Week of Ups and Downs!

Don't know how your week went, but my week was sure full of ups and downs and a lot of that was up and down on my knees! 

For a week of not much on the calendar, it sure turned out to be a busy week of emotions. 

First and foremost, our nephew, Chris, was in a horrific, death defying auto accident. From the moment we heard the news, our very soul and heart was gripped with agony, knowing the emotions his wife and children were going through, the physical pain he was in, and for the medical staff as they worked with his broken body. Knowing he is a child of God does give some peace, but the calmness that

surrounded the whole situation could only be described as Presence of God. 

This is not the first time I had sensed God's presence, so I quickly knew the feeling. It was same as when my husband was airlifted to Birmingham after his motorcycle wreck. It is a calming assurance of 'God is with us' is the only way I can explain it. 

A miracle is the only explanation of Chris doing as well as he has done. God was not surprised by any of this, we just needed to slow down and trust Him and his healing. 

Chris came home from the hospital and is on the road to recovery. Praise the Lord!

In the meantime this week, Denny had been asked to sing a special at a church this weekend. Not bringing any of his music to FL, we ordered a copy of the accompaniment CD online. It should have been delivered by a certain time the next day, it did not arrive. The post office sent it to another city and had to reroute it through Orlando for the second time. After many messages, trips to the post office, the CD arrived today, just one day before he is to sing! This may not seem big to you, but a man without a song can become very anxious!😊

In looking back at a week that was supposed to have been a calm week, that was turned upside down, we are so blessed that we can know, without a doubt, that God was in control! 

Usually our lives roll along and then something triggers a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. We as Christians should enjoy the ride, seeing God in the middle of the highs and lows, knowing He is in control. 

Isaiah 43:2
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

I am anxiously waiting to see where God is going to show up next week! Watch for HIM!! 

Blessings,
gs

Meeting Jesus Face to Face! My Story

Many of you have known me for years, but some of you may have only seen me online or on television or radio. You have read stories of my growing up years or where we have seen things God orchestrated while we have been on deployment in the mission fields. 

Today I will be sharing with you a little of both, my growing up years and seeing God at work. I will share the testimony of my salvation experience, the night I met God face to face. 

Growing up in a christian home, my parents had restrictions and rules, which you have read in my previous blogs. My mother, especially, kept the apron strings tight and I am thankful. I respected my parents and never wanted to disappoint them (my children say I must have been a 'nerd' lol).  

My mother had heard of the Sanders family and the mother, sister and son singing in churches around our county. She decided (or led by God) that I ought to go on a date with this young man, after all, he was at least attending church services! 

She did not know that he had already asked me out and I had turned him down! But he was persistent and even rode his horse eight miles to my house to see if I was home one Saturday morning. My mother was happy to see him and offered him a seat in the 'parlor' of the old home place. She hurriedly came to my room to tell me, "You have a guest!" She was all smiles and I was curious! As it turned out, I ended up saddling my horse and going riding that day. 


Being strict parents, the only time I could date through the week was to attend church, so my sweet 'fellow' looked for every revival or church singing that summer! 

One night, sitting in the back pews with the youth group, the preacher shared the gospel during the revival at the little country church. I do not remember the sermon, the preacher or the song, but I do know my heart was pounding in my chest. The Holy Spirit was calling out my name.....but I did not respond or listen to Him. Instead, I held tightly to the back of the pew in front of me, not wanting to step out in front of the people. I walked out of that church in fear, knowing I would go to hell if I died that night. 

In bed that night, I talked with God, telling Him I would go up the next night, if He would just give me another chance. What I did not know was that God does not require you be in a church building to accept Jesus and ask forgiveness. I wrestled with my heart that night and the next day. 

It was a relief that next evening when the car pulled up in my yard to take me to the revival, it had been a long day. The preacher preached, but I don't think I even heard the message. From the moment I stepped into the building my heart started pounding once again. The invitation was given and the song "O Why Not Tonight" was being sung. My future sister in law stepped out with me to walk the aisle for Jesus that night. My future mother in law, and future aunt, joined me at the altar that night. I don't remember praying, I just remember the moment I stepped out of that pew, my heart quit pounding and my steps grew lighter. I know I did promise to live for Jesus and ask that He lead and guide my life. 

My mother was awake when I came home from church that night and as I passed, she called out to me, "How was your evening?" This was not unusual for her to ask, but I will always wonder was she always waiting on this particular answer, "Mama, I accepted Christ tonight as my Savior and Lord." She smiled and hugged me. I don't know for sure, but I think we both slept better that night.

My mother passed away six months after we were married. God let her see me marry the man she picked out for me and that this very man was the one who took me to church to meet Jesus. My mother had a way about her and I have a feeling it was because of the prayers she prayed. I am certain God had a hand in all of this.  

Now you have read my experience about meeting Jesus. How about you? Do you know that you have a personal relationship with HIM? 
Romans 10:

"9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."

