My wiener dog sings opera.

Yesterday my family was watching the Mr. Bean on holiday movie with my sweet Phoebe lying in my lap. There is a certain scene in this movie where Mr. Bean lip syncs a famous opera song sung by a soprano. My Phoebe joined in. Yes, it is true my wiener dog sings opera. We repeated the scene several times because we couldn't believe it. But she did it every time. It was priceless.

Helmet on!!!!

There is something serious about this picture. Helmet on....goggles in place. Eyes intence. Smile firmly fixed. This is how I feel today. Determined to not be goaded by the enemy.

Lord, help me to be determined to know you. I pray that when the enemy looks at me that He sees you and runs for cover.

Christ in me, the hope of glory.

Mountaineer Gear

I am a mountain lover. I have spent many summers in the San Grande Cristo mountain range in Colorado, southwest of Colorado Springs. Each summer my family would load up and head out across western Kansas at night so as the sun rose we could comb the horizon for our first glimpse of the Rockies. We would watch those small blips on the horizon that looked like clouds at first grow to majestic mountain peaks. Glorious Pikes Peak is the back drop of Colorado Springs, one of my favourite cities. I have often day dreamed about living there. Actually, I am sure that God lives there.
My family spent a week out of each summer at a Christian family camp called Horn Creek about an hour and a half southwest of Colorado Springs near Westcliffe Colorado nestled in the stunning Wet Mountain Valley. It was a magical place to me. I loved the mountain air except that it took my lungs about a day and a half to adjust to the thin air. Walking to our cabin became a huge endeavour. We would hike Rainbow Trail which runs the entire length of the mountain range and climb to Horn Lakes, officially the most beautiful spot on earth, at least in my books. The big event of the week was the mountain climbing day. Early in the morning the climbers would set out to climb Horn Peak, a 14,000 foot mountain where our little camp sat at its foot. For several years I watched my dad and my brothers climb this mountain by sitting on the porch of the lodge playing dominoes or cards and waiting for the flash of a mirror from the top indicating that they were there and then waiting for them to come out of the trees and head for the hot tub. I remember the first year my dad climbed Horn Peak. When he appeared out of the trees after the climb I was stunned by his appearance. His eye brows were encrusted with salt because of the amount of sweat that had come from his strenuous climb. He couldn’t lift his feet over the one foot barrier in the parking lot. I knew then that this would be one hard climb for me if I was brave enough to attempt it.
My senior year in high school I decided that this was my year. I set out with some friends even earlier then the rest because I didn’t want to get left behind in the large group. The first part of the climb is easy. Trees and mountain streams filled my eyes. I kept thinking how insignificant I was in comparison to the huge God who had made this mountain range. I will never forget the moment that everything changed. I came around a bend and the path went straight up. Not gradually but drastically. My heart was pounding. I remember pausing and thinking that I had a decision to make either go for it or turn and run. I decided it was now or never and with my head down I started climbing. At mid-morning we stopped at a mountain stream to eat lunch. I could see that I was shortly going to be above the tree line. My heart was pounding because of the lack of oxygen and because I knew that this was going to be a life moment. At this point I downed a Snicker bar provided in the lunch packed for the climbers at the camp kitchen. I had never tasted anything so fantastic. Something about the combination of terror and chocolate is exhilarating.
I wasn’t too far out of the tree line that I stopped and turned around. I gasped! I could see the tiny red roofs of the lodge and cabins below. I was very far away from my parents. I waved just in case they could see me. I knew they couldn’t see me but at that point I really wanted them to see me. I was thinking to myself, “What were my parents thinking letting me climb this mountain.” I could only take about 5 or 6 steps before I would have to stop and get my breath. I could reach out touch the mountain in front of my face. There was a group of us spread out along the face of little peak. Horn Peak is a beautiful mountain. As one climbs you ascend the very steep face of little peak and then you hike along the rugged ridge then making one last precipitous ascent to the peak literally climbing over large boulders until you reach the top and touch the plaque. Victory! It was part way up the face of little peak that I wondered if helicopters ever came by to pick people up. I was not having fun and wished that I was sitting playing cards or dominoes with those who had gathered to watch me die. I reached little peak and turned around. How in the world was I ever going to get down? I could not believe how perilous this looked and the thought of coming back this way almost made me swoon especially since I would have to look down as I descended. It wouldn’t be advisable to close my eyes when I had to come back this way. So I turned to big peak and left the future terror for later. I found the ridge quite easy and actually enjoyed the journey. I could see Pikes Peak and many other mountains. I could see glaciers and crystal blue lakes and streams. We saw mountain sheep and other creatures that I had never seen before. As I reached the peak I took out my mirror and flashed the happy card players at camp to indicate that I had made it. I sat up there for about an hour before I headed down. I passed many others who left camp after me and encouraged them to continue on. I rested again at Little Peak and then gathered all my courage and began the descent. It was more like sliding down the mountain. I tore off both back pockets of my jeans in the process and I was sure that my knees would never be the same.
As I descended into tree line I started to feel the thrill of victory. I was going to survive this day. Several hours later I came around a bend on rainbow trail and saw my dad walking to meet me. He walked the last few miles with me and congratulated my success. As we came to the parking lot I looked at him smiled and jumped over the barrier that he had trouble with a few years earlier. Later that evening I received a patch stating that I climbed Horn Peak. I slept very well that night from exhaustion and from the since of having finished well.
I have reflected on that experience so many times in my life. It really is a picture of our life with Christ. Sometimes He asks us to scale mountains. And to do this with success you must have the right gear. Mountaineer gear. In Ephesians 6:10-18 we learn about the right gear to scale mountains or to travel any terrain. The truth is that we have evil predators to face on this trek. And we had best be prepared.

This reminds me of a story about my brother Casey. One of the summers that we were in Colorado my brothers started the yearly trek up Horn Peak. I was married by this time and was in no condition to make the arduous ascent. Quite frankly, I felt that I had done that and got the patch (not the t-shirt). I assumed the position of watcher on the deck of the Lodge waiting for the flash of the mirror that they had made it. When my brother Casey returned he told us that while he was climbing he was repeatedly attacked by a bird. It kept pecking his head. This went on quite a while so he armed himself with a large rock and when the bird came around for another peck He launched the rock at the bird and well……..the pecking stopped. He actually bled. I have to confess at this point that I was sorry that I had missed seeing that. My brothers used to bug me like crazy. That reminds me of another story about Casey.
When I was in high school Casey would have been in Junior High school. Mom would be at work when we got home so there was about an hour that we were alone. I would arrive first and Casey would arrive about 20 minutes later. He would come in the door and start making weird noises and acting crazy. He would do it forever just to bug me. I tried to ignore him but I would always end up fighting with him. Everyday I would tell my mother and she was sure that I was exaggerating.
One particular day my mom was home when I got home. I had an idea. I raced in the house and asked mom to put the car in the garage so that Casey would not see that she was home. I told her it was her only chance to see him in action. The car was hidden in the garage and I assumed my position at the kitchen counter making a snack just like any other day. Mom hid in the hall at the top of the stairs.
I heard the school bus pull up and stop and then I heard the bus pull away. My heart was pounding as I anticipated the joy of him getting busted. The door opened and he looked at me and smiled. I smiled back and the antics began. He was in extra rare form. He went on and on and on and on waiting for me to lose my temper. I just kept working on my peanut butter sandwich. He was really putting himself into it now determined that he would break me. My mom was hearing the whole thing. My heart was soaring. Sick isn’t it? Finally my mom stepped out from her hiding place and the look on his face was priceless. BUSTED!!!!!!!!!! I can’t remember if he got in trouble of if he was just embarrassed. Why did I tell you that? Sorry, Casey and I laugh about that now.
Anyway, back to the point, yes I have one. The Helmet of Salvation mentioned in Ephesians chapter 6 is the first piece of armour. Each and everyday we have an enemy that wants to get into our minds and plant seeds of doubt and discouragement. But God has given us the Helmet of Salvation which covers our mind. It makes me think that maybe Casey needed a helmet when he was climbing the mountain as a defense against the pecking bird. I know from experience that Satan pecks me half to death if I have not protected my head with the helmet of Salvation. When someone has had a head injury they wear a helmet as protection. We all have a head injury called sin and the salvation that is provided by Jesus Blood to all who will call upon Him is the protective helmet that we need.

