Thanks, Lois and Eunice!

(Warning -- longer than my usual long blogs -- but, I promise you -- so worth the read!)
My mother’s parents, my grandfather and grandmother, John and Mary, were two of the most loving and faith-filled couple I have ever known. At any given time of the day, you’d find them praying for their children, grandchildren and even for future generations. I am one of those grandchildren. Before I was born, they were praying for me. That still comforts me because I’ve seen the fruit of those prayers in my life and in the lives of my children and grandchildren.

The thoughts of my grandparents and parents, the sacrifices they made for me in prayer, particularly, came to me with gratitude when I read St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, his protégé. This is what Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:5: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” The faithfulness of Timothy’s mother and grandmother was noticed by Paul because he was seeing the fruit of their prayers in Timothy. And, that is the faith I was taught and passed on to my children and grandchildren. We live this way! Unwavering faith in our God of the impossible.

A couple of weeks ago I saw that faith manifested by two dear family friends, the grandmother, Jillian Chambers and her daughter, Sydni Simons. We knew Sydni would give birth any day. We were so excited for the young couple's firstborn's arrival. But, while I was taking care of my boys in Austin, grandmother Jillian (Honey) sent out prayer alerts to only those who would also be undaunted in faith. Sydni's dad wrote: "Sydni experienced over 24 hours of highly stressful labor, and then a C-section with even more challenges. There were moments the doctors didn't know if baby Charlotte would make it. Baby was taken from Mom and rushed to NICU in another hospital. They were separated for several days, but through faith, a plethora of prayers, around the clock medical care, lots of tears and unstoppable prayers, baby Charlotte was off of all life supporting tubes, held by mom and dad, loved by everybody, and was able to go home 48 hours later." Sydni is the product of the strong faith of her mother and dad. She wrote this in great faith:

"Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the Darkness! Man, what a week. I will tell you this. God is good. There is nothing that can change my mind about His eternal goodness. That is an absolute. God is good, absolutely. Next, the Body of Christ is unreal. My faith has never felt more shaken or tested than the way it has been this week. I hit that point of “Lord, I want to say that I believe but I don’t know. I’m scared and I’m exhausted and I don’t know how to stand.” Yet in those moments, I felt my family and my best friends surround us and help raise Colby and I’s arms up just like Aaron & Hur did with Moses and just like the Israelites, WE ARE EXPERIENCING VICTORY! We have watched the power of prayer this week. We have seen with our eyes that the prayers of the righteous avail much. MUCH MUCH MUCH!!!! My God is faithful. FAITHFUL. I cannot express how vital and important it is to be part of a community of believers who know the Word of God and declare it with authority!

Finally....our baby girl is here and she’s so so so beautiful. I can’t stop crying when I look at pictures of her. She arrived a little differently than we had planned and it’s created quite the opportunity to trust the Lord right out of the gate. But I mean, how perfect right? She belongs to Him first and she belongs to Him always. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for Colby and I and our sweet little PERFECT ANGEL BABY! This is not a time for, “I’m sorry for what you are going through.” Please, don’t be sorry for us. We are experiencing the glory of God in these hospital rooms. We are taking ground for His kingdom in faith, in prayer and in worship. We are watching the same God who called Lazarus to rise out of his slumber move on behalf of our daughter. HIS daughter!! Because of His great love for her! Stand with us, pray with us and watch with us as we see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!! That is the God we serve and that is the God who promises good to us; to never leave us or forsake us. ❤️ Romans 8:31"

This was written by a young woman who had been taught relentless faith in the time of trouble. And, look at Jillian's, the grandmother's words: "It’s one thing to face your giants; it’s another to stand beside your children as they face their own. This last week has been overwhelming. Not because of the pain, uncertainty or fear of great loss. I’m overwhelmed at the fierce faith I witnessed overwhelm my daughter at each “negative report”. I am overwhelmed at the fight deep inside her rising up time after time, fiercely denying fear access to alter her faith. Her unwavering trust in God that pierced through the cloud of doubt that tried to linger. Joining her in prayers of faith and songs of worship while FaceTiming her husband who was at a different hospital with angel baby. Overwhelmed with gratitude that we did not quit, give up or take our faith for granted over the years in her raising. Overwhelmed with great joy in stepping aside and watching her begin a lifetime journey called “motherhood“ and now training her daughter how to fight the good fight of faith."

