Fullness of Joy

Thou will show me the path of life. In Thy presence is fullness of joy. At Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

God's readiness to hear our prayer...

"Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear."
~ Isaiah 65:24

O God, how sweet and amazing it is to me that You promise to answer my cry BEFORE I call to You & that You hear my needs, the desires of my heart before I speak!

From this I am reminded of how eager my Father is to hear from me, have fellowship with me, to answer my cries to Him. I am so thankful that Christ is my advocate before the Father, reminding Him that He paid the price for my sin. Another incredible thing to me is that the Holy Spirit cries out with deep groaning on my behalf to the Father, especially when I do not know what to pray! Isn't it amazing how God made provisions for our weakness?!

"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God - and if children, then heirs- heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ..." ~ Romands 8: 16

" Lkewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."
~ Romans 8:26

Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting

Jesus, I am resting, resting,

In the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart.

Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,

And Thy beauty fills my soul,

For by Thy transforming power,

Thou hast made me whole.

Jesus, I am resting, resting,

In the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart.

O, how great Thy loving kindness,

Vaster, broader than the sea!

O, how marvelous Thy goodness,

Lavished all on me!

Yes, I rest in Thee, Belovèd,

Know what wealth of grace is Thine,

Know Thy certainty of promise,

And have made it mine.

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.


Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,

I behold Thee as Thou art,

And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,

Satisfies my heart;

Satisfies its deepest longings,

Meets, supplies its every need,

Compasseth me round with blessings:

Thine is love indeed!

Jesus, I am resting, resting,

In the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart.

Ever lift Thy face upon me

As I work and wait for Thee;

Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,

Earth’s dark shadows flee.

Brightness of my Father’s glory,

Sunshine of my Father’s face,

Keep me ever trusting, resting,

Jesus, I am resting, resting,

In the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart.

Puritan Prayers... Contentment

Heavenly Father, if I should suffer need, and go unclothed, and be in poverty, make my heart prize Thy love, know it, be constrained by it, though I be denied all blessings. It is Thy mercy to afflict and try me with wants, for by these trials I see my sins, and desire severance from them. Let me willingly accept misery, sorrows, temptations, if I can thereby feel sin as the greatest evil, and be delivered from it with gratitude to Thee, acknowledging this as the highest testimony of Thy love.


When thy Son, Jesus, came into my soul instead of sin He became more dear to me than sin had formerly been; His kindly rule replaced sin's tyranny. Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin subdued I must not only labour to overcome it, but must invite Christ to abide in the place of it, and He must become to me more than vile lust had been; that His sweetness, power, life may be there. Thus I must seek a grace from Him contrary to sin, but must not claim it apart from Himself.


When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me by showing me that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch, but in Christ I am reconciled and live; that in myself I find insufficiency and no rest, but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace; that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good, but in Christ I have ability to do all things. Though now I have His graces in part, I shall shortly have them perfectly in that state where Thou wilt show Thyself fully reconciled, and alone sufficient, efficient, loving me completely, with sin abolished. O Lord, hasten that day.

How Grateful I Am....

"How grateful I am, and how I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but for a while you didn't have the chance to help me. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. But even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. I don't say this because I want a gift from you. What I want is for you to receive a well-earned reward because of your kindness. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit."

(Phil 4:10-23 NLT, selected verses)

The Prescription for Worry

We can't add a minute to our life by worrying. Simply put, worry is useless. I am prone to worry somewhat about myself but endlessly over [my children]. All our worry in the name of love can accomplish absolutely nothing. But all our praying in the name of Jesus could entreat God to accomplish anything. When will we learn to turn our worry effort into prayer?
Christ's remedy for worry is to be like the ravens and lilies ~ trust God to do His job (Luke 12:2526).

The prescription for worry is trust. Trust comes to those who take God at His Word.

Beth Moore
Excerpted from
Glimmers of Grace: Sparkling Reminders to Encourage You
© 2008 Women of Faith, Inc. All rights reserved.

It would have been enough....

This is an old letter to our friends & family after we moved in 2007 ~ it is a needed reminder of God's faithfulness to us, an necessary kick in the pants to realign my focus to His purposes & that all things may not seems good, but that God in His incredible love & plan work all things together for good for us, because we are called by Him... when will we see the good?... now, a short season, sometime in our lifetime or on the otherside of this life once we are face to face with our Redeemer ~ only God knows His perfect timing. I am called to trust, to have faith, to believe, to rest FULLY in & on my Savior! It is so simple yet so hard. It sounds & is so freeing, but is such a struggle with my sinful self. Why do I continue to battle over these same struggles day after day? Because sin is at war, but I will take heart ~ He has overcome sin & death! He has WON the victory!!

Monday, May 28, 2007

It would have been enough...

