I recently had the pleasure of visiting Disneyland with my two grandsons and my oldest daughter. What a joy it is to watch the excitement and wonder in the eyes of my grandsons as they experience "the happiest place on earth." One example is when my four-year-old grandson turned to my husband while watching the fireworks and said, "Grandpa, this is one of my dreams and it is coming true!" Days like this are beautiful memories we will cherish forever! And sometimes after a high, God allows us to go to the valley for a while to build our faith.
The day after our beautiful Disney experience, we had a few valleys to say the least. But even in the valleys, our God can do a miracle. Sometimes we make plans and things don't turn out the way we want them to. But in the middle of chaos, we need to "keep our eyes on Jesus who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith." Here's what happened:
We had a plan to drop our oldest daughter and grandsons at the Amtrak station in Los Angeles to catch a train back to Flagstaff! My husband and I had reservations to go up the coast of California to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. So at promptly 5:15pm, as we were arriving at LAX, I called Amtrak to get specific directions. Well to my surprise, I was told that the "LAX" on the train ticket did not mean LAX the airport. I assumed they were the same and boy was I wrong! The LAX on my ticket meant Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. The train was leaving at Union Station at 6:15pm and was rarely late according to the woman on the phone. Our plans were changing quickly.
So with hope in our hearts, we began to make our way to Union Station in downtown LA. Well, guess what was happening at 5:15pm in Los Angeles. We were experiencing a major traffic jam. And we were 20 miles away in stop and go traffic. In heavy traffic it is said to take 4 minutes per mile. This puts us at 80 minutes when we have only 60 minutes! Everyone in the car was praying. I was praying out loud, "Lord, you are our only hope!" and He was! So we prayed and drove and when we were about 5 miles away at 6pm a car came from nowhere and hit us. It was just a fender bender, thank God, but it still required us to stop. Since no one was hurt, we exchanged information and continued our journey. We arrived at Union Station at 6:20pm and found out the train had left.
I talked to the lady at the counter and she informed me the next available train for three people was in 2 days. By then we would be in the hills of Santa Barbara and our daughter needed to work the next morning. That is when I got the idea to chase the train. I expressed this idea to the woman, and... if looks could talk! I calmly asked her to print out directions to the San Bernadino station. She let me know I had 60 miles to go. This would take at least 1 1/2 hours in traffic. The train was scheduled to leave at 7:59pm and it was 6:38pm. So, again, our only hope was Jesus.
He opened space before our eyes and lead us on paths we did not know existed (like a carpool lane right put of Grand Central with no traffic on it for 20 miles!). And we made the station right at 7:59pm. And to add to our miracle, the train that was never late, was late. When we got to the station we had a few minutes to get our things together and say good-bye! Our train chase ended in victory! And all the glory goes to Jesus! He was our only HOPE!! Amen.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
The Supernatural Abundant Life!
One of the things I love about Jesus is how He shows up in my life with miracles and wonders! It is profound and especially fun to have a Father who created everything and loves to give me amazing gifts. Something Jesus said in John 10:10; ...I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." Jesus is constantly giving me this abundant life! The word "abundant" means "superabundant, excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above, more than enough, profuse, extraordinary, above the ordinary, more than sufficient!" This is what I expect as a child of the LIVING, ALMIGHTY, LOVING, GRACIOUS GOD! As I walk through life, I am looking for this abundant life and expecting to see God do miracles. One such miracle happened last week.
For the last 6 months, my daughter has been focusing on finding an internship for college credit. It is part of the requirement for graduation for her degree and a great opportunity to get some real work experience. When I heard about this, I started praying. I knew this internship was going to take her away from our city this summer, but I trusted God to lead her to the perfect place. So I started praying daily for His internship for my baby! As I was praying one day, the Lord impressed upon my heart that Laura should look into a possible internship in Nashville. Her close friend, whom she has known from birth, was going to be doing her own internship there and I felt the Lord might be leading Laura in the same direction. So I expressed this to my daughter and she made some connections.
Well, in March, she received an offer from Nashville. My heart began beating because it is hard for me to think about my baby being so far away. As I prayed, I had; "the peace of God which surpasses all understanding." Philippians 4:7. Laura got several opportunities closer to home, but in my heart as she made her decision, I knew she was going to Nashville. Jesus says in John 15:15 that we are His friends. He has revealed to us all that the Father has told Him. When I hear the Lord in my heart, He gives me insight into His future plans. I love this quality of my friendship with Jesus! I am in touch with the Master Planner and I can walk in confidence as He brings forth His plan.
