Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Soaring High!
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
These pictures are of Hannah and her "flying experience" through the JROTC at Rockingham County High School. She loved the experience and didn't even mind to much that they picked at her unmercifully because she required a "booster" seat. The view from the plane is so pretty...you can see that some of the trees below have leaves that are already changing into the beautiful colors of Autumn. The smiles on the girls faces are an evident reminder of how much fun they are having and the joy they are experiencing. I couldn't help but think how they must have felt so big and everything below so small from up in the air in that plane. They actually got to take control and "fly" the plane...(With the real pilot close by of course). It sparked a spiritual thought and application.
I have had times when I have had my strength renewed like the eagles and soared in the sky! There are times when I have felt in control and felt bigger than life but the real truth is....I wasn't. My pilot was actually doing the flying....He was the one causing me to mount with wings like eagles. I was actually very small and spiritually speaking, I probably needed a booster seat! It also occured to me that at times in my life I have looked from those heights and admired the beauty below just like those girls did today but you know what? ....those leaves on those trees are the same color when you are on the ground....you just have a different view...a different perspective. Wow! Could it be that God's beauty is just the same when we are on the ground or whether we are mounting with wings like eagles?....Oh dear sister I think so! I think it is only our perspective that changes.
I want to remember that 1. God is the Pilot! 2. Whether on the ground or in the air...his beauty and his miracles are the same...it is up to my perspective to see them the same! and 3. He knows when it is time to put me back on the ground. Those girls were in total trust of the pilot to give them a safe landing and one at the appointed time...and he did. Don't you know God will do the same for us!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
What's really important to you?
Hey girls! Just wanted to let you know what the Lord has been doing in my heart this past week.
I have a particular burden that the Lord has given me and it seems to become heavier on my heart with each passing day. There is a particular soul that I am praying for and I have such a deep desire to see them come to know Christ. I have prayed for lots of people who are lost over the years and I have had a real desire to see them saved but never before have I lost sleep, cried during the middle of the day, or actually had an ache in my chest for someone......until now. I have a dear friend who I led to Christ almost a year ago and I really had a desire to see her come to Christ but it was as though the Lord had already assured me she would be saved and even though I shed many tears for her it wasn't quite the same as this person I am burdened for now. I feel that part of the urgency I feel with this soul is that I have been witness to the evil that is all around and I can almost sense satan battling for their soul.
I have been reading my Bible searching for verses that would comfort and encourage me to keep on praying and the first one that comes to mind is Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you." The greek tense in all three of the following words ask, seek and knock is present...the voice is active and the mood is imperative. It means ask and keep on asking. Seek and keep on seeking. Knock and keep on knocking. Don't stop, don't quit don't even slow down....keep on keeping on. Then the Lord reminded me of Isaiah 59:1 "Behold the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear." And as I mediatated on these verses I began to be encouraged. I know that scripture does not lie....it is a reality! If I keep on asking, seeking and knocking....if I believe that the Lord is able to save then I can take comfort in that. I know that he hears every word I say, every silent prayer I think...He knows! Every tear I cry, every time my knees hit the floor on behalf of this soul....God knows! He is not a high priest that does not care but Hebrews tells me he is touched with the feelings of our infirmities! Hallelujah! But then I remembered another verse and my spirituality was bruised a little. Hebrews 12:1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us," It was as if the Lord said, you need to lay aside the weights that are keeping you from praying more for this soul. I just couldn't get it out of my mind.
