When the Lights Come On

Today we decorated for Christmas.  It's bittersweet this year and I'm very pensive.  We have all of Dad's Christmas stuff, but not Dad.  We used his tree this year.  It's bigger than ours and nicer, too!  I got out the whole Christmas village (with one addition from Dad's place, a church).  We've been collecting pieces to this over the years.  A lot of it is from "It's a Wonderful Life" (the Bijoux Theater, Gowlers's Drug Store, Bailey's Building and Loan, Martini's Bar).  I plugged everything in but the only ones to come on were the Drug Store, Potter's Bank and Martini's Bar.  The churches (we have two in our set), and the houses remained dark.  Hmmmm, what does this say?  I see symbolism in most everything.  Anymore, the churches do seem to be dark.  Fewer and fewer are there.  The drug store, banks and bars are full.  Maybe we should spend more time out where the people are while bringing light back into the churches.  "Shine your light and let the whole world see.  We're singing for the glory of the risen King!" 

Thanksgiving Day Psalm

"I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me.
      You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.

  O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,

      and you restored my health.
  You brought me up from the grave, O Lord.
      You kept me from falling into the pit of death.

  Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!
      Praise his holy name.
  For his anger lasts only a moment,
      but his favor lasts a lifetime!
   Weeping may last through the night,
      but joy comes with the morning.

 When I was prosperous, I said,
      “Nothing can stop me now!”
 Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain.
      Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.

 I cried out to you, O Lord.
      I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,
 “What will you gain if I die,
      if I sink into the grave?
   Can my dust praise you?
      Can it tell of your faithfulness?
 Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
      Help me, O Lord.”

 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
      You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
      O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!"

-Psalm 30

I'm Thankful for... (part deux)

Thanksgiving Holiday
Fall weather
a fire in the fireplace
computers
electricity
hearing
sight
taste
touch
beautiful flowers from my neighbor
God's acceptance of me
my very caring husband
God's faithfulness!

I'm Thankful for....

each new day that I wake up
hot showers
orange juice
hot tea and cozy blanket while reading my Bible in the morning
my new job
the new "kids" I'm getting to know at my new job
how well my kids are doing at school
my husband's work and new ministry
food to eat
clothes to wear
shelter
Rachel's impish grin
Debra's cute giggle
Michael's wonderful sense of humor
Joseph's pretty blue eyes
Jim... and all He is!!
my brothers and sister and our friendship that has grown into "adulthood"
long time friends who love me as I am
Judy A.
God's grace
God's forgiveness
God's mercy
God's love
God's faithfulness

to be continued....

"As we come to Christ and learn to rest in the good news of the gospel, we learn to be real with ourselves and other people.  We no longer need to live for the approval of other people because we now we have the favor of God upon us. Because we are becoming more honest with our own sins and weaknesses we become less judgmental of other people.  We learn to demonstrate grace as we have been shown grace."

-Brennan Manning

Words of Wisdom from Elisabeth Elliott

I get a daily devotional from Elisabeth Elliott.  This was today's.  


"Nothing is Lost
A pastor's wife asked, "When one witnesses a work he has poured his life into 'go up in flames' (especially if he is not culpable), is it the work of Satan or the hand of God?"
Often it is the former, always it is under the control of the latter. In the biographies of the Bible we find men whose work for God seemed to be a flop at the time--Moses' repeated efforts to persuade Pharaoh, Jeremiah's pleas for repentance, the good king Josiah's reforms, rewarded in the end by his being slain by a pagan king. Sin had plenty to do with the seeming failures, but God was then, as He is now, the "blessed controller of all things" (1 Timothy 6:15, PHILLIPS). He has granted to us human beings responsibility to make choices and to live with the consequences. This means that everybody suffers--sometimes for his or her own sins, sometimes for those of others.
There are paradoxes here which we cannot plumb. But we can always look at the experiences of our own lives in the light of the life of our Lord Jesus. How shall we learn to "abide" (stay put) in Christ, enter into the fellowship of His sufferings, let Him transform our own? There is only one way. It is by living each event, including having things "go up in flames," as Christ lived: in the peace of the Father's will. Did His earthly work appear to be a thundering success? He met with argument, unbelief, scorn in Pharisees and others. Crowds followed Him--not because they wanted His Truth, but because they liked handouts such as bread and fish and physical healing. His own disciples were "fools and slow of heart to believe." (Why didn't Jesus make them believe? For the reason given above.) These men who had lived intimately with Him, heard His teaching for three years, watched His life and miracles, still had little idea what He was talking about on the evening before His death. Judas betrayed Him, Peter denied Him. The rest of them went to sleep when He asked them to stay awake. In the end they all forsook Him and fled. Peter repented with tears and later saw clearly what had taken place. In his sermon to the Jews of Jerusalem (Acts 2:23, PHILLIPS) he said, "This man, who was put into your power by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed up and murdered.... But God would not allow the bitter pains of death to touch him. He raised him to life again--and there was nothing by which death could hold such a man."
There is nothing by which death can hold any of His faithful servants, either. Settle it, once and for all--YOU CAN NEVER LOSE WHAT YOU HAVE OFFERED TO CHRIST. It's the man who tries to save himself (or his reputation or his work or his dreams of success or fulfillment) who loses. Jesus gave us His word that if we'd lose our lives for His sake, we'd find them"




With God, nothing is ever lost.  From a human perspective it may look like failure and loss but God's ways are higher, wiser, greater, better than ours.   

8 Years Later

Eight years ago on this date we arrived in California to begin the task God called us to... planting a church here in Exeter. We never once doubted God's call. What we also know is that God's call to serve does not come with a pain free guarantee or problem free existence.
A few days before we arrived here my mother went to the hospital for emergency surgery. She passed away exactly 4 weeks after we arrived. We were able to see her and spend some time with her before she passed. One of the reasons God had us here was to be here for my Dad who was left alone after 55 years of marriage to my mom. We had 8 good years with my Dad. We often talked about how much we were there for each other. I'm so grateful to God for allowing us those years together.
The church plant was a growing experience yet was not without problems, pain, and difficulties.  In spite of those difficulties - God was, and is, faithful.  We never doubted His call on our lives and stayed "at our post" to serve faithfully where we were called.  There were highs.... times of growth and wonderful worship and learning. There were lows... the loss of families and, ultimately, the death of the church (which coincided with the death of my father). 

 Where are we now - after 8 years?

We've all grown - older and wiser.  Our sons are seniors in high school, one of our daughters is a sophomore and the other in 5th grade.
We have entered a new phase of life and ministry.   Both Jim and I are working full time outside of the home and outside of the church and we are both working part time in a new ministry.  Our experiences over the past 8 years have prepared us for this point.  We are finding more and more opportunities to serve where God has placed us and we are excited about what He has planned for us and our family.  As always, we continue to trust in His grace, mercy, compassion and faithfulness!
"His grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home".