Our Hiding Place....

I haven't forgot to share my pictures and pass along all the
things that God shared with me last weekend. I've just
been a little side tracked with the reality of my friend's
health hitting me. I think I walked around all last weekend
in shock and then when I posted my last post it allowed reality
to hit. Thank you all for your comments and prayers!!!
When someone I love or know is dealing with a lot I always
want to "fix" things or make them better in some way. I've
had a couple people on my heart this week that I wish I
could do that for. A couple weeks ago I heard a wonderful
definition for a Hero...I'll never forget it.....
Hero's don't fix things they stick through the battle.
I believe that is what Ruth did for Naomi. I love that part
of the story in the book of Ruth. I think there are those times
when we just want to shut the world out and I wonder so
often if that was the reaction that Naomi was having when
she tried to send the girls away. Ruth, though, she hung
in there with her through it all.
I was talking to a dear friend yesterday and remembered
this devotion I read a couple months ago and thought I
would pass it along.....
"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."
Psalm 32:7

When you were a child, did you have a hiding place you would run to when you were afraid or wanted to be alone?

God wants to be your hiding place. And the good news is that you can retreat to this hiding place wherever you are. When you have a conflict at work and don't know what to say or how to deal with it, you can retreat into the secret place of the Most High as you are living in fellowship and communion with God. When you are tied up in bumper-to-bumper traffic, you can abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Have you ever tried to walk in someone's shadow? It can be done, but you really have to stay close. That is the picture given in Psalm 91:1, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." God says, "I want you to dwell in Me. I want to be your hiding place. I want you to be so close that you are actually in My very shadow."

This gives you courage to face life. The Old Testament tells the story of Elijah, who boldly stormed into the court of Ahab, the most wicked king that Israel had ever known. With incredible courage and boldness, he delivered bad news to Ahab and turned and walked out. Though he was in the court of a powerful monarch, Elijah recognized he was also in the presence of an even more powerful Monarch. He was dwelling in the secret place of the Most High.

I told a friend at work today that if I could just go somewhere by
myself and have a good cry I thought I would feel better. Her reply
was "oh, that's so sad". I said no because that somewhere would be
in that "hiding place" with Him. God, please fill my loved ones and
me with the courage to face life....

Hey Guys, I just spent an amazing weekend with God and

some wonderful women who love Him as much as I do.

There are so many things that God spoke to me this

weekend and I can't wait to share them with you. However,

right now I have to tell you first of what He did for me

this weekend.....

When I was in the youth group back in my teenage years

our youth director's name was Terry. He met this young

lady while he was there and her name was LeaAnn. She

became all the girls B.F.F. LeaAnn is very dear and

precious to my heart because she was the one sitting next

to me the Sunday night of July 24, 1988 when I gave my

heart to Jesus Christ. When I graduated high school he was

graduating from college. After graduation they married

and moved to Dallas where he went to seminary. We've

tried to stay in touch over the years since. Right now they

are several states away which makes today even more

difficult.

As we were sitting in the church parking lot waiting on

the other ladies to meet us to head out on our retreat...

I was give some news that blew me away. I was told

that LeaAnn (who is in her early 40's) has cancer.....

For what seemed like moments my heart seemed to

stop. I questioned my friend in the van for a long time

about details to make sure that we were talking about

the same person. The cancer was wrapped around her

kidneys and they had to take out what they could. I

was told that things did not look good. They found a

hospital in New York that is doing some experamental

research on the type she has. My heart is aching to see

or talk to her right now.

See, God knew this past weekend that I would find out

about my friend and He prepared in advanced a way

to comfort my heart this weekend. The Friday night

service we were asked to face our neighbor and tell

them what things we were dealing with that we had

brought with us. I called my sister after service asked

her to make a call that I knew would get me LeaAnn's

phone number. I told my friend at retreat that even if

I called I wouldn't know what to say. Guess what Girls?

On Saturday a women named Wanda spoke to us. God

used her to speak to my heart. She shared with us the

story of her 15 yr. old daughters battle with cancer.

She battled cancer.... This is a quote from her daughter,

"I don't have to fight the cancer- Jesus Christ in me is

the fighter.". She wouldn't let anyone feel sorry for her

or cry around her. She told her mom this is what she

wanted the last thing she said to her friends to be...

"But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly

Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come

to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful

assembly...."

I pray with every ounce of Faith that is in my heart and

soul that God will heal LeaAnn her on Earth. I know

He is going to heal her be it on Earth or there in Heaven.

We are not promised a tomorrow....

Just like Wanda and LeaAnn they both woke up to a

seemingly normal ordinary day... only to discover it

would be the worst day of there life. Oh, but He was

there with them and He is still there with them.

Be sure of your hearts condition as you walk in your

tomorrow.

Ladies, I would like you to help me pray for LeaAnn,

her husband Terry and their teenage daughter Tara.

I would be so greatful for your prayers....I know our

God is listening. Thank you from the bottom of my

heart for letting me tell you about this wonderful

women and about the impact she had on my life.

Thank you for allowing me tonight to "cry on your

shoulders".

