A few new pics.....

Putting it out there.......

"Putting it out there" is a common phrase used in today's society. It essentially means telling it all, not holding back, not being reserved. I couldn't help but think of this phrase as I read the story of king Hezekiah in 2 Kings chapter 19.

Hezekiah receives word that the Assyrian armies are coming to attack and capture the children of Israel. And the message specifically says v10 "Don't let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria." Wow...Hezekiah's first thought may have been..."Oh no you just didn't say that about my God!"...ok, so maybe those weren't his exact words but we can have a little spiritual imagination can't we?...lol I do know for a fact it bothered him because we read the account of what his actions were and what he said.

v14-19 "After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord's temple and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord. "O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib's words of defiance against the living God. It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all - only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord are God.""

I love the fact that he physically took the letter and "spread it out" before the Lord! Even though he obviously realized God is omnipotent and omnipresent...he was saying "Here it is!...Look at this!"

I also love the motive for his prayer. Not because he was afraid of captivity. Not because he feared death. Not for his people..after all he was the king of Israel. No, the main motive was that they had said his God wasn't god enough to keep them safe. Wow! Hezekiah wanted EVERYONE to know that God was more powerful than anything. He wanted them to see He was the one true God of Israel!!

Here are some things I noticed...
1. Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord to pray. Do you have a special place of prayer where just you and the Lord fellowship?
2. He took the offending letter from the Assyrians and "spread it out". What do you need to spread out in front of the Lord? Medical bills that seem daunting?...A letter from an estranged loved one?....A picture of someone you are praying for? Whatever it is...put it out there...let God examine it and examine your heart..your motives for wanting Him to change the situation. Is it to bring Him glory...to prove that HE IS GOD?
3. Hezekiah was very specific in his request. Be specific in what you pray for.

I want my prayer life to be better, stronger, more real this year. I'm going to start by following Hezekiah's example. It's time to PUT IT ALL OUT THERE! :)

Looking back.....

It is hard to believe that we are in the final week of 2010!! Where did the year go? It seems that the older I get the faster time flies even though I know that is an impossibility. I have been thinking back about the year and all the ups and downs and I just feel a sense of awe at how God has worked in the lives of the Weaks' family over the past 12 months.

The first part of the year held a trial that I'd never experienced before. One that put my daughter in danger and one that really tested my faith. A relationship gone in a direction I never dreamed it would and a feeling of betrayal unlike any I've ever experienced. I found myself having no comfort outside of Psalm 55. I want to share it with you.

Psalm 55 v1-2Listen to my prayer, O God. Do not ignore my cry for help. Please listen and answer me for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.

v5-7 Fear and trembling overwhelm me, and I can't stop shaking. Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness.

v9 Confuse them Lord, and frustrate their plans.

v12-14 It is not an enemy who taunts me, I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me, I could have hidden from them. Instead it is you- my equal, my companion, my close friend. What good fellowship we once enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God.

v16 But I will call on God, and the Lord will rescue me.

v20 As for my companion, he betrayed his friends; he broke his promises.

v21 His words are as smooth as butter, but in his heart is war. His words are as soothing as lotion but underneath are daggers!

v22 Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

dear friends...those are verses you can bank on. Call on God...he'll rescue you. Give your burdens to him....He will take care of you. When you feel fear because of the enemy...tell Him. The Savior loves you, and is watching those who hurt his children. My heart was so heavy and so filled with fear at times for my daughter that I would physically be sick to my stomach. I have spent many nights in tears over the whole situation...my heart in anguish. But throughout the whole 6 to 7 months of this trial I never once doubted God. I never once was mad at him and for that I am thankful. I know he is my Father and that he is the King of kings and he loves this little princess. :) And I KNOW that ALL things work together for good to those who love God ..who are called according to his purpose. ...His Word..is TRUTH! I also saw a prayer I had prayed for almost a year concerning this situation be answered just a few weeks ago...I still want to shout when I think about it. God showed me in his timing that he did hear my prayer...he always hears....don't ever give up!

