Push Me Forward

This morning I was breaking down Nehemiah 1:11, and I loved the beautiful words of truth that were uncovered:

"O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servants who DELIGHT in REVERING Your name. Give your servant SUCCESS today by granting him FAVOR in the presence of this man" (NIV).

Other words for DELIGHT in other translations: Delight, desire, want to
Other words for REVERING in other translations: To worship, to fear
Other words for SUCCESS in other translations: Give help to, prosper your servant
Other words for FAVOR in other translations: Mercies, compassions

I wanted to know what some of these words meant in the Hebrew, so I checked them out using the Strongs numbers:

DELIGHT (chapets): delights in, desires, takes pleasure in, willing
FEAR/REVERE the NAME (yare' shem): fear and reverence His fame and renown
SUCCESS/PROSPER (tsalach): TO PUSH FORWARD.
FAVOR/MERCY (racham): Compassions, tender love, great mercy


So Lord, I pray for "success" today AS YOU DEFINE IT--that You may push Your servant forward in bringing reverence to your fame and renown. Please let your favor--your compassions, your tender love, and your great mercy surround me.

A Covering Over Our Home

Long story short, our little mini-flood required a bathroom re-paint. So as I went along, I painted Scripture references on the wall. I really love having the Word of God around our home. I'm not superstitious, but when we were house-hunting, any sort of idol in a home was a deal-breaker. And on the contrary, I felt such a peace in this one home--this itty bitty, otherwise unimpressive home--but then I saw that the Word of God was tucked away all around the house. That didn't end up being THE home for us, but the one that was, I want to fill with truth.

I want His Word in our home, around our home, being read and spoken and LIVED in our home.

In The Morning When I Rise

I am really loving my mornings these days. I sneak downstairs and read Isaiah by candlelight, and it's been awesome. And while Isaiah has, at times, been one bear of a read (it's a lot of judgment in the first 40 chapters and then redemption after that, but I'm only on chapter 32 now), it is one of the most densely-packed-with-truth-to-chew-on books of the Bible I have ever read!

I'll be honest--I haven't always been so eager to spring out of bed, even to encounter truth. Most days it's something I really look forward to, now that it's a habit. It was downright difficult at first. And even now it's still occasionally a stretch for me to pull myself out of bed. But it has been SO GOOD. Makes me wonder what I've missed all those days I slept through my quiet time. Now I feel like I don't want to go through a day without covering my mind and heart in His Word, but I have gone through many, many a day that way. Uncovered.

Lord, thank You for hemming me in each morning with Your Word. I really, seriously, absolutely desperately need it.

The Teaching

Yesterday's teaching at Cobb Vineyard Church...it went well! No anxiety, just peace. Totally His faithfulness. One thing I've felt strongly is that there is no point in speaking truth if it will soon be forgotten--so I was SO thankful that the comment I heard more than anything was that they would remember what they'd heard. Praise God! Life change comes about when truth sticks. I love it!

Thanks for the prayers!

One Hour Out

Getting ready to head over to Cobb Vineyard Church to share "Does God See?" Last night I had an awesome time of reading through some of Jeremiah and the call on his life to speak, then I drove and prayed, practiced, and then just had a time of worship.

I feel ready.

Thank You, Lord--we can all speak the words Hagar proclaimed in Genesis 16: You indeed are the God who sees me.

36 Hours Out

It's Saturday night, 10:02pm. On Monday morning at 10am I'll be doing a 15-minute teaching for a small group of women at Cobb Vineyard Church--it's sort of a trial run to see how I do before an audience. Lots of praying and practicing and praying some more...and it's nearly here now.

So grateful for this opportunity to go speak truth!

A Consequence...Seriously?

A few days after "flood day" I was driving home from the store and found a ROAD CLOSED sign off to the side on the road I was on. I hesitated--should I go? Just then, a Fed*Ex truck zoomed past me down the road. "Good enough," I thought, but I proceeded carefully, looking ahead to see if there was any water in the road.

There wasn't any. Not a drop. As a matter of fact, it hadn't rained in two days.