I am stirred up more than ever to be a faith-first, praying mother and grandmother for my children’s and seven grandchildren’s lives. When we pray according to God’s Word, like those prayers prayed for Sydni and baby Charlotte, we are in line with God’s will, enabling us to pray with power and wisdom. The praying changes not only the lives of our grandchildren, but us as well.

As crazy as this world is and as topsy-turvy our own little worlds might be, instead of wringing our hands in distress, we can pray—regularly, intentionally, specifically—trusting our children and grandchildren into God’s faithful care. God’s way is perfect…. “He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.” (Psalm 18:30). We can stand in the gap, praying for the spiritual, emotional, and physical protection of our precious children and grandchildren. We are not hopeless; we have a God who is “our refuge and strength, our stronghold in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

So mothers and grandmothers (and dads and granddads), let's unite, pray and believe because God is faithful, we can breathe in His peace while we wait for the answers to our prayers.

What Do You Do When Life Presents an Upsetting Surprise?

I take my daily FB postings very seriously. Throughout the day I pay attention to people, places and things that could potentially be the inspiration for me. As I was driving home from Austin after two weeks away, I was thinking about my post for today. I was thinking that maybe I should write a finale to my “chasing gangster chickens” experiences or maybe it should be about the “need to recoup from the chicken coop”. The inspiration could have come from my drive home and the 45-minute traffic hold-up on I-35 North with the subject matter being about “patience”!

But, the inspiration came when a text message came in from a dear friend: “I am texting you because we need serious prayer warriors. We just got some very bad news about my brother. The doctor just told them he has a large mass in his colon and liver and it looks like there are other spots throughout his abdomen. We need a miracle touch from God and I know that I can count on you for some serious prayer. Thank you so much.”

I loved my friend’s resolve – she knew what to do – call in prayer partners and prayer warriors. I prayed and then I remembered a similar message that our family received years ago.

We had just received a telephone call with the diagnosis from my husband’s doctor: “You have Stage 4 Renal Cell Carcinoma that has metastasized to a tumor that is impinging on your spinal cord. It’s a life or death matter. You must have immediate surgery or you could be paralyzed.” Ron, my husband, being an in-charge guy, and not moved by anxiety or concern, declined the offer for the surgery. He wanted to research what he’d been told, get a second opinion, seek counsel and take his time. But the doctor was insistent on aggressively moving forward. So what do you do when you don’t know what to do? The answer is: PRAY. We prayed for God’s wisdom, His strength, His guidance, and most of all, His peace.

At the same time, we were speaking words from God's Word: "Our God, our Healer. He is our Prince of Peace. By His stripes, we are healed. We trust in you, Father God. We will not be afraid.” Then, we sought counsel from our children via a family phone-call meeting. We prayed for discernment for the course of action we should take. Then, each of us expressed our confidence in God as the Great Physician. It was apparent that we shouldn’t wait as we had been instructed by the doctor. Ron said, “Okay, let’s do it! Call the doctor!” We did and within the next 48 hours, he had a successful surgery.

Over the next 7 months, when the questions came again, we repeated the same steps: Pray, speak God’s Word, seek Godly counsel, pray some more. We found that we were closer to God during this time of crisis because we were acutely aware of our desperate need for Him. And quite frankly, that’s a great place to be. In Him, we found the answers to our questions and peace in our hearts because we sensed His presence with us.

The answer to this question and many more: “What do you do when life gives you an upsetting surprise?” or “Where can I turn when there's no one else I can turn to?” or “Who can I lean on when there’s no one to lean on?” or “Where can I hide until the storms pass over?”….. The answer to all of these questions is found in ONE SIMPLE TRUTH. We go to Him who is our solid rock, our refuge, our shelter, our friend. That’s WHO, WHAT, WHEN and WHERE to ALL questions we have for our today and our tomorrows. “God is our VERY PRESENT HELP in trouble and in time of need.” Psalm 46:1.

Get Close to Me!

When my two youngest grandsons were younger, they slept together (sometimes they still do that). I was the Nana-in-charge because Mom and Dad were away and in order to get two very frisky, full-of-life boys to power down, I had to come up with a strategic plan-of-action. Pillow fights, jumping on the bed like it was a trampoline, and incessant requests for water or some other vice they needed, paled in comparison to Nana’s “Super Brennan and Super Bryson” stories. That was my brilliant strategy – “If you don’t calm down, there will be no Super Brennan/Super Bryson story tonight.” It worked every time. I’d like to think they went right to sleep afterwards, but my Strategy #2 was to squeeze right between them in bed (great way to build a wall to keep them away from each other). Hey, President Trump, I may have a plan for you. LOL!

