother too was an illiterate poor nominal Christian woman who could not support her children. They hardly had one simple meals a day, but when Sarah was taken to Chanan House of Hope on September 16^th, her mother too become a true believer.

9. Name - Rebecca Thumlari

Date of Birth - August 15^th 2002

Sex - Female

Joined in - K. G.- 2

Background

Rebecca's mother died when she was just one year old and her father is a poor blind man who is still alive. She was brought to Chanan House of Hope on March 12^th 2009.

10. Name - Jonathan

Date of birth - September 13^th 1996

Sex - Male

Background

Jonathan is from Moriang District of Manipur. His mother died two years back on September 2008 . Right after his mother's death, his father married to another lady, who never like him or love him, which led even his father to dislike Jonathan by listening to his wife. He was asked by his step mother to take poison and later his own father also asked him to take poison and die and at last the only option for them was to chased him away and he was chased away from his home. None of their relative liked this little boy, every house that he goes to take shelter he was chased away. He was brought to Chanan house of Hope on 17^th May 2009.

About the Work:

We have named our Ministry name as - TOUCH OF HOPE MINISTRIES, a faith ministry. Our main theme for the ministry is - HOPE FOR THE LIVING (Eccl 9:4). It is in Dimapur town of Nagaland, but we are 26 kilometers away from the town, the place where there is no electricity and no proper communications etc. Right now we do three things - Orphanage, a nursery school, and Evangelism program. Right now we have only ten orphans, It is because even these ten children we do not have any regular supporters but when God provides and give us sponsors we will have many more. The reason we have started the school is for the sake of our children. It would be too hard for us to support them sending to other School. We are living in the midst of the Tribal Muslims called MEAS. Though difficult, we go to their houses and pray for them and we also share to them Gospel and we try our best to help them in whatevers ways we can.

All these work we do for the glory of God and for the Extension of God's Kingdom. Please join with us in prayers so that God would bless us more prayer partners and supporters, because we do not have any regular sponsors for our ministry.

Our Address :

NUNGSANGMEREN

POST- BOX - 501

P.O. DIMAPUR, PIN- 797112

NAGALAND, INDIA.

PN: 011-91-9612161763

011-91-9402436020.

Luke 1:42

"God has blessed

you above all

women..."

I would think that when Mary heard Elizabeth say these words she felt great joy and honor.

To be blessed above all women by the God of the Universe....

But the road Mary had to walk was a road of total surrender.

Her life became God's life.

Giving up days as a young, carefree newlywed as she started this new chapter of her life with Joseph while holding the Son of God.

Going where God told her and Joseph to go.  Fleeing one town for another for long periods of time in order to keep His Son safe from harm.

And then finally watching her Son die the most cruel and painful death imaginable while being mocked by crowds of people who just days before had cheered Him into town....

I wonder if all the things Mary had treasured in her heart through the years.....

The shepherds bowing to worship Jesus as He slept in a wooden manger,

The Wise Men bowing before Him and presenting gifts,

Losing Jesus at the age of 12 and then finding Him in the temple,

The miracle at the wedding in Cana,

I just wonder if these visions flashed before her eyes as she watched Jesus dying.

And then I wonder how she lived the rest of her years without Him on the earth.

I have to believe that she clung to the Hope of Heaven.

She inspires me to keep pressing on.

She reminds me that God's ways are higher, bigger, and better than man's ways.

I'm thankful that God didn't just choose to have Jesus appear on this planet out of nowhere but rather chose to bring Jesus here through a real, earthly mom.

She reminds me that being blessed doesn't mean that life won't be painful at times.

That comforts me today.

I'm simply amazed at times at how God brings my Bible reading and my "other book" reading together in such powerful ways and with such unexplainable (in earthly ways) timing.

I am behind in my daily Bible reading, so today I was on September 23rd in my chronological Bible.  I was reading in Malachi about the sacrifices the people were making to God that were defective, sick, weak, blind....

God wanted to literally "shut the doors of the temple"-

He was so angry, because the people were giving Him the "leftovers."

After I finished reading this section of Malachi, I picked up the book I am reading right now...

