April 7, 2009

• 
   

  Hope you’re all doing well!  We had a good weekend … full of friends, family and fellowship!  We had our homeschool convention both Friday, and Saturday.  It was so good to see everyone, and spend time browsing through books.  There was also the children’s conferences going on, so we spent a little time with some of Ian’s friends.  He used to be involved in that, as well, and he is missed.  On Saturday, we left a bit early to have dinner with our Aunt Martha, her daughter, and hubby who came in from out of town for a few days to see Mom Betty and O.P..  Aunt Martha is O.P.’s sister, and she won’t be traveling too much in the future … she is also getting up in years.  They travel from Oklahoma and it’s getting harder on her.  We enjoyed a dinner out at Carrabba’s … Aunt Martha’s treat, and then made plans for Sunday.  After church, which was awesome I might add … God is doing a new thing … we headed over to the retirement home, and had a delicious lunch, and more time of fellowship.  O.P. is getting very frail … please keep him in your prayers.  He’s forgetting things alot, now, although, his sense of humor is still intact!  He has some really quick comebacks that make us all laugh!  Mom Betty is physically slower, but her mind is sharp.  We’re going to see them again this coming week.  They are planning an Easter dinner on Saturday at Lewis’ sister’s house, but we’re not sure if we’ll be able to go, as it is the day the church has planned to work on some of the landscaping, and Lewis is partly in charge of that … so we’re hoping he gets done with that fairly early in the day, but that remains to be seen, although, if it rains, well, we can definitely be there for dinner!  Lewis is torn, and feels bad, but they’ve had this planned for awhile now at the church.  Something will work out, it always does! 
  
  Hope you’re all having a good start to the week!  Hubby’s work schedule is very slow this week, so he was home yesterday, and we piddled around here.  We had some snow yesterday morning … nothing much to speak of, though.  It is very cool, which I’m happy about.  It won’t be long before we’re all sweating again!  The Extreme Home Makeover is now over, and from what my friend, Vanessa, tells me, everything went very well!   If you’re interested in seeing some of the photos you can catch them over at Vanessa’s Xanga site here.  There are also links to her Facebook page with more photos!  She did a great job on capturing those ‘busy bees’ at work, along with some other special shots, as well!  The house is absolutely stunning … and I’m anxious to see the episode that will air on May 17th … Vanessa will be in a clip, so needless to say, she is excited. The McFarland family has such an inspiring story to tell, so I hope you’re able to catch it when it airs! 
  
  I’ll end with a devotional that touched my heart yesterday … sometimes, with our busy schedules, it can be so hard to find the time, and place to get quiet before the Lord, to hear what He’s speaking to our hearts, and that is so very vital to our spiritual growth!  This encouraged me, and helped me to realize just how much He longs to bring us into that rest … to be still, and to know!  I hope it speaks to your heart, as well!   Have a blessed day in Him!    Hugs ~ Deborah <><
  
  
  

  
  

  The Gift of Stillness 
  By:  Julie Todd

  ‘Be still and know that I am God’
  Psalm 46:10

  It’s late.  Nothing is moving about in the house, except for my fingers upon the keyboard.  All work has shut down, bringing our house to a time of rest. Noise of the busy household is silenced, shutting out distractions.  The senses are sharper at this time of night, allowing me to hear the softer noises of my home.  There’s something about the stillness of the night that invites me.

  It takes me back a few years.  The words were becoming so repetitive I knew He was trying to tell me something.  He kept saying to me, “Be still, my love and know I am God.”  I’d known this scripture for as long as I could remember, yet there was something about the way it kept coming to me that alerted me to His invitation.

  Truthfully, it wasn’t one of my favorite verses.  In fact it frightened me.  What was stillness any ways? I had never been still a day in my life.  I was accustomed to putting forth my efforts for Him.  It made me feel good.  Wasn’t it what good Christians did.  Wasn’t I supposed to be busy for Him?

  What did it mean to be still?  How do I get there?  Having been one who loved having an agenda I waited to get “the plan” so I could get busy.  Nothing came.

  I couldn’t reason my way in.  I couldn’t figure it out and quite frankly the more I tried the more I fell away weary and frustrated.  If I was going to find this place of stillness God would have to take me in.  Finally, exasperated, I gave up.

  It’s quite the paradox.  As I gave up God began to move.  He swept me up into His arms and invited me into my rest.

  I began to discover His life in me.  He began to show me the things that mattered to Him.  He removed my efforts and told me about His.  Distractions began to be removed revealing that still small voice.

  In I Kings 19: God told Elijah that His presence was going to pass by Him.  A great wind came and tore the mountain apart but the Lord was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  The voice of the Lord was in the whisper.  In the whisper He told Elijah what was next on his journey.

  The stillness takes away the elements of life and reveals the whispers.  It becomes a place where I have no life of my own, my life becomes His.  I can’t figure it all out.  Enter twined as one, He begins to live through me.

  He tells me what’s next on my journey.  He makes known the plans.  He even shows me the path and tells me whether I am to turn to the right or left.  He invites me to step out and follow where He wants my feet to be planted.  He is the cloud in the day, the fire in the night that leads me where He wants me to go.  I don’t have to figure it out.  He will reveal.  I can rest.

  Everything is initiated by God.  Everything.  It’s all so remarkable.

  This place of being still has become the most tender of places.  It’s the place where I am free to wait and be.  Even my tears become precious to Him, for they are the words of my heart.  All those years I had tried to form the right words to get Him to move on my behalf.  When there are no words, it’s enough.  He reads my tears and comes for me just because I need.

  I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I said yes to stillness.  I will never be the same.  The ceasing of my striving has brought the gift of knowing God.  As I rest from my efforts, life becomes about Him.  In stillness I come to know Him, for it is there that God becomes God in me.

  Late at night everything in the house shuts down … all work ceases, everyone and everything comes to a place of rest.  It’s so easy for me to see it now.  Being still is an invitation to enter into my rest.

  For anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work,
  just as God did from his. Hebrews 4:10

  

  • 3:13 am
  • 8 Comments