"Let My Lifesong Sing To You"

I was just reading the blog of a friend and the music that was playing was, "Let My Lifesong Sing to You".  Yesterday, Bro. Tim's sermon was about what message we were leaving with non-Christians as we walked through life each day...."Let my lifesong sing to You".  Our Bible Study lesson in the 11th and 12th grade class was on being a mentor to those around us, those who do not know the Lord or who are not walking daily with Him...."Let my lifesong sing to You".  The ladies in our church have been invited to a "Heart and Home" Rally in March and the theme is mentorship...."Let my lifesong sing to You".

I think the Lord is telling me something.  I KNOW the Lord is telling me something.  My prayer is that I will let my lifesong sing to Him in all that I am, in all that I do.

"Our Heavenly Father Made the Birds"

One of my favorite children's songs is, "Our Heavenly Father Made the Birds".  I have sung it over and over and over for years to children of all ages.  The words of the song are:

Our Heavenly Father made the birds.

He showed them what to do.

If God so loved the little birds,

I know He loves me, too.

If you are like me, there are many songs that I sing (or hum to myself as my children remind me all of the time) where I just repeat the words that I have learned and never really listen to the message.  I think I get in a habit of just singing the words and not really listening to them.  Our Worship Leader at church reminds us often of how important music is to true worship.  Music sets the tone for worship.  Music is a vital part of worship.  How often, however, are the words absorbed and applied to my life?

Gary and I have a very large back yard.  Being the nature lover that he is, Gary has put up many bird feeders....red birds, tufted titmouse, sparrows, crows, house wrens, painted buntings and finches are just some of the birds that visit our home daily.  Perhaps one of the most beautiful ones to visit, however, is the dove.  We have both ring-neck and mourning doves visit every day.  This morning Gary and I were sitting at the breakfast table watching the birds as we ate.  I don't even remember what we were talking about at the time, but my mind flashed back to the song I have mentioned above as two or three doves began to make their descent to the bird feeders.  They were flying pretty fast as they came in; but as they came closer, their wings and tail feathers began to spread and they slowed to almost a crawl as they landed.  A perfect example of the words....".....He showed them what to do.  If God so loved the little birds, I know He loves me, too."  

Man, alone, races through life at a fast pace....seeking, seeking, seeking.  Their landings are often rocky, shaky and, almost always, disasterous.  Man, alone, tries to do it on his own.  No one is there to show them how to spread their wings and tail feathers and make a smooth landing.  However, man with God in his heart and life, learns through gentle nudging and persuading to put their trust in the One Who loves them so, to spread their wings and tail feathers and to come in for a perfect landing....the landing that all Christians long for.  What a beautiful sight the perfect landing of the dove is.  What a beautiful sight when someone who has searched for so long finds the One Who will guide their landings.

I pray for the day when more and more men and women will open their hearts and let Jesus come in.  I pray that God will make me an instrument of His message to people throughout the world.  I pray that I have many more chances to sing, "If God so loved the little birds, I know He loves me, too".  What a beautiful message to a lost and searching world.  Help me, Lord, to listen to the words You have given me through Your messengers.  Help me to be aware of what You would have me to hear.  Help me, oh Lord, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world around me.

This, Too, Shall Pass

Six months ago, when Lee announced that he was selling his home, moving back in with us and saving for seminary, I felt a twinge of uneasiness.  As the days and weeks went by, however, that feeling subsided and I really began to enjoy having Lee home with us once again.  Sure, his being here added to the dirty clothes pile, one more bed to be made in the morning and more food to be prepared every day.  But, I loved the fact that my baby was home once again and I could go to the bedroom to see him sleeping during the middle of the night, just as I had done so many nights before.