Crazy Love by Francis Chan.

Today I was reading chapters four and five.

Guess what they were about and what Scriptures were quoted?

"Giving God leftovers" and Malachi!

Wow.

I sit here now thinking of several orphanages that we have been made aware of recently  through this blog and through a cousin of mine.. One is in India....a very long ways from the orphanage that we are trying to help raise funds for to build a kitchen and dining hall.  One is in Romania.

When I visit with the people at these places through email, I am convinced of one thing every single time.

THESE PEOPLE LOVE GOD AND DEPEND ON HIM FOR EVERYTHING AND THEY HAVE GIVEN THEIR ENTIRE LIVES TO SERVING HIM WHOLEHEARTEDLY!

There's no half-way living for God when you depend on Him for every bite of food you eat. 

See, right now my refrigerator is full. 

So is my pantry. 

When Nick was sick, I had to depend on God for strength to make it through each new day. 

Now, I still depend on Him in my grief, but it's not the same step-by -step dependence that I had to have last year.  The kind of dependence that made me realize I couldn't make it any other way than by Him carrying me.

And you know what happens when the dependence level changes?

I think what I offer Him changes, too.

I don't want to offer God less of me because I can make it through a day of life with only a whispered prayer here or there.

I want to offer all of me to God.  All I have.

So what can, I do today to show God that yes, I still depend on Him for every step and for every breath and at the same time demonstrate to Him that I want to offer myself as a living sacrifice?

I guess for me today it is by saying,

"God, use me.  Open my eyes to where you need me to be.  Lead me to those who need you today.  Place on my heart what it is you are calling me to do.  Give me the courage to say what I need to say when talking to people.  Help me to be Your light to a dark world.   I am Yours and I am totally dependent upon You and I am thankful for Your love."

Tomorrow I will share with you about the orphanages in India and Romania.  Maybe your churches would like to send them some kind of gift for Christmas to help make their holidays a little brighter.

I just imagine hugging these children some day in Heaven and being thankful that God was able to bring our lives together through the use of the Internet so that we could help them learn about His love.

Won't that be a great day?

And while I think of all of this, I still remember Ed and his family right here in the same area of the country as me.  And I ask God to show me what I can do show His love to this family today.  I know that He will.

I pray that all of you will have the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with someone today.

I just wanted to share the finished bookshelves that will soon be delivered to area doctor's offices and hospitals.

Thank you to everyone who helped along the way!

Nick loved to read!

And Nick got so tired of sitting in waiting rooms!

So, our prayer is that these shelves will offer kids a fun way to pass time while they're waiting as well as give them a chance to increase their love for reading!

Trying so hard to focus on the lives Nick will touch even though I miss him more than words can even express,

I was subbing one day when a student in class had THIS book with them!

It was their dad's!

I couldn't believe it, because this was one of my favorite books as a little girl!

  I think I even colored on my book cover just like this dad had done!

As I read the story out loud to the class, I realized that even though years and years had passed since I had heard the words of this story it was still very familiar to me.  It made me smile!

It also made me think......

What stories will my kids remember with sweet memories?

Thank you, mom and dad, for my memories of

Gus was a Friendly Ghost!

I thought it was either ironic or Providential that I photographed the picture of the "Road to Success" sign while on the way to one of Olivia's basketball games and then met the gentlemen pictured above on the way home from that same game at a little McDonalds we stopped at to have dinner.

He told me that he had travelled from Missouri, picked up the little dog along the way, and was headed to West Virginia!  And he seemed as happy as anyone I'd ever met!

His bike was packed down with everything a person truly needs to survive, and he had a very happy little companion who was actually peacefully napping while I visited with the gentleman.

I couldn't help but remember the sign I had photographed just an hour before and how different "success" is to different people.

Honestly, I've met very successful people in the eyes of the world who didn't seem as happy as this little sweet man.

Makes me think about where my treasures are and what road I'm really on.....

Matthew 7:13-14

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.⁴But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

I Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal

priesthood.....

I decided to clean off one of Olivia's shelves while she was "quarantined" to her room.

