Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Happy Resurrection Sunday to all! He is Risen! 

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

For Thy Pleasure

It used to be that whenever I thought of things that brought me pleasure, images of being snuggled up all warm and cozy with a cup of coffee indoors as the snow falls outside came to mind. Or even visions of reading a favorite book while enjoying Lindt chocolate!

That is, until I took the time to really think about this verse:

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Revelation 4:11

I looked up the Webster's definition for the word pleasure:

pleasure- noun; a source of delight or joy

Wow! God created all things for His pleasure. For His delight. For His joy.

I suddenly felt the need to come up with a different word to describe my love for Lindt chocolate.

Maybe I just am partial to chocolate instead.

The word "pleasure" appears 60 times in the Bible, and most of the time, it is not used in a positive sentence. But this reference in Revelation tells us His creation was for His pleasure. And this includes you. This includes me. He didn't have to create us at all. But He did. And it was for His pleasure.

How pleasurable is that!

The Desires of Thine Heart

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." 

~Psalm 37:4

I headed to the pharmacy section of Walmart, discouraged with myself for failing to pack my contact lens solution before leaving home that day six hours ago. My husband, children, and I had arrived in the town we'd be spending two nights in and had to make this stop to accommodate my forgetfulness. I knew my desired contact lens solution brand and convenient travel size might not be sold at this store, so I said a quick prayer I might find what I needed quickly. My disappointment grew when I saw the prices were well over what I normally paid. I spotted the brand I regularly used: $7.48. Oh, no! I only pay in the $4 range. I sighed and scanned over the other products but saw nothing that satisfied my search. Resolving I would just have to spend the extra money, I picked up my preferred brand. At that moment, I saw a $3.00 off coupon attached to the top of the box. I blinked a few times and glanced at the other boxes on the shelf. None of the other boxes had this coupon! The Lord gave me my preferred brand at my preferred price. "Thank you, Lord! You sure take care of me."

I met one older missionary wife who spoke at a ladies lunch. She relayed to the group of gathered ladies a story from the early part of her families' ministry. She was traveling with her husband to a church with just enough money in their wallet to get them to their next destination. As they were driving, she had a sudden craving for a mocha and let her husband know her thoughts to have this delicious hot drink. "Well, you'd better ask the Lord to provide it, Dear," he responded and continued driving. So, she said a quick prayer, opened her eyes, and about that moment, suddenly yelled, "Stop the car!", to her bewildered husband. He slammed on the brakes and before he could figure out what she was up to, she hopped out, crossed in front of the car to the middle of the road, stooped down, and picked something up, smiling excitedly. She returned to spot in the car grinning widely and showed her husband a container of mocha drink mix- the kind you add a couple spoonfuls to hot water, stir, and enjoy. "Look at what the Lord gave me!", she exclaimed and removed the lid. They both could see the protective seal was missing from the can. "You're not going to drink any of that, are you?", her husband asked with a look of concern. She held the can still grinning, turned to look at him and said in her southern accent,  "It's okay, Honey, it's from the Lord!"

At the end of this tale, my face twisted with slight disgust, but I loved her story and her view on the Lord taking care of her that little way. 

My son, Micah, started deputation with one tie. He prayed for God to provide more. Through the giving of God's people, Micah now has somewhere around twenty. I have to try to remember to monitor his packing, or else in his excitement of having a big tie collection, he'll pack two pairs of pants or two shirts and fifteen ties!

So what is it about these "little things" that make us giggle with child-like glee and breathe a "Thank you, Lord!" In grateful praise?

It's no surprise to us that the Lord knows about our desires. He's God. God knows everything. What's so thrilling to us is that no matter how little these desires are, He cares about them because He cares about us. 

...and I think He enjoys seeing our smiles of excitement when we find a coupon on a box of contact solution or a can of mocha on the road ;)

An Expected End

My family and I were on our way home from church service the Wednesday night just before the New Year. As I was driving, I was very aware of the amount of deer along the sides of the road and expecting at any moment, one would jump out at me, so I stayed very alert. The CD player was playing a song about prayer from a gospel group we had met on deputation:

I can pray out loud or silently.

I can pray standing tall, or on my knees.

It really makes no difference, just that prayer is the key;

Because prayer changes things and it changes me. *

And on this particular night, we were especially glad for the prayers of God's people.