BTW – Super Brennan and Super Bryson stories were about two boys who had super powers because of their super backpacks that ALWAYS had the tools needed to help save the day for animals or people in distress! Bryson still asks me for one of those stories and I'll admit, the pressure is on to come up with something new and amazing each time.

Here’s the point I’m making with today’s blog, however. With all their shenanigans, they still wanted to make room for Nana. You know that I ate it up. They wanted me close, and I wanted to be close to them!

I remember, with my own children, and all of the grandchildren, getting so close to them all when they had a bad dream, weren’t feeling well, or were just simply restless and couldn’t sleep. My presence gave them comfort.

And, like those precious little ones, I often find myself in life situations that feel like a bad dream. I might be uncomfortable or even in physical pain. Then, I recall “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth”. Psalm 145:18. And, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”. Psalm 46:1.

I’d like to tell you I ALWAYS call upon Him immediately, but I have to admit many times I settle for the tossing and turning and letting crazy thoughts bombard my peace. I know what to do. I simply need to reach out for His presence that is available to me -- any time and any where. I love that my grandsons wanted me close, and even that they were willing to make room for me to do so. They’d calm down because of my presence.

And, even more so, our Lord wants us to make room for Him. James 4:8: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Daily I’ve come to realize making room for God by welcoming Him into the moments of my day is the most important thing I can do to stay calm, peaceful and out of stress. I actually create space in my day to talk to Him and read His Word. Like with my grandchildren, I think He also strategizes to get me settled down. He continually beckons me to sit still, to move over, to listen to HIS super heroes of faith stories. I make room for more of God’s presence when I honor Him in my actions and attitudes and “move over” by submitting my will to His. And I do this because I know that God’s presence is always available to me.

When we are in His presence, we can experience joy that safety and security in Him brings. His presence helps us experience His peace, regardless of circumstances surrounding our lives. God’s presence can bring us to a place of calm, comfort, confidence and rest. We just have to scoot over and make room for Him to cozy up to us. His presence really does makes a difference.

In Times of Pain and Broken Hearts.....

Yesterday morning, the media broadcasted about the horrendous tragedy in Orlando. For those of us who feel safe in our cozy and comfy homes, it seems a far stretch to understand such an assault on human life. I was endeavoring to put words together for my post today, but then I saw this moving post by Dr. Jim Denison who writes for The Dallas Morning News and The Christian Post. It really doesn't matter who he is, I think he "nailed it" when it comes to what our reaction to this tragedy should be. His comments follow:

I am writing this Cultural Commentary on Sunday morning as reports continue to come in from Orlando. At this point, we know that the Pulse nightclub tragedy is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. We know that the shooter has been identified as Omar Mateen and that authorities are investigating his possible ties to Islamic terrorism. I feel compelled to write this essay from my heart.

As I have watched the news reports, I have sensed the grief of our Father for His children. While Pulse is one of the best-known gay nightclubs in Orlando, Baptist ethicist Russell Moore was exactly right when he tweeted, "Christian, your gay or lesbian neighbor is probably really scared right now. Whatever our genuine disagreements, let's love and pray."

Here's how you and I can "love and pray" for Orlando right now:

One: With hearts broken as God's heart is broken. Scripture is clear: "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18; see Psalm 147:3). Our Father wants us to love all our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). If people had to be perfect to deserve our intercession, for whom could we pray? Who could pray for us? We are all broken people who need each other and our Lord.

Two: With honesty as we share the pain of those who grieve. David prayed, "Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also" (Psalm 31:9). We can be this honest with God. In fact, it is biblical to pray words of anger and frustration. If Jesus could cry, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46), we can ask our questions and express our pain. The Lord already knows our hearts. He wants us to open them to Him and to each other.

Three: With hope as we trust the redemptive power of God. The psalmist proclaimed, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way" (Psalm 46:1–2).

Whatever comes of this tragedy and others that may come in the future, our Father is still our Father. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He loves us as much today as when He died on the cross for us. Our Lord promises, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you" (Isaiah 43:2). No matter how deep the river, His love is deeper still.

As he stood at the grave of Lazarus, "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). I am convinced that he weeps today over Orlando. Let us join Him now.