I don't watch hardly any TV...doesn't interest me. I hardly ever go out with girlfriends. I don't scrapbook anymore. I mean, the only thing I do for "me" on a daily basis is I love to play on Facebook and see what my friends in GA are doing. Facebook was how I reconnected with girlfriends I haven't seen or heard from in 20 years! It has been so much fun looking at the pictures of their children and hearing about what they are doing now...so much fun! I will get on before work in the morning for a minute or two and then at night I will check it as well. One morning while checking my FB it seemed as if the Lord audibly spoke and said, "Do you love that soul you are praying for enough to give up Facebook?", "Why don't you spend the time in prayer that you would spend on Facebook?" Well, my first thought was ...oh, I don't spend that much time on here, this is my only indulgence for me, it isn't doing any harm....but that wasn't the point. The point was did I love FB more...or was I willing to give it up and spend that time praying. I chose to lay aside that weight and pray for the soul I want to be saved. I told the Lord that whether it took 6 days, 6 months or 6 years I would not go back on FB until my first post could be one of praise for this soul coming to know the Jesus I serve. Then I thought of Jeremiah 29:12-13 "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Wow..do you remember when I said I would first check my FB....first thing in the morning....why was I not seeking Him??? I will continue to rid my heart of anything that could be coming between me and my prayers being answered. Jesus could come any moment and I want to take ALL of the people I love with me to heaven....don't you?!! God help us to give you our whole heart.
Please don't think I am saying everyone should abandon their Facebook...lol. No, I'm just sharing with you what God wanted me to do. I'll be honest with you girls, it has been hard not to check my FB...silly...yeah, probably but I'm just being honest. It just really spoke to me that the Lord knows exactly what has our hearts and what is important to us. I just want to prove to Him that this dear, precious soul that I am bringing to his throne room daily is the most important thing to me. And if I know anything about our Lord is that he is compassionate and full of mercy and he honors the sincere actions of obedience and prayers of His people. I know my prayers will be answered and I promise as soon as we have a new family member birthed into the family....I'll let ya know!
Be sensitive to his voice....listen....listen carefully, you just may hear that still small voice calling you.
I have a particular burden that the Lord has given me and it seems to become heavier on my heart with each passing day. There is a particular soul that I am praying for and I have such a deep desire to see them come to know Christ. I have prayed for lots of people who are lost over the years and I have had a real desire to see them saved but never before have I lost sleep, cried during the middle of the day, or actually had an ache in my chest for someone......until now. I have a dear friend who I led to Christ almost a year ago and I really had a desire to see her come to Christ but it was as though the Lord had already assured me she would be saved and even though I shed many tears for her it wasn't quite the same as this person I am burdened for now. I feel that part of the urgency I feel with this soul is that I have been witness to the evil that is all around and I can almost sense satan battling for their soul.
I have been reading my Bible searching for verses that would comfort and encourage me to keep on praying and the first one that comes to mind is Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you." The greek tense in all three of the following words ask, seek and knock is present...the voice is active and the mood is imperative. It means ask and keep on asking. Seek and keep on seeking. Knock and keep on knocking. Don't stop, don't quit don't even slow down....keep on keeping on. Then the Lord reminded me of Isaiah 59:1 "Behold the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear." And as I mediatated on these verses I began to be encouraged. I know that scripture does not lie....it is a reality! If I keep on asking, seeking and knocking....if I believe that the Lord is able to save then I can take comfort in that. I know that he hears every word I say, every silent prayer I think...He knows! Every tear I cry, every time my knees hit the floor on behalf of this soul....God knows! He is not a high priest that does not care but Hebrews tells me he is touched with the feelings of our infirmities! Hallelujah! But then I remembered another verse and my spirituality was bruised a little. Hebrews 12:1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us," It was as if the Lord said, you need to lay aside the weights that are keeping you from praying more for this soul. I just couldn't get it out of my mind.