In the Secret

God wants to say something profound to us everyday. He wants to whisper a secret in our ear. He is exceedingly creative in His methods and He enjoys surprising us even more than we enjoy being surprised by Him. He speaks to us through His Word as we sit at His feet each day. He speaks through unusual methods like a children’s story book, a song on the radio or the laughter of friends. God is all about relationship. He desires our company above all else. We are created to abide, to hang out with Him. He is crazy in love with us and wants to share His heart with us. The only requirement of us is that we give Him our heart. What happens in this relationship is not what the world says is normal. In fact, it is not of this world at all. The Word says that He has set eternity in our hearts Eccl.3:11. Our hearts crave Him. He is the only perfect fit to the God shaped hole in our lives. We may try to stuff other things into it. But Ps. 63:5 says, “My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness”. Speaking of the state of our souls if we seek Him earnestly (Ps. 63:1)
In the last few years I have come to understand more what that state of being satisfied means. As I have made it my determined purpose to know Him (Phil 3:10) I have truly gotten to know Him better. Not that I understand Him or His ways any better. It has been in the most trying of times that I have learned the most about Him. I, quite frankly want a God that I can’t understand. If I can understand Him then we are all in serious trouble. In fact, the more I know Him the bigger He gets and the smaller I get. I have become more intimate with Him. More honest. More real. As I have sought Him His character is changing me. I look forward to getting older, not my body failing but the adventure of walking with Him through many years. None of us will be completely like Him until we see Him face to face, however we should be changed by our meeting with Him everyday in a secret rendezvous where He can direct, correct and encourage.
I have experienced God’s surprising methods of communicating in many ways. I had a beautiful life changing time with God a few years ago. My husband Garry, my 18 year old son Tim and I went on a two week trip of a life time to the U.K in 2003. We spent the majority of our time in the English country side with dear friends. However, we set aside four of the days for an adventure to Ireland that ended up being a series of spiritual mile markers for us all.
First, a little family history. My parents were young newly weds in the early 60’s. My father was in the United States Navy and was stationed in Londonderry, Northern Ireland when I was born. A year or so after my birth my parents returned to the States and continued growing their family. Two brothers were added to the family and we spent our growing up years in the Mid-West, mainly Kansas City. I grew up in a home where my parents took us to church every Sunday and taught us to love the Lord. One of our favourite family activities while we were young was to pull out the carousel slide projector and look at slides. Yes, that is aging me a bit. We spent many evenings over the years sitting in the dark family room as a family looking at slides of castles and green country side. I often said that I would love to go back and see the place where I was born. Those off-the-cuff thoughts were prayers that God would take great joy in answering later in my life. He was waiting for the perfect time.
After spending a week in England we excitedly and somewhat nervously flew from Bristol, England to Belfast, Northern Ireland where we started the quest to reconnect with my past. We had decided to be courageous and act as if we were backpackers. Our preparation for this adventure consisted of two purchases, backpacks and walkmans. We thought that that was all you needed. We were wrong. We soon found out that we were in fact real backpackers. All we had to do was ask our sore feet and our aching backs.
Upon deplaning in Belfast we were presented with our first challenge. How do we get to the train station? We rather hesitantly walked out of the airport not really knowing what to do with ourselves. Here’s an idea how about read the sign. Right in front of my face literally the sign said, “Bus to the train Station”. So we waited for the bus, on the wrong side of the road I might add and a few minutes later our bus arrived. We boarded the bus and sat down with relief until we got to the train station and it looked like we had stepped into a time warp. The weather was turning rather nasty all of sudden so we sat down on a bench on the platform of the outdoor terminal. Thankfully it did keep us protected from the rain but unfortunately it did not protect us from the wind. All I could think was, “I cannot wait until the train comes”. Then the train came. I looked and Garry. Garry looked at me. Tim looked at us both like, “Are you crazy?” I am sure that it was the same train that my parents rode 40 years ago. We rattled and rolled down the track anxious to arrive at our destination.
I have had several experiences that are in the category of gifts from the Lord and what I didn’t know on that rickety train was I was just about to receive one of those precious gifts. The three of us managed to get a whole car of the train to ourselves. So we spread out. Garry napped, Tim listened to music on his walkman and I was reading and staring out the window at the beautiful landscape. We passed through quaint little villages and saw masses of sheep grazing in the fields. As we were passing through one of the small towns I thought that I saw what looked like water off in the distance. I nudged Tim and pointed it out to him. He said, “Where are we, by a large lake?” I had to admit that I really didn’t know where we were. The comment did not please him to much. The look on his face was priceless. As we progressed the thought popped into my mind that maybe it was the ocean. It wasn’t long and we could see that I was right and we were about to get a good look at the North Atlantic. We all stood up and anxiously stared out the window at the ocean in the distance. We were all grinning like ninnies. Shortly after we pulled out of the small sea side village we entered a dark tunnel. We were in the tunnel forever it seemed. My son Tim had picked up the video camera and had been shooting footage of the distant ocean before we entered the tunnel and in his excitement had left the video camera running while in the tunnel. The commentary by the three smart Alecs is hilarious. We could see that we were coming to the end of the tunnel ahead and were looking with anticipation out of the window. All of sudden we were out of the darkness and before us was the ocean. And I mean right before us. It was crashing against the rocks and splashing the side of the train. It was the most magnificent sight we had ever seen. I was screaming and running up and down the aisle of the train in utter delight. The cool thing is that we have all the reaction on video. Most of the video is floor, ceiling, flailing arms and deafening audio. I burst into tears and looked out over the expanse of water. The contrast of the ominous stormy clouds and brilliant rainbow arching over the water were beyond breath taking. At that moment I felt like God was standing in the train with His arms around the three of us saying, “Isn’t that cool? I gave that to you. It is a promise. Enjoy”. We traveled the coast for about 20 minutes with faces pressed against the glass of the train window and then sadly the train headed inland. We just sat and smiled at each other. What a gift!
It wasn’t until we had been home about a year that I really understood the significance of that moment on the train. God gave us that picture because He knew that there were going to be times ahead that were going to be dark, some of them would seem like a forever. He knew that I would be tempted to be scared. But He also knew that the fulfillment of the promise He had waiting for me when I came out of that tunnel would be breathtaking. I will have minute daily tunnels and I will have extended tunnels. I could apply this to a day in my life or my life in its entirety. When this life is completed and we come out of this world that is plagued with sin and its consequences and enter eternity we are going to see God and fall at His feet and worship Him in the beauty of Holiness (PS.29:12) It is going to be spectacular and forever! So hang on…….there is light at the end of the tunnel.
As the trained rocked and swayed into Derry I could just make out the gothic spires of a large church poking up above some buildings. I remembered from the slides that this church was across the street from the apartment building in which my parents and I lived. We left the train station and walked across the bridge over the River Foyle to a round-about where the apartment building sat to the right. At one time the building looked like a piece of pie. Narrow at one end and widening as the two streets veered off in different direction. My parents lived in the third story of the building. The Living room window was at the point of the building overlooking the round-about. I know from pictures that I loved to stand at that window as a toddler and look out over the street below. Sometime over the past 40 years the front part of the building where the living room was had been torn down and a tree had been planted in its place. Spray painted on the side of the building was IRA in black. A lot of history has gone on in this nation since we lived here. We walked by the building and since the weather was so incredibly miserable and we were wet and cold we headed to our goal, a warm dry bed.
We showed up at our accommodations soaking wet which didn’t seem too strange since all the youth in the hostel looked identical to our waterlogged condition. Tim being 18 was the only one that qualified as youth since Garry was 41 and I was fast approaching 40. Thankfully since we were a family they gave us our own room. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon we collapsed on our bunks from absolute exhaustion and slept. I e-mailed my parents later in the evening that we had arrived safely in Londonderry and that we had eaten dinner at ……………Pizza Hut. They were shocked to say the least. I think they expected us to have some fish and chips or something. The three of us, I am tempted to call us stooges in this case because it applies, were green travelers to say the least. If someone had attached a microphone on my backpack I am sure that it would have been good stand up material.
The next day was an adventure in and of itself consisting of Dun Luce castle, which we had all to ourselves and an hour at The Giant’s Causeway. Dun Luce castle, in the rain of course, was a dreamlike experience. I ran through the ruins and yelled “Hail King Jesus”. Yes, I scared my husband and son half to death but I couldn’t resist. I have had an aspiration for the past few years to put my toe in every ocean of the world before I go home to be with the Lord. I thought that this was going to be my first toe/ocean experience. As I headed to the edge of the rock shore of the Giant’s Causeway Garry pointed out a sign that said something like, “Be careful you might get sucked into the ocean”. (That was my paraphrase). I decided against the toe in the ocean experience.
We planned some extended time at the apartment building my parents lived in for the last morning we were there. I was excited and emotional about going. As we approached the building I gasped as I saw the number 77 on the very door my parents would have entered each day, the door that they carried me through when I came home from the hospital. Some of the building was gone but the front door was still there. It was raining of course, so I stood under the umbrella and took in the moment. All I saw were feet passing by on the sidewalk from under my umbrella. In the stillness of that moment God gently whispered to me, “This is not just the place you lived when you where born. This is where I formed you in your mother’s womb. This is where I made you in the secret place. This is where you and I began. I brought you here for a reason. I have brought you full circle. It is time to move on from here and into what I have for you but you must leave some things behind.”
I spent as long as time would allow before we had to make our way to the train station. As I walked tearfully over the bridge to the train station I thought about what the Lord had said to me and looked at the river. I truly felt that I was crossing the River Jordan into the Promised Land leaving the wandering behind and stepping into the victory and blessing the Lord had for me.
I boarded that train a transformed person. I stared intently at the spires of the church until it faded from sight and turned to face a new direction full of hope and courage to walk the unknown path ahead. I will treasure that memory of that moment for the remainder of my life. I was not alone. Even though I was surrounded by people on that wet sidewalk I was in the secret place with my God. He was talking to me and I was listening. It was a profound moment, a moment that compels me to spend time with Him everyday in secret where He can whisper His Word to me. The secret place is where we began, Him and I. It is where He is waiting for me now. And it is where we will be together for all eternity.

