One Thing: February 2014

Valentine's Day. Eek! Those two words can mean so much, and bring so much hurt and pain for people, and for others it is a day full of excitement and anticipation.

I have been single on this National Day of Love for many years now and the JOY is in me. It is a day where Facebook explodes with romantic stories, great dates and proposals. Pictures of candlelight dinners and beautiful arrangements of flowers, and the aroma of those bouquets that outweigh the still shot posted, will be shared for all to see. And yet, the posts leave out the greatest love story EVER! “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13 And that example is the Father and Son. God gave His Son for me. For us. HE loves us SO much, He was willing to sacrifice that which was so close to Him, whom He loves so much, that we would have eternal life WITH Him. THAT is the greatest love story. HE, the God of the universe, LOVES me, that ‘before any of my days were written, each one of them was written!” Psalm 139:16. He loves me that much! He pursues me daily. He waits for me to call, to chat. He waits to share with me the great plans He has planned for me. He desires ALL my heart (Proverbs 3:5&6) HE IS LOVE.

As Valentine’s Day approaches each year, my heart is filled with excitement and anticipation. This is a day where people are free to express their love for others. It is a day that is ‘okay’ to let it be known who you love. And yet, love should be shown and expressed daily to those you love, and not just limited to a ‘romantic’ relationship. Anyway, I look forward to see who will get beautiful flowers, what thoughtful things will be done, said, or given to show love. It excites me. I wait, but don’t expect, flowers to be delivered to work, but the possibility, of who could have possibly thought of me, brings me joy. When, at the end of the day, I still have not received flowers, the JOY is still overflowing because I know that the Lord loves me MORE than any person could, than any flower arrangement could express. His love is everlasting, unconditional, and beautiful! Yet when I got home, there was a Valentine’s Day package in my mailbox! It was more than I expected, and the blessed tears hit my cheeks. The precious handwriting of a 9 year old on a pink lace-edged, heart shaped card, said, “Happy Valentine’s Day Becky! love Angellina!” And the silly pink and purple monkey socks in the package that made it to the post office in time by my mom, spoke volumes of love to my heart. The Lord blessed me through this little package. I set it aside and it was show time. I had 5 gals coming over for dinner. A dinner to serve, bless, and love on them.

It was an evening full of LOVE. We oozed love on each other, and laughed. The Lord brought together this group of ladies, and it was ALL Him. He first loved us, that we would love one another. Oh, it was a success.

Valentine’s Day. It was over. Love was shared, love was received. BUT, not without a good fight of the darkness of this world. My joy, my love was in battle. Flesh vs. Spirit. Flesh saying, “where was MY love, who reached out to ME, who showed ME love, where was MY invite. Does anyone care?” And I quickly took those thoughts captive, and chose to stand on the promises of God. He asked me to share the evening with ladies, to LOVE on them. HE put on my heart who to invite, and HE knew who could or couldn’t come. HE brought the evening to fruition. HE provided the meal. HE was present. HE joined us. I had obeyed. Those gals were/are loved, they know they are loved, they were blessed. So as I hit the pillow, the JOY had returned, and the lies were fleeting. I am loved. I am a Princess, a daughter of the King. I AM LOVED. Jesus knows me, He knows my needs. Love from humans is a blessing, but an EXTRA blessing, for the Lord loves me MORE than any human possibly could, and He is where my hope lies. What more do I need? Oh the Lord blessed me this Valentine’s Day.

Jesus LOVES me, this I know! Jesus KNOWS me, THIS I love!

"FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN TO ITS SETTING,

THE NAME

OF THE LORD IS TO BE PRAISED!!!"

PSALM 113:3

I was packed and ready to hit the road as soon as I punched out at 5. I grabbed Lucy from the house and her basket, and away we went. The morning had started early, with the ZRT girls, it was Wednesday morning, and we meet 6:30 every Wednesday to pray. To lift each other before the throne of God. Such a blessed way to start the day! And this particular morning, we were praying for the ‘red sea’ to be parted as I was driving from Billings, MT to Colorado Springs, CO. The forecast for the day was: rain to start at 11 AM, and turn to snow. I even told my co-worker when she commented on the forecast, that the forecast was predicted by man, but God is the ultimate weather man, and I trust He will do what’s best. I was set to leave after work. 11 AM came, and the sprinkles started, my co-worker even said, “Well, those weathermen predicted rain at 11 and sure enough, it has started, right on time, yikes!” She had attempted to discourage me the previous day, and I refused. The Lord God is in control!! The rain drops were quickly turned off as the girls were praying…and the Lord heard our prayers. PRAISE THE LORD, it stopped! PA-RAISE the LORD! The roads were clear sailing, sure there were little spits of rain here and there, but the temperature stayed warm, it even snowed, but the roads remained clear!! GO GOD! It was smooth…singing praise songs, praying, some Adventures in Odyssey, and even silence as I made it almost to Casper where I saw emergency lights flashing at the top of the hill. I slowed down, prayed for the people ahead and took it easy. GOD is SO good. It was a tow truck, pulling a car out of the ditch, it didn’t look too bad, and I praised the Lord for their safety. Then the prayers turned and my attention was immediately focused on the road. WOW! I REALLY started to praise the Lord! I have never experienced road conditions like this before. It is hard to describe, it was packed snow, over ice, and then rained on. Basically, NOT smooth, chunky, icy, snowy road conditions. I have no idea what would have happened had I been sailing along and came upon that? I just know the outcome would have been scary. So, I PRAISED the Lord for the flashing lights that warned me to slow me down. This stretch of yucky roads only lasted about 10-15 miles. Truly amazed!! And all the GLORY is the Lord’s! The ‘red sea’ had been parted that night!! I spent the night in Casper and soaked in family time.