I don't watch hardly any TV...doesn't interest me. I hardly ever go out with girlfriends. I don't scrapbook anymore. I mean, the only thing I do for "me" on a daily basis is I love to play on Facebook and see what my friends in GA are doing. Facebook was how I reconnected with girlfriends I haven't seen or heard from in 20 years! It has been so much fun looking at the pictures of their children and hearing about what they are doing now...so much fun! I will get on before work in the morning for a minute or two and then at night I will check it as well. One morning while checking my FB it seemed as if the Lord audibly spoke and said, "Do you love that soul you are praying for enough to give up Facebook?", "Why don't you spend the time in prayer that you would spend on Facebook?" Well, my first thought was ...oh, I don't spend that much time on here, this is my only indulgence for me, it isn't doing any harm....but that wasn't the point. The point was did I love FB more...or was I willing to give it up and spend that time praying. I chose to lay aside that weight and pray for the soul I want to be saved. I told the Lord that whether it took 6 days, 6 months or 6 years I would not go back on FB until my first post could be one of praise for this soul coming to know the Jesus I serve. Then I thought of Jeremiah 29:12-13 "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Wow..do you remember when I said I would first check my FB....first thing in the morning....why was I not seeking Him??? I will continue to rid my heart of anything that could be coming between me and my prayers being answered. Jesus could come any moment and I want to take ALL of the people I love with me to heaven....don't you?!! God help us to give you our whole heart.
Please don't think I am saying everyone should abandon their Facebook...lol. No, I'm just sharing with you what God wanted me to do. I'll be honest with you girls, it has been hard not to check my FB...silly...yeah, probably but I'm just being honest. It just really spoke to me that the Lord knows exactly what has our hearts and what is important to us. I just want to prove to Him that this dear, precious soul that I am bringing to his throne room daily is the most important thing to me. And if I know anything about our Lord is that he is compassionate and full of mercy and he honors the sincere actions of obedience and prayers of His people. I know my prayers will be answered and I promise as soon as we have a new family member birthed into the family....I'll let ya know!
Be sensitive to his voice....listen....listen carefully, you just may hear that still small voice calling you.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Such a blessed sound...
After months of hardly any rain at all it is actually raining here in Reidsville, NC tonight. It is such a blessed sound! Our grass has been brown and crunchy for sometime now, the dust is horrible and the lakes are showing more and more ground and less and less water. I praise the Lord for the rain! I know He has been gracious and sent it to us. It isn't just any kind of rain either. He knew that a hard downpour would only result in run off and flooding. We are receiving the slow steady rain that the ground can soak up and benefit most from. Would you be surprised that even as desperately as we needed it there are some who are complaining that the rain came at an inconvenient time for them? I find that to be so sad. It is obvious when you look at the surroundings how desperately we needed it and yet there are some who are not satisfied with the timing. That got me to thinking. We are just like that about our lives. We want sunshine ALL the time! We complain when a little drizzle falls into our lives. We may have been healthy all year but complain when a little sinus trouble comes our way.....Not once been hungry without food but upset when we don't have EXACTLY what we want in the cabinets or on the table.....Complain that we are tired of wearing the same summer clothes and want a new season to come so we can have a change (said that one this week....feeling more and more convicted as I write this..) God forgive us...forgive me! It is the times of rain that make us appreciate the sun! It is the balance in life that only you Dear Lord know how to give that makes us more like Jesus. Just as God knew we couldn't handle a heavy rain without a lot of damage....He knows how hard the rains in your life and in my life need to be. Trust Him.
I'm sitting here listening to the traffic on the highway and the spray of the water as the cars go by and it is a wonderful sound. I will not complain that the rain is here....I WILL rejoice and praise my God from whom all blessings flow. I will trust that he knows best and that His plan for my life is perfect! I will try my best to soak up this spiritual lesson he is teaching me just like the parched ground is soaking up every raindrop!
I'm sitting here listening to the traffic on the highway and the spray of the water as the cars go by and it is a wonderful sound. I will not complain that the rain is here....I WILL rejoice and praise my God from whom all blessings flow. I will trust that he knows best and that His plan for my life is perfect! I will try my best to soak up this spiritual lesson he is teaching me just like the parched ground is soaking up every raindrop!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Must you know?????
I am reading this book called "Crazy Love" by Francais Chan and it absolutely wonderful!!! If you can pick a copy of it up then I highly suggest you do. No matter where you are in your spiritual walk it will be of great encouragement, great enlightenment or maybe even great conviction. My pastor's wife recommended it to me....Thanks Karen!!!
There is one chapter early on in the book that had a couple of statements I can't seem to quite "chewing" on so to speak. Here is the first...