You guys have made the same kind of impact on my

life too. Bless you sweet friends....

I loved reading your comments on my Wordless Wednesday picture!

The picture is actually one of mine that was chosen to go on our web-

site at work. Our motto is "reaching success together". As some of

you may have heard already- April is Autism Awareness month.

I also love someone with autism...matter fact about a dozen of them.

I work with children that just learn and play in a different way. God

has blessed my life by placing them in it.

Why do you think the need to matter is so important to us? As I

was pondering this question here's what I thought concerning my

life personally...

When I went back to school I prayed that God would give me a

passion for something beyond my wildest dreams and that He

did. Everyday I learn something new and love the joy of figuring

out a way to help them "get it". It is the joy of my life. However,

it a very stressful and tiring too.
I could sit today and give you all kinds of defintions and

information. However, if you would like to know I would

love nothing more than talking about this amazing world.

My guess though is you know someone- a family that has

been touched by either Autism or a child with Special needs.

So what I would like to pass along in this post is a glimpse

of a families possible needs. There are so many burdens

that these families face. So many families first have to push

past the state of denial and confusion over the diagnosis.

The biggest problem I hear is the lack of knowledge or

ambition in the school systems to teach and work with

these kids. The stress that comes- statistics say that

80-85% of marriages fail in families with special needs

children. I believe it because I've meet some of them.

The financial burdens are unreal. It breaks my heart

everyday knowing there are kids out there that can't

afford the services that they need!

Please stop through out this month especially and lift

up the children and adults that are touched by such

handicaps. Lift up their families and marriages that

are also affected by this. Also I would like to ask for

you to pray for each worker, teacher, school system

and each student/friend that cross these sweet ones

lives....

I am so humbled that God has allowed me to serve

Him in such a special way.

I thank you for your prayers! Seek out those families

and love on them like crazy! People don't know we

care until we show them...send a card, give a call or

even better offer to babysit!

Wordless Wednesday

The Great I Am

I am battling a huge bout of fatigue. This school year has
totally tapped me out. However, in the midst of a really
bad day this week God gave me a picture of His presence.

I had promised my nephew that during Spring Break he
could come to work with me. He loves to play in the
sensory gym- can't blame him it is pretty cool. Anyway,
I haven't explained to him just yet that I work with Special
needs kids and that there are just kids born that have
different ways of learning and playing. So, I was a little
afraid of how he would react to one of the kids that was
in that day. They both interacted really well with each
other until the little boy with autism got really excited.
When he gets excited he starts to stim. Stimming is a
form of body movement that is in the rocking, hand
flapping or eye gazes that they do when over stimulated.
As the little boy began to stim my nephew got that
nervous fearful look in his eyes. Before I could get to
him my cowork stepped in between them because she
noticed my nephew's reaction. That night I was thinking
about the day and I remembered this taking place.
There are some things in my nephew's world that I would
like to protect him from. All in reality I can do right now
though is pray for God's protection over him. As I was
thinking about what had happened that day between the
two boys God spoke something so beautiful to my heart.
He showed me that He is the One who can step in between
the nervous and fearful things in my nephew's life and in
all our lives. I've always known that He is our protection
but to have such a tender view of it in real life was so
moving and real. When there is something fearful or
anxious going on in our lives and when satan is getting
a little too close our Mighty God steps in to protect us as
His children. Our Father stepping in to protect and shield
us.
It reminded me of a point in our Bible study- "Beloved
Disciple". Beth Moore said, "Suddenly Jesus walked
through their barriers, into their hiding places, and
appeared among them." This was taken from John 20
when the disciples were afraid and locked themselves
in a room and Jesus came through the locked door and
appeared before them. Just think about being so afraid
that you've locked yourself behind closed doors. Be it
literal locked doors or locking ourselves behind mental
doors. God sees us and comes to us through whatever
is before or around us to protect and comfort us.

Wordless Wednesday

In the Garden

I thought you might like to see some of the highlights from the
kido's Easter program. It was powerful and gentle all at once...
Just like our risen Savior...

Narrator: It's Sunday morning in a Jerusalem garden. The
year is 32 A.D. The sun has just risen, and all is quiet. But
if you listen very carefully, you might be able to hear a
conversation between two flowers on the path.
Bud: I don't even feel like blooming.
Bloomer: Why? What's the matter, Bud?
Bud: Everything just seems wrong since Jesus died. I mean, he was there
at the very creation of the world, Bloomer.

As the story goes on the flowers soon learn that Jesus had died and then
rose again. And the little flower at the end says, "But he was stronger than
death. He won! And that's the bloomin' truth!"

(The cute little flower at the end is my nephew)

I also thought I would end with these scriptures that were recorded

that we might believe.

Prophecy:

"Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they

have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones; people stare

and gloat over me. They divided my garments among them and cast

lots for my clothing." Ps. 22:16-18

Gospel account:

"When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him,

along with the criminals- one on his right, the other on his left.

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what

they are doing." And they divided up his clothes and cast

lots." Luke 23:33-34

I pray that you have beautiful Easter celebration filled with love...