As I went through piles of barrettes, crafts, chap sticks, and random little toys, I came across these supplies for making little princess crowns.

I held them up to ask Olivia if she wanted to save them, thinking that maybe they would bring a sparkle to her sick eyes after watching about 10 movies in a row,

but Olivia just looked at the supplies and nodded a weak "no" to the thought of even saving them for another day.

As I sat them aside, I couldn't help but think of how quickly little girls come to realize that it takes more than rubber bands, paper, and jewels to become a princess.

It made me sad to carry these craft supplies out of Olivia's room.

Another chapter in her little girl life was gone---the chapter of "becoming a princess" just by using her imagination.

She's now in the world of reality where only the "lucky" girls in the movies become royal and where being treated like a princess is something that often happens only to the main characters in fairy tales.

So, how do I help her little heart never forget that as a Christian she is forever a princess?

How do I teach her that no matter how tough this life gets, there will be a day when Jesus will break through the clouds on a white horse coming to sweep her off her little earthly feet unless he chooses to take her there early to be in His Glorious Kingdom?

I have to admit that even for me, it is often difficult to feel "royal."

Dishes, laundry, cleaning bathrooms, driving in a carpool, and all the other things that demand my time hardly qualify as things-to-do for a princess.

But if I believe God's Word, and I do, then I trust Him when He says I am part of a "royal priesthood."

The good news is, I don't have to pretend to be a princess, neither does Olivia, and neither do you!

I guess it's okay to pass along her jewels, paper, and rubber bands to someone not quite so "grown-up.".

She doesn't really need them anyway. She's a daughter of the King!

All of the kids were here this weekend, and we were able to share some special time with them and their girlfriends.

Olivia has been sick, so she didn't appear in too many photos this time...she's been spending a lot of time watching movies in her room.

But I thought I'd share a little of our weekend with you.

Pictionary, Erich and Mallory cooking dinner, fall photos, the kids bundling up to head to the Haunted Trail.....

When water started leakng through the ceiling in our living room about a month ago, we realized that the floor in our upstairs bathroom was in major need of repair!

It's one of those things that probably could have been fixed in a simpler way, but when I found ceramic tile on sale at our local carpet store and was so tired of the 16-year old white linoleum, I decided that a little bit of subbing money could bring new life to a very "used" room in our house.

I find my morning "bathroom" time to be one of the few "undivided" moments of my life, so I also had this inspiration to transform Todd and Olivia's "morning moments" into a little bit of a revival.

I know my blogging has been hit or miss for a while now.  I told Tim I felt a little like Forrest Gump when he ran and ran and ran and then suddenly he just said, "I'm going home now," and he turned around and started walking home.

I've just felt a little weary lately, like I've ran out of words.

I have to be true to myself and true to you.

If the words won't come, I just can't write.

So, I thought I'd give you a little tour of our bathroom revival.

I'll let God's Words speak to you from a little corner of our house hopefully straight to your heart. :)

My mom cross-stitched this as a wedding gift to us almost 24 years ago!! 

Love you all.

Thanks for checking in even when I seem to have "checked out."

Praying for words and listening for Him,

An early morning revival.

Have you ever needed one?

I need one every day.

Problem is, sometimes I try to start the day other ways.

Exercise.

Getting things done on my list of things to do.

Cleaning.

Doing laundry.

Or whatever seems to be pressing on my mind or in my life.

But the truth is this:

The only days that turn out somewhat "good" are the days that begin with an early morning revival.  I don't mean "good" in the sense that everything goes my way.  I mean "good" in that I know I'm not alone.  I've invited Him to walk with me instead of trying to walk alone.

So, today I chose to start my day with Him.

And in the darkness of the morning with just Him, I was reminded that being content in a worldly sense is not true contentment.  And I learned that my love for Him needs to be a crazy kind-of love.  I discovered that feeling like I have "enough God" should  not be my goal, but longing for "more of God" should be my heart's desire.

So, today, I start my day in awe of Him Who loves us all with an extremely crazy love and Who offers a contentment the world can't provide.

And while I know that knowing God is enough, I want to know Him more and more and more.........