The Game of Life

It was such a good idea. I wanted our family to spend some time together playing a board game. I was expecting lots of laughter and fun amidst a myriad of snacks, which in our family equals fun sadly enough. In fact, I could put out a large plate of nachos and no game would be needed. However, we decided to play The Game of Life. We all picked our playing piece from plastic cars in a variety of colors and put the sex appropriate colored peg in the front driver seat. In the original game this was a straight plastic peg with a ball on the end representing the head. Now the pegs have developed shoulders. I am not sure why except for the fact that you must need big shoulders in The Game of Life. I was in the orange car obviously driven by a pink peg with shoulder pads. I had to remind my youngest that he needed a blue peg. Oh brother! We all took turns spinning the wheel to see who would go first. My youngest won the spin and the game began.

My family is quite vocal and so it wasn’t but a few minutes into the game when everyone was talking at the same time and I was confused beyond belief. This is happening more often lately, something to do with being in my 40’s. My oldest son, who was married last summer, suggested that everyone should talk one at a time before my head popped off. I thanked him as I was sure that my head was in fact ready to launch itself into the light fixture above the table. I have the funniest kids but their problem is that they don’t know when to stop. The older I get the sooner I think they should stop. Anyway…….

The first choice each of us had to make was whether we are going to go to college or just hop in and choose a career. You did this by drawing a card from the deck of career cards and then drawing a salary card. If you choose to go to school you had to take a bank loan of $100,000. (Great) This supposedly was to allow you the opportunity to choose a better career with a higher salary. So I chose the education route, trying to be a good example to my children. They all laughed at me and went the career route. I was shaking my finger at them wanting to use this as a teachable moment.

Over the next few turns all of us had drawn our career and salary cards. They were all entertainers (big surprise, I wonder if there is a smart alek category for entertainer), athletes, tech support, etc. and had very very nice salaries in which they would get the joy of collecting every time the passed a payday. I, on the other hand was an accountant and I drew $30,000 a year for a salary and I had a huge loan to pay back. They did not. Not only that I landed on every “have a baby” square on the board. If I had one more baby I would have had to attach another car to the back of my orange mini van playing piece. Everyone was having a hoot and naming my children. They were all married with no children and huge salaries, very large bank accounts and nice homes which they sold later in the game for a huge profit. I was too busy paying off the school loan and paying expenses for the children to buy a house. My oldest son kept doing things that contradicted the rules of the game and when we would correct him he would say,” But I am a millionaire, I can do whatever I want.” What a joker!

As the game went on everyone was laughing except me. I thought to myself, “This is a little too real.” I thought I had made all the right choices in order to have a nice life/game and it all back fired. At the end of the game I retired but with little money. However, I had a huge family to visit me in my retirement home. I am not sure how I paid for it but I was there.

The game was full of decisions like buying insurance, buying a home, which route to take and even though we tried to make the best decisions possible the game still snuck up and surprised us. For instance, I landed on the square where you had to pay $5000 per child for a college fund. Considering I had four little plastic big shouldered children it cleaned me out until the next payday and I still was paying off the loan for my own college. I wanted to pull my hair out. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? My millionaire son won of course. I let him know that that did not mean he could do anything he wanted. He disagreed but that’s his wife’s problem now.

We cleaned up the game and everyone either headed home or headed to bed and I headed to a sleepless night where I relived our life year by year trying to re-evaluate the choices we made. I should have been deep in sleep but I was deep in thought. I thought that we had made all the right choices when we started our life together Garry and I, but life continued to sneak up on us. We have landed on numerous bizarre life squares and have dealt with them as best we could trying to follow the directions of our maker above who could see the whole picture. At times He has steered us to routes that others would not take because it didn’t look smart to them. And sometimes we have had to ask the very honest question of God, “why?”

Just like in the game when I landed on a tragic or stressful life square I would slump in my chair not believing that that just happened. Then I would sit up and work through the pain and move on. As the game neared the end I thought to myself, “I might as well refill everyone’s drinks and get more chips because I am so not going to make it to the end, at least not with anything in my pocket.” I also realized that I have come to a similar place in my real life almost wanting to just give up.

I woke up the next morning a bit down and then the Lord started reminding me of things that He has said to me along the way and I realized that if I hadn’t come this way I would have missed these precious Words. This is maybe not the life I would have chosen for myself. Quite frankly, I would love to have a life of luxury where I do nothing but travel or to have a brilliant career where I am well respected and successful. But God has called us to ministry. Talk about a bizarre life square! Where a lot of times there is not extra money to travel and sometimes you get no respect. The rain falls on everyone and we have had our share, as I am sure you have had your share.

So I am on a quest to remember what He has said to me in the times of trial and stress as well as the times of joy and laughter and to record them for my own healing and hopefully for your benefit. So that you can see that God works and speaks to us in the times of extreme pressure not for the purposes of meanness but for the purposes of conforming us into the image of His Son Jesus. This life is not about retiring with all the gadgets or funds but reaching the end of the race and hearing. “Well done, good and faithful servant”. I want to walk into heaven all used up. Really, He is not going to be too impressed by all the clever things that I did for myself. The only thing He is looking for is the blood of His Son covering me making me righteous before God. I remember as a young mother telling God to “bring it on”, whatever it took to make me like Him. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that life has been a bit of an adventure. I have triumphed at times and I have had times of failure. I have climbed a mountain and have rafted the white water of the valley. I can tell you this that I have lived. I choose adventure. I choose faith. I choose the narrow way, the high road and the road less traveled. I do not choose clichés or sanctimonious sayings. I choose the Word of Life. I choose the lifetime goal of knowing Him above success or renown. The road I have traveled has taught me much. The road ahead has much to teach me. For I know that all things work together for good, for those that love God and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Yes even my stupidity. Even my failures. Even my weakness.