Last week, we dropped our daughter off in Nashville. And as we got there, we could see the city preparing for something big. Stages were going up and people were buzzing all around. Laura's close friend and roommate let us know Nashville was preparing to host the CMT Awards. The best country music singers were preparing to come to the city to receive awards and perform in downtown Nashville. Laura and her roommate had a wild hope that somehow they could get tickets to the show. It was sold out except for a few hundred standing room tickets which were being raffled and handed out throughout the city. Laura's roommate had done her homework and had already been entering raffles and finding places to get tickets. This would be a dream come true, for they are both huge country music fans.
I told them I would pray, and as I prayed I knew in my spirit they would be going. It was just like God to blow their minds and show Himself big just to satisfy the girlish desires of their hearts. He is so sweet and so interested in all the details. So I encouraged them as many times as the topic came up and they kept trying without losing hope. By the morning of the event, all of their attempts to get tickets had failed. But they got up early to stand in one more line. Tickets were handed out and then they were told there were no more tickets available. Right at that moment, when their last hope was crushed, a small batch of tickets were produced after the announcement. Our girls received literally the last remaining tickets! Wow! God was BIG and He came through at the last minute.
When they arrived in the building after standing for hours to get in, they heard a disheartening announcement that standing room space was at capacity. But the lack of space turned into a blessing when they were given instructions to find a seat. They could stay in their "found" seat as long as no one with a ticket showed up to claim the spot. So they ran through the Red Carpet event determined to find an open seat. Instead, they found a small space located some distance from the stage. But they were happy to be in the building. Well, God knew this spot would blow them away. It was within arms reach of Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, and many other stars. I even got a glimpse of them on TV when Carrie Underwood received an award. They were in the perfect spot!
I am always seeking the perfect spot as I walk through life. I define this spot as the center of God's will for me. My life is filled with the supernatural presence of God because that is His will for me! He wants me to live the abundant life of Jesus and I want that too! So it happens! And life over-flows around me! And now that I have lived this way, I will never go back! I will live the abundant life and keep my heart and life wide open to His blessings! He is pouring them out from the flood gates of heaven and I am a willing receiver of His grace and mercy! I am living in the supernatural! After all, it is His will for me!
For the last 6 months, my daughter has been focusing on finding an internship for college credit. It is part of the requirement for graduation for her degree and a great opportunity to get some real work experience. When I heard about this, I started praying. I knew this internship was going to take her away from our city this summer, but I trusted God to lead her to the perfect place. So I started praying daily for His internship for my baby! As I was praying one day, the Lord impressed upon my heart that Laura should look into a possible internship in Nashville. Her close friend, whom she has known from birth, was going to be doing her own internship there and I felt the Lord might be leading Laura in the same direction. So I expressed this to my daughter and she made some connections.
Well, in March, she received an offer from Nashville. My heart began beating because it is hard for me to think about my baby being so far away. As I prayed, I had; "the peace of God which surpasses all understanding." Philippians 4:7. Laura got several opportunities closer to home, but in my heart as she made her decision, I knew she was going to Nashville. Jesus says in John 15:15 that we are His friends. He has revealed to us all that the Father has told Him. When I hear the Lord in my heart, He gives me insight into His future plans. I love this quality of my friendship with Jesus! I am in touch with the Master Planner and I can walk in confidence as He brings forth His plan.
Last week, we dropped our daughter off in Nashville. And as we got there, we could see the city preparing for something big. Stages were going up and people were buzzing all around. Laura's close friend and roommate let us know Nashville was preparing to host the CMT Awards. The best country music singers were preparing to come to the city to receive awards and perform in downtown Nashville. Laura and her roommate had a wild hope that somehow they could get tickets to the show. It was sold out except for a few hundred standing room tickets which were being raffled and handed out throughout the city. Laura's roommate had done her homework and had already been entering raffles and finding places to get tickets. This would be a dream come true, for they are both huge country music fans.
I told them I would pray, and as I prayed I knew in my spirit they would be going. It was just like God to blow their minds and show Himself big just to satisfy the girlish desires of their hearts. He is so sweet and so interested in all the details. So I encouraged them as many times as the topic came up and they kept trying without losing hope. By the morning of the event, all of their attempts to get tickets had failed. But they got up early to stand in one more line. Tickets were handed out and then they were told there were no more tickets available. Right at that moment, when their last hope was crushed, a small batch of tickets were produced after the announcement. Our girls received literally the last remaining tickets! Wow! God was BIG and He came through at the last minute.
When they arrived in the building after standing for hours to get in, they heard a disheartening announcement that standing room space was at capacity. But the lack of space turned into a blessing when they were given instructions to find a seat. They could stay in their "found" seat as long as no one with a ticket showed up to claim the spot. So they ran through the Red Carpet event determined to find an open seat. Instead, they found a small space located some distance from the stage. But they were happy to be in the building. Well, God knew this spot would blow them away. It was within arms reach of Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, and many other stars. I even got a glimpse of them on TV when Carrie Underwood received an award. They were in the perfect spot!