"Isn't it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?" Wow...think about that! For those of us who have kids I think we have all been guilty of exaggerating at times of our childrens talents or gifts. lol...you know what I mean. Especially those first born...they crawl before any other child they possess a vocabulary at 10 months old that surely no other child has ever possessed, they walk sooner, feed themselves better and look the cutest of any child ever born! As time moves on and our chidren enter sports and activities such as dance, piano, band, etc. we are quick to state our opinion of how wonderful they are. I think that is natural and it just shows our love and pride in them and they joy they bring to our lives but to be honest.....we have probably been a little over the top in our desciption at times but you'll never be held guilty for that when you speak of Jesus. No matter how good you say He is....you are not exaggerating. Even if you spend days speaking of His holiness...you still aren't even skimming the top! If you write volumes about His love and how grand and infinite it is, you still will NOT be exaggerating!!! Just makes me want to shout! I serve a God who cannot be exaggerated!!! In this day and age where things are constantly being "overrated"....we have a Savior who will never disappoint!
Here's the second statement in the book that has really captivated me. "Can you worship a God who isn't obligated to explain His actions to you?" Immediately I think of people who have had great trajedy come into their lives and they never serve God again but are bitter and feel cheated by Him. I have never walked in their shoes and I certainly am not about to judge them but for myself I want to know more about the Savior so if the path He chooses for me is hard and holds a lot of pain I can still trust in His sovreignty and be able to serve Him. I do desire to be able to serve Him and not demand an explanation for His actions. This is the first step to that....realize He is God....and I am not. I do not want arrogance on my part to slip in and make me think God owes me an explanation. Instead I must remember he is fair and just, He is all-powerful and He is all-knowing and He is Holy. I have seen a lot of Christians who experienced great pain in their life such as cancer, loss of a loved one, betrayal by a spouse, heartbroken by a wayward child, emotional trauma because of sexual abuse and many other horrible things but I have also seen those same people be filled with such a love for their Savior during the trial and after the trial that it leads me to believe that they KNOW their Father in an intimate way and because of that knowledge, that experiential knowledge they recognize He is God and He really does know best. They KNOW that Romans 8:28 is truth and it has become a reality in their lives.
Well ladies, that is what I've been pondering on lately. I hope you get the book and I hope you evaluate yourself with those 2 statements. Love your Savior, the one who knows best, the one who is in control and the one you cannot exaggerate!!
A simple girl serving a Great God,
Lora
There is one chapter early on in the book that had a couple of statements I can't seem to quite "chewing" on so to speak. Here is the first...
"Isn't it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?" Wow...think about that! For those of us who have kids I think we have all been guilty of exaggerating at times of our childrens talents or gifts. lol...you know what I mean. Especially those first born...they crawl before any other child they possess a vocabulary at 10 months old that surely no other child has ever possessed, they walk sooner, feed themselves better and look the cutest of any child ever born! As time moves on and our chidren enter sports and activities such as dance, piano, band, etc. we are quick to state our opinion of how wonderful they are. I think that is natural and it just shows our love and pride in them and they joy they bring to our lives but to be honest.....we have probably been a little over the top in our desciption at times but you'll never be held guilty for that when you speak of Jesus. No matter how good you say He is....you are not exaggerating. Even if you spend days speaking of His holiness...you still aren't even skimming the top! If you write volumes about His love and how grand and infinite it is, you still will NOT be exaggerating!!! Just makes me want to shout! I serve a God who cannot be exaggerated!!! In this day and age where things are constantly being "overrated"....we have a Savior who will never disappoint!