People are like Creme Brulee

Have you ever met someone who is just hard. You wonder if there is anything tender or sweet about them at all. I was eating one of my favourite deserts when it hit me that I have an acquaintance that is like Creme Brulee. She is hard and a bit abrasive. And then the moment of truth, you crack through that hard outer shell and you find yourself enjoying the sweet treat underneath. She is adventurous and rebellious, say what she thinks and stands her ground. She is truly a free spirit. We have had completely different lives. I have played it safe....she has thrown caution to the wind. I have something to learn from her and I am sure she could possibly learn something from me.....maybe. I would have missed it if I would have wrote her off as too hard to get to know. Big lesson!!!!!! Spend enough time with people to get to really know them and life will be sweeter and maybe just a bit more adventurous. You are never too old to make a friend. While it is a safe bet that you will not see me sky diving......I am going to try something new.....like try to enjoy art or walk somewhere that takes me all day........

Do you know a creme brulee kind of person? Stay long enough to break through the hard topping and get to know them.

Before there was book on tape.......there was me!

I love to read aloud, especially to my family. It all started years ago when our family was traveling from Winnipeg to Kansas City. The children were small and so we decided to make the 14 hour trip through the night so that the children would sleep. We left our house at 5:00 p.m. ate our picnic dinner in the car and then got the children settled for the night. I had brought a book to read and so I picked it up to begin reading. It was "The Client" by John Grishom. Just to be a smart aleck I looked at Garry and began reading it out loud. He gave me a look to let me know that he was not impressed.......so just to be irritating I continued reading aloud. I finished the first chapter and decided that was enough and continued chapter 2 silently. All of a sudden Garry said, " Ahhh...I was really getting into that. Could you keep reading it to me?" I just looked at him in shock. So I kept reading and reading and reading.

After a few hours the sun was disappearing and I was struggling to see the print so I stopped reading. We were just entering a town and Garry pulled over to make a stop. We didn't need gas so I sat patiently in the car as I thought that he needed a "pit stop". Much to my surprise he came out of the convenience store with a flash light.....so I could continue the book. I couldn't believe it. I agreed to read to him only if he went back in the store and bought me a drink as I almost couldn't speak from the reading that I had already done.

To make a long story short I finished the book as we pulled up to my parents house at 8:00 a.m. I had read for 14 hours straight. It took me two days to get my voice back but we had a blast together listening to that story. Over the last 10 years I have read many books to my family and we have thoroughly enjoyed each one. It is a source of comfort to us. It makes us feel like a family.

This has been on my mind as I began reading a book to my son Trace last night. It is a long book and should take us most of the summer holiday to finish. The cool thing is that Trace is now 13. I would have never guessed that he would allow me to read a book to him at this age. I just left his bedroom where I was reading our daily quota of pages. As I finished the last few words of the chapter I noticed that he was sleeping. It was precious. I kissed him good night and told him I loved him and he sleepily said he loved me too. Life does not get better than that I have to tell you. Life may seem complicated in most aspects but nothing is more comforting then simply spending time with someone you love and a good book.

Thank you Jesus for the gift of time with Trace. What a blessing. He won't hold my hand in public but he will let me sit on his bed and read to him and this mom is extremely thankful for that .

I don't want to be a Bible smarty pants......I want to know Him.

Have you ever just had a revelation moment? I had one of those this last week. I have always wanted to go to bible college. I did go to university but when I explored the possibility of being a bible major I was discouraged because I was a woman. I caved and became a history education major. In fact, I didn't quite graduate because of our call to a church in Winnipeg. So deep down I have kicked myself for not following my heart and going for the Bible major.

Several moves and three children and a crazy life has come on full speed and that desire to dig in and study has not had chance to completely develop. This week I had that moment when I asked myself, "Why not?" I still don't have the time or the money to actually go to school. However, I can know God's Word because the Holy Spirit is my teacher. I have made the decision that I am enrolling in the school of the Holy Spirit. I am doing deeper!!!!

I have enrolled in a bible study seminar this month at Precepts Ministries and with the skills that I learn I am going to make Bible study a priority. I have scheduled the books of the Bible that I am going to study for the next 5 years with Precepts Upon Precept courses. Here is the thing.......... I plan to never graduate. I plan on being the oldest student ever and I also plan on seeing Jesus with my reading glasses on and my Bible in my hand and questions in mind.

Here is the reason that I have made this decision. I want to know Him. That 's it. I do not want to be a Bible smarty pants but I want to know God. My prayer is that He will make me smarter than I am. I am glad that I don't understand everything about His Word because if I did wouldn't you be afraid.

I am on a journey and God is doing a great thing in many more people that feel a call to go deeper. Let me challenge you to tuck yourself away with His Word, a pencil and paper and let Him speak to you.

True Confessions of a Bible Sniffer!

I have a serious addiction. I love books. One of my favorite get aways is a book store. Preferably a Christian bookstore but I have been know to spend hours in a Chapters bookstore as well. It is like a spa day for me. I especially love picking up a Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks then browsing through the rows of books. I love historical fiction, biographies, and children's books.
I love the smell of books. I have been known to flip the pages of a new book and sniff it. Yes I know that it is ridiculous. But.....I love it. You know that you have a problem when your friends know this about you and want you to sniff their Bible. My friend Kimberley P. received a new Bible after home church one night from her husband and she had to come back in the house to show it to me and to let me sniff it. Which I did and enjoyed immensely. My idea of a great holiday is a chair on a beach and a book. Preferably a real thick saga. When I read I truly escape.
So I guess it will not surprise you that I have many many bibles. I have most translations. All sizes and shapes. I am so tempted when I am in the book store to check out whats new in the Bible department. They have come out with some of the coolest Bibles. I adore the red leather briefcase Bible. It is smashing. No, I didn't buy it. But I sure wanted to.
My husband says that I need to join of support group for Bible addictions. I think it is called Bible study. So I think that I will take him up on that. Ha Ha
At the end of this month Garry and I are taking a 4 day Precepts course where we will learn to study the Bible inductively and we are so excited. I have wanted to do this for years and years and the fact that I get to do this with Garry is so cool. There is nothing more important then knowing Jesus and that happens when you spend time with Him in His Word. So I guess if there is an allowed addiction it would probably be the Bible.
Take a deep breath of His Word. It is OK to be a Bible sniffer.

No thank you, I am a pixie!

I stood before the mirror and said out loud, “Lord, what am I supposed to look like?” This had been brought on by recent weight gain, new shorter hair cut and the return to my original hair colour, dark brown from a honey golden blond. Who was the woman in the mirror and how could she be 43? I also saw pain in the eyes coming from deep within. I read a book that had made a profound statement which really stirred my heart. I must go through the pain not mask the pain. But if I didn’t mask the pain that means I would have to feel it. Was I up for that?

I made the decision to not medicate myself to numb the pain. I was “using” at a staggering rate. Before you start panicking I was “using” salty crunchy snacks to help alleviate the pain and it had cost me huge. (No pun intended) This is North America’s acceptable drug of choice. But looking in that mirror I decided to say no. Just say no to snacks.

I know who I am in Christ. But who am I in this body? When I asked God to tell me what I was supposed to look like? I heard in my heart, "You are a little pixie". It was like a term of endearment. Where did that come from? This is not a word that is in my vocabulary. What is a pixie and what does it look like?

So I looked up the definition

Pixie- a type of fairy or elf often depicted as having pointed ears, wearing a long pointed hat, and being cheerful and rather mischievous.

I just stared at the page. I have a problem with the pointed ears and long pointed hat but I smiled when I read cheerful and rather mischievous. That sounded like the girl I used to know a long long time ago. Then I looked at my bones. I have tiny bones something that had escaped my notice for a very long time. I looked in the mirror again and said, “I am a pixie.” A small woman with no extra baggage, that knows who she is in Christ and is full of the cheerful joy of the Lord and is a little out of control. Not in a sinful rebellious way but in an untamed, free spirited way. Someone who is not afraid to step out and go for it. Someone who dreams regardless of the naysayers. Someone who dares to meet the giant head on with no fear. Someone who loves a challenge. That someone needs to be me. That someone is me. God is in me in the presence of His Holy Spirit and He wants me to fly not crash. It is time to spread my wings and fly.