Do not be impatient for the Lord to act, travel steadily along the path and

He will give you the land.

~ Psalm 37:34

A friend shared this verse with our family as an encouragement over 2 years ago when we thought that the Lord was directing our family to move to the coast. Many times over the last 2 years have we remembered this verse & been reminded of God's faithfulness to our family. God's faithfulness to our family has not just been one of "God I WANT….." & God says "Okay… your wish is my command" but it has been a continuation of a journey where God continues to teach us of His holiness, sovereignty, power, grace, mercy, love & so many more facets of His character. He continues to mold each of us into His image.

Over the last 5 years, especially, we have been awed at God's deep love for us as He brought us through MANY seasons in the wilderness. Just like the Israelites, it would have been enough if God had just delivered us out of the difficulties ~ but instead He knew for us to become more like Him we needed to walk a road that wasn't quite as easy.

It would have been enough if God had provided work for our businesses but in addition to providing work, He has also provided favor before men & opportunities that far exceed any of our wildest imaginations! He continues to grow our trust in His as we wait on His timing for work ~ but He has always provided our needs.

It would have been enough if God had provided a church home for our family but He also provided a church home at just the right time (it didn't feel like the right time to us… we had been searching for almost 2 years) You see God brought us to Briarwood just about 6 weeks before Mom was diagnosed with leukemia. Briarwood is Mom's church, us being there enabled us to better meet Mom & the girls needs. Isn't it amazing how God works all the details out!

It would have been enough if God had healed Mom instantly by bringing her Home to heaven ~ but instead His best plan for our lives was that we care for one another & learn to live VERY close together (all of my siblings that were at home & Mom with us… in our tiny house!) His best was that Mom would persevere while still on Chemo & complete her last semesters of nursing school, be with her Mom & Dad before their deaths and be at the wedding of Mary Margaret & Chad.

It would have been enough that Mom could be back on her own & be able to work as a nurse ~ but God's beautiful plan would have her become a nurse on the oncology floor ~ where she can minister to others who are going through the fight against cancer. Wow… God is so good.

It would have been enough if God had allowed us to love on my grandmother while she lived in an assisted living facility ~ but because God made us available our family was allowed the privilege of walking the last stretch of Mama's life with her as she lived with our family. She taught us many things ~ she demonstrated deep gratitude & love ~ she allowed us to care for her when she wasn't able to do it herself. We were blessed to be a front row audience as hundreds of people "rose up and called her blessed". We learned about her fervent prayer for those God placed on her heart & how those prayers affected those people. God gave us deep love for Mama & the time we were together continues to impact our lives a year after her death & I know will continue to impact our lives for many more years!

It would have been enough if God had just provided a place for us to care for my grandmother, but in addition to that He brought just the right buyer to buy our home in Trussville ~and then we continued to be reminded of that verse from Psalm 37 ~ Don't be impatient….. it was so hard after Mama died to remain at 1872. The memories of the last 6 weeks of Mama's life were very difficult to keep in check. We just didn't understand why were weren't finding a home & we were beginning to ask God, " Surely you wouldn't call us to sell our house, move our family & care for Mama with reckless abandon, to bring us to a place where we were going to pay double or triple what we paid for our house originally to get a house in much more need of repair. We looked at 1000's of homes, over months & months. Again… God's timing for us was perfect ~ just 6 short weeks ago we just "happen" to come across a neighborhood in Calera. There were a number of things on our list ~ things we needed in our home. And then, there were the things we all dreamed about having…

It would have been enough for God to provide for our exact needs ~ but in our new home He provided far beyond what we could have ever hoped or dreamed for. It is in a new neighborhood just south of Birmingham. We never dreamed we would buy a NEW house! It has just enough room for our family, with room for us to continue to run our business from home. We have almost an acre & a half with an option to purchase the lot beside us in the future. This area is just beginning to explode & our house actually has been finished for almost a year. God's timing was perfect & at just the right time He led us to our new home. We got an incredible deal ~ with many special extras because the builder had been improving the house as it continued to sit unsold. It is almost as though God picked it out "just for us"!

On April 13th we closed on our new house. As of the middle of this week we are officially moved in! We are in awe of God's amazing provision for our family! We are so thankful for how He has worked in our hearts & lives. We beg Him to keep us in the fire so that daily we will be refined to be a vessel able to be used by Him.

This season seems to be one that we are feeling lavished with love…. There are still many facets of our lives that are tender & painful ~ we know that your lives are the same way. We ask that you rejoice with us & thank God for His tender precious mercies & we will continue to be before the throne on your behalf. We thank God for you & how He has used you in our lives!

We hope you will come see us at our new home! You are ALWAYS welcome & we would love for you to come by when you pass this way!

