O Love That Will Not Let Me Go....

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,

That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,

I yield my flickering torch to thee;

My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;

I trace the rainbow through the rain,

And feel the promise is not vain,

That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,

And from the ground there blossoms red

Life that shall endless be.

The Battle For Souls.... "My God, You Light Up My Darkness"

The battle for the souls of my children rages fierce!  My heart quakes and I reel with horror at the things some of them do and the things they say.  Where in the world did they pick these things up?  We purposely sheltered them. Chose not to have television in our home, Sought to keep them away from evil influences, taught them the truth of the Bible and modeled for them a love for Jesus and His word.  Yet here from within our own home and their own hearts sin bubbles up and overflows. I point to the kingdom of God, to the joy of a clear relationship with Jesus, trying desperately to convince them of the beauty of a life lived in the LIGHT, but in their mad dash after the world and it's glitz they are not listening. They spiral out of control ruining relationships around them. I am helpless to change their hearts and they are unwilling to let Him. "I've hit the bottom" one son says, and I ask, "What are you waiting for?"  "I don't know..." he answers as he continues his downward spiral. I've prayed for these children daily for years, their spiritual welfare has been my whole life focus. We search our own hearts for where we've gone wrong - confessing anything brought to mind. In my pain and despair I beg the LORD for comfort from His Word and He gives me Psalm 18.  I have read it and reread it finding strength and sustenance in His protection and victory!  Following are some excerpts from the New Living Translation:  


 I love you, LORD; you are my strength.  The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.  He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold.  I will call on the LORD, who is worthy of praise,...the floods of destruction swept over me.  ...But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help.  He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.  ...The brilliance of his presence broke through the clouds... He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. He delivered me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me.  They attacked me at a moment when I was weakest, but the LORD upheld me.  He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.  The LORD rewarded me for doing right; he compensated me because of my innocence.  For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not turned from my God to follow evil.  For all his laws are constantly before me; I have never abandoned his principles.  ...To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.  To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.  You rescue those who are humble , but you humiliate the proud.  Lord you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness.  In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.  As for God, his way is perfect.  All the LORD's promises prove true.  He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.  ...You have given me the shield of your salvation.  Your right hand supports me; your gentleness has made me great.  You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.  ...The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock!  May the God of my salvation be exalted!

The Potter Knows the Clay...

Our friend Japheth recently made this video.  It ministered deeply to me.  I hope it touches you, too.  Click this link to view it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d71dZNP9pQ  

A Word of Encouragement

Twice this month I've received an unexpected card in the mail from a friend filled with words of encouragement and hope.  Both lifted my spirits and gave timely courage to keep looking up and pressing on.  The first was from a friend that I correspond with regularly, but the card was filled with words of blessing and friendship.  This same friend has been sending cards daily to a weary, floundering sister in the LORD going through a hard time.  What a wonderful ministry!  Yesterday's card came to my husband and me from a man we went to Bible College with 30 years ago.  He was in our area last winter and stayed with us and we had a blessed time reconnecting.  His encouraging card came unexpectedly and was such a lift to our spirits!! It seemed especially unusual to receive a card like this from a man (it was written by him but signed from both him and his wife).  His card came with this message: 

  Life's Pathway 

 an inspirational Message by Emily Matthews

At times, life's path

seems filled with things

that make the going rough,

And we wish there were

a smoother road,

for we feel we've had enough...

But if we pause a moment 

and remember Who's in charge,

The hills that loom ahead of us

no longer seem so large,

And every rock before us,

when we know we're not alone,

Becomes, not just a stumbling block,

but one more stepping stone.

These words along with his personal words of comfort and blessing were a huge lift to our spirits.  Who in your life might benefit from a card?  In this day of instant messaging and e-mails a card in the mailbox can mean a tremendous amount.  