So enemy of the pixie in me. Watch out. I have put on my armor and you will fall by the hands of this little pixie of a woman with the God of the Universe residing in me. I am not destroyed and am not defeated. I have figured it out. I know who I am and the power that is available to me. You have lost.

By the way, when I am offered a salty crunchy snack I will say, "No thank you." But inside I will be saying to myself "I AM A PIXIE". HAAAA HAAAA! I know that this may sound strange but I can't tell you how it has made me smile to have passed on snacks while flashing a mischievous smile.

I met John Boy at Target!

In a previous blog entry I mentioned my love for The Walton's. You know that T.V. series from the seventies. I left for Rochester with the girls the next morning after entering that blog. We made great time which allowed plenty of time to shop at my favourite place. Target! (Pronounced Tar-jay) We set the time and place for us to meet and headed off in different directions to shop. I only needed a few small items that I had forgot so I was killing time meandering through the store. I was in the music/video section all by myself when I started humming the theme song to the Walton's show. I was still thinking about the blog entry from the day before. The weirdest thing happened. As I am humming I find myself looking into the eyes of John Boy Walton. That's right! In front of my face was the 5Th season of the show on DVD. I have never seen that before nor would I have ever guessed that they would even have an old show like that on DVD. So.........I bought it.

We all check out and everyone is showing what they had bought and I proudly showed my eye liner, body spray and the 5th season of the Walton's. They all just looked at me. I had to explain why this was special to me. My thinking was that we could watch a few episodes on the way home on the DVD player in the van.

Here is the funny part......On the way home we decided to watch not the Walton's but the DVD of the comedian we had seen at Women of Faith. So Kimberley reached up and pulled down the screen. It wasn't a screen but a sunglasses holder. This was a rental van. We thought we had a DVD player and it was a sunglasses holder. This is classic "us".

Earlier tonight I watched the first episode of season 5. As soon as I heard the theme song I start tearing up. I loved it. It is just plain good wholesome TV. Yea!!!! John Boy!

Periodically...........

Well…….we had an unbelievable time away last weekend. After traveling and shopping on Friday we made our way to the arena where the conference was being held. We found our seats and settled in for an amazing evening of laughter, encouragement and fantastic music. I realized while I was sitting there Friday night that this was like spiritual oxygen to me. I must have come in the building blue. It was like flying with someone and the entire cabin loses pressure and the oxygen masks fall out of the ceiling. The attendants are very clear that if you are traveling with someone who cannot care for themselves that you put your own mask on and then put the panicking persons mask on. I, in this case have been the panicking person…..so Christine put my mask on Friday night (I was sitting next to her) and the life giving oxygen of worship and Word filled my lungs.

The next day was equally encouraging and when the day was over I think I even danced in the parking garage. FREEDOM!!!!!!!!! Yippee! We expressed this new found freedom as we each got into our Go Karts after dinner at Go Kart World or whatever it was called and roared around the track. Well……some of us roared. Kimberley and I found ourselves being aggressive with some teenage boys who thought that they could beat the old ladies. They did beat us. Drat!!! But I did tell those naughty boys that they were lucky that we were leaving because they would not be so lucky the next time. They laughed. The nerve.

Sunday was a restful day, a day of dreaming for At His Feet Ministries. We arrived home early evening. Then………Monday!

Have you ever felt like you couldn’t breathe? Someone ripped off my oxygen mask. Back to the real world with pressure and stress. One of the speakers talked about living lively in the valley, which Kimberley reminded me of last night as I was having a bit of a panic attack. “I do not feel lively, I feel deadly.” This morning in my quiet time I read that “What is the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.” Luke 12:6-7
What was that? A puff of oxygen?
This brings up several thoughts. (Big Surprise.

One, I have tons of hair and He know them all? Does He know which ones are gray and why? Some of my gray hairs have names. Most of them have my name because I cause myself stress. But there are a few that have other people’s name on them. Maybe it is time for a name change for those hairs. Forgiveness!!!!!!!!!!

Two, I just went from blonde back to dark brunette which is my natural colour. I have been every colour under the sun and now I am back to the colour that God chose for me. He has been with me through every colour and hair style. My goodness we have been through thick and thin, good cut and bad cut, light and dark. He is still here. I am valuable to Him.

I will end with this funny story. After we arrived home from the weekend away I told my husband, who by the way has always been supportive of my frequent hair changes that I was going to go back to my original colour. I said, “Honey, I am sorry but I can no longer be your sexy blonde wife.” He sweetly looked into my eyes and said,” Honey, you are my sexy wife…..periodically. I think you know what he meant to say but actually this is probably truer. We had a good laugh and quite frankly we have used the word periodically quite a bit the last few days.

Periodically..... we all need someone to place the oxygen mask of God's Word on our face so that we can breath. I have certainly needed that at times as have you. It's what we are to be for each other. Keep our own mask on so that we can help others and if we find that circumstances have knocked off our mask and we are too hurting to put it back on make sure that you have surrounded yourself with others that can put the mask back on you. We are to support each other and spur each other on. If someone's mask is off and they are laying there gasping for air gently reach over and give them truth of God's Word and whisper in their ear, "You are valuable. You are not alone" Watch the colour come back into thier face and then walk on together.

Good Night John Boy!

Do you remember the show "The Walton's"? I loved that show. I loved all the characters but I had a real crush on John Boy. I can still here the theme song in my mind. It brings up feelings of nostalgia even now bringing a tear to my eye. That was when T.V. was good.

My grandma and grandpa had a cabin on a lake in the Ozarks. In the beginning it was one large room and a screened in porch. Later they built on a bedroom and retired there. But in the early days it was a tiny tiny place. Our entire extended family would converge on that magical red house and spend hours laughing, playing games, eating home made ice cream and fishing off the dock. It is one of my favorite spots in the world. At night there would be people sleeping everywhere and as the lights were turned off someone would start it, "Good Night John Boy". And on and on it would go. Until everyone was wished a good night sometimes twice with lots of snickering.

I loved waking up to the smell of bacon frying and biscuits baking. I can still see Grandma standing at the stove. She has been gone for 24 years ......how I miss her. Then again my mom looks more like her everyday and I realize that she is making the same impact on her Grandchildren that my Grandma made on me. That's cool. I hope that I can do the same. They are big shoes to fill.

Back to the Walton's.......I think my love for writing began with that picture of John Boy sitting over his Big Chief tablet with a pencil writing his thoughts. I look at my lap top and laugh. This makes writing so easy.....gone are the days of hand writing. And yet I have a desire to find a bench or a big tree and a tablet of paper and a pencil and write "old fashion" style. I think that is my goal this summer.........back to basics. Just my thoughts and a piece of paper. I know just the place. A cottage over looking Lake Huron. It is God's way of saying, "It is time, now write".

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

On Friday morning I will be getting in a van with 5 of my favorite people, the women of AHF Ministries and traveling to Rochester, New York to attend the Women of Faith conference entitled "Amazing Freedom". Whenever we travel together it is an adventure. We have assigned seats and jobs as follows: Christine the Commander of the vessel, Cheri the Chief Navigator, Louise (Wendy) the Special Operations Officer (hander out of treats), Kimberley the Musical Selection Officer, Michelle the Humor Specialist, and Anita the Chief Narration Officer. (Can you tell the I am into the space shuttle?) In case you are wondering what in the world a narration officer might be, I always read a book to the girls whenever we travel. I have made our book selection and we are looking forward to passing our time in the van (shuttle) together as a little book club. We are on a strict departure schedule thanks to our Commander and are scheduled to arrive with ample time for relaxation before the conference begins Friday Evening. We are planning to make our re-entry on Sunday late afternoon (shopping permitted).

I will be sharing with you on our return what the Lord said to me personally and what He did with us as a group. We are anticipating a blast with each other and with the Lord. We would appreciate your prayers as we travel and for a fresh touch from the Lord of healing and freedom.