The Fed*Ex truck turned into a subdivision, and I kept going...

...right into a COP TRAP. AAAAAAAAAAAh!!

I've been pulled over before...Never cried once. But this time, I was straight up into the ugly cry and could. not. pull. it. together. I'm sure the guy thought I was trying to get out of the ticket, but I was genuinely REALLY upset, REALLY mad at myself.

So did my tears change anything? Nope. I still got my big fat stinkin' $130 ticket that I am taking on extra work to pay off. But here's the thing--I honestly thought I was not really going to get that ticket. I thought my justifications for heading down that road were totally legitimate...
* I thought maybe they hadn't picked up all the ROAD CLOSED signs after the flooding
* there was NO water anywhere
* the road looked fine as far as I could see
* the sign was off to the side
* I just followed the Fed*Ex truck...

...but so what? The sign said ROAD CLOSED. Enough said. I should not have been driving down that road. I drove right past the sign that told me to stay away. I wish I had followed that instruction. I didn't, and I am paying (literally) dearly for it.

After being handed my ticket, I headed back to where I came and found another car heading down the same path I had just taken--a path that led to consequence. I flagged the driver down and urged, "Turn around! Don't go this way!" That driver listened to me, turned around, and headed away from the consequence.

Smart guy. Wish I'd been so smart.

I get it, Lord. Thank You for calling me to obedience. I don't want to sin so that grace can abound, I want to obey. I really do. None of this "Oh, I thought this was a gray area" or "But I know You'll forgive me." Only obedience. And just because I don't always get why it's so important for me to heed the warning, still you say, "Obey." Enough said.

Thank you that you discipline those You love. Thank you for calling me to something deeper than excuses and countless ways to justify my sin. Thank you for correcting me--though it hurts, though it is not pleasant in the least, I am thankful that I'm justified by your death and resurrection. I know You love me.

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but instead is painful (Preach it!!!). But later on it produces a harvest of godliness and peace for those who are trained by it." Hebrews 12: 11

P.S. Recently I saw the other entrance to Nance Road, the road on which I got my ticket. When I saw the mess on the other side, it struck fear in my heart. Let's just say that from where I actually was on that forbidden road, I couldn't see it, but I was headed for danger. I was actually quite fortunate that police officer was there to intercept me and turn me around toward safety.

And Like a Flood...

On Sunday, September 21st we sang these words in church:

"And like a flood, His mercy rains--unending love, amazing grace."

I was standing there singing these words and thought of how a severe flood requires the old to go and the new to come. New carpet, new drywall, sometimes new everything. And it struck me that HIS MERCY has the same effect on us--in light of His incomprehensible mercy, the old has to go and the new comes in.

It poured that day. Seemed just like one REALLY rainy day.

But by the next day there was widespread flooding--roads and schools closed--chaos.

A house across from Trevor's school (right around the corner from us) flooded and caught fire, leaving the family with nothing. So very many people are having to start over from nothing, We were okay--no flooding at our place. We were really grateful, but brokenhearted for those who weren't so fortunate.

Then came Thursday.

That evening we ran a quick errand together as a family--we weren't gone more than 15 minutes. But we returned home to our own mini-flood. Water was rapidly pouring out of the upstairs toilet (the tank had a HUGE crack in it...HUH?!? and it kept filling up and spilling out)--and as quickly as we moved to get all the water up, there were several leak spots all over our ceiling downstairs. We'll likely need to replace the flooring up there, all due to water run amock.

Makes me think of mercy run amock in my life. God's love and grace--they rush in and command a change in me. Selfishness is torn out and replaced with love. My apathetic heart is exchanged for one filled with compassion. His kindness leads me to repentance.

It's all over the news--floods can be utterly devastating in the worst way. But how thankful I am for the flood of His mercy that devastates my purposes and plans and makes a way for His--the rush of His grace that prepares the way for all things new.

First Podcast!!!

This has all been a few months in the making--but they're here!!

The Women's League Speakers' Bureau podcasts!

Click HERE to listen to a short online devotion. It'll only take 3 minutes of your time!

