I'm Back....

I have so missed just sitting down and writing from my heart.  I'm very excited about the website, and I pray that you will certainly go there, http://www.womenwhopray.net/, for you will be blessed!  The Lord has so opened the opportunity to me -- He has given me the platform I asked Him for -- and He's let me stay in my home to do it!  I go by fb -- womenwho pray -- to the uttermost parts of the world.  I chat, pray, encourage, and received encouragement from my many new sisters and daughters -- and some sons -- around the world.  It is an amazing experience, and I can't express in words all that is going on.  My son, Ted, is the creator of the website, and he has answered my prayer to God and request to him, for a more user-friendly website, taking him examples that were shared with me by a friend. 

This year, 2011, has been a memorable one, and it is only in the 5th month!  My mother went to be with the Lord on Feb. 26, 2011.  That in itself would have made this year memorable.  However other things have happened!  I am now Mimi to five granddaughters, as Kailea was born March 28th.  Now, I have 5 dumply darling girls.  After raising their fathers -- my three sons -- this has been a thrilling experiennce!  I have the blessing of seeing them often, and that is a great thing for me.

I have also had my first public speaking engagement for Women Who Pray Ministry.  My name was even on the Marqui, which was a breath-taking experience for me.  Will I speak anymore publicly?  Only God knows!  I have been invited to Fiji, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines.  Knowing my husband, my missionary work will continue to be from here in my dining room.  He lets me do a lot, and with his blessing, I'm up way before daylight every day, and sometimes up after he goes to bed -- praying on our free conference line.  I also spend time while he's here on my laptop, chatting, praying, encouraging...as well as enjoying comments and loving on my family and friends on fb, sharing pictures, etc., with all who would like to see.  I laugh a lot -- with comments from family and friends.

Today, I'm thinking about some wonderful blessings that may seem small, but they are humongous!  I am having Bible Study -- and it's Beth Moore's Believing God one at that which is wonderful -- and I am sharing the time and fellowship with one of my best friends in all the world from high school!  I thank her for the invite, and she thanks me for coming!  We are having a wonderful time and planning to be together at an upcoming Women of Faith conference.  We meet again tonight and I'm excited like I am every time.  So funny!  I love just being there -- being ministered to by Beth Moore -- but the Lord has had me minister to the group and they have ministered to me.  They want me to stay in their group.  Icing on the cake, Lord! 

Last night, I had dinner with two old friends.  Funny how we say that, we're all the same age, but our friendships have been lengthy!  One grew up with me in church -- we were back and forth in each other's house -- in choir, at church camp, BTU, SS, and all the church activities -- as well as visiting with parents who were friends.  Her dad as the asst. teacher with my dad the teacher of their SS class.  My memories of her are all wonderful. We began dating our husbands at the same age -- 15 -- and we've both been married almost 42 years..my anniv. is May 31st, and hers is in June.  Our story of connections just goes on and on with us, like parallel lives.  We know the same people and have been friends with the same people but not at the same time!  LOL!  The other one at the dinner I met at a church camp first, she was the other girl's friend in high school, and then she moved to my high school.  She was Tim's nurse in recovery years ago.  She goes to the church where I was the guest speaker.  We were as if the years had not separated us -- loved on and laughed ourselves silly!  What a mighty God we serve!

Yesterday, I had just blogged on my website about OUR TENT, and how our past, present, and future are are simply a door away from each other.  We can actually look into our past and bring good memories forward and leave bad memories behind.  We can delete them just like our computers -- you know -- trash them -- never to be haunted with anymore.  We also can look forward, and allow our faith -- the substance of things hoped for -- create our future!  If we don't want some things to happen, we can declare by faith what will happen in its place.  We allow the Word to transform our thinking, and we don't dwell on the dark, evil, remose things -- instead we allow the Lord to create in us a clean heart -- and out of the issues of our heart, we speak!  So God!!!  We truly are created in His image, and we most assuredly were created for His pleasure.  Just think how much we enjoy watching our children and grandchildren act like us!  We may be surprised at times at how well they act badly just like us -- that they are truly little chips off the old block -- but most of the time even when the behavior is not appropriate, if it's like one of the parents or grandparents, we chuckle even if silently or behind closed doors.  God so loves us!  He loves us just like we are!  As a parent, we understand that!

Someone said to me recently that they thought nostalgia went with getting older.  This person said that they were too busy to be nostaligic.  I was reminiscing I guess about the memories of my childhood and family, or my parenthood with my three sons, or something -- like I find myself doing all the time.  Is it nostalgia? Or romanticism since I'm a writer, and live through what I write about.  Or, is it the Lord who has brought me to a place of making so many connections -- between my past, my present, and my future -- and with many in my tent.  I'm seeing a beautiful tapestry from His view, that quite frankly I could not see years ago!  It might just have something to do with age...the Lord does connect the gray hair with wisdom!  You think!!!???? Awsome!!!!!!! :))))))!!!!!!!!!