Winter...an exerpt from Amy Grants new book Mosaic

I read this last year & came across it again today. As winter hits this weekend & there are less hours of sunshine and I have less desire to be out getting sun because it is so cold, it was helpful to me to reread this and again go to the Throne begging for grace for THIS minute!!!

Winter by Amy Grant an excerpt from Mosaic

It’s interesting that so many of the great hymn writers battled depression. In fact, remarkable artists and leaders such as Picasso, Van Gogh, and Abraham Lincoln suffered from it as well. Winston Churchill called it the “black dog.” Whenever I am in a bleak mental state, I think about these people whom I admire and realize that this condition is not unique to me.

The first time I remember feeling derailed by depression, I was nineteen, a sophomore in college. I dropped out of Furman University for the winter quarter. I didn’t know to identify the dynamic as depression. I just understood it experientially, feeling like a piece of wood.

I’ve never seen the television show Lost, but I know the story line has to do with a group of people finding themselves in an unidentified place. They have to figure out where they are and survive until they can be found. Landing in the family gene pool can be a similar drama.

Depression runs in my family. My grandmother suffered from it. Years ago, my great-uncle told my cousin, “If you’re born into our family, you have to start the day with a brisk walk.” He knew the power of endorphins, even if he didn’t know what to call them. Back in the early eighties, on a winter day in College Station, Texas, I wandered into a strip-mall pet store and found myself staring at a wall of fish tanks. The season of the black dog had me pretty well socked in, though I was still too young to understand it. I just remember watching the fish and churning on the inside, angry with them for their contentment.

Our understanding and treatment of depression has changed a lot since then. Antidepressant prescriptions are as common as birth-control pills. Except for a four-month period in 1999, I haven’t relied on them. Probably my age and the circumstances of my life have softened the downward spirals for me, but winter is still a struggle every year. Maybe subconsciously that is part of the reason I’ve made so much Christmas music—to focus on hope and joy and store up a lot of good thoughts for the dark months ahead.

The truth is, I have a great life. I’ve made a career of my childhood hobby, and a million doors have been opened to me. Still, I’m confronted with moods that just appear out of nowhere: feeling overwhelmed, feeling like what I have to offer is not enough, a deep sadness that is foreign to my usual optimism, loss of energy. In those times, it’s hard to complete my thoughts, much less my sentences.

What I’ve learned so far is that depression can be, but is not necessarily, about circumstances or about a particular event. It is physical. It is hereditary. It is cyclical. Its onset is like traveling down a road and suddenly hitting a patch of deep sand, wheels spinning and no visible forward motion.

The good news is, I’ve learned to recognize it and not be ashamed of it. I know as surely as it comes, it will go. In the meantime, here’s the talk I give myself:

~ Don’t be so hard on yourself.

~ Simplify the to-do list.

~ Be grateful for unavoidable responsibility. It makes you move.

~ Be careful what you reach for.

~ If necessary, be willing to say, “I’m having a hard time, and it’s not you.”

~ My great-uncle Dandy was right. A brisk walk helps.

~ Make contact with other people. Hear about somebody else’s day.

Because I live with these occasional extremes in myself, I look at other people differently. We never really know what is going on inside another person. It’s good reason to be gentle.

Routines ~

The routines of housework and of offering give us the chance, day after day, to lay down our life for others. Then they are no longer routines. By being done with love and offerered up to God with praise, they are made holy.

-- Elisabeth Elliot

A reminder of the amazing legacy I am a beneficiary of....

O, Lord ~ You have been good

You have been faithful

You have been good
For by Your hand

We have been fed

And by your Spirit

We have been led

February 24, 2008 ~ 2 years ago Mama was reunited with her Savior FOREVER! This year, I can truly say that although I miss her everyday ~ I am joyful because I know that she has been set free ~ released from the prison of sin & death!!

I intended to already have this written to you guys but didn’t get it finished ~ and then I went to church tonight. We just kicked off our Mission’s Conference today. Tonight we heard from Phil Tuttle from Walk Thru the Bible.

He was talking about Heroes ~

The Least Likely Hero ~

Ruth's Legacy: something transmitted by, or received from an ancestor or predecessor

Our World Says:

Legacies belong to people who are powerful, wealthy, and famous.God’s Word Says:Some of the most extraordinary legacies belong to the most ordinary people.

Our World Says:

Legacies are determined in the milestone moments of life.God’s Word Says:Legacies are determined in the daily decisions of life.

Legacies are very subtle ~ made by making faithful choices out of daily decisions. A hero lives a life of faithfulness to God!

He reminded us that Scripture spares us none of the pain of life. We can see in Ruth the grief & loss of a husband, a father & sons. But we also see how God provides a kinsman redeemer & through Ruth provides our Kinsman Redeemer!