Jodi's is "A Moment." Mine is "Where Your Eyes Rest" (added today). Rae's podcast will be added next Monday. Then each Monday, a new one will be added.

Blessings! Thanks for listening!

Under My Feet

One of my favorite songs is "Shadowfeet" by Brooke Fraser (if you've visited our family blog, it was on the playlist until recently). The line that is really speaking to me today is:

"EVERY FEAR AND ACCUSATION UNDER MY FEET
When time and space are through, I'll be found in You."

The past week or two I have been dealing with accusations.

Unsubstantiated ones.

And anyone who knows me knows that I am wired to tread lightly and that I do not try to tick people off. In fact, I err on the side of really, really, really trying NOT to tick people off. To a fault. So when it has come my way more than once in the last two weeks that misunderstandings have led to me getting lashed out at by those who do not know me, it has really burned. And while I desire to have a teachable heart and have been trying to evaluate these situations and consider if I need to own any of it, ultimately I've been brought back to who the accuser is. And boy, does he make me mad.

I think back to when I was pulled over by a police officer who seemed pretty nervous approaching my vehicle. Once he was at my door, he proceeded to accuse me of driving a stolen car.

Oh, yeah. That's JUST like me to do something like that.

He wasn't even the least bit nice about it. And by the end of his tirade I was ready to ask for the guy's badge number (but didn't, in keeping with the whole "don't-like-to-tick-people-off" thing).

Somehow I was able to convince the guy I wasn't some felon on the run (though I really give off that vibe, I know) and was on my way, but there was something about being falsely accused that did not sit well with me.

Nor does it now. Prayerfully the Lord has really brought me to the peace that I am not to own these unmerited accusations--by strangers--those who do not know my heart.

But I praise the One who sees my heart--the One in whom I am found.

He is my DEFENDER. He is my ADVOCATE. He speaks on my BEHALF. He's my MEDIATOR. And because of His victory over sin and death, and because I am, by His grace, found in Him, these fears and accusations are UNDER MY FEET in the strong and mighty name of JESUS.

And so I say to the accuser, you may have struck the heel of my Jesus. But He has crushed your head (Genesis 3:15). You are under His feet.

And your accusations are under mine.

What's This For?

Exodus 17. I've read it many a time--it's always been a fave. But this time through reading it with our small group a few weeks back, I saw the passage with new eyes, and it has really been life-changing. And THEN in the weeks since, the Lord has been adding to it and unpacking that passage more and more, and really, really shedding some light on some things.

Sorry to be vague. It's just that I don't yet know what this is all about, and I need to pray it through. But it seems that there just may be a time to get very UN-vague about this.

Can I just say that my God really just blows me away? He WANTS to make mysteries known to us, I am believing that more and more as I meet with Him daily. He is faithful to illuminate things in our hearts and connect the dots in the coolest ways!

Praying He will provide the opportunity of His choosing--a time to be un-vague. :)

Here Again

I've been here before. Like when Justin and I first said to each other, "You're the one." Like when I saw positive pregnancy tests for my kids.

When I say "here" I mean that place of a hope being fulfilled. A dream becoming a reality. A vision coming to pass. And a wait ending.

It was back in 1996 when the Lord first spoke into my life about communicating His truth. A woman told me she thought the Lord had weighted my words, so to speak, that my words would be used to bring about healing in peoples' lives.

I won't lie, I kind of thought she was crazy.

Then nothing more until summer of 1999, when at the end of one of the very toughest days of my life, I was asked to speak at the Mount Hermon End of Summer banquet. And God seemed to use the words He'd given me to say...

...But then more waiting. More silence. More "What is this about, Lord?"

Then two writers' conferences, both with great promise. At the first, I was asked to write an article for a Christianity Today publication, but that ended up getting scrapped a few months after I returned home. At the second, Bethany House wanted a book proposal from me, and an agent wanted some of my work to review. In the end, even though both were very complimentary of the work I'd sent in, both said it came down to one thing: "Nobody knows you." I had my foot in the door twice, and then lost it without really feeling I could have done anything differently to prevent it.