Here's the second statement in the book that has really captivated me. "Can you worship a God who isn't obligated to explain His actions to you?" Immediately I think of people who have had great trajedy come into their lives and they never serve God again but are bitter and feel cheated by Him. I have never walked in their shoes and I certainly am not about to judge them but for myself I want to know more about the Savior so if the path He chooses for me is hard and holds a lot of pain I can still trust in His sovreignty and be able to serve Him. I do desire to be able to serve Him and not demand an explanation for His actions. This is the first step to that....realize He is God....and I am not. I do not want arrogance on my part to slip in and make me think God owes me an explanation. Instead I must remember he is fair and just, He is all-powerful and He is all-knowing and He is Holy. I have seen a lot of Christians who experienced great pain in their life such as cancer, loss of a loved one, betrayal by a spouse, heartbroken by a wayward child, emotional trauma because of sexual abuse and many other horrible things but I have also seen those same people be filled with such a love for their Savior during the trial and after the trial that it leads me to believe that they KNOW their Father in an intimate way and because of that knowledge, that experiential knowledge they recognize He is God and He really does know best. They KNOW that Romans 8:28 is truth and it has become a reality in their lives.
Well ladies, that is what I've been pondering on lately. I hope you get the book and I hope you evaluate yourself with those 2 statements. Love your Savior, the one who knows best, the one who is in control and the one you cannot exaggerate!!
A simple girl serving a Great God,
Lora
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
THANK YOU!!!!
To all my sisters out there who prayed for my dear friend during her storm I want to say thank you and PRAISE THE LORD!!!! He ANSWERS PRAYER!!!! God is so faithful and he hears every word you utter in prayer to Him and He definitely heard the one you prayed on her behalf. She is basking in the warm rays of His sunshine today and I am so happy for her. Just wanted ya'll to know!
Serving Him,
Lora
Serving Him,
Lora
Are you numb?
Well, it is almost here!!! What's that you say? ....Well, the Ladies monthly Bible study is about to start back up. The frist Tuesday of every month starting in September. I am VERY excited! We always have a great time of discussion and fellowship and I expect nothing less this year...in fact I expect more. I just feel like last years study by Nancy Leigh DeMoss "Experiencing The Joys of Personal Revival" was what some of us really needed to reignite us and our passion to serve the risen Savior but even more importantly to cultivate the rich soils of our souls in fellowship with Him.
This year the Lord has directed my heart towards a study by Max Lucado. That's right...my favorite christian author...wooooohoooooo!!! lol...can't help but shout that little bit of joy out! It is called "Experiencing the Words of Jesus, Hearing His voice and Trusting His Words", and it is going to be fantastic!
There is a quote from the book that has really struck me and I continue to chew on it. It refers to numbness. Allow me to share a few thoughts about being numb with you. Numbness is something I dare say we all have experienced. The older I get the more I realize that my legs go numb very quickly if I sit on them and I have a bad habit of putting one leg under me when I sit down. Just a little over a month ago on July 4th, Ben was playing around and sitting in my lap outside on the front porch and when he got up I did not think I could stand. I'm not kidding ladies, there was NO feeling what so ever in my legs and when the feeling came back I was almost wishing it hadn't! It was so painful I thought I was going to be sick! lol! Have any of you ever slept on your arms during the night and wake up with two useless limbs? lol...to funny. Or you ladies that have had epidurals....now that is some good numbing medicine! After I had Hannah I had a tubal and they increased the epidural to go up the bottom of my rib cage. When they brought me to my room and were trying to get me from one bed to the other they kinda let my legs get away from them and all I could do was watch and think...."wow, those don't even seem like my legs...I can't feel them!" Luckily Doug grabbed them and didn't let me hit the floor...as usual..he came to the rescue. :) We've all had dental work probably which has required some numbing meds too. For all medical purposes the numbing is to get rid of pain. Sometimes in life we go numb for the same reason. Broken dreams, dashed hopes, broken hearts. We build walls and go numb. Sometimes life is so busy that we become numb to the real things that matter. We have selective hearing and selective feeling. I know one time I was walking down the beach when Hope was just about 4 and Danita and I were talking and Hope was behind us saying "mom......mom.......mom........mom.......mom........mom" and Danita finally said "WOULD YOU ANSWER THAT CHILD!!"....Oh, I knew I heard her soft sweet little voice that never gets hardly above a whisper but that "selective" hearing was working and I was simply numb to my worn out name. Unfortunately, I think we do the same to God. Our dear Savior whispers our name, gently taps on our heart and we are to numb to feel it. The busy life we have, the schedules that are so packed, the constant noise of our lives makes our hearing weak, and the disappointments of life make our walls go up and our emotions numb. But here is the passage from Max's book that started all this thinking of mine...I hope it causes you to do a self check on your hearing and feelings yourself.