Have you ever woke up in the morning and thought, "I dreamt all night long,"

and then sat and tried to remember your dream.

Well, I did this morning, because I knew that there was something about it that I needed to remember.

See, my dream went from fun to very scary to very desperate to very peaceful.  Now you know I'm not one who normally shares my dreams, so please understand I only do this because it was so vivid and so spiritually moving to me.

It started at church with Olivia and her friends.  We were having fun and there was even a party going on with kids in costumes.  Some of the moms were even dressed up.  At the end of the party, I was taking a few the girls home and somehow we were parked far from the church on a very dark road with huge dogs barking on chains.  We jumped into the car and took off down the road.

I put the radio on KLove-my favorite station-and the girls were all laughing and talking when they broke in on the radio and said for everyone to take cover.  There was an "earth emergency."  Suddenly, the weather seemed different and as I drove I could see people running everywhere and there were police at every intersection.  For some reason, we stopped at a grocery store and people were running in and out with bags full of water and all kinds of supplies.

Somehow, I lost all the girls.  I tried to call my mom but my cell phone started fogging up and wouldn't work anymore.

I ran into the parking lot and by now was hysterical.

I tripped and fell in the gravel and found myself face down in the rocks crying and praying.....finally praying.  Honestly, it was the first time in my dream I had had the thought to pray.  I remember feeling so guilty that I had waited until I was face down in the gravel to cry out to God. 

The next thing I knew I was leaning against the edge of the store sitting on the ground and right in front of me sitting on the ground was Jesus...smiling.

But He said the weirdest thing.  He said, "Hold onto my feet."

I remember taking His feet in my hands and wondering if I would see the scars but I didn't, and I remember that His feet felt like hands in my hands.  He was smiling the whole time.  Then this little boy came running around the corner asking for money and Jesus reached up with His hand and suddenly two dollars appeared.  The boy was amazed and then threw a candy wrapper at Jesus and said something like, "What can you do with this?"

Jesus picked up the wrapper and tossed it towards the boy, but as it fell I remember that it was still a wrapper and Jesus kind-of laughed like He was playing a joke with the boy.  The boy then ran off with the two dollars clutched in his hand.

I also remember that even in the midst of all of this, I let go of Jesus' feet for just a second to try and call my mom (sorry, Tim, I'm just telling it like it happened).

Then I woke up.

Shew!

I woke up tired.

I searched the Bible this morning for Scriptures about Jesus' feet and I found this one that really struck me.

Matthew 28

The Resurrection

¹After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

²There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

⁸So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him,

clasped his feet and worshiped him.

I had never thought about the fact that when the women saw Jesus they "clasped His feet."

If I am happy to see someone, I usually hug them.  I can honestly say I have never "clasped" anyone's feet when I have met them on the road or in a store.

But in my dream, Jesus said, "Hold my feet."

I know one thing.  Because I was holding His feet, He was free to help the little boy.  Even in my desperate time of need, Jesus was able to provide for those around me...and somehow still be "fully present" for me.  It was such a special feeling.

And I found it so strange that Jesus didn't give the little boy a candy bar too?  At first I was so surprised.  But, I felt at that moment like Jesus was saying to the little boy,

"I will provide what you need...and you need two dollars."

I also know that it was humbling to hold onto His feet.  He almost had to convince me that it was okay.

And because I was holding His feet, He couldn't walk away from me. 

He was there.

Smiling.

In the middle of a chaos-filled grocery store parking lot where I had lost not only Olivia but also several of her friends....Jesus was there.

Smiling.

I also realized that it took me way too long in my dream to cry out to Him, but He patiently waited until I did.

I'm sure He would have met me much earlier in my dream.  In the dark alley with the barking dogs.  Or on the road in the car with the girls when everything became so scary.

if I would have cried out then He would have brought peace sooner, but I didn't. 

How long will we wait until we cry out to Him?

I also know that when it comes right down to it, the only person I can give an answer for when facing Jesus is me.

And the only person you can give an answer for is you.

We can't live in fear of the end times even though watching the news may sometimes make us feel afraid.

We can't live our lives running from everything that is uncertain.