I am always seeking the perfect spot as I walk through life. I define this spot as the center of God's will for me. My life is filled with the supernatural presence of God because that is His will for me! He wants me to live the abundant life of Jesus and I want that too! So it happens! And life over-flows around me! And now that I have lived this way, I will never go back! I will live the abundant life and keep my heart and life wide open to His blessings! He is pouring them out from the flood gates of heaven and I am a willing receiver of His grace and mercy! I am living in the supernatural! After all, it is His will for me!
100 Shades of Purple
As I have been walking, hiking, biking, running, and driving around my town this spring, I have been completely fascinated with all of the shades of purple in my view. I love the color purple! It is my favorite! And I love it in every shade. For some reason, we have extra purple flowers this spring and I see them everywhere I go. How many purple colored flowers are there in the world? I am sure I can not even begin to count.
It is endless to think about shades of purple when even one flower can be in different shades. For example, there are lots of Irises blooming in my neighborhood right now. The shades of purple of the Irises vary in different gardens. This lead me to think about how hard it is for me as a human to define the wonder of God. All I can say about the Irises is that they are purple. I can say, some are lighter purple or some are deeper purple. I can describe some of the other purple flowers as lavender, others as magenta, and some are periwinkle, but I run out of words and descriptions for the shades in between!
This mind-provoking dilemma with purple got me thinking about how HUGE God really is. Through the more than 100 shades of purple I have been noticing, He is speaking to me of Himself. Something simple like the color purple can be infinite in shades. God is infinite. He is incomprehensible! He is beyond my understanding and bigger than the universe. I can not describe Him with words. I can't understand Him with my finite mind! Just like I am unable to define completely all of the shades of purple!
The thing I love about the incomprehensible nature of God is the wonder of Him. I feel like He is putting the wonder of Himself all around me in His creation! He is causing me to stand in awe of Him with every turn of the corner. The creation around me is speaking to me of the glory of my Father in heaven. The creation is crying out to me! The creation is saying to me wherever I go, "He is worthy of your worship." God is the only being worthy of my worship. And as I look around I have no problem worshiping Him. When I see the sunlight every morning, I thank Him for another day! When I see the laughter on the faces of my children, I am so grateful and express thanks to Him! When I see the colors of the sunset, I share with Him my joy! "Thank you Lord for making yourself so visible even in your invisible state! I see you! I know you are with me! I know you are there! Thank you, Jesus!"
So let the shades of purple surrounding you, speak to you of your God! He is with you! There are probably flowers popping up in your life everywhere. Sometimes He even gives the flowers the strength to break through the concrete! He is with us! Take notice of Him all around you! He is worthy! Worship Him!
Romans 1:20- For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
It is endless to think about shades of purple when even one flower can be in different shades. For example, there are lots of Irises blooming in my neighborhood right now. The shades of purple of the Irises vary in different gardens. This lead me to think about how hard it is for me as a human to define the wonder of God. All I can say about the Irises is that they are purple. I can say, some are lighter purple or some are deeper purple. I can describe some of the other purple flowers as lavender, others as magenta, and some are periwinkle, but I run out of words and descriptions for the shades in between!
This mind-provoking dilemma with purple got me thinking about how HUGE God really is. Through the more than 100 shades of purple I have been noticing, He is speaking to me of Himself. Something simple like the color purple can be infinite in shades. God is infinite. He is incomprehensible! He is beyond my understanding and bigger than the universe. I can not describe Him with words. I can't understand Him with my finite mind! Just like I am unable to define completely all of the shades of purple!
The thing I love about the incomprehensible nature of God is the wonder of Him. I feel like He is putting the wonder of Himself all around me in His creation! He is causing me to stand in awe of Him with every turn of the corner. The creation around me is speaking to me of the glory of my Father in heaven. The creation is crying out to me! The creation is saying to me wherever I go, "He is worthy of your worship." God is the only being worthy of my worship. And as I look around I have no problem worshiping Him. When I see the sunlight every morning, I thank Him for another day! When I see the laughter on the faces of my children, I am so grateful and express thanks to Him! When I see the colors of the sunset, I share with Him my joy! "Thank you Lord for making yourself so visible even in your invisible state! I see you! I know you are with me! I know you are there! Thank you, Jesus!"
So let the shades of purple surrounding you, speak to you of your God! He is with you! There are probably flowers popping up in your life everywhere. Sometimes He even gives the flowers the strength to break through the concrete! He is with us! Take notice of Him all around you! He is worthy! Worship Him!
Romans 1:20- For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
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