"Let me state something important. There is never a time during which Jesus is not speaking. Never. there is never a place in which Jesus is not present. Never. There is never a room so dark....a lounge so sensual....an office so sophisticated....that the ever-present, ever-pursuing, relentlessly tender Friend is not there, tapping gently on the doors of our hearts - waiting to be invited in.
Few hear his voice. Fewer still open the door.
But NEVER interpret our numbness for his absence. For amidst the fleeting promises of pleasure is the timeless promise of his presence."
Hebrews 13:5..."I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
Revelation 3:20 "Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him , and will sup with him, and he with me."
What about it ladies, are you numb?
This year the Lord has directed my heart towards a study by Max Lucado. That's right...my favorite christian author...wooooohoooooo!!! lol...can't help but shout that little bit of joy out! It is called "Experiencing the Words of Jesus, Hearing His voice and Trusting His Words", and it is going to be fantastic!
There is a quote from the book that has really struck me and I continue to chew on it. It refers to numbness. Allow me to share a few thoughts about being numb with you. Numbness is something I dare say we all have experienced. The older I get the more I realize that my legs go numb very quickly if I sit on them and I have a bad habit of putting one leg under me when I sit down. Just a little over a month ago on July 4th, Ben was playing around and sitting in my lap outside on the front porch and when he got up I did not think I could stand. I'm not kidding ladies, there was NO feeling what so ever in my legs and when the feeling came back I was almost wishing it hadn't! It was so painful I thought I was going to be sick! lol! Have any of you ever slept on your arms during the night and wake up with two useless limbs? lol...to funny. Or you ladies that have had epidurals....now that is some good numbing medicine! After I had Hannah I had a tubal and they increased the epidural to go up the bottom of my rib cage. When they brought me to my room and were trying to get me from one bed to the other they kinda let my legs get away from them and all I could do was watch and think...."wow, those don't even seem like my legs...I can't feel them!" Luckily Doug grabbed them and didn't let me hit the floor...as usual..he came to the rescue. :) We've all had dental work probably which has required some numbing meds too. For all medical purposes the numbing is to get rid of pain. Sometimes in life we go numb for the same reason. Broken dreams, dashed hopes, broken hearts. We build walls and go numb. Sometimes life is so busy that we become numb to the real things that matter. We have selective hearing and selective feeling. I know one time I was walking down the beach when Hope was just about 4 and Danita and I were talking and Hope was behind us saying "mom......mom.......mom........mom.......mom........mom" and Danita finally said "WOULD YOU ANSWER THAT CHILD!!"....Oh, I knew I heard her soft sweet little voice that never gets hardly above a whisper but that "selective" hearing was working and I was simply numb to my worn out name. Unfortunately, I think we do the same to God. Our dear Savior whispers our name, gently taps on our heart and we are to numb to feel it. The busy life we have, the schedules that are so packed, the constant noise of our lives makes our hearing weak, and the disappointments of life make our walls go up and our emotions numb. But here is the passage from Max's book that started all this thinking of mine...I hope it causes you to do a self check on your hearing and feelings yourself.
"Let me state something important. There is never a time during which Jesus is not speaking. Never. there is never a place in which Jesus is not present. Never. There is never a room so dark....a lounge so sensual....an office so sophisticated....that the ever-present, ever-pursuing, relentlessly tender Friend is not there, tapping gently on the doors of our hearts - waiting to be invited in.
Few hear his voice. Fewer still open the door.
But NEVER interpret our numbness for his absence. For amidst the fleeting promises of pleasure is the timeless promise of his presence."
Hebrews 13:5..."I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
Revelation 3:20 "Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him , and will sup with him, and he with me."
What about it ladies, are you numb?
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