God longs for us to sit down, lean back on our wall of faith, and hold onto Jesus' feet.

He's there.

Smiling.

And nothing.  Absolutely nothing should keep us from holding on tightly!

I'm thankful for a dream that I will never forget.

Isaiah 49:16

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands...

It's sometimes more than I can grasp.

I am engraved on the palms of God's Hands.

So are you.

He who holds the entire universe together.....also holds our lives together.

He who set everything in motion and had a "HUGE" plan......also has plans for us today.

He who gave His Son for the sins of mankind......gave His Son for the sins of me and you.

If I can sit back and rest in this, what else really matters?

My "to-do" list seems so insignificant when held in His Hands.

My worries seem so tiny when placed upon His Fingertips.

My struggles seem so bearable when I consider the mighty power of the One Who holds me.

Even my grief becomes something I can bear when placed in the Hands of Him who promises to comfort me in my sadness.

See, God doesn't just promise to hold onto us.  He promises to hold us so tightly that we are literally engraved into His hands.  I love that thought.

Today, I pray that I can let go of everything but Him.

Praying you can too,

Yesterday, a friend and I took our kids and a couple of their friends to see the movie "Where the Wild Things Are."

I love this children's book, so I couldn't wait to see the movie!

As I sat there watching Max trying to convince the creatures of the lost island that he was a "king," I couldn't help but think that we all long to have some sort of significance in this world.  At home, Max was facing a sister who treated her friends with more love than they did him and a mom who was wrapped up in the stress of her job and the excitement of her new boyfriend.  Suddenly he found himself in a land where, although scary, he had a chance to be ruler!

Max made all kinds of promises when the creatures ask if he could take away their sadness and loneliness.  At first, Max seemed to be capable of keeping his word....

But slowly, envy, jealousy, insecurity, and all kinds of other negative emotions began to overtake the creatures and Max found himself hearing statements from the creatures like,

"No king can keep the promises you make.."

and

"We can't trust you.  Things are always changing."

As I sat there watching the sad, sad creatures and the bewildered Max, I couldn't help but think of our world where truly things seem "wilder" every day.

SO many people are looking to others to be their "king."

Unfortunately, there is no one on this planet-no friend, no family member, no political leader-who can truly create in our life a sense of constant peace, joy, and safety.

Only Christ is capable of giving us what we long for deep within our hearts.

If you're feeling like others are looking to you for more than you can give them, point them to Him.

Or If you're searching for peace, I hope you'll choose Him-the King of Kings!

He can meet you right "where the wild things are!"

As we were sitting in the carpool line this morning, I heard Olivia suddenly gasp for breath. As I looked over at her, she was grinning ear to ear as she watched the "boy" that she thinks is so very "cute and sweet" walk into the school ahead of her.

There "he" was.

In his football jersey.

Psalm 150

¹ Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.

² Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.

³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,

⁴ praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,

⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.

I have met another family through email who is running a very small orphanage in India-very far from the one we visited-and they are in need of 15 Bibles for the children they are taking care of there.

We would be happy to send Bibles from Nick's foundation but want to be a good steward of resources, so I'm wondering if anyone knows of a place where I could purchase Bibles for these children at a very low price.

If anyone has any ideas or links to recommend, I would be so thankful!

The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.

The LORD will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the sky will tremble.
But the LORD will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.

As I venture into today, I remember how beautiful the moon and sun were BOTH shining early this morning as I took the kids to school. It was beautiful.

I remember that as I walked Maria out to her car very early this morning before the sun came up we saw several very bright stars shining in a clear, clear sky. It was breathtaking.

And then I think of a day when the sun, moon, and stars might not shine.

The fear that would overtake even the most evil of men.

Why does fear have to motivate us so much more frequently than simply faith?

Why can't we choose to follow Him today..........even when we don't feel great fear?

I want my children to love me not out of fear but out of a genuine faith that I love them and that I am here for them..........unconditionally.

God wants nothing less from us.

I hope you'll choose Him today.

I sit here tonight with tears running down my cheeks.

