324 - Back At 'Em

Lord Jesus, good morning! I slept all the way through the night with no night sweats, no coughing fits, no needing of medicine, and not even needing to go to the potty. It was incredible. Oh yeah!!!!!!!!!!!! Lord, this morning I read a few days at one sitting from my devotion. I have to say that I am not try to hurry through it, but I am ready to move on to another study. Ready for some New Testament or something. Been in 1-2 Samuel for forever!!! I have learned so much. Oh goodness - so much!

David was on the run yesterday and today his army has fought and killed his son's army and even his son, Absalom, was killed. David, finally after being virtually speechless about so many other things including his daughter's rape, is now saying what should have been said a long time ago to Absalom, only Absalom is dead. Little too late. So he is obvious very upset and grief striken. One of his "advisers" comes to him without any sympathetic"ness" about him and tells David, "If you are going to be king, then be king." He is basically saying, if you are going to lead a people and then expect them to follow you, again, then you have got to get it together and do it. My commentary made the point to say that this fellow's heart was all wrong, but his instruction was correct. There are times we must pull up our boot straps, kick our own rear, and get back out there. Up and at 'em or back at 'em - which ever works best for you!

Oh Lord, you have given me that holy excitement about ministry again. I have to say earlier this week I was wondering if it would ever come back. I will be speaking about Isaiah 58:11. It is different than what I thought i would delivering to them, but You do that sometimes! It could not be more appropriate for where my life has been the last 2.5 weeks. Oh Lord, I pray more than anything that I have learned something from this time. I know I have leaned on gracious friends and family to bring us meals, take kids, and then sleep multiple times throughout the day. I feel like such a loser for sleeping through the day, but it had to be done and often to survive. God you have been so patient with all of us. Lord, I pray that we continue to get us better. I pray this will be Tucker's last day of fever. I pray today with be huge stress relief for Clay as we close on the Charlotte house at 3pm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yahoooooooooo!!!

Oh Lord, I praise You. I thank you for life and renewal. I thank you for your grace and mercy and patients. I thank you for all the wonderful people that have reached out to us in one way or another. I know You, Lord, must be so proud of Your church! Lord Jesus, renew everything about me. Give me more love for you, give me more passion for your Word, give me more excitement for prayer, and give me more energy to reach out to others!! I love you, Amen!

323 - The Weak... Be Wise!

Heavenly Father - today is going to be a good day. I am feeling a bit better and a tad bit stronger. We actually made some baked ziti last night with salad and bread. Oh it was so good. Then as a reward for eating so well we took the kids to DQ for ice cream in the nearest town. It was a really nice treat. But after cooking and fixing dinner and all I had to go and take a 30 minute nap before I could get in the car to go to DQ. Everything absolutely wears me out. Lord, will I ever be the same?? I took a long shower this morning and then got out to jump back in the bed - or at least I wanted to, but had to get EJ ready for school. Oh Lord, how will I ever make it through on Friday speaking. I know how, and I am excited for you to do Your amazing power!

This morning I was in 2 Samuel 16:1-4. David has fled his own kingdom because of his bitter son, Absalom, was coming to take over. So David, strong and mighty David, is once again on foot fleeing for his life. Can't you just hear him saying, "No, not again. I started my life like this, surely my life is not ending like this?" Nevertheless, he is off and on the run once again. In the midst of this hiding he comes across a man named Ziba. Ziba met David with all kinds of goods and supplies, but it was all with false motives. Ziba told David that one of his own men, Mephibosheth, had turned on him and was waiting for the new kingdom to come to Jerusalem. Ziba was lieing... David being weak and in a very compromising position made a rash decision. He believe Ziba and gave Ziba all of Mephi.'s stuff to him. David was in a bad way... boy, sounds familiar. He was tired, he was humiliated, he was fearful, he felt responsible, and he was much older than the previous years of running! David had lost lots of followers and in fact some old Saul followers were merging and willing to hit a dog when he was down! Aren't there always those kinds of people....

Oh Lord, I pray you protect my head these next couple of weeks as I am recuperating. Please don't allow there to be too many decisions that need to be made right now that i could really be mislead in. Help me to hang tightly to the Word and the Spirit. You are alive and active in me. Help me to feel your presence and your leadings! Father, forgive me for the things that i have done to lead others astray and forgive me for the times i have just not listened! Lord, help me to never be the one to kick when a man is down. Break my leg if i begin to go there. I have been the man down this past couple of weeks and Lord, I need your power and your strength!!

I love you my Lord. Waiting and watching for you! Amen

316 - Forgive or Not to Forgive

Introducing Lu Lu - our new, 2 year old, Boston Terrier. Welcome home!!

Lord oh Lord - I am pooped. Can you say that over cyberspace? or what about in a prayer? - if not, forgive me... I think all the sickness has caught up to me and I am "pashauted" as my kids have said before. I have said it before and it is still true, I am a girl that needs her sleep. My kids are the same way - no sleep means for a grumpy day!!! I am going to bed early enough, but having to get up in the middle of the night to administer water, cough syrup, Tylenol, etc. - whoo, just about does me in. My mom called yesterday and the first thing i said as i answered the phone was "come get Elleigh." Oh how i wish she could!! Elleigh wants to be sick so bad - she was sick, but got better much quicker than the other 2. We were able to treat hers quicker than the rest. But now she still wants to be sick!!! ugh!!!!!!!!! We did get SJ on a stronger med so she should be good as new by tonight - oh please oh please oh please!!

I just read in 2 Samuel 15 about the conniving ways of Absalom. Bitterness had more than just become a problem in his life - It was ruling him. My commentary said for 11 years this ruled him. So he was sitting out at the city gate getting all the town's people to like him and making promises i am not sure he could uphold. He was promising that if he were judge he would make sure so and so pays for the crime. This may be where "do the crime, do the time" came from. Who knows. But obviously this all goes back to the raping of his sister. Oh if he could just forgive - this was the whole point of my devotion today...

Forgiveness has so many benefits. When i forgive i am releasing that person to live on. I am telling them it is over and let's go on with life. I am allowing them to have healing in their life and in some instances, begin life again. But also for me, when i am the one forgiving, it allows me to move on and live as well. Forgiveness may be more for the person that is forgiving than for the person receiving the forgiveness. But what about when you have been wronged and they don't deserve forgiveness. Oh let's not go there. Seeds of bitterness have rooted in our hearts and it is time to get the tiller out. We all are not worthy of forgiveness and yet He still dies - thank you Lord. Only it had nothing to do with Him - He died all for us.

Lord, who in my life do I need to extend forgiveness? Who in my life do I need to seek their forgiveness? Lord, i have been there before and I know there are still some seeds of bitterness still left in my heart. Let's go down that road of cleaning out and planting love, joy, peace, patience, etc... It is there, just been chocked out at times by the weeds. Lord, do your work on Farmer Gray. There really is no option of to forgive or not to forgive!

Laundry - mounds and mounds for today, rehearsing my message for Friday, shipping purses if i get a new shipment, reconciling bills, running, baseball practice, vacuuming, walking to post office, cleaning garage, wow, i better get started!