Two Peas in a Pod!

This is my friend Michelle. She always makes me laugh. She is from England for those of you that don't know her. She is our drama queen and our dancing queen as far as that goes. She has the best accent. Having a Kansas twang myself I love to hear her read the Bible. We often mock the way she says words like body- I don't even know how to type how she says it.

You know how when you are with someone a lot you will pick up their phrases or little sayings well.......every once in a while this Kansas girl says a word right in the middle of the sentence with an English accent. Don't ask me why because I don't know. But it makes me laugh. I guess Michelle is rubbing off on me.

She is a friend. She is a hoot. I wouldn't trade her for anything. She is a jewel. She is goof.

Michelle, you are a blessing. I love you.

10 lbs of Love!

This is Phoebe. I should say "Princess" Phoebe. Or maybe I should say "the dog who thinks she is human" Phoebe. She is my sweetie and I love her immensely. I can always count on her being happy to see me.

Today we took Phoebe and her sister Bianca the Beagle to a leash free park. This is first time I have experienced this doggy free for all. There were dogs everywhere. Big dogs. Little dogs. Phoebe was the smallest- in size not in personality. She has an addiction. She loves her ball and Lord help the person or the dog that comes between her and her ball. She took on a boxer named Bosco today. Bosco was only about 10 times her size. She certainly had the respect of the dog population and the laughter of the human population. Bless her heart she hardly has any front legs, but can she move. It was a great way to enjoy the afternoon of sun.

I sit on a love seat in my living room to have my quiet time each morning and once I have settled in my seat Phoebe will jump up beside me and assume her position. (Now I am not implying anything weird here so don't panic). I am sure that Phoebe loves Jesus. I suspect this because once when I was sick in bed Phoebe insisted on being right by my side. I was bored out of my mind being in bed for several days and so I began reviewing any Bible verses I had memorized. I noticed that Phoebe was paying very close attention to me and so I decided to practise sharing the gospel. She listened to every word. I was actually very touched. Not many people listen to me ramble on and on-nope she hung right in there. So I just said to her, "I don't want to alarm you but I don't think you have a soul but just in case I am going to ask you, "Is there any reason why you won't ask Christ to be Lord of your life right now"? She just stared at me so I took that as a no and asked her to pray silently as I led her in prayer. At that point Garry came in and said, "You must truly be delirious." You may laugh but she would insist on attending the Wednesday night Bible study for women that I held at my home. All the ladies loved both of my dogs as they would sit quietly for the hour of bible study.

I know this is nonsense but I thought I would just share that I love this little critter. She is a friend indeed. A gift from the Lord. She makes me laugh and fills me heart with joy each morning.

One last Phoebe anecdote. We went on a family vacation a while back and of course "little bit" had to come with us and of course she had to sit on my lap. I was trying to sing along with Mariah Carey ( it was not pretty). Phoebe looked at me and started singing along in doggy style. She actually did a better job then I did. We all laughed so hard. What a helpful dog. She just would not let me be humiliated alone. Now that is a true friend.

Trophies of Christ Victory!

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ victory] and through us spreads and make evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere.
2 Corinthians 2:14 (AMP)

I love this verse. It makes me want to cheer. It gives me hope. Here is why!

1. Man, should we be thankful. Without Christ victory we would be in a world of hurt.

2. Because we are IN Christ, He always, not sometimes but ALWAYS leads us in triumph. We are not losers. (Contrary to popular opinion sometimes our own). We, in fact are winners. The enemy is the loser. We need to get this. Each day is a day of victory-no matter the circumstances.

3. We are trophies. I picture the bowling trophy with a little golden women. When I look at my own life I think that I must be a huge trophy -why? because He has led me through so much. He has covered so much and forgiven so much and loved so much when love was not deserved. I am a trophy of His grace and mercy and I am forever grateful that He loves me. And you should be grateful that He loves you and counts you as a trophy of His victory.

4. We are perfume atomizers. You know that fancy glass bottom your grandma had when you were growing up. I remember squeezing the ball and hearing and feeling and smelling the perfume spray out and fill the room with the fragrance. We are those bottles. WE are receptacles of His love and grace. God squeezes us and the fragrance of the knowledge of Him just wafts over people (did you like that word---waft?) When people are around us they should want to know Him.

Think of this................the next time you are tempted to feel like nothing. Get on a podium, raise one arm and point to the Father and be a trophy of Christ victory. Be thankful for His grace and be the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ in your area of influence.

His Story!

I just returned from a week long trip to Nova Scotia as a chaperon with my daughter's high school choir and band. Garry and I each had 10 young adults in our charge. We had a blast with them and no one was lost along the way. The week was jam packed with concerts and educational trips to historical sights in the area. I was in history heaven. We went to at least 4 museums. I wanted to be a high school history and geography teacher so this was right up my alley. Sometimes I would see the students eyes glaze over with boredom and I just wanted to get them excited about what we were learning. I have come to the conclusion with the help of my husbands mocking that I am in fact a history nerd. I was amazed at the stories of the people who settled the area and what they must have gone through. I imagined my own family in those situations and was moved. It made me think of history in general. HIS STORY!!!!!!!

All that happens to us as individuals and as people groups and nations somehow all fit into the saga of mankind. The story of people. People who God created to worship Him. How grossly we have failed to live up to our purpose. How grossly we have followed the way of sin. History is the story of the war between light and darkness. The story of a fallen people and the Savior who paid it all to get them back. The encouraging thing to remember is that we know the end of the story........Christ wins. The victory happened at the cross where Satan was made a spectacle. God is being extremely patient as He waits to end this thing because He wants all to come to salvation. How it must break His heart that some will not choose Him after all He has done to provide the way.

We spent an afternoon at Peggy's Cove, a quaint ocean side village that was in the news several years ago when the Swiss Air crash happened 8 km off its coast. It was breathtaking to sit on the rocks and look out at the ocean. I had a great cup of coffee and took it all in. I also freaked out as I watched high school students standing a little to close to the edge for my liking.

We spent an evening on the shore of the Bay of Fundy at a camp fire. I spent an hour combing the rocks for shells and found mussels and snails with beautiful shells. I was having a ball when I heard the girl about 5 feet away say, "Oh cool, an eel." I headed back to the beach quickly praising God that I had not found that creature. We watched the tide come in and I was a happy girl enjoying God's creation. I found myself looking at the ocean and thinking that God's love is bigger then that body of water for me and for you. I was overwhelmed in that moment. I watched students cook hot dogs and marshmellows enjoying each others company and thought to myself that this is exactly what God wants for us. Enjoying each other and Him. I vowed to spend more time enjoying life with people that I love and enjoying the life that I have been given by a loving God.

I have learned much this week. He has taught me about Himself through His creation, through history and through the laughter of teenagers. God is always showing us Himself if we are paying attention. This week was a gift. He said things that I might have missed at home.

1. Tell His Story to others. Make sure their eyes do not glaze over with boredom when you are communicating the gospel. Tell what He has done in you. Tell your story.

2. Sometimes you need to sit with a cup of coffee and take it all in. Be quiet. When I think of the verse which states that "the rocks will cry out in praise", I have a new picture. Look at creation and watch it praise God in its beauty and then join in. He is worthy of all of our praise.

3. Enjoy people. Enjoy life. Laugh much.

4. Explore the treasure of His Word like combing the beach for shells. Watch for God. He is speaking.

Oh Where Is My Hairbrush?

I have a confession to make. I still do this.........

I can't resist the urge to sing into my hairbrush. It all started when I was a little girl and I wanted to sing in the choir just like my mom. Then the first time I saw someone singing a solo I thought to myself, "I want to do that". So I started practising in the mirror with whatever I had in my hand. (I sometimes even sang into my curling iron).

My first solo in church was when I was 16 and I will never forget what happened.......I forgot the whole second verse so I la-la-laed until the chorus came back around. Thankfully the congregation had pity on me and let me sing again.