So, more waiting. More silence. More "What is this about, Lord?"

Fast forward to March 9, 2009. I had lunch with a really remarkable woman--a visionary, for sure. And in the months since then, opportunities have begun to unfold. Opportunities I never could have imagined...

...and you know what was funny? That very day I had a very important quiet time. I was going through Beth Moore's "Believing God" and read about how many people didn't "GET" Noah's calling. Made me think of how people assume I'm supposed to do this, that, or the other thing career-wise, because that's what seems to work on paper. Noah building the ark for years before the rain came--that didn't exactly "work on paper," but it was the calling on his life. I also read of Joshua's army who walked around Jericho--SILENT--for 6 days. And walking around a city looking like a bunch of crazies didn't exactly "work on paper" either. But it was what the Lord had established for Joshua. But on the 7th day, it was time to open his mouth and shout.

I've understood years of silence--long stretches of "It's not time to open your mouth yet." But there was something about that morning--and then all that came out of that day that just seemed to say, "You're starting the seventh lap. Get ready to open your mouth."

I was recently just sitting silent as I listened to some of the opportunities that I just might get to be a part of in the time to come. I had no words. I just sat motionless, wordless as tears streamed down my cheeks...

...for I am in that place once again. And when I say "here," I mean that place of a hope being fulfilled. A dream becoming a reality. A vision coming to pass. And a wait ending.

Thank you, Lord.

FINALLY...a She Speaks recap!

I am finally getting around to writing about the phenomenal weekend that was SHE SPEAKS.
* Fair warning here--this may only be interesting to my parents and grandparents. But here's how it went:

Oh, and a few posts back I wrote that no matter what was to come, those ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS moments I shared with Justin, Trevor and Aila the night before the conference started are ones that I will never forget. I mean it--it all brought tears to my eyes. THEY ARE MY FIRST MINISTRY and I can't even express the joy I had spending that time together with them.

THE SWEETEST MOMENT OF THE WEEKEND:

When the conference wrapped up, there were several women waiting in the lobby for rides, airport shuttles, etc. when Justin and the kids came down the hall to get me. I was reading when I heard Aila's voice waaaay down the hall shouting, "MAMA!" and I turned to see them all running toward me. I won't even apologize for it, but we all made quite a scene in that hallway--the kids PLOWED into me and we were rolling on the floor (all dressed up still) and laughing belly laughs. I looked around and saw several women watching us--crying and smiling. To the end of my days I am going to remember that moment as one of my sweetest. :)

First, the Lord did a LOT of speaking. Seems like it should have been called "HE Speaks!!" He really spoke to my heart through his Word and during my prayer times--it was SO MUCH good stuff that I have to give the nutshell version--it really came down to two main points. Seems strange to simplify them to these two points, but this could take all the live-long day if I don't:

1. Doesn't matter about my inabilities. He has established me as a planting of the Lord to display His splendor. And though I am small, he still has chosen me to display His glory and splendor, which is ANYTHING BUT SMALL.

2. I also felt Him calling me to a deeper level of repentance and righteousness. Just sort of like, "Okay, Thea. This is where we're headed--turning away from anything that has a hold on you, and forging on to something so much deeper, more challenging, and sweeter. Are you coming?"


Okay, so on to the conference. We opened with the advanced marketing track, which was really interesting and gave me a lot of good insight into things for the future--websites, newsletters, marketing, etc. I won't lie, I was a little bit like a deer in the headlights with everyone asking things like "Now, how do I connect my blog that has 3,000 visitors a day with my website?" Not exactly anything I am dealing with at this point. I had a bit of a freak-out morning shortly before the marketing track began in which I asked "Am I really supposed to be here?" and God answered "Absolutely." Needless to say, that's the nutshell version of that conversation. But it was good to really be built up right before going into the sessions where people were talking websites, bio sheets and marketing for more bookings--otherwise I think I would have REALLY felt like a fish out of water. But it was SUCH good info, and hopefully things I'll be implementing in the not too distant future, I pray!