If you believe in your heart, pray and ask forgiveness and ask Him to be your Savior and Lord, He promises your name will be written in the Book of Life for eternity. Then, one day I will meet you in heaven and introduce you to my mother, but greater still would be to meet at the Throne of God and meet Jesus!! 

If you are already a believer and would want to share your testimony, go ahead and comment. If you have prayed today to receive Him, please comment with your name so that I can pray for you! 

God Bless!

gs

Emotions

Emotions are feelings, what is going on inside our very being, how we act and respond is from our emotions. We are even putting emotions in our correspondence now. 😊
To be really accurate the definition is: 

e·mo·tionəˈmōSH(ə)n/noun

plural noun: emotions

a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.
"she was attempting to control her emotions"
instinctive or intuitive feeling as distinguished from reasoning or knowledge.
"responses have to be based on historical insight, not simply on emotion"

When something happens quickly in our life, it can cause all kind of emotions:fear, anxious, anger, and even love. When there is something foreseen to occur in the future, like the death of a loved one, it can cause dread, sadness, sorrow. When the expectant parent feels the movement of the child, excitement, love and joy can occur. Emotions are a state of mind, as the definition says, but it is also the character of a person. People react differently when different things occur. 

For instance, I get excited when we are planning a trip. I want to be ready and on time to leave, even if we are driving. On the other hand, my husband drags around and sipping on his coffee, in a relaxed state of 'just another trip' !! I am ready to roll!!

But my feelings and emotions are closer to my way of life in someways. I get excited, sad, and joyful in a different way than he does when we hear or see something happen. I guess you can say I express my emotions a different way than he does, but he does show emotions. 

For instance, he is sensitive to tender moments and is known to shed a tear when he hears a beautiful old hymn sung in praise to our Lord. On the other hand, he gets a little loud while watching a football game, especially Alabama (Roll Tide). He does have quick emotions when it is something he cares about, but when it is daily routine, he pretty much keeps himself in check. 

On the other hand, I can keep my emotions in check, but then have been known to fall apart, in private, as I am talking to God. (now you know how I deal with some things) I guess I try to be strong for others at that time. However, I also have been known to yell loudly at a ballgame as well!! 

How do families deal with all the different emotions that happen inside a home? It can make a person change their attitude in an instant. But scriptures say 

Galatians 5:16-24 ESV 

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ...

But how do we control our emotions? Over and over again, we see in the scriptures that it says 'walk in the Spirit.'  How do we walk in the Spirit? We must stay in The Word and in prayer and be around mature Christians for encouragement for when we go into the world.

Life can be hard sometimes, but know that He is with you. When those emotions come out, stop and think about what He said  

Romans 12:2 ESV 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

May you all have a blessed and peaceful week with your emotions. May He watch over you and you can feel HIS Presence in all circumstances. 😇

God Bless, 

gs

Paths Through Life

Here I sit looking at these pages as the wind whips and blows the leaves around and the tall trees sway back and forth. It is the sign that winter has arrived, at least for the day. Stew is on the stove and warming the house with the smell and staying tucked in seems to be a good idea. 

Our lives have seasons just like the earth. We have times when we go through the days of troubles blowing and swirling around us, sometimes bending us in the coldness of life itself. We often wonder when the sun will shine again in our lives.

Sickness and death sometimes touch our families and the holidays and reunions hurt like the winds. But the sun peaks through as we can hear laughter of children playing. 

Life moves on, just as time on the clock. 

The past few weeks we have had the laughter and enjoyment of our grandchildren filling our home. They played in the field across from our house and played around in our little community. We always enjoy seeing them and having them near and did not think about the loneliness others were having around us.

After our children and grandchildren left, I must admit, my house seemed larger and quieter, but I sensed the emptiness others may have during the holidays. I begin to understand this when we received a text message from one of our neighbors expressing how he had enjoyed hearing the children playing in the field; and again as I called our 93 year old neighbor to thank her for calling our grandsons over to offer her balls and bats to them to play with, which they did. She told me she pulled a chair up to her window everyday to watch them play. She asked when would they be coming back to visit. 

We leave a path as we walk through this world. As we walk the weeds or flowers fill up the path. Eventually, when we die, the path will be covered up and our life on earth will have ended. Some paths may be longer than others, some paths may wind across the country or even the world, but they all will end at someplace. 

While we don't like loneliness or hard times in our lives, they are times for us to grow. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 , “There is a time for everything...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”

I now look back on those few days the grandchildren were here and I am thankful they may have planted a few flowers in the paths of our neighbors as they watched and listened. Sharing joy in lives can be done, sometimes when you are not even aware. Those little children had no idea they were being watched as they played, but they put a dash of joy in those lives around our community. 

How easy would it be if we all could know we have sprinkled a little joy in the winds of someone's life? Let's all start this new year with letting the Son shine through us and spread a little joy! 

Blessings!
gs