Pray... and expect God to answer!

Acts 12:13-16- ¹³ He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. ¹⁴When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!” ¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.” ¹⁶ Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.

Peter had been thrown into prison and the church was earnestly praying for them at Mary's house. An angel of the Lord showed up and released the chains that bound Peter to two soldiers, led him through other guards, opened an iron gate and led him down the street. He then went to Mary's house, but when the young girl told them he was at the door, they did not believe! And as she persisted, they tried to explain it away by saying it must be his angel.

Too many times we pray for things or people or situations but we don't fully believe or expect that they can or will happen. Peter was pretty well confined- not much chance of him escaping- in the natural. But God works in the supernatural- beyond what is natural- beyond what we can see or understand. And that should encourage us and give us hope! What if we were limited by the natural? There would be no hope- I want to learn to pray with true expectancy of God's supernatural power! How exciting! How hopeful!

Worth the Cost

After a couple of rough days and some personal hits, what else happened?... of course... our van started having an issue. We were thinking, "Great! One more thing!" Then we were told about a local guy who does good work, so we gave him a call. He said he'd look at it, even though he was taking time off due to personal circumstances. Through this process we really hit it off with him and his wife (he works from home) and actually ended up exchanging info so we could plan to get together. His wife told me when we were leaving that they had just prayed this same morning that God would bring someone into their lives to help them connect with and that when Clint called she felt that she wasn't supposed to turn him away (as they had been doing with others who were calling). So encouraging to see how God works! So, what seemed to be "one more thing wrong" was actually used as an answer to their prayer!... and actually, an answer to ours also as we have been praying for friends too! They have 4 kids, two of which are Aaron & Ali's age! Isn't God so good?! It was so worth the cost of having the repair done!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

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Light Dawns

I love Psalm 112. It's one that I hold onto and pray regularly for my kids.

Last night Ali came home from school and told us that she was sitting at lunch and there were girls talking about things that weren't good and using bad language and it bothered her but she wasn't sure what to do. She said she was looking around the cafeteria and near the gym door was a sign that read, "Always stand for what is right, even if it means standing alone" and she said she thought about it and then decided to leave the table and go on outside... and after she did, several other girls followed her. I told her that God was showing her what to do in that situation and that she obeyed Him. I was so thankful for His love and concern for her right where she was.

"Even in darkness light dawns for the upright."

Psalm 112:4

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A tidbit from from the book of Luke...

Before Mary was told of the child she would be carrying, God had laid out His plan... the gift of Jesus. Here are some points I picked up in this portion of scripture:

1.Mary loved God and her relationship with Him was very special and personal even before she knew she would be the mother of His son. She just loved Him. She loved His word and hid it in her heart.

2.When the word came, she simply responded, "I am the Lord's servant".

3.She became excited and sang praises to God.

4.She continued to trust in God even through times when others wouldn't understand.

I believe this is how we are to live our lives, even during times that are difficult, times of waiting- because God is at work and His plan will arrive in His timing.

1.Love God with all my heart soul and mind. Spend time with him, love Him, take in His Word.

2.Simply be His servant. Readied. Willing. Undoubting.

3.Have excitement for what He's doing and what He will do. He has a plan for us- that's worth being joyful over!

4.Continue to trust after the vision becomes clear because it is certain that opposition will come.

Let's love God will all our hearts and trust in His plan (whether seen or unseen)! He is sure to be our strength!

an LOL moment!

Tonight we were all discussing making our passwords "hacker-proof" and after listening to all that could heppen if someone got into your account, Ali says, "Maybe I should change the password on my Webkinz account."

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An Unexpected Journey

Two years ago I walked into an interview for what I thought was a teacher aide position. I walked in, somewhat confident, and answered their questions. The next day the principal called and offered me the job. I accepted. After I hung up the phone I kept going over a few things she had mentioned and I began to think that the position I had just accepted wasn't a regular aide position. I called her back, and to my surprise she told me that it was an aide in the special ed room. Immediately I panicked inside. I thought, "I don't know the first thing about children with special needs. I can't do this." But Clint reminded me that I had prayed about it and that God would help me do this job.
First day of school, I got my assignment- I would be helping in the kindergarten classroom. "Right on," I thought. "This will be great!" But then walked in Stasia. A five year old little girl with special needs. I was to be her assistant. After about the first week of school, I was wondering what in the world I had gotten into. I really had to rely on God and ask Him to give me strength and wisdom to know how to interact with her.
Over the past two years, I learned a lot through working with Stasia. I learned when to stand my ground with her and when to give a little. I learned to listen to her wild stories and even to interact with her in them. And wow, did some of them make me laugh! Sometimes she would make me laugh so much that she would start laughing too and say, "Miss Kim, you're so silly!" I learned how to encourage her in her work and how to get her to want to do her best. And from time to time, she would say, "Miss Kim, we're friends. We're a team!" And that's what we became... a team. And on those tough days when she was a bit more stubborn and I would be praying that God would help me contain my frustration, she would stop and look at me and say, "Miss Kim, I love you. Can I have a hug?" Wow. God is good.
After resigning at the school and on my last day, it was all I could do to not cry when I was with her. I knew I would not get to be with her this next year. When I said 'goodbye' and started to walk out of the classroom, she yelled, "Bye Miss Kim! Bye!" My heart felt so heavy and sad.
I think back to that day when I thought I couldn't do this job... What if I had called the principal back and said, "I can't take this position."? I thought about it. Wow... I would have missed out on one of the most amazing journeys of my life. Meeting Stasia brought me more joy than I ever thought a job could... but, she wasn't my job... she became my friend and I will always hold her in my heart. I wouldn't be the person I am today if God hadn't taken me on this unexpected journey.

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

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"I'll Go With You"

Kady was confident. She knew these halls well. She was familiar with the classrooms and schedules, teachers and classmates. It was here that she had learned more about who she was and who she wanted to be. It was here that she had opportunities to try out new activities and figure out what her strengths were. She knew that she was liked and she really had no relational issues. She liked it here, but as with any other girl her age, she was looking forward to something more...that next big step- Junior High. She couldn't wait. She would talk with her friends about what it would be like to finally get there... to finally have a locker... to finally get to change classes... to get to hang out with older & cooler kids. It was what she had been preparing for and thinking about for the past year, at least! She knew she was ready, afterall she had been at this for 6 whole years!
But as summer came to an end, and Kady's first day of junior high got closer, she began to feel something other than excitement- she began to feel nervous. A myriad of emotions tumbled around in her stomach and fears began to seep into her mind- "What if I forget my class schedule and go to the wrong class? What if I can't get my locker to open? What if the other kids who are already there don't like me? What if all the work I did wasn't enough and I fail? No, I'm not really ready for this. I want to go back to elementary school." As Kady walked in the door, she saw hallways lined with lockers. The kids walking past seemed really big. She felt alone and scared. She just stood there, reluctant to go forward.
And then, I felt peace as I heard Him whisper to me, "Don't let go of my hand, I'll go with you."

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This fall my kids will be going into middle school. They are both experiencing some of these feelings. And I feel for them.
This fall Clint and I are taking on the pastoral position of a church... and we are experiencing some of these feelings.
The above story is a picture of what God showed me last night as I sat outside and talked to Him about how I was feeling. It's a picture of how I felt in middle school- how my kids feel going into middle school- how we have felt in the 9 years we have been in ministry- and how we feel stepping into something new. We are years apart in age and in our experiences, yet we still deal with the same emotions. But God reminded me that we're not on our own. I saw in my mind's eye a picture of my hand in His and I heard him say that He will go with us.

"And surely I am with you always." Matthew 28:16

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