My Secret Place is Rock Solid

Yesterday, sweetest memories flooded my mind from 2010. In Cabo, I woke early each morning to take in the magnificent sunrise on the crashing waves. I would find the cleft of the rock formations to sit beneath. How sweet was the presence of my loving Father there – especially as He restored my soul, for it had been in the valley of the shadow of death just a week before.

It was a trip my husband and I had hoped to take with my son and family that year for Thanksgiving. As it turned out, only my side of the equation made the trip. His trip was to heaven, a week before Thanksgiving. And, though without him here on this earth, I sensed him with me each morning as I walked the beaches at 5 am. and hid in beneath those massive rocks. My little guys joined me later in the mornings. It was heaven-on-earth then. Yesterday, I asked my Bear (aka, 2nd oldest grandson) to be our photographer and help me re-enact those sweet moments from nine years ago with my two youngest grandsons. Sweet captured moments of my two little guys, 5 and 3 years old then to now, 14 and 12 years old.

When I shared about my “Secret Place” amidst the rocks, Lobo, a Spanish mariner I met called it “El Lugar Secreto”. What a special gift it was to go to such a peaceful and tranquil place. I continue, to this date, to live daily in the secret place. Psalm 91:1 says -- "He that dwells in the SECRET PLACE of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, 'My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!'"

Why shouldn't I feel this peace? God promised it to me if I would live in that place. It's a choice I purpose to make daily. And, that’s my address: 911 Peace Ave. You will find me there most of the time, except for when I forget where I live, but His watchful eye and tender care seems to always draw me back in, Yes, I continue to go forward -- cherishing the memories, the sweetness of loving and being loved, choosing to be care-free and unafraid…….and daily living in el lugar secreto!

Does life seem overwhelming to you today? The deadline is long past, and you're still endeavoring to get the project done? Are the kids more than a handful? Did you get a pink slip from your employer and you wonder how you and your family can survive? Are you or a loved one so ill that you wonder if you or they will make it? Do you feel like you're at the end of your rope?

I've been there..... and each time that I found myself in places like that, I found my answers, my peace and my comfort in the One who is the Rock, and I realize those overwhelming circumstances were ultimately for my good....because they drew me to the Source of answers, my shelter, and my SOLID ROCK.

When the earth all around me is sinking sand,
On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand
When I need a shelter, when I need a friend, I go to THE ROCK!

What is Your Foundation Built Upon?

Is Your Home Built on Firm Foundation?
I heard a riveting sermon yesterday about foundations – of buildings, homes, AND people. When prevailing winds and storms come (and they will), what is it that keeps structures firmly standing? What is it that gives the strength, will, and determination to outlast the storms of life?

Remember the story Jesus Christ told about two builders in Matthew 7:24-27? One builder made the decision to go the easy, less time-consuming way and simply build his house on sand, while the other wiser builder, made the better decision to build his home on rock foundation. The rock was probably difficult to chip into and level off a footing for the house. It probably took a long time to attach the structure to the bedrock. A rocky terrain would take time, patience and hard work. But that wise man seemed to have considered such factors and to have believed it would be worth the effort.

Built into the rock, his house could endure the inevitable storms that would come. The other careless builder may have had too much to do or was in a hurry to have a house and get on with "more important" matters. But what could be more important than a FIRM foundation?

Yesterday, in that sermon, parents and teachers were encouraged to ensure that their children were having strong foundations built in their lives. It is in their early years, that their core values, their faith AND their faithfulness values are being built that will guarantee strong, weather-proof houses in their future.

My personal “ROCK-solid” foundation came as a result of having parents that loved and served God with all their hearts and modeled that love to me daily. Sure it took methodical training and teaching and living the example before me.

My husband built several homes. It seemed the foundation part of building those homes took forever. But, he was ensuring that those homes were being built on firm foundation -- so much so that he reinforced those walls with steel and poured concrete into the footings. That's what my parents were doing when they took me to church to reinforce everything they were teaching me at home. I learned and memorized scriptures that supported my faith and God's love for me.

Yesterday, at church, we sang this song over and over, and the more we sang it, the more it felt like a "foundation" anthem and the more inspired I was with this post for today: “I will build my life upon Your love; it is a firm foundation; I will put my trust in You alone, and I will not be shaken".

I remember Robert Schuller’s book entitled “Tough times don’t last – but tough people do!” I've known some tough people that weathered some of the greatest storms of life and they did so because of their Anchor, their Rock, their Fortress Who was their FIRM foundation. Maybe you're feeling a little shaky today -- in your faith and in your emotions that are getting the best of you, and in truly believing that you will survive the storms that surround you. The first part of Jesus' parable about the builders goes like this: "Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock......" Begin to reinforce and build that firm foundation of Jesus Christ. He is that ROCK-solid foundation that will give you the stability your heart and life needs now and in the future. Trust in Him and His ability to carry you through the toughest of storms and that in doing so, you will never be shaken but will stand....and stand strong!

