Walking by the grace of God is the title of my blog. I've learned that the journey is the most important part of our Christian Faith. When i first became a Christian, I didn't know that there was a journey to take. I thought that I would accept Jesus as my Savior and the rest was up to me. I would try to be the best I could be and then die and go to heaven. That is why my journey resulted in years of defeat and not a lot of victory. It wasn't until I became tired of being luke warm and tired of having a God that was only in the Bible, that I cried out to God and said I want more of you Lord. I want to know that you are real. He answered in a big way.
God placed a passion in my heart to find Him. I started reading my bible, praying on my knees and learning to surrender to Him, completely surrender to Him. Jesus told His disciples that they were not worthy to call themselves His disciples if they did not pick up their cross and follow Him.
I had been at the foot of the cross my whole Christian life. I hadn't left. When I learned about picking up my cross and following Jesus...my whole life changed. The real lessons of the Bible started happening to me. I started learning how to die to my flesh,(in other words, it's not all about me and my comfort) how we have to walk through the hard times(not around them), and most important of all....I learned that God is with us the whole time. He is our strength, He is our Joy, and He is our guide in the storm. He has made Himself known to me in a very real way and I am passionate to share my journey with others.
I first had a paragraph here saying that i wasn't going to blog, but i deleted it and decided to take up blogging again. The comments will not match what i have written. so it might not make since, but that is ok....i have decided to blog. We were in the Seattle area this weekend helping with a Family Life booth at the Christian Educational Conference. What a delight to be there meeting other people and enjoying great
teaching, live music, worship sessions, comedy and much much more. There was probably close to one hundred booths. Lots of fun.
Family Life is having 3 back to back conferences in April and we are gearing up to help in the
volunteer program. David and i are involved in the prayer ministry and it is the most rewarding thing we have ever done. God is working on marriages the whole time the conference is going on. We have seen God move in powerful ways during the conference and lots of people accept Christ. It is what life is all about.
Quilt of Holes
As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life. But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all. I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air. Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and wealth, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who un! fairly j udged me. And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, "Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles.Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you." May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through!
God bless you today and Forever!
God Wants A Willing Heart.
When we felt that God was leading us to Cle Elum, Wa., we were excited to see what He had planned for us. It didn't take long before we met an amazing couple, Dr. Richard & Vicki Nelson, who had lived in Cle Elum for 30 some odd years. Once a year, for two weeks, they would go over to Ukraine on a mission trip to work with the children . They worked mostly in orphanages and with street children. They were planning a quiet retirement from the Dental practice that they had established here in Cle Elum, maybe playing some golf and sitting in their easy chair. Well, God had other plans.
After much prayer and a very willing heart, God lead them to sell their practice, home, car, and belongings to move to Ukraine and establish a medical facility in Kiev. This building would house medical offices to take care of the immediate needs of the children and open a path to their hearts to hear the gospel. We came into the picture when they were having their garage sale. We were so drawn to this couple and they to us. We went to dinner shortly after we had met and for the next two hours, we shared our love for our Savior. We all had a passion for Jesus and felt like we had had a divine appointment.
God opened the door for us to be part of His ministry in Ukraine. We are on the board of SAI with a very diverse group of people who just want to serve and see God work in Ukraine. We have witnessed miracles as the doors opened to paths that other wise would not have been possible for SAI to go down.
Richard and Vicki are now living in Ukraine. They have bought a building and are in the process of remodeling it. God is continuing to open doors for them and show them that He is their provider. It's not been easy for them and at times, they've had to walk down some pretty rough roads, but God has been faithful and He continues to show them that He is an awesome God.
We are thankful for this lovely couple that opened their hearts to God and answered the call when it came. You can read more about their journey at
www.livinginUkraine.blogspot.com
Going over the pass.
We are going on a trip today. We will travel over the pass, the Snoqualmie pass to be exact. It is always interesting to go over the pass because it has a weather system all its own, therefore, you better check to see if you will be heading into snow, fog, or rain and even then, the weather can change very quickly. In other words, there are no guarentees on this trip.
Isn't life the same way. We think we are going into a safe future, when bam, our lives change and all of a sudden we are going into unknown territories. We have no control over the changes that can happen, but we do have a God that can take the fear away and walk with us. He really does more than that...he comes to live inside of us and along the journey we realize that we are seeing more and more from His eyes and not our own. Sometimes it takes going over an unknown (pass) to get to the place that our lives are turned over to Him.
I once said that I would have never written my life story quite this way, but God has authored
the perfect plan for me. His plan is to go into the unknown stormy places so that He can show me that He is my strength, He is my comforter and He is my beloved Savior.
Life guarentees us that we will go into fog, rain, and blinding snow. Isn't it wonderful that Jesus guarentees us that He will go with us, lead us and not forsake us. So, over the Snoqualmie Pass we will go and the journey will be interesting....so interesting.
The past three years have been the best and worst years of my life. My journey has been meshed with trials, tribulations, and excrusiation pain and hurt, yet I would live it all over again to learn the beauty of walking with my Savior. I have a Friend, a Father, a Comforter, and a Councelor, and His name is Jesus Christ. He walked every step with me and taught me some of the most valuable lessons I could have ever learned. Through the Holy Spirit, i found peace, joy and a yearning to know more about Him. I owe my life to Him and I want to live my life FOR Him, and in doing so, bring honor and glory to my Father in Heaven.
Some day I will give my testimony, but right now I will encourage all that are seeking to know that there is a God in Heaven. He is real and He knows your name and the bible says that He even knows how many hairs you have on your head. He LOVES you and is waiting for an invitation to come into your heart. May God bless you in your journey to find the TRUTH.
These are seven blessings that we thank God for every day. They are our sunshine.
David & I are in Moscow, Id. enjoying our children, grandchildren and experiencing God's blessings for a life filled with trials, tribulations, and the greatest life possible with our Lord and Savior.
