My God is a God of miracles....

I serve an amazing God. I serve the one, the only true God. My God spoke and the earth was created out of nothing. I serve a God who parted a sea for His people to cross on dry land. I believe in a God who incinerated a sacrifice with fire from heaven. My God healed the lame, made the blind to see, and caused the dead to rise again. My God is a God of miracles.
My God is the same, yesterday, today and forever.
For anyone who says that God does not perform miracles of that kind today, that is a bunch of hogwash, as my mom used to say. You see, I am asking God for a miracle, because our condo that we just spent a year renovating, has burned to the ground.

Dreams really do come true...

We are in debt. Yes, terrible, gut wrenching, stay up at night worrying, kind of debt. Of course, it is of our own doing, as many of the stresses of this life are. So, even when I am not thinking about it, I am thinking about it. Does that make sense?
The other night, I fell into a fitful sleep, and had a wonderful dream. I dreamed that someone, completely anonymous, paid off our entire debt. There was only left a sealed envelope. When I opened the envelope, I found a small card, and inside it were these words, "you owed a debt you could not pay, you desperately needed someone to kindly say, 'your debt is paid, I paid it all, now in Me you can stand tall.' Now, it is true, be filled with joy completely through. Find in Me your all in all."
I awoke with a start, and, to be honest was a little disappointed that it had all been just a dream. Then, I heard my Savior's sweet voice reminding me, 'Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now, I see.'
Rejoice, my debt has been paid, Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow!!

Thankful

I have so much to be thankful for. This weekend, my husband and I celebrated our ten year anniversary. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man for a husband.
We also celebrated Father's Day. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful dad.
The sun peeped out for the first time in a week, and I am so thankful to be able to go outside without having to make a dash for a building or a vehicle.
But, I am most thankful for the abundant, forgiving love of God.
I had to attend a food-safety course this last week. I brought a girl with me who has worked at our bus since the first summer. She is young, 19 years old, comes from a broken home, and we have somewhat felt responsible for her. I found out a few weeks ago that she was pregnant. So, as we drove to Banff for this course, I waited for her to spill the news. She never did. After the course, as we drove back, I could wait no longer. "So...do you have some news to share with me?" She burst into tears. I looked at her for a few seconds, and the terrible realization dawned on me..."Yes, Deb, I am too young to have a baby." I felt as if the van was closing in on me, and I couldn't breathe. I felt ill, and I couldn't open my mouth to say anything. We were both crying, and I looked at her, and said,"God loves you, He loves you so much. No matter what you have done, or will do, God loves you."
I realized that although her baby is gone, it is not too late for her. We talked for awhile, and then gradually changed the subject. But, I will not let this go. I believe that God is going to save her. He wants nothing more than to shower her with His unconditional love, and for that I am so grateful.
"Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth, for consider what great things He has done for you."

Mountain biking mama!

A couple other families, and us, have started a babysitting co-op here in Exshaw. I can't really speak for anyone else, but I am having a great time. Twice a month, if all goes as planned, my husband and I get to spend some time together. The first couple of dates were almost a little awkward. We had to get used to not having constant little interruptions, and I had to pretend that I had talked to another adult at some point in the last twenty-four hours. But, we adjusted quickly, and now make every attempt to utilize that precious time wisely.
Well, this last weekend, I thought that I would suggest an activity that would really make my husband happy. Isn't that thoughtful of me? So, the activity that he enjoys the most lately is mountain biking. ok, no problem, I haven't been in a few years, but it will all come back to me, right?
I told him that he could pick the trail and that we would have a great time. I found out later that he asked his friend where he would take his wife if she hadn't been for awhile, and he said, "the road". That sound nice.
I became a little nervous when he showed up with a friend's bike that I could borrow. A beefy, burly, heavy-duty, downhill bike was put in the back of the truck next to Blue's and we were off. What kind of trail must this be to require a bike like that?
Everything was going really well, until we started going uphill, about 2 minutes into the ride. If I had a nickel for how many times I heard Blue say, "This hill is a bit of a grunt, but I think this is the last one," I would be a very wealthy woman. But, once we started going down, I would have given anything to be going up again. I would glance ahead to see Blue, in a blur, cruising around corners, over rocks and roots, launching off of jumps, and all I could think was, "ok, that doesn't look that difficult." hee hee!
Coming around one particular corner, I had to maneuver the bike in between two trees. "Keep your eyes on the trail, not the trees," I told myself. The next thing I remember was laying on my back, stareing up at the sky. That didn't hurt too bad, now, if I could just get up......
I did survive the ride, and managed to have a wonderful time. As I lay in bed that night, groaning every time I moved, I thought about my walk with the Lord. I had realized that if I wanted to classify myself as a "mountain biker", I had to go more often than once every two years. If I went biking more often, it would not have been so difficult.
If I want to classify myself as a Christian, I must abide in the vine, Jesus Christ. If I want to bear fruit, (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance) as a Christian, I must abide in the vine,Jesus Christ. If I don't abide in the vine, I WILL fulfill the lusts of the flesh, there is no doubt about it. I abide in the vine by abiding in His Word.
Abiding, just like biking, takes practice. Abiding, just like biking, takes discipline. Abiding, just like biking, takes deliberate effort. Abiding, just like biking, will not happen by accident.
Jesus said, "Abide in me, and I in you."

Gift

You are the sunshine after the rain
The cozy light at the end of a long day.
You can always bring a smile to my face,
Your infectious grin makes me slow from my fast pace.

You represent so much of what is good in this life,
A gift from above sent to soothe pain and strife.
I did not think my heart could stretch any more,
Yet, you have caused abundant love from my heart to pour.

Unknowingly, our family was incomplete before you came,
And, now you are here, we will never be the same.
Thank you, Father, for with unending grace we have been treated.
You gave us the missing piece that we needed.

Here I am to worship....

Thank you, Heavenly Father.
Yesterday, a neighbor dropped off a little bottle with some aspirin for our dog. My little boy's bus was pulling up about the same time. I set the bottle in our entryway, and walked out to the street to meet my son.
I forgot all about that little bottle of aspirin,.....until 11:00 p.m. as I was folding one of my daughters little blankets, that bottle fell out onto the ground.
I can't describe the feeling, the world screeching to a halt, the pounding in my head. I never have aspirin in the house, I rarely give my children medicine of any kind, and now this?
I am a terrible mother, no other mother would ever have forgotten a bottle of pills that was within the reach of her child. I would never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to my little girl. God is bigger than those thoughts...
I awoke her from her sleep, and took her into the ER. It is about a fifteen minute drive. The entire drive, I spoke truth aloud to myself. God is here. God loves you. God loves Meadow. God knows the plan that He has for you, good and not evil. God will give grace in any situation. God is grace. God is love. I trust you, God, I trust you. My near hysteria was calmed by the voice who calmed the stormy seas. God carried my daughter and I into the emergency room. God held my hand while the lab technician drew blood. And, God rejoiced with me when the doctor told us that she was ok, and could go home.
"Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that You're my God.
You are altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me."