He’s Rock Solid

I had written this post and then in my City of Frisco "Waterwise" email for yesterday was this paragraph: "Solid as a Rock". The long, hot, dog days of summer are upon us! Rain is less frequent and the high temperatures are taking their toll on our landscape. For many people not familiar with life in North Texas, the sight of their clay soil developing cracks is cause for concern and they start to wonder, “how will this affect my foundation?”

I love how God gives me a "thumbs up" to let me know I'm hearing from Him. But "He's Rock Solid" is a statement I've heard made about someone who is stable, reliable, confident, unlikely to change or fail. They have a moral compass that keeps them grounded with doing what's right and you know you can count on them -- at a moment's notice.

In the real estate business for years, we would confidently say about a property's foundation "The foundation on this house is as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar", and about a man, we might say, "Joe is such a dependable guy. His word is as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.”

You may be scratching your head to try to think of who those people may be in your life. But my point is -- not WHO those people are, but are WE considered to be "rock solid" when others are asked that question about us?

If not, and if they see us as temperamental, moody, indecisive, unpredictable, and we shift from sad to glad and grumpy to happy like the changing of the wind, we can change that. Yes, we can!

We can be determined to be "rock solid" in our faith, our commitment to love others, our determination to be trustworthy and being reliable and unwavering in our attitude of who a true friend is -- and then being that friend who others can count on -- at a moment's notice. Every day is a new day to be the best version of ourselves that we can be, for ourselves and for others.

The best news ever, there is One who IS not just "rock solid", but He is THE SOLID ROCK that we can always count on . He is “the ROCK that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2). He is reliable, strong, immovable, eternal and unchanging. In Him, we can find that place of comfort, shelter, peace and, above all.....the faith and strength we need to carry on -- strong and determined and with great expectation for joy and victory in our todays and our tomorrows!

Psalm 62:5-8 "But I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for Him to rescue me. For salvation comes from Him alone. Yes, HE ALONE IS MY ROCK, my rescuer, defense, and fortress—why then should I be tense with fear when troubles come? My protection and success come from God alone. He is my refuge, A ROCK where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust Him all the time. Pour out your longings before Him, for He can help!"

This photo of my two little guys and me in Cabo San Lucas was taken just a week after my sweetheart went to heaven. I can't begin to tell you, from personal experience, how much God was my ROCK then, and continues to be my ROCK today.

Solid Rock Foundation

"And the wolf huffed and puffed and blew the house down." That's a line from "The 3 Little Pigs", a children's story where one little pig built his house with straw, another built his house with sticks and the third built his house with bricks. We all know the story -- the first two pigs' house fell because of the weak construction, but the 3rd pig, because he built his house using bricks, saved the day for all 3 pigs -- especially when the wolf couldn't blow that house down, but determined to go through the chimney to get the 3 little pigs, only to jump into a pot of boiling water. He ran away and never returned.

That story always comes to mind when the boys and I start working on their Gingerbread Houses. After a couple of years of really iffy construction and those walls and that roof just wouldn't stay together, I one-upped the directions. Instead of using the icing for the mortar....this year I used Gorilla Wood Glue! Alas, this year we had uneatable, but most certainly, a solid structure. This last photo is one that my nephew posted -- the easiest-to-build Ginger-Bread House ever! LOL!

Speaking of solid construction, in Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus was sharing about how, if we build our lives on His proof-positive-for-success teachings, and adhere to them, we'd be like the man who built his house on solid rock. The rains, floods, and winds came, but the house stood because it was built firmly on the solid rock. Unlike the "shifty" guy who built his house on shifting sand....the things of this world....the house succombed to the elements, and the house fell.

I'm convinced the fast track to our ultimate success in this new year, is to hear and do the words of our Master Carpenter -- and build on the SOLID ROCK. While we'd like to think that this 2017 year will be storm-free, it's quite unlikely that it will be -- whether it be a literal storm that can damage or destroy our home, a storm that comes with a challenging illness, or a time of great financial or relationship stress. Bottom line -- a good foundation is essential, for buildings AND for our lives. It's inevitable....the storms will come. Just as a tornado can come up out of nowhere to buffet a building, problems and tragedies can arise unexpectedly in the happiest lives. But, those who build their lives on a firm foundation, will take the storms in stride.

We've, personally, encountered some devastating storms, but those storms only proved the stability of our faith's foundation. We'd say in the toughest times, "I'm not sure how we're still standing, but we're still trusting in God, and there is peace in His presence in this storm, and we will come through this storm stronger." And, we did.

As I send out my best wishes, prayers, and thoughts to all of my FB friends and family for the most blessed new year EVER, I'm also sending out the "how to" message of weathering the storms. If we start this year out with putting God first and foremost in our lives, ONLY trusting in Him and His Word, we'll be standing on the sure foundation that never fails. I sing these words today for you and me from an old hymn written in 1834, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand." If this author penned those words before electricity was invented, and before all the conveniences and technology we know, how much more applicable are they to us in a "shifting" world today.