Doug, Hannah and I had the privilege of going on a cruise this year to the Bahamas with our dear friends Wade, Danita, Kaylea and Riley Breeden from GA. What a blessing to be with them. Danita has always been like a balm for my soul and I really needed that time with her. It was precious! The beauty of God's creation we beheld was amazing!

Doug and I celebrated another anniversary making this our 23rd year of marraige. I love him more every day and we seem to make a better team with each passing day. He treats me like a queen and I certainly hope he knows he is the king of our home.

I have beheld our church grow and had the honor of participating in our bread delivery for new visitors. What a neat idea that is. When people visit our church and fill out a visitor's card they will receive some home baked goodies at their doorstep the following week just to let them know their visit was important to us at Gospel Baptist and we'd love for them to come again. I've met some dear people through that ministry. I've also become an active member of the shut-in ministry....OH MY!! What treasures these dear saints of God are! I love to visit them. Without fail they always have a word of praise on their lips for the Lord....wow...I am learning so much from them!

I am super excited to include my very first overseas mission trip in this annual wrap-up. Thanksgiving week 19 of us embarked on a missions trip in Montego Bay, Jamaica in a small community called Cantebury. I know that lives were changed that week but I sometimes wonder if it were not mine that was changed the most. God convicted me of my ungrateful attitude for the simple things in life and for the luxuries that we as Americans have on a daily basis. The greatest gift of all is that we have Bible believing and teaching churches at our access. The people of Jamaica are terribly poor but they are absolutely destitute spirtually in many cases. They are so confused and have been led astray by satan. Thank you Lord, that I got to be a small part of telling them about the one who died for their sins and that can change their life her and for all eternity!

I came back home from the missions trip to be thrust into dress rehearsals of our Christmas Drama....wow!...that was something else!! I didn't have even half of my lines memorized when we got back but somehow God miracuously helped me and come Dec. 10th...I was ready! We had over 950 people see the Christmas play that weekend and close to 30 people saved!! It was AMAZING how God worked through each of us. Simple vessels of clay that he used to help hurting people. Praise your name Lord...you are worthy.

The the very next weekend was the live nativity. I was a greeter for 2 of the 3 nights and I loved every (cold...very cold) second of it! We had hundreds of people drive thru that I had the honor of welcoming, extending some warm apple cider and cookies and candy canes to and just to make that human contact of Jesus loving them through me. What an honor that job is. For some Christmas is a very sad and lonely time. People are hurting all around us and my prayer was that if any of those people came through our nativity that night they felt joy and was reminded of the gift of Christmas....Jesus Christ!

This was also my last Christmas with Hope at home. She will be married in 2011 and will start her life with the one God created for her. So it was a time of tears for Doug and I...this year has held lots of "last times". The last time she'll wake up on Christmas morning as Hope Weaks...next year it will be Hope Minter. The last time she'll help me fix our Christmas candies...next year she'll be in a kitchen of her own fixing them for her friends and neighbors. Oh my...I've got to stop...I'm crying again. But any mother who's been through this can relate I know...so I'll just say..pray for us. We love Ben and are so happy for them but it is a big change for us.

Well...those are the highlights...I couldn't possibly tell all the year has held. I am excited to see what 2011 going to hold. There will be blessings, and great joys, adventures and trials but the one thing that matters is that the same God who carried me through 2010...will be there for every second and his grace will be there at the very second I need it! I told someone that I loved last year that 2010 was like a clean slate...every new day you woke up you had the opportunity to be better than you were the year before. So with that in mind...I want to serve God more...better...with vigor and excitement and with great faithfulness in 2011. I want to love my family and serve them...make each of their days fun and full of joy..be kind..not critical...encouraging...not a party pooper. I want to be a godly friend to those around me. I want to be a person of thankfulness. To sum it all up....I just want to be what God wants me to be....how about you?

Thanksgiving from my heart...

We returned home from Jamaica around midnight on Friday and as I walked in the door to our home my heart was flooded with thankfulness. Just the clean smell of it and the warmth I felt from the central heat was more than I deserved. As far back as I can remember Thanksgiving has been a time of huge meals and family gatherings. A time to reflect on the goodness of God throughout the year. But this year was so very different for me. We were on a short term mission trip to Jamaica and though the temperature was in the high 80's instead of highs in the 40's or 50's, and there was no turkey, dressing or sweet potato casserole, and though there was a precious component of my family missing (Doug), it was truly the most thankful I have ever been and I think the most I have ever joyed in my heart because of my salvation and the relationship I have with Jesus Christ.