Yesterday, however, the reality of his impending move struck me like a lightening bolt.  I was in town doing some "honey-do's" and some "mommy-do's" when I received a text message from Lee. It simply said, "I am going to Rockwall with Greg and Ted FOR THE LAST TIME.  See you later.  I love you."  Well, that phrase "FOR THE LAST TIME",  could have been a Mack truck hitting me and I would not have felt any different than I did when I read it!!  I wanted to shout back at the phone, "It is not over for good!!  You are just going away for only a short time and you will be back!!", but I didn't.  I simply texted him back with, "OK!".  Tears came to my eyes and all I wanted to do was hug him and rock him.

We have experienced a child moving before.  When Elizabeth went to East Texas Baptist University in Marshall I thought my world was ending then, too.  I survived the four years, however, and am so very proud of the beautiful woman of God and wonderful teacher she has become.  She needed that physical distance from Mom and Dad to be able to spread her wings and grow.  She needed that time to form new and lasting friendships.  She needed that time to prove to herself that she could. 

Now, as Lee prepares to move to St. Louis, I am having to learn to let go again.  It is in God's plan for Lee's life that he start this new adventure.  It is in God's plan for my life to let Lee spread his wings and fly.  I am convinced that Lee knows exactly where God wants him to be at this time and phase of his life.  Covenant Seminary and St. Louis seem so far away; but, it could be so much farther.  I am looking forward to the day when Lee crosses that stage and receives his Master of Divinity degree.  Three years seem like such a long time; but, this, too, shall pass.  I am looking forward to the plans God has in store for Lee after those three years.

Note for Lee:  I love you, Booger Bear.  I am so proud of you and the man you are becoming.  Thank you for sharing your life with us and for being a wonderful son.  I will miss you, but I do know how to get to St. Louis and you better believe I will be coming....SOON!

Tag! I'm It!

Well, my friend Denyse has tagged me to participate in this "thing" about the Number 8.  I hope I can get eight things in all of the categories.  It should not be hard since I like to eat (wayyyyyy too much!), I love music, I watch TV and I get excited about planning for the future.  So, here goes.

8 TV Shows I Watch

1.  House Hunters

2.  Design on a Dime

3.  John and Kate Plus 8

4.  Little People, Big World

5.  Ice Road Truckers

6.  Overhaulin'

7.  My First House

8.  Designed to Sell

(I am addicted to HGTV)

8 Favorite Restaurants

1.  Saltgrass

2.  Pei Wei

3.  Johnny Carino's

4.  Lafayette's

5.  ElCharo

6.  Olive Garden

7.  Sylvia's in Santa Fe

8.  My Mother's kitchen for fried chicken or chicken and dumplins

(it may be cheating to do this last one, but my Mom's food was the best!!)

8 Things That Happened Today

1.  I had coffee with Gary this morning 

(our usual morning ritual)

2.  I worked with the babies in PDO

3.  I met a new friend (Dala) who helped me in PDO

4.  I got to hear Emma say, "I did it!" in person.

5.  I went to WalMart to buy groceries (oh joy! oh joy!)

6.  The sun rose this morning and we had a gloriously beautiful day!

7.  I bought most of the ingredients for Aji de Gallina

(move over Peruvian cooks!  Here I come!)

8.  The news people are still talking about John Travolta's son's death.  Why

don't they just leave this poor family alone!?!

8 Things I Look Forward To

1.  The trip to the Northwest US and Canada with Gary in April and May

2.  The ladies meeting that we are planning at HTBC in March

3.  Caribbean trip in September (I hope)

4.  My sister Karen retiring so we can spend more time together

5.  Gary retiring so we can spend more time together

6.  65 and Medicare!!  (Hah!  Hah!)

7.  Lee getting his Master's Degree and going on to do what

the Lord has planned for his life

8.  Grandchildren

8 Things I Wish For

1.  Happiness for my children

2.  Good health

3.  No pain for Sheila so she can enjoy life more

4.  Tre' to get the help he needs from Dr. Minrth

5.  Grandpa to be happy in his "golden years"

6.  Anthony John to find the place he belongs

7.  Gary to retire

8.  My church to be a loving, caring body of Christ once again

8 Songs I Just Listened To

1.  Jesus Loves Me

2.  Oh, How I Love Jesus

3.  Jesus Loves the Little Children

4.  If You're Happy and You Know It

5.  How Much Is that Doggie in the Window? 

6.  Word of God Speak

7.  Homesick

8.  I Can Only Imagine

8 People I Tag

1.  Elizabeth Anne

2.  Paige

3.  Addie

4.  Shannon

5.  Rachel

6.  Lindsey

7.  Malia

8.  Kara

(I realize that Denyse has already tagged some of these individuals, but I

don't know that many who blog and maybe if we tag them twice they will respond!)