Stay faithful

"Whatever you do, stay faithful to the LORD yourself," she said to me, "So many fall away when their children rebel.  They go into the world themselves and then when the children want to get right, they have nowhere to go - nothing to come back to."  As the pastor's wife I had just met at our church youth camp spoke to me I realized that the temptation that has sometimes nagged me is common to those whose children have strayed from the truth.  The temptation has come to just go back to "middle of the road" Christianity - maybe if we weren't so "radical" our children wouldn't reject our faith.    It is painful to be rejected by any relative or friend but even more so by the children we have poured our hearts and lives into.  The devil whispers that if we just softened the truth a bit maybe they would come back and maybe we could be more acceptable to them.  The thought has come when my children don't want to go to church because they don't fit in, that we could find a church where they felt comfortable.  Sometimes I become weary of standing and fighting for the standards our family has set. I long for peace and sweet relationship and am tempted to move in their direction by just giving in to their rebellion.  As I write I recognize the danger in this thinking and the fallacy of "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" philosophy.  I wouldn't say I've ever seriously considered letting go of the truths of scripture we've come to practice, but I must admit the tempter has certainly run the thoughts past me on occasion and I was thankful for a "heads-up" to keep my eyes open for this deception and stay strong in the faith and in prayer.  To keep fighting for right and truth and standing strong with the LORD's help.  I had a candid conversation with one of my wayward sons yesterday. I sense his longing for right living and his regret over the messes he's made in his life and the consequences, yet he said he just wasn't quite ready to yield yet. Wayward children know the truth and even they, I believe, want to know that there are those still standing strong for the right.  To know that when they want to come back - we'll be waiting with open arms right behind the LORD to welcome them into the Kingdom of light.

Broken Glass

              BROKEN GLASS
Shattered dreams like broken glass,
Sparkling shards, glittering mass,
Crushed on the concrete floor of life.

Bridges of life that won't be crossed;
Vision gone, hope seems lost,
Dropped in the chasm of yesterday.

Helpless wond'ring what will come?
Darkness reigns, senses numb;
Upper room waiting for the day.

All night long we cannot see,
Peering long, restlessly,
Wond'ring what God has in mind.


Slowly dawns a ray of light;

Trembling faith, feeble sight,

God's not hindered by brokenness.

"Give them up," I hear Him say,

"Let them go, it's My way";

He now delights to pick them up.  

Gently He takes up each bit,

chosen piece, arranges it;

What are shards to Mighty God?

Lovingly He redefines,

recreates a new design;

This was His purpose all along.

Sharpened tools have done their work, 

Cutting deep, precise work;

Melt on the solder, hold it fast.

Light streams colored through the glass,

Making sense of the past,

Traced on the concrete floor of life.

Lifting Thanks

I have found that the lift is really for me.  When I make my list of thanks my eyes are lifted upward and my spirit is lightened and lifted.  So perhaps I'm selfishly motivated, but here's another Thanks list...

191.  Comfortable sunny, breezy days
192.  Lots of garden produce and sweet girls to help put it all up
193.  Cuddly kitties
194.  Progress on Fall housecleaning - clean white kitchen curtains
195.  The dryer working again
196.  Time with my Mom (afternoon tea, a shopping trip to the second hand store, and supper here)
197.  Fall vacation on the North Shore to look forward to
198.  Friends who share their cabin there with us
199.  Children who prefer tenting even to the cabin and don't mind sleeping on the ground
200.  Access to beautiful music, art and poetry
201.  Inspiring books to read aloud
202.  A friend's listening ear as I spilled out my pain all raw and her words of hope - miracle stories of
          others transformed by the LORD
203.  My friends' miracle of forgiveness and grace experienced this week, spilling out onto all of us onlookers
204.  Daddy spending time with his little ones
205.  Singing hymns of praise with our church family
206.  Hospitality and a feeling of belonging
207.  Rachael's Dahlia from Ludmilla in the Ukraine blooming lovely big blooms
208.  Recent rainbows representing hope extended to us
209.  A couple of boxes of apples off our trees this year and Lizzy's fresh hot apple crisp
210.  A freshly tuned piano