Eventually the bathroom practising paid off as about a year later a really great looking guy started attending our church and he had a great voice. So, of course, I had to sing with him. And you know what ... I still am. Garry and I will be married 24 years this September.

The song was "Boundless Love".

I totally felt it. Ha Ha!!!

Be Blessed!

How blessed the man you train, God, the woman you instruct in your Word.

Psalms 94:12 (MSG)

Blessing comes with instruction. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. God the Spirit whispering truth to us as we look at His Word. Isn't it amazing that the creator of the universe wants to instruct us.

I have had several teachers that have greatly impacted my life and by and large it is because they set aside time to invest in my education. As we choose to set aside time for God we find that He has been waiting for us and as long as we are sitting at His feet He is ready to teach us. We have His complete undivided attention.

I know as a teacher myself that I love seeing someone catch the concept that I am trying to teach. How delighted God is when we catch what He is saying and we allow that truth to travel that twelve inches from our heads to our hearts where it begins to transform us into the image of His Son. As true disciples we need to be learners. Always expecting to learn something whenever we read, study or hear God's Word.

My dear friends, be blessed as you allow Him to train and instruct you.

Live Like Your Alive!

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Col 2:13-15
Regardless of your circumstances, regardless of how you may feel. If you are a follower of Christ you ARE alive. Throw your arms
out and raise your face to the Lord Jesus in extravagant praise.

Live like your alive!!!!!!!

Undercover Princess

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs with God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, in order that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:16-17

As a little girl I was fascinated by crowns. I remember my mom having a round powder container that had a metal ring around the outside that was about the same size as my head. So when she had used all the powder I worked all afternoon trying to break the plastic and free the metal circle that looked like a crown. I finally succeeded and would play with that make believe crown for hours. I would pin it to my thick hair with Bobbie pins and pretend that I was a princess. I would also play with my mom's old prom dresses. I loved the ones with the crinolines. I just knew that I was going to marry Donny Osmond. (right!)

I am an heiress. A co-heir with Christ. A co-heir with the Prince of Peace. Doesn't that make me a princess? I believe that it does. It is so easy to forget who we really are. We think that the life we have here is reality and that eternity is a distant dream. When really this world is surreal and bizarre and eternity is reality. Who we are in eternity is who we really are....now. I am not really a middle aged squishy women. (really I'm not) I am an eternal woman of God. A Christ follower. A princess and I will spend all eternity in the court of the King of Kings in worship and fellowship and sharing in His glory. The reality is that being a princess in the spiritual sense is not about frilly gowns and magnificent crowns and the pomp and circumstance that we think of here. It is a life that looks like Christ. A life that shares in His sufferings.

We are undercover princesses here. Sufferings................then glory.

Confident of one thing!

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6 NASB

Have you ever felt the movement of God so heavily that it almost makes a low hum. Not a audible sound, but a rumbling in your spirit that God is perfecting His good work. I see Him moving in lives all around me. I see Him moving hearts closer to Him. I hear people asking questions about Him that I never thought I would hear. God is on the move. He is pursuing people everywhere. My heart is pounding at the pure adventure of it all. What a privilege it is to be apart of what He is doing. It is also a scary place to be in if you just look at it from the world's view. But with God all things are possible. He fed 5000 in one sitting from just a few fish and loaves. He can provide for us with more besides.

I am confident in my God. He has a plan and He will see it come to pass.

The God of the impossible. The God who uses the ordinary simple people. The God of adventure. The God who is pleased by my faith.

You are a faithful God. I will trust You absolutely......

A weekend to Remember!

We had a blast with you this weekend in Niagara Falls. God proved Himself faithful as usual. We pray that God richly blessed you as you sat at His feet listening to Him speak. The prayer walk on Saturday morning was a blessing as I got the chance to visit with women I hadn't met before and to exercise some out of use muscles. The pajama party on Saturday night was more fun than I could have ever imagined. Way to go with the fashion show. I am looking forward to even more creative outfits next year.

God is calling you by name.....You are not alone and He is the restorer of joy. Staying where you are may cause you to miss what He is about to do. The proper response is to go quickly to where He is calling you from and fall at His feet in total surrender just like Mary of Bethany. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. We have no life apart from Him.

My prayer is that as you go back to the real world this week that the refreshment that you received will remain and deepen. Spend time each day seeking Him. He has something to say to you through His Word and He wants to hear what you have to say as well. The cool thing about God is that He doesn't think that you talk to much. (I take great comfort in this as I usually have lots to say). The key is to be quiet as well and hang on the words He offers you. He is listening intently to what you have to say ....give Him a chance to respond.

I would love to hear what the Lord said to you this past weekend and also what your response was to Him. Please feel free to comment on this blog spot or if you would rather e-mail me at anita@AHFministries.com.

We are praying for you as we meet on Monday nights and look forward to hearing from you all. Thank you for being so very amazing this weekend and we look forward to seeing you at our fall day conference.

There's no place like home!

I don't know anyone who's mind does not immediately go to the Wizard of Oz when you say Kansas. I have been called Dorothy more times than I can remember. While I do not collect Wizard of Oz trinkets I do have a few treasures that remind me of where I came from. I have a pair of ruby red slippers on my fridge. It reminds me that there is no place like home.

Several years ago I went with Kimberley McGibbon to see Martina McBride, a female country artist and fellow Kansan. She is a little bitty thing with a huge voice. She is my favorite singer. At this particular concert she did "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" accapella. The hair on my head was almost standing up on end. It was by far the best thing that I have ever heard. Wow! I still get goose bumps when I think of it.

There no place like home! I love Kansas. But I love my real home even more. I haven't yet experienced it but it will be spectacular. Sometimes when life gets hard I wish it was as easy as clicking your heels together. Peace settles over me as I ponder the fact that somewhere over the rainbow---the promise of God---is my forever home. This is just a vapor, a blip in eternity. I can't wait for my heavenly home. We must look at this life through the glasses of eternity. Yes, sometimes there are wicked witches and flying monkeys and irritating munchkins but there is also an emerald city with a mighty wizard. An all knowing, all powerful, ever present God who is preparing a place for us. If He went to prepare a place for us then He will come for us. Oh, there is no place like home and I am homesick.


....................He has also set eternity in our heart, ..........Ecc. 3:11

Sunflower Girl

I grew up in Kansas. I am a mid west farmer's daughter. Except my dad was not a farmer. He sold bolts and nuts to farmers for their grain silos. That's as close as I get to being a farm girl. I grew up in the suburbs of Kansas City. I know very little about rural life although I am fascinated by it. I remember when we use to drive to Colorado for vacation and we would drive through western Kansas where you could see for miles and miles. It was flat as a board.You knew it was bad when the occasional herd of cattle was cause for excitement. One of the things that I remember is the endless fields of sunflowers. It was stunningly beautiful. The Sunflower is the state flower of Kansas so this particular flower has a special place in my heart.

The neat thing about sunflowers is that they lift their heads to greet the sun. My prayer is that I will lift my head to greet the Son each morning and that feeling the rays of His love of grace will be enough for me.

I am a sunflower girl..........a Kansas chick!!!!!

Who's in charge here?

If your old sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.
Romans 8:6

When I picture this verse I see an outline of a head of cauliflower representing my mind and I see the contrast of old Anita (this is not referring to my age) in the drivers seat with worry taking up the entire area and the look on my face is twisted with fear. Then I see the same cauliflower outline with the Holy Spirit in the driver's seat and me sitting beside Him in passengers seat, the look on my face is free and easy. Smilin' like a fool. Relaxed and confident in the driver's ability to get me where I need to be.

Oh Lord, help me to see when I have not yielded my mind to the Holy Spirit's control. When I have allowed worry to fill me with fear. I choose to trust You because You have been faithful to me in the past and I know that Your character will never change. I know that apart from the Holy Spirit's work in my mind there will be no peace. Renew my mind and transform my life. Help me to take all thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. Help me dwell on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and of good repute. I will meditate on your Word Lord.

I have lived long enough to figure out that I do not want to drive this journey. I choose to ride in the passenger seat, along for the ride. I do not want a life where I am in control. I want to ride beside the Master and listen to His stories and look as He points out the points of interest. He knows where we are going and I want to arrive at just the right time...on His arm.

