Joys of Camping

Lake Mineral Wells State Park is west of Fort Worth, Texas. My son and I spent last weekend there with friends from church. See? Single moms can take their kids camping, and not be the one responsible for building the fire, setting up tents, and baiting hooks! I love sleeping with the sound of crickets, the sound of rain (on the roof of my shelter), and long walks surrounded by the beauty of nature.

Holding Her Head High

I was browsing through my favorite bookstore the other day and
happened upon this book. I can't wait to buy it and read it. I wanted to share this review with you. I have a feeling this will be a book that becomes near and dear to my heart.

Life lessons from single mothers throughout history form the inspiration for single mothers today.

Single moms are not just a product of our modern culture. There have been single mothers throughout history, women who have raised not only their children but also nations with a higher vision for life. Holding Her Head High recounts stories of twelve such women from the third to the twenty-first centuries, women who found ways to twist their fates to represent God's destiny for their lives.

These uniquely powerful, brave women, within the scope of their own world and times, are like the ninety-nine percent of single mothers today who never intended to carry that distinction. They are abandoned, widowed, or divorced, all carrying wounds, yet they also all found ways to exhibit courage, kindness, dignity, and faith to heal themselves by healing others.

Actress Janine Turner, herself a single mother, describes the social implications for women and children from the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages to Pioneer days, including a single mother of slavery. Stories from women like Rachel Lavein Fawcett, abandoned single mother of Alexander Hamilton; Abagail Adams, a wartime widow; Harriet Jacobs, an unwed mother of slavery whose autobiography was published the year the Civil War began; and widowed Belva Lockwood, the first woman to officially run for President, all carrying wounds but all offering insight, wisdom, and encouragement.

Lessons include:

Listen for God's higher calling
Hold your head high
Dare to dream
Champion your children
Heal with humor
Don't Give Up Before the Miracle

In the Shadow of Your Wings

Tucked away in my bookshelf, almost hidden, I found a book I had almost forgotten. As I was heading off to Europe on my life's grand adventure, 29 years ago, with my cousin Nancy, my brother gave me this book to carry with me. It's called Hidden in His Hands, by Basilea Schlink. On the cover, are two hands, gently holding a red rose. I found these words that I wanted to share with you:

Love that cares
that watches over His child

Almight Love
whose powerful arm is outstretched over His child

Compassionate Love
that carries His fearful child
through all hardships and perils

All-transforming Love
that changes darkness into light
and hell into heaven

Never-ending Love
that surrounds His children
at all times and in all places.

You have always been my help
In the shadow of your wings
I sing for joy. Psalm 63:7

My Lord is all of these things to me. I need His transforming Love every day of my life. I pray that He will hold you in the shadow of His wings and that you will sing for joy.

Intelligent Science

I just got home from seeing the movie "Expelled". I highly recommend this movie!

It's intelligent: revealing or reflecting good judgment or sound thought.

It makes you think: to determine by reflecting, to subject to the processes of logical thought.

So much of what we see, hear and even think is on the surface: the external or superficial aspect of something.

We're used to the superficial: lying on, not penetrating below, or affecting only the surface, presenting only an appearance without substance or significance.

This movie goes below the surface to find the true substance and origin of evolution, darwinism: a theory of the origin and perpetuation of new species of animals and plants that offspring of a given organism vary, that natural selection favors the survival of some of these variations over others, that new species have arisen and may continue to arise by these processes, and that widely divergent groups of plants and animals have arisen from the same ancestors.

and intelligent design :the theory that matter, the various forms of life, and the world were created by a designing intelligence.

He compares the Berlin wall to the wall that exists between these two schools of thought today. On one side is freedom. On the other. . .?
All Quotes from Webster.com

In My LIfe

This morning, sitting at my desk at work, my son called. He's 24 and living in Florida and is always having all kinds of adventures.

He told me he now starts every morning with coffee and listening to Johnny Cash. He had just heard this version of the song In My Life and he said it made him think of me, (Me, his Mom!) so he wanted to call. That was a very sweet way to start my day today.

Thank you Lord for precious memories and the ones we hold close in our hearts.

Seek the Light

Thy word is a lamp to my feet,

and a light to my path

Psalm 119:105

By your words I can see where I'm going;

they throw a beam of light on my dark path.

* * *

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

Psalm 27:1

Light, space, zest- that's God!

So, with him on my side I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing.

* * *

Arise, shine; for your light has come,

And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

Isaiah 60:1

Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight.

God's bright glory has risen for you.

Psalm 40:5

Many O Lord my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done,

and Thy thoughts toward us. There is none to compare with Thee.

If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.