Jamaicans are economically struggling beyond what us Americans can imagine. It takes 85 of their dollars to make 1 of ours. There are no jobs and most evident on many of their faces, there is no hope. The majority of them believe that their works will get them to heaven, just being a good person. Even though you take them to the Word of God and show them verses like Ephesians 2:8-9...they still are so indoctrinated with false truths that it doesn't sink in. They have little to no respect for women in their culture and the children are not treated with love and compassion and in a lot of cases are not even protected. It is a survival, every man for themselves mentality. It is a dark, dark place spiritually. But amongst the darkness are some rays of light like Baylife Baptist Church where Bro. Cletus Titus and his dear wife Tammy are preaching and teaching the gospel. There is a Bible college called Fairview Bible College where young men and women (over 20 of them) are studying God's word and planning to give their lives to service for their King. There is an orphanage high upon a mountain called Robin's Nest where little children are loved, clothed and fed, and taught the Word of God by American missionaries who have given their life to the Lord and are serving him in this very remote location filled with many difficulties and challenges. Seeing these lights shining so brightly in such a dark place brought me to a place of conviction about my complaints in this life and to a place of crying out to God in repentance and eventually to a place of such joy in Jesus that it truly was the BEST Thanksgiving I have ever had.

I want to list just a few things that I am thankful for.

I have been taught the Word since I was 5 years old. Not false doctrine...the true Word of GOD!!

I know the peace that Jesus Christ gives his children and the grace that is available at just the right moment for every child of God.

I am respected by my husband and treated like a treasure.

I have clean water to drink and not only do I have food to eat, I have the foods I WANT to eat.

I have a job that not only pays me a salary, it has benefits such as insurance, paid sick days and vacations days and other perks.

I have air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter.

I have a clothes dryer and money to pay for the electricity it takes to run it.

I can go out to shop by myself and not be afraid.

I lay down at night and do not fear for my safety.

My family is here with me every day and I have the honor of loving them, spending time with them and watching them grow into beautiful young ladies.

I can get in my car and drive on roads that are free from potholes that could break an axle, and rules for the road that are obeyed such as no passing zones and red lights and speed limits.

My home is free from roaches and the constant road noise of the traffic with their horns constantly beeping and people yelling.

I can walk up and down my street without being offered drugs and seeing prostitutes.

The list could go on, and on. We are a people who are so spoiled and have blessings so bountifully heaped on us and yet we complain over EVERYTHING! God forgive us....God forgive me. Next time you complain about laundry....be thankful you have a washer and dryer. Next time you complain about cooking....be thankful you have food to cook. Next time you complain about traffic....thank God for paved roads. Next time you complain period....thank God for salvation which is in itself more than any of us ever deserved and yet he gave the ultimate sacrifice, his son for us. His love is extravagant and so are his blessings. Praise to the Lord...for He is worthy!

Thankful?....Oh yes...a million times yes!!!

Thinking out loud....

I can't hardly believe that November 2, 2010 is here....where did the year go???? It really does seem that time is passing by faster and faster the older I get. When I was a kid it seemed like Christmas came only once every 5 years, and now it seems it is every other week..lol Time is certainly moving...it does not wait on us to be ready.

Thanksgiving is only about 3 weeks away and I am more excited about it this year than I have ever been. Ben, Hope, Hannah and I are leaving the 20th of November for Cantebury, Jamaica to serve the people there the week of Thanksgiving. I am filled with excitement, joy, anxiety, and a little fear of the unkown. I am feeling a little apprehensive knowing that my soulmate won't be there with me. I depend on Doug and lean on him so much as we tackle each step of life and yet this trip he will stay here and it will be just the kids and I. I know that the Lord will take care of us and He will never leave us not even for a second and so I must trust in Him. Makes me kinda wonder how many areas of life I trust in humans first...before trusting the Lord 100%?...I don't know... maybe I am learning the 1st lesson he has for me before I ever board the plane. :)

I am praying that he will use us in a might way! I am praying for health, safety, boldness, and a sweet bond with the people of Cantebury. They don't have much to speak of as far as material things and what is even sadder is that many of them do not have Jesus. God, help me to show them how much you love them through my service. I am praying for sweet memories for my kids and I. This will be last time I will be able to do anything like this with Hope before she gets married. I am praying for God to spotlight the areas in all our lives that He wants to work on. While we are getting dirty on the outside through service I pray we get clean and washed white as snow on the inside!!