Oh God, You are in charge here!!!!!!

Only One Thing Going for Me!!!!

Yesterday was Easter.
Resurrection Sunday.
The day Jesus Christ the Son of God rose from the dead.
We serve a risen Savior.

I have been thinking today of the Resurrection power of Christ which He exerts over believers, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and have remembered with thankfulness the times in my journey where I have experienced this power afresh. It started when I accepted Christ as my Savior and Lord and my life became new. And I have experienced it numerous times throughout my life in broken relationships that were made new and tragic circumstance that seemed impossible. He is the acclaimed fixer of all things broken, the healer, the lover of our souls. It is amazing to me that He chose process over an instant becoming like Him. He wants to be in relationship with me. He wants me to be dependant on Him. He wants to hear from me and for me to listen as I walk. To experience Him in the good times and to have my faith stretched to the max in the times of trial. He is using all things, good and bad to change me and to make me more like Him. He is an amazing God and an unfailing friend. He loves me and wants the best for me. He understands my heart and my motives when others have questioned them. He has planted things in my heart, things that are pleasing to Him and are part of his overall purpose in this world. There is no one like Him. He's True!!!!!! He has shown me His true colours again and again. His character is matchless and firm. He is totally reliable.

Thank you Jesus for the sacrifice you made on our behalf which allows us to be in right relationship with God the Father, and for the joyous privilege of serving you. You are my best friend and I am thrilled that I get to spend all eternity in your presence.

After this Easter I have the come to the understanding that really I have one thing going for me.
The priceless blood of Christ that covers me and because I am covered with His blood God sees His Son when he sees me. That's it. That's all........That's enough. I am loved. I am accepted. It is to much for my mind to comprehend. Thankfully I have all eternity to contemplate it and the cool thing is that in heaven I will be able to contemplate it with Him sitting across from me hopefully over a ice cold diet coke. Oh ya forget the diet part.

Ears First?

This caused me a little chuckle. It concerns me that someone would bite the bum of the bunny first. Whatever!

My children are getting older and I think that this is the last year that I am buying chocolate bunnies. First of all, this is not what Easter is about. I will address that in tomorrow's blog. Secondly, I can't believe how much we actually get suckered into spending on this chocolate stupidity. It is not just chocolate bunnies now you can buy chocolate anything. It's ridiculous. Chocolate Spiderman? Thirdly, who needs this much chocolate. It goes straight to the body parts that do not need any enhancing. And no teenager needs more sugar. At least not my children.

So good-bye chocolate bunnies. Good-bye Easter baskets. No more Easter egg hunts................What am I saying? I will be a grandmother someday however, until that glorious day. I am boycotting chocolate Easter confectioneries. That includes those addicting jelly beans and malted milk eggs too. Bah humbug!!!!!!

Quiet Please!!!!!

I love reading the bible from the Message, a contemporary language version. It is real, sometimes it is so honest that it approaches raw. It is fresh and thought provoking. This morning I was reading and I came upon these verses.

When besieged,
I'm calm like a baby.
When all hell breaks loose,
I'm collected and cool.

I'm asking God for one thing,
only one thing,
To live with Him in His house
my whole life long.
I'll contemplate His beauty;
I'll study at His feet.

That's the only quiet, secure place
in a noisy world.
The perfect getaway,
far from the buzz of traffic.

Psalms 27: 3-5


I can't say that I am as calm as a baby when I am besieged. But boy, would like to. Speaking as a witness to a recent outburst from hell, I have to admit that I wanted to just curl up and disappear. I was paralyzed, in the grip of intense fear. Wondering where God was in all of this.

After the first paralyzing shock wave passed I began looking at His word. Most of the time through tears and slowly I began to hear whispers of hope. Words of love and encouragement. Promises of the good life to come. His face became the source of beauty that was missing. The healing has been slow but each step complete before moving to the next.

How do we as Christ followers stay calm and cool when the forces of hell come against us. I think that the above verses answer that question.

By living a lifestyle of worship, by gazing (mediating) upon the beauty of his face and seeking what He is saying to us in His Word. A quiet time with God. It is the only secure place away from the chaos of the enemy's attacks.

We will all face mishaps in life, after all "life happens", and sometimes there are deliberate frontal attacks by the enemy. From whichever source it comes we can be equipped to stand tall and victorious by taking these words to heart and modeling our life after them.

I don't want to live in ear shot of the buzz of traffic. I want to live in the presence of God.

Light, space, zest-
that's God!
So, with Him by my side I'm fearless,
afraid of no one and nothing.

Psalms 27:1 (The Message)

Do you know Micki like I know Micki?

It all started four years ago. Micki (name changed to protect the guilty) is the pet of one of my clients. He is a Chiquaqua. He thinks he is human. The first time I met Micki and his master it was to look at houses. I picked up my client at the hotel and much to my chagrin she had her tiny Chiquaua under her arm. "I couldn't possibly leave him alone in the hotel," she said. I was speechless. When we arrived at the first home we got out, Micki included. "Ah, I don't think that it a good idea. He'll have to stay in the car", I said. Micki was not pleased. I was not pleased either. What would I find when I came out? "Lord, please protect my car from dog doodoo," I prayed. I spent many evenings looking at homes with a possessed dog glaring at me and bearing his teeth from under the arm of my client. Thankfully he never left me a present.

On the day of her house closing my husband and I dropped by with pizza and pop for her family. Garry met Micki for the first time. Micki promptly attached himself to Garry's pant leg with his teeth when Garry reached out to shake my client's hand. You see Micki is in love with my client and will attempt to kill you if you even acknowledged her presence. I will never forget the look on Garry's face. I seriously feared that Micki might have to die.

Several years passed and my client called me and asked me to list her house. I arrived at her home dressed to the nines in suit and pumps. I was sitting at the kitchen table while my client was signing the paperwork when I began to feel pain in my foot. The pain-o-meter went from 0 to 1000 in about 2 seconds. I glanced under the table to find Micki attached to my foot. As our eyes met he clamped down and I screamed. Much to my terror he bit down harder in response to my fear. By this time my client is beginning to clue in to the situation and starts screaming at Micki. At last the stupid dog let go and ran off. I gathered my paperwork saying, "oh, don't worry I'm fine". She apologized profusely and assured me that he had his shots (nice). As I put on my shoes at the front door I saw blood running down my foot and into my shoe. GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!

Last Sunday I went to do an open house at Micki's place. I was standing in the entry way waiting for the family to leave when I had a strange sense that I was being watched. At the top of the stairs was my nemesis Micki. Our eyes met. He showed me his teeth. I showed him mine. He ran down the steps and latched onto my shoe. It was a leather boot (thank you Jesus for your protection). It became apparent that he had no intention of releasing and no one was around so.............I sent him flying across the entry way. The dog was actually airborne. It was a sight of absolute beauty. He landed with a thud and slid across the ceramic tile. When he recovered he came at me with intent to kill. Thankfully my client came around the corner and chased the dog into the laundry room. With heart pounding I said goodbye to the family as they left for the two hour open house.

I went into the kitchen to put out my cards and other marketing materials when I heard some distant barking and looked up. I was instantly filled with complete joy as I saw Micki on the deck outside looking at me through the glass door. There was no way I was letting him in. He was so mad. He was charging the door and giving me the what for. I just smiled at him. No that's not true.................................I mocked him. For two hours he stalked me through the door with murder in his eyes.

How can a tiny little dog be so evil? Why does he like my feet? How bad is the next confrontation going to be? Maybe I'll just grab the little stink and bite his foot right off.

That reminds me of a joke.

Did you here about the three legged dog who walked into the bar to find out who shot his pa (paw)? Hey, maybe the dogs name was Micki.

I don't know how this story with Micki will end but thankfully it will. And I will be left with a teeny tiny scar to remember him by.

So Why am I writing this you may ask? Well confession is good for the soul. (Just so you know I have two dogs of my own who I love very much. I am not a dog hater at heart.) Sometimes you just have to get things off your chest.