I was traveling along a state route and coming upon the intersection of a major highway. As I approached the intersection trying to continue north on my route, a car suddenly pulled in front of me to enter the ramp for the highway. I slammed on my brakes and swerved to avoid the other vehicle, but despite my best efforts, clipped the rear passenger side of it. 

The next hour was comprised of a 911 phone call, analyzing our health and then vehicles, and waiting for the police and then tow trucks. But during this whole process, God used us to be a light for Him. What could be seen as a horrible experience, God gave us comfort and the ability to comfort the teenaged girl from the other vehicle. We had Gospel tracts in the crumpled van and put them in the hands of those that would receive them. One particular bystander stuck around to see if we needed a ride home and I had a great opportunity to share the Gospel with her. She had come from a Catholic upbringing and was kicked out of the church because of a divorce. She then tried The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and was currently searching for the next thing when she met me. She could hardly believe that salvation was by faith alone and not of works! She showed me her goose bumps as she believed it was really that simple to trust Christ alone for salvation! When she did get the girls and I home and Jason and Micah went home with the tow truck driver, I gave her a Bible and my contact information. She was from the same town we had gone to church that night and I told her about it, praying she will get involved there or another of like faith. 

Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." God knew there was a woman that needed to hear the Gospel who was searching and ready to hear the truth, and He arranged that appointment to give an expected end.

Thank you for all who pray for our safety while we travel. Prayer sure does work. 

* Prayer Changes Things by Living Proof:  http://livingproofmusicministry.com

Why Christ Came

I lost something once.

Okay. I've lost more than one "something" before, but you know what I mean.

This particular something was my wedding ring. I had taken it off to knead some bread dough and stuffed it into my pocket. Later on, when it was time to take the clothes to the laundry room to wash, my ring was still in that pocket. I didn't even realize it was missing until all the laundry had been washed, dried, and put away. With chores done, I went to apply lotion to my dry skin and my fingers felt the void where the ring should be. A sudden panic seized me as the sudden realization of what I had done struck me. I searched the pockets of the now laundered skirt where the ring had been placed earlier in the day and found them to be empty. I rushed to the laundry room and hunted through all the machines I had used and found no ring. I scoured the floors and retraced my paths but did not find the lost ring anywhere. When I returned to the house, Jason asked what was wrong and I had to tell him my bad news. He went to search the laundry room as well and came back with my ring. It was tucked in one of the crevices in the washer! I was so relived, as you can well imagine!

The ring was lost. It was important to me. It was sought after and found.

The Bible says that Jesus did just that for us: "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost." Matthew 18:11. These words are echoed almost word for word in Luke 19:10, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

And how many parables did Jesus tell of something that was lost and found?

-Lost sheep (Matthew 18:21-14, Luke 15:4-7). Lost coin (Luke 15:8-10). Lost son (Luke 15:11-24)

When we value something, we do all we can until it is found, just like the missing wedding ring.

Jesus did just that very thing for us. He came to live among men (John 1:14). He came to seek and to save the lost. 

It's just like the words in that great hymn, "Amazing Grace" says, 

I once was lost, but now I'm found.

Now, I may lose my ring again and have to search for it again, but praise the Lord that we don't have to go back to being lost once saved!

About Hungary in less than two minutes!

This is a short trailer I made showing some of the sights of Hungary, but more importantly, about the people needing Christ: 10 million reasons to go to Hungary.

Faith Baptist Church Missions Conference

We have just wrapped up a great week in Kilgore, Texas at Faith Baptist Church. The Missions Conference theme was taken from Colossians 1:10 "being fruitful in every good work". 

I love how churches are so different in their theme and decor for missions conferences. These are the table decorations from the meals for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of the conference.

The girls were able to help out with clean-up duty in the kitchen. I just love to see their little servants hearts developing!

Living Proof provided special music for the week night services. Their love for the Lord was evident as they ministered through the songs they sang, many of which they wrote themselves.  http://livingproofmusicministry.com/ 

During the preaching, the children, grades 6 and down, met in the teen class for lessons from each of the missionary families. 

Pastor and his wife took us on a trip to the East Texas Oil Museum. In this picture, we are getting ready to see a presentation on a bit of Texas historry with footage from the boom period.

Here Micah is examining a 1930s kitchen...

...and an old school desk!

The kids enjoyed their time with some of the MK friends they met this week. 

We stayed at the home of Betsy or "Granny" as she allowed us to call her. We had a lot of fun visiting... so much in fact that we almost had our mail forwarded to her address ;)

So happy for new friends!