Scatter Brained

I was sitting at my computer, writing on my blog, lost in thought. My son asked me for an ice cream cone. Like a good mom I told him he needed to eat his dinner first. I asked him if he wanted a salad first and he said no. I walked into the kitchen and realized how cold my feet were so I walked back to my room to find some warm socks. I could find no matching socks so I chose a warm, fuzzy one for my right foot. I walked back to the kitchen with the intention of going to the garage to look in the dirty clothes basket for the matching warm, fuzzy sock. However, as I walked by my computer, it pulled me back into my chair and back to my blog. I sat down to finish writing. My son called to me and asked me where his dinner was. I jumped up to look for my sock in the laundry room. It wasn't anywhere to be found, so I chose a plain white one for my left foot. I started dishing up my son's dinner and he decided he wanted a salad after all. When I was 18 my youth group at church had an awards banquet. I won the Miss Scatter Brain USA award. I even have a trophy. My son finished his dinner. He has eaten his chocolate ice cream cone and I'm finishing my blog for tonight. . . 

Praise

On my way to work this morning, I heard a song that reminded me of the song we used to sing in youth group during my high school days,

He's Everything to Me
Ralph Carmichael

In the stars His handiwork I see,
On the wind He speaks with majesty,
Though He ruleth over land and sea,
What is that to me?

I will celebrate Nativity,
For it has a place in history,
Sure, He came to set His people free,
What is that to me?

Till by faith I met Him face to face,
and I felt the wonder of His grace,
Then I knew that He was more than just a God who didn't care, (clap clap)
That lived a way out there and
Now He walks beside me day by day,
Ever watching o'er me lest I stray,
Helping me to find that narrow way,
He's Everything to me.

Can't you just hear the guitar strumming along, the voices blending together in harmony with the crickets close by, the stars in the sky. . . Oh my. I'm getting way too poetic, but the memories are all coming back to me.

Lord, you are everything to me. When I'm at work, when I'm at home, when I'm worried, when I'm happy, when I'm contented, when I'm distracted, all I have to do is remember. You are everything, Lord. You are everything I need. I praise you. . . I love you.

Keep Shooting for the Goal

I've been working out in the backyard today. It's such a beautiful sunshiny day. But while I take a break I'm feeling inspired to write again. It always amazes me how when God is teaching us a particular lesson or encouraging us in some way, He finds a way to repeat Himself so that we keep hearing the same thing. Until we finally say "Oh, I get it! This is the same thing you told me yesterday. How exciting to know you're trying to teach me something God!" He is so patient and gracious to give us time to hear Him.

A couple of years ago I read that when we feel ready to give up, when we've done everything we can, when there's nothing left to try. . . do one more thing.

That has really stuck with me. On Friday and Saturday, my son had his hockey play off games and I had a job fair to go to on Saturday morning. On Friday evening, as I sat looking into the setting sun, watching my son out there working so hard, playing with all his heart along with the rest of the team, I started praying that he would make a goal. He has made (I think) only one goal this season so far and I just really hoped he could feel the excitement of contributing to a win. I prayed that God would give him the ability to play with his whole heart and give him the opportunity to make a goal. Then I said to God "Lord, I know that I have no control over what happens on that rink. I'll just give it to you and let go. . ., but could you help my son make a goal? That would be so wonderful." Within less than a minute my son had made a goal.
Wow! What joy! I raised my fists in the air and shouted at the top of my lungs! Wow!

Thank you God. Thank you. Wow, Lord. . .you heard me. . .Ok. . . You heard me. . . Wow. . . Ok. . . Lord, if you could help my son make a goal then you can help me find a job. (I was feeling really nervous about the job fair the next morning and speaking to people about a job). So I prayed that just as God helped my son to shoot for the goal even through his fear, and make a goal, that He would help me to step through my fear and be able to present myself at the job fair and possibly get a job!

I guess I'm just getting tired of trying and trying, and praying and praying, and applying and applying. But Lord, maybe just one more. And then, one more after that.

At the first game on Saturday morning, as I watched my son's team play I started noticing how many times the boys shot for the goal before anyone actually made a goal. It must be a hundred or more times during each game. No one makes a goal everytime they try. No one finds a job everytime they try.

So, as I stood in line to meet with people from the various schools, I thought to myself, "I'm shooting toward the goal. I may make it and I may not, but I'll keep on. I have a few hundred tries left to go."

This morning in Sunday School, we talked about how to us it may feel as though we're failing, but we may be right where God wants us to be. We talked about missionaries who spend their lives telling people about Christ and at the end, only have one convert. (that they know of).

This life is a process. We will never arrive until we see Jesus face to face.

You know, it occurrs to me, that maybe it's the preparation and learning all God has for us to learn before we reach our goal that is the most important after all.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13