  

Love

1 Corinthians 13 says, "....love is the greatest of these."  Thirty-two years ago this past December 25 I married the love of my life.  Gary and I were thirty-years-old when we married.  We were not "young marrieds" by the world's standard.  But, we waited until God deemed it time for us to be married.  

Just prior to Gary asking me to marry him, I had prayed to God that He would send me the perfect mate or that He would show me how to be happy as a single person.  This particular prayer was prayed in the Prayer Garden at Glorieta Baptist Retreat Center, Glorieta, NM, in September 1976.  I was at a Single's Retreat on that weekend and had attended a conference on prayer.  One of the "assignments" from the conference was to find a quiet place on the grounds of the center and read some Bible verses.  The one particular verse that was a life-changing verse for me was John 15:16, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you....".  That was God telling me that I did not HAVE to have anyone because I already had Him.  He had chosen me to be His child.  He loved me and that was all that really mattered.  I was one of His chosen.  It was then and there, after almost thirty years of playing Christian, that I truly turned my life over to Him.  I knew that I could be happy no matter what because I had Him.  When I returned from that conference there was a letter from my Gary in the mail....and the rest of the story is that we were married the very next December 25, Christmas day, the day of the birth of my Lord and Savior.  I had to realize that I was already loved by the One Who really mattered.  Thirty-two years later I am closer to my Savior than ever and He has supplied all our needs (our family) for all these years.  The love of my life is still the love of my life and that love continues to grow.  

Yesterday I had the honor of being a part of the wedding preparations and ceremony of a precious couple in our church.  Like Gary and me, M and J are not "young marrieds".  You see, they are both in their "senior years of life".  They have "dated" for over seven years and we, the members of our church, have watched their love grow and grow.  M and J are very faithful to their Lord and His church.  They have both been married before and were very faithful spouses.  I always enjoy seeing M and J out together.  You would think they were teenagers, with sparkles in their eyes and enjoying each other so much.  After seven years, M finally asked the question and J said, "Yes!"  Yesterday, January 3, 2009, was the first day of the rest of their lives together.  The ceremony was so special, with both families taking part in it.  M and J were both nervous.  M just wanted the ceremony to be to the part where he got to kiss her and J was so afraid of messing up!!  M stood at the front of the church with his arm on J's shoulder the entire time of the ceremony, so special and so dear.  They truly love each other and they know what true love is!!  Unlike young couples, M and J were the last to leave the reception.  You see, they stayed around to make certain that we, the ladies who were doing the reception, didn't need anything and that we were ok.  True servant hearts, showing the love of the Lord they serve.  When I saw M at church this morning he still had that sparkle in his eyes and he told me that J even got up and fixed his breakfast!!  He was so proud, so in love.

Love.  That's what it's all about.  We must love in order to be loved.  We must mirror the love that our Savior has shown all of us.  God loved me, a sinner so impure, so much that He sent His only Son to die for me on that cross so long ago.  He has provided for me all my life.  He sent me the love of my life.  He loved M and J so much that He saw that their love grew and grew and He was a vital part of their marriage ceremony yesterday.  

Thank you, M and J, for being an example of God's love and for allowing me to be a part of your special day.  You will never, never know how much it has meant to me (and to Gary).  Thank you, Gary, for loving me and taking care of me and for being the spiritual lead in our home all these years.   As 1 Corinthians 13 says, love is the greatest of these.  Without love, there is nothing.  Thank you, my Lord, for giving Your love and for being the Example of love to us all.