I have a feeling deep in my soul that this Thanksgiving will truly be a time of giving thanks and that we will be consumed with a greatful heart for what a mighty, wonderful, awesome, gracious, merciful and compassionate Savior we have!!

Another Milestone...

Today started as any other normal Wednesday. The girls both got up and got themselves off to school, Doug got off to work and I began to make my check-list for the day since I had the day off from BB&T. It was a rainy fall day in October and everyone was going about their business like normal. The afternoon however was another milestone for me as a mother. You see, this afternoon Hope and I had her hair done and then met her photographer at the Penn House for her bridal portraits. I watched in awe as she slipped that long, lean, slender body with skin like porcelain into that beautiful wedding gown. I hooked and zipped it, fluffed the crinoline, and slipped the shoes on and buckled them for her. With hair pins of pearls and rhinestones in place, and long elegant earrings hanging from her lobes we began the photo shoot. As I stood back and took it all in I couldn't help but shake my head in astonishment that this was real. My Hope, my little girl who had freckles on her face, who loved for me to read to her and lay with her until she fell alseep, the little girl who has always spoke not much above a whisper, the little girl who has always soaked up everything taught to her like a sponge, that little girl isn't a little girl any longer. No the young woman who stood in front of me today was confident, kind, genuine, and had a glow about her. The Hope that stood in front of me today has committed her life to serving Christ. She trusted that same Christ to send her the one he had created for her and she is 100% sure that someone is Ben Minter. She is filled with joy and expectation at what their life serving Christ together will hold. She is truly an amazing young woman and I am honored to call her my daughter. The tears were hard to hold back but I did my best, and in the days ahead it most surely will be harder. The tears aren't because I disapprove or because I am sad, oh no, they are because I know when I look at her that I have been truly blessed that God entrusted this special young woman to Doug and I to raise and because of the sheer joy she has brought us. Hope, we love you sweetie....more than you will ever know.

God knows...

Proverbs 10:1 "A wise child brings joy to a father, a foolish child brings grief to a mother."

As I read and mediatated on this verse the Holy Spirit showed me something I had not seen before. When children are good...the father has joy, but when they are foolish, the mother is the one with grief. Now that isn't to say that a mother isn't joyful when they are good or that a father doesn't hurt when they are bad...BUT...God knows a momma's heart. He knows that a mother worries and hurts deeper than a dad. A mother's love is just different. She is the one who sacrifices, stays up during the night, nurses the boo boos, prays over the friends they choose and the decisions they make. She is the PTO president, the homeroom mom, the one who makes treats for the whole team, the one who washes uniforms the night before the games, makes sure everyone has a lunch, etc., etc., etc.!! Mom's are in the thick of things all the time. And when a mom sees a child turning from the Lord, making a poor decision. It rips her heart out. Here's the part that really blessed my heart. As God inspired men to pen down his words over 2000 years ago, he made sure to have them pen these words "a foolish child brings grief to a mother." I don't think he did it to make sure that us moms know we should hurt, or it is our job to have heavy hearts; no, he did it to let us know he knows how we feel. The God of the universe, the creator, the one who gave you that special blessing called "a child"...he knows how you are hurting and he cares.WOW!! Thank you Lord that when we face the storms of life you know how we feel. There is one thing for a friend to sympathize with you, but it quite another when a friend empathizes with you. Jesus empathizes with you and I dear sister. And not only does he know how we feel, he has the power to change the situation. As we cry out to him to intervene, we can say with confidence, "Lord you KNOW how we feel". Praise be to a Savior who cares about every part of our life and our emotions!!