Mama’s life as you all know, even more than I do, was far from ideal or picturesque. But Mama choose to count it all joy (no she wasn’t perfect) but her heart cry was to say, “Can I take good from God & not bad?”
Her life ~ daily ~ doing the next thing ~ screamed out to all who knew her that she knew the character of her God & that she believed what His Word says. By her example, we as her descendants have received a precious legacy of God’s love & faithfulness! I am so thankful for her investment in my life & in all of your lives! Her life continues to speak to me today! Although there are still tears sometimes ~ more smiles fill my heart. Two years ago, I just wasn’t sure I would ever be able to say that! I am thankful for God’s faithfulness to me & how He allowed me to walk through grief so intimately so that I could share in others pain!

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

I thought it was really neat that tonight Phil Tuttle spoke on Heroes ~ it was like God gave me a little gift ~ a reminder of the amazing legacy I am a beneficiary of ~ both Mama’s & most importantly ~ Jesus Christ!
I love you all deeply & am so thankful that you are part of my family!!

We are praying continually for Amelia & Sylvia!

All my love,
Rebecca

Comfort thyself

"I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."—Isaiah 48:10.

COMFORT thyself, tried believer, with this thought: God saith, "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." Does not the word come like a soft shower, assuaging the fury of the flame? Yea, is it not an asbestos armour, against which the heat hath no power? Let affliction come—God has chosen me. Poverty, thou mayst stride in at my door, but God is in the house already, and He has chosen me. Sickness, thou mayst intrude, but I have a balsam ready—God has chosen me. Whatever befalls me in this vale of tears, I know that He has "chosen" me. If, believer, thou requirest still greater comfort, remember that you have the Son of Man with you in the furnace. In that silent chamber of yours, there sitteth by your side One whom thou hast not seen, but whom thou lovest; and ofttimes when thou knowest it not, He makes all thy bed in thy affliction, and smooths thy pillow for thee.Thou art in poverty; but in that lovely house of thine the Lord of life and glory is a frequent visitor. He loves to come into these desolate places, that He may visit thee. Thy friend sticks closely to thee. Thou canst not see Him, but thou mayst feel the pressure of His hands.Dost thou not hear His voice? Even in the valley of the shadow of death He says, "Fear not, I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God." Remember that noble speech of Caesar: "Fear not, thou carriest Caesar and all his fortune." Fear not, Christian; Jesus is with thee. In all thy fiery trials, His presence is both thy comfort and safety.He will never leave one whom He has chosen for His own. "Fear not, for I am with thee," is His sure word of promise to His chosen ones in the "furnace of affliction." Wilt thou not, then, take fast hold of Christ, and say— "Through floods and flames, if Jesus lead, I'll follow where He goes."

Spurgeon ~

Fear...

7-3-08

I just got this today, WOW! I have been thinking this last week about what is my greatest fear & why I struggle so with it! It is a deep fear of loss ~ I just got it…. I AM BEING SELFISH & I AM NOT BEING JUST GRATEFUL for what the Lord has blessed me with! Instead of having the attitude of thanksgiving for the blessings, I take such ownership of them that I forget they are a gift, a blessings from the Most High… from my Father… my Good God!

O God, will you protect my heart, guard me from listening to the lies of Satan. Cause me to remember to count my blessings but not to hold onto them selfishly. I don’t want to be enslaved to the fear of loosing: Randy, girls, other people I love, friends, dreams, home, business, security, reputation, youth, beauty, health! To do that is to deny Christ, to deny You as my Savior! ~ Bexter

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand!

Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Source: A Lamp For My Feet
The Fear of Loss

In C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters we see with startling clarity the cleverness of the enemy in deceiving human beings. Selfishness has a thousand forms, most of which we are slow to recognize for what they are. I was thinking about the fear of loss and what a stranglehold it can have on me. As I listed some of the things I dreaded to lose, it occurred to me that this fear is a deadly form of selfishness. Selfishness does terrible things to us, but it does not stop there. It does terrible things to others. "Saving our own skin" usually results in skinning somebody else. Think, for example, of the fear of losing: reputation, opportunity for advancement, credit, recognition, position, beauty, youth, health, money, the love of friends or children, compliments, popularity, security, privacy, rights, people you love, job, home, dreams, power. As I considered each of these separately, I began to think what sort of sin each kind of loss tempts me to commit. Then I thought about what kind of faith is required to enable me to commit those fears to God. Has He, in fact, made provision for these things? The list is not a list of sins--make no mistake about that. It is a list of blessings, of gifts from God. But to grasp them selfishly and greedily, to hang onto them fiercely and allow myself to be enslaved by the fear of losing them, is to deny Christ. Do not fear, He says to us. I am with you.