Another moment that REALLY hit me is one that may not have even registered with anyone else, because it was spoken in passing, but OH how it hit me: Lysa Terkeurst, president of Proverbs 31 ministries, said she went and spoke to a group of women at a church, and when she finished there was a standing ovation, applause and praise. Yay for Lysa! But then her marketing guy called the church 6 months later and asked how the women and the women's ministry was better off or had grown of changed because Lysa had been there. Well, pretty much nothing had changed. When I heard that, it totally HIT ME LIKE A TRUCK. I mean, why waste anyone's time if LIFE CHANGE is not the end result? I know GOD is the one to change hearts. But just like Andy Stanley emphatically says, if they don't remember it 5 minutes after they walk out the door, how can that truth really begin to bring about a change in their lives? SO TRUE. I really feel that burden as I've been putting together talks. If there is no take-away, then it's back to the drawing board. People need to know how truth can TRANSFORM. I even came up with a tagline based on THIS VERY THING.


NOW...ON TO THE EVALUATIONS!!

Speaker Evaluation Group -- FRIDAY

This was the night for my 3-minute testimony. As I was ready to get up and speak, I all of a sudden got VERY nervous. I've been fine standing up in front of 300 people to share, but there was something about standing up in front of 12 other speakers with CLIPBOARDS that terrified the ever-loving heck out of me! Not to mention that it is my story--my life--and a difficult although redemption-filled snapshot of my life. I knew I was visibly nervous, which made me even more nervous! Other than the nerves, it seemed to go fine. I received the following feedback:

First, the POLISHING POINTS (things to work on):

3 people gave polishing points.
"You seemed a little nervous."
"I could tell you were a little nervous, that's all."
"You did NOT need to be nervous!"


And then there were thankfully many PRAISE POINTS (I'll share just a few):

"Felt like you were very warm and connected."
"Great passion with a powerful story to tell."
"Very memorable."
"You are a gifted communicator."
"Gripping from the start."
"You connected with your audience."
"Keep doing exactly what you're doing."


Speaker Evaluation Group -- SATURDAY

This was the night to share "God Stretch (Oil & Flour, Fish & Loaves)" which was my 5-minute Biblical teaching. After Friday night's "NERVE-FEST 2009" I spent a lot of time praying. I was frustrated because it felt like my nerves got in the way--so I prayed that the Lord would really strengthen me to speak His truth!

Well, what a difference. IN HIS STRENGTH, I walked up completely calm, moved the podium out of the way since I just really felt I did not even need the notes near me, and then IN HIS STRENGTH I spoke. It felt like it just couldn't have gone better!

First, POLISHING POINTS:

There was just one this time: "Watch the shade of lipstick you wear." Hmmm. Okay, that's one to think about, since it's the lipstick I wear EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! So... mental note--go get a color consultation at the mall. Noted!

And then the PRAISE POINTS -- again, I will put just a few:

"The best tithing message I've heard--and I've heard a few!"
"You are so genuine."
"You are a wonderful teacher."
"Girl! What are you doing in BEGINNING speaking?"
"You have a fabulous stage presence."
"What a great, needed message from the heart."
"You were so awesome! I see God's Holy Spirit pouring through you! It was truly amazing to listen to you teach God's Word. Please continue to use this speaking ability for God's kingdom."

And, HALLELUJAH after Friday night's Nerve-fest, it was good to read "You seemed very relaxed." Thank you, Heavenly Father! It was ALL YOU!!!


The weekend was really an awesome time to get to know Jodi, who is a gifted teacher of the Word, the one who is leading the podcast team, and is just an all-around FUN gal. I love that she loves "The Office" too. It was just really neat to get to talk through this passion we share to speak in His name. Also, I got to spend a bit of time talking and praying with Rae, also on the podcast team. And then Christy, an awesome woman who I met prior to She Speaks (and she ended up in my evaluation group)! So many phenomenal women.