I was on the phone with a friend who is having some struggles in her family, and I stepped into our living room to find my husband with several of the students from the college.  One of them was crying, and I immediately heard Tim say, "His dad just died."  I got off the phone with my friend quickly and joined Tim and the guys.

We all sat in the living room for a while and listened to this precious college student share his last memories of his dad from this past weekend.  He smiled some.  He cried some.

After praying together, the guys and Tim decided to get in the car and drive to his house about a half hour away so he could see his mom. 

Until this moment, I've been caught up in "life" today.

Subbing, then taking care of Olivia and Todd's after-school stuff, and working on some house projects.........

Tonight, I have been jolted back into the reality that life is vapor.

Please pray for this family as they face such an unexpected loss of someone so dear to all of them.

Lord, Help us all to remember that tomorrow is not guaranteed.  Help us choose You today.  In Your Son's Name, Amen

This poor Schwin exercise bike sat at the yard sale all day long entertaining kids by the hour but not seeming to catch the eye of any adult who was willing to pay for it.

As I look at this bike, I see myself in an odd sort-of way.

Wanting to be of use but not always feeling "equipped."

Wanting to "go for God" but often feeling "one wheel short."

Wanting to be of value but thankfully aware that true value is not found in "me" but in "Him."

As I venture into today, my prayer is that I can focus on Him...

He supplies my every need.

His strength is made perfect in my weakness.

He alone is worthy.

I pray that you will find Him today in your shortcomings, your stress, your tiredness, your "Monday moments," your sadness, your joy, your loneliness, your "one wheel missing" experiences, and even in your total contentment....

I have found (for me any way) that sometimes it's easier to not see Him when things are going great, so I especially pray that you will search for Him even when everything about life seems to be easy without the need to call on Him......

He's always there, longing for You to share life with Him.

And unlike the customers at the yard sale who passed by the old, Schwin bike, He sees your true worth and paid the greatest price for You......His Only Son.

Thankful,

Derek and Jon keep the customers coming!!

Toys, toys, and more toys!!

Thank you to the Garner Baptist Youth Group for your donation!!

Thank you, T, for delivering the special gift!!

Doesn't Cheryl look cute!?!?  Where is the Big Bad Wolf??????

Clothes, clothes, and more clothes!!!!

Sweet little Micah has fun with the toys!!  He's a little Indian miracle himself!

Josh helps organize the living room!!

The Larrabees stop by for some shopping fun! 

Tammy and Derek

  Ian, Olivia, and Cameron..help draw a crowd!!

Tanjaleah, Madison, Olivia, Ian, and Cameron

A yard full of treasures!

Tammy and Donna

Cameron helps deliver a load!!

TIM AND DEREK

Topsy, Christy, and Jennifer  Anthony gets in on the yard sale shopping!!

A life jacket, toaster, and shoes!!  Reaghan, Jon, Todd, Trevor, and Derek!  Brenda and Martha stop by for some shopping!

Whoever thought a board could be so much fun!

  Heather and Robert find some goodies!

A clean driveway!! Yeah!!

Jackie and Hannah!! Thank you for coming by!!

Robert is going to be soooooooooooo smart!! 

JIM DOES SOME EXTREME BIKING!!

Miss Pat, thank you for coming by!!   Cindy and Tammy before...Patty buys the acorn people that Cindy loves!  Trish and Macy..a fun fall walk!!! Gail, thank you for your goodies!!! 

Anthony and Albert....

Norma and Judy!!

Christy and family...

Allison does some pricing!!   Clara and her grandkids! 

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PRAYED FOR TODAY'S EVENT, DONATED ITEMS, CAME BY TO SHOP, STOPPED BY TO SAY HI, MADE A CONTRIBUTION, AND WORKED HARD TO PULL THIS OFF! 

ALL OF YOU ARE AMAZING AND MY LIFE IS BETTER BECAUSE I SHARE IT WITH YOU! 

I AM SO THANKFUL!

At this time, we have raised $1692.73 from the yard sale efforts...there is still more to come in!!!

I love how God can take one person's clutter and turn it into another person's treasure...

And still create a way for an orphanage on the other side of the world to receive a blessing!