Another really big highlight was spending time in the PRAYER ROOM. They had a room set up for women to just go in and pray. It was just awesome to be in there. And they had several names of God on pieces of paper on tables around the room, like El Shaddai (God Almighty) and Jehovah Jireh (The Lord will Provide). The staff prayed over each conferee and put their name next to one of these names of God. Mine was EL ELYON -- God Most High. INDEED!

In the end, I just felt all the more that I am truly pursuing a calling that the Lord has given me. It was really, really exciting. There's that little part of me that feared the American Idol Audition experience, where someone gets up and swears they were made to sing, and once they start to "sing" it is just all kinds of wrong. It was nice to get some confirmation that, in His strength, I can do this. Because of His great mercies, He is equipping me to speak in His name.

Phew! If you made it this far (anyone still with me?) pat yourself on the back. And THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for praying and checking in with me on how it all went!

Looking forward to many more amazing things!

P.S. Podcasts have all been recorded. So exciting! I am so, so thankful just to be a part of it all. Hopefully very soon I'll be posting a date that our podcasts will be up on The Women's League website!

She Speaks Photos

It was AWESOME!!!!


I don't know what is going on with the blogger thing, but my pictures are coming up as lots of text gibberish, so I'm unable to comment on various pics!

No Matter What Else Was to Come...

...I knew that THESE would be my very favorite moments of the weekend!!!




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Three Signs

Please bear with me--this will take a few posts!

I saw three signs that day we headed down to North Carolina. The "You are entering North Carolina" sign. The Jesus sign. And then finally, after 5 hours of driving, potty stops and eager anticipation...the SHE SPEAKS sign!

The Teachings

This is it!

Tomorrow morning we're heading out...Concord, North Carolina--Here we come!

Here are the teachings.

I JUST HAD TO HAVE YOU

The day my daughter Aila was born is burned into my heart. But so are the many months leading up to that day.

About a year before, we'd learned I was expecting--but then the unexpected happened.

Loss.

I sat in the waiting room that morning, a pregnant woman already in maternity clothes with bizarre cravings, just like the other moms-to-be. We knew we'd be seeing our son through sonogram that day, and we couldn't wait.

But when the doctor began the ultrasound, she was very quiet. There was our baby boy on the screen--we could see his tiny form. But he was not okay. We'd woken up that morning with no worries, no indication of any problems...but no heartbeat. And no hope of holding our son until Heaven.

God was gracious, and very soon after that I became pregnant with Aila--but the next nine months were filled with countless concerns and complications--just one scare after another. And a high-risk pregnancy was a lot to take while our grief was still so fresh. And I was desperate to get to hold this child this side of Heaven.

I remember exactly how I spent the day before Aila's birth--praying, crying, and worshipping--I was so grateful for this life God had place within me--but I was out of strength. Done. I had completely and totally hit a wall. I told the Lord, "I just can't wait any longer--no even one more day! I just have to have her in my arms."

And the next day, she was.

Recently the Lord began to shed some light on this time in my life. He said, "Thea, you lost a son, and you had a long, difficult wait for your daughter. You've understood the agony of empty arms.

But Thea, so have I.

There was a time when I waited for you. I had plans and a purpose for you, but you wanted other things more than what I held in store for you. And so I waited.

But then I rejoiced that day you came to Me. I gave you glimpses of this joy the day Aila was born--a child finally where she was created to be--in your arms. And just as you see redemption when you look into your child's face, you are My child for whom I did a redeeming work. You see, I knitted you together and have always had you engraved on My hands, but it wasn't enough. I could not wait to have you in My arms."

You see, the loss of my son made a way for Aila. But the death of His son made a way for me.

GOD STRETCH

Oil and flour. Fish and loaves.

Have you ever been in need of a God Stretch? That’s when He takes what we think won’t be enough, and He makes it stretch to cover our needs.

We’ve probably all heard the story of Jesus feeding the multitudes. He took a boy’s lunch of fish and bread, and multiplied it to feed thousands. With leftovers! But there’s also another God Stretch in 1 Kings 17. Elijah was living in a time of terrible famine. The Lord even commanded birds to bring him food. One day the Lord sent him to a widow’s home for food and drink. Elijah asked the woman for some water, and when she turned to get it, he called after her, “Oh, and can you bring me some bread, too?”

I can just imagine the look on her face as she slowly turned around. After all, he had just asked her for something she did not have to spare. “I don’t have any bread,” she told him—“only a handful of flour and little bit of oil.” She went on to say that she was just headed home to make one last loaf of bread to share with her son, and expected that they would die from hunger at some point after that. But Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' What an amazing test of faith! "So she went away and did as Elijah had told her. And there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

So that’s what a God Stretch looked like back then. But what does it look like now? It’s the owner of Chick-fil-A who has always stayed closed on Sunday and trusted the Lord to make 6 days of business stretch to cover a 7-day week. It means trusting the Lord that when you tithe, He can meet your needs more with the 90% that's left than you could with 100%.

And that’s where I am right now. In my world, waiting on a God Stretch means praying that our resources will be enough to cover our needs.

And I mean NEEDS. My husband’s old truck finally gave up the ghost, so we had to get something that actually runs. Which means we just added a car payment to our plate.

Both of our children have been in and out of doctors’ offices quite a bit this year. Believe me--I’m trying not to loathe the word “co-pay.”

Then there's our mortgage payment, grocery bills, tithe…

TITHE? Yes, tithe.

Oil and flour. Fish and loaves.

A woman GAVE her oil and flour. THEN God made it stretch.

A boy GAVE up his lunch. THEN God made it stretch.

So now we have 90% of a paycheck left for Him to stretch. But in faith we know that the Lord can do more with less than we could ever do with more. We just need to offer all things up to Him.

Have you ever asked the Lord to multiply your efforts in your marriage? How about your relationships with your children?

Have you asked him to stretch a night’s sleep after you’ve been up for hours with a sick child?

Have you ever called on Him to allow your resources to be sufficient for your needs?

He meets your needs and mine according to His riches. And we can claim this truth over our circumstances!

When I am afraid…When I don’t know how it’s all going to work out…

Oil and flour. Fish and loaves.

When it doesn’t add up on paper (and there are times when it won’t)...

Oil and flour. Fish and loaves.

He is God our provider—worthy of our trust!

Oil and flour. Fish and loaves.

A Last-Minute Change

7 Days until "She Speaks." That's all.

And to my great fear, I very recently realized that my testimony needed "tweaking."

Yes--THIS LATE IN THE GAME!

I was a bit nervous about having upheaval in the works with so little time left until the conference. After all, whatever I stand up to say in one week has got to be familiar to me. But I was actually excited, more than anything--expectant of what the Lord still had to reveal to me.

And He did.

He gave me the ending phrase to my testimony just as clear as a bell. And the rest came together over the next two days. Phew! And now that's a truth--or should I say a TREASURE--from Him that I will always have!

I'll post my two teachings just before leaving for the conference. Which is SOON (6 days)!!

21 Days

Three weeks until "She Speaks!"

I've started packing. Practicing. Preparing.

And PRAYING. After all, what does it matter if I remember to pack everything I need, or even if I have my two teachings memorized perfectly, if my heart is not ready to hear from the Lord? I think this conference is going to be special in lots of ways. But more than anything, I want to be ready to listen and respond. I want my heart to be cultivated through prayer.

Counting down these days...

My Reason

Have you ever just sat completely quiet and still before the Lord and then spoken, "Lord, You are..." and then filled in the blank with what He revealed of Himself to you? Powerful. These were the ones He revealed to me this morning:

Lord, You are...

Bright and morning star
Great Physician
Mine
Peace
Image of the Invisible God
Savior
Deliverer
Guide
Advocate
Shepherd
Friend
One who never leaves me
Judge
Counselor
My beloved
Hope
Joy
Ever-present help in times of trouble

* And while I love these all, I think this next one was my favorite:
MY REASON

My reason for living
My reason for loving
My reason for going beyond myself
My reason that I'm justified
My reason that I know I don't have to settle for anything apart from abundant life with Him
My reason I'm no longer who I was, nor will I be who I am.

He is my reason that there is ANY sort of hope for me.