Dad, Mom, Angellina and I went out for breakfast (yes Angellina was able to be late to school) and I hit the road about 8:45 AM. (This timing was perfect!) God knew what He was doing! I left for Colorado Springs and the first sign I see is, “Accident ahead, detour, reduce speed”. So, I did just that. I prayed for the accident, prayed for the day, for the roads, for the ‘red sea’. I shot a text out to the prayer warriors for the situation.

Thankfully the sun was already starting to peak, and the temperature was warming up quickly. The VERY icy roads were melting!! PRAISE-A-LU-YA! The accident was a semi, jack knifed, on the wrong side of the freeway, he had come through the median, and stopped just before a bridge. PRAISE the LORD for the safety of that driver and other drivers and vehicles that could have been involved! We simply exited on the off the ramp, and then right back on the on ramp. The accident couldn’t have been more perfectly placed and timed! The ‘red sea’ was parted. I praised the Lord for safety, His timing, His power, His control, and His will. I kept on driving, called a friend for an updated road report, and it was: the roads will continue to get better the closer you get to Colorado. True that. The sun came OUT from behind the clouds, and the ice on the road was diminished to misty spray on my windshield!! HALLELUJAH!

I arrived in Colorado Springs after a short-lived break down in the middle of Denver! AHHH! Thank the Lord for friends, who speak comfort! Colorado Springs was beautiful!! The snow capped mountains, the brown valleys, and it was beginning to mist. Did you hear that? It was BEGINNING to mist, but I was already at my destination! I was here!! The ‘red sea’ had been parted! I drove around the town a little before heading to the retreat center. As I pulled into the retreat center, there was a pile of large rocks to the right of the driveway, and sure enough, there it was! I did a double take…a heart, a ROCK in the shape of a heart. That is something the Lord and I share, and it is a direct blessing from the Lord! He said to my heart, ‘Child, I have parted the ‘red sea’ for you. I provided financially for you to be here, AND of course I would make sure your travel was safe, you arrived safely, you arrived with incredible gas mileage through mountainous terrain, you are driving a vehicle that is reliable, that I blessed you with, you are here because I have great plans for you. Child, I love you!’ I stopped, backed up, took a picture, praised the Lord some more and drove into the retreat center.

It was JUST like the website picture. In fact it was SO perfect, the deer I was seeing live, looked just like the picture on the web, that I thought maybe they were fake. But NO, the ones I was looking at were moving. WOW! They weren’t kidding. This location was set right into the mountain, with deer in the landscaping. It was perfect. I headed in, registered, and by the time I had brought my suitcase in, rested for a few moments, and went back down to find Rowan and Jocelyn, the snow had begun! The ‘red sea’ was parted. The evening session began with worship, “Bless the Lord O my soul…” I sang it, heart wide open, eyes closed, head tilted back, worshipping the Lord, He had parted the ‘red sea’.

The Lord blessed me ABUNDANTLY this whole weekend! The roommate: HE chose for me, and was an absolute fit. We laughed hard. The location: the mountains. Reflecting the Majesty of the Lord. The weather: snowy. Pure, white, little diamonds falling from the sky, completely covering the brown landscape. A reminder of being washed white cleansed of my sin. The people: like minded, different talented, full of heart people. Desiring to serve the Lord. Sessions: truth spoken with great encouragement. Meals: served with love, and tasty. The rest: sweet sleep. The speakers: real and supportive. Lewis: smiley and a precious child of the Lord, being raised by two incredible parents whom love the Lord, love to make it known, and have a passion to share that with the world, through themselves and other people! I was encouraged, challenged, changed, blessed, broken, and taught throughout the weekend (more details about this likely to come in future posts). I couldn’t stop praising the Lord. Yet, to be honest, there were painful awakenings, which I needed as well! The Lord, He is good!

Sunday arrived, the day of departure, and I try to make the most of every place I am blessed to visit. I was told to visit garden of the gods, and well, there were a couple other crazy minded people. Our only opportunity to do this would be to catch the sunrise in the park on Sunday morning. So, we were up, and met at 6 AM. It was early, especially after my roomy was up at 2 to hit the road for the airport, but that didn’t stop me. And man, oh man, was it worth it. The Creator is so clever in what He creates, and how He displays His glory through it! I love thee God of the universe!!! It was beautiful.

The temperature was two below zero, and that was without the wind-chill. I shared items from my survival gear in the trunk for the southerners that were with me. We set out to hike up a little ways up the mountain to get a better view of the sunrise. I had a mishap on the way, the hidden ice under the snow caused me to lose my footing and down I went. Thankfully I landed on the pointy, sticky outty rocky just below my hip. Y-OUCH! I got up; dusted off and away we went up the mountain. (it hurt, but I would be ok. It wasn’t until I was on the way home when the tears came at just how painful it was. Throbbing, hot to the touch, and the signs of color were coming. I got ice in Denver and sat on it off and on the rest of the way home. That helped. I measured the bruise today, and it is 8x7 inches in diameter, and a beautiful burgundy, purple and navy blue in color. Praise the Lord I landed how I did, it would have done some serious damage to the hip or head!!) Anyway, we enjoyed the sun rise, for once in the 4 days, the sun was actually visible! Not a cloud in the sky! The roads were clear in the tread marks, and the sky clear! That was an incredible sign the ‘red sea’ was parted for the day. Those girls were still praying for this! And the AWESOME God we serve was hearing our prayers and was answering them BEYOND our expectations! PRAISE HIM!

The last session finished up closing with “bless the Lord O my soul” and I quickly hit the road, knowing I had 9 hours of road time ahead and didn’t want to take the ‘red sea’ opportunity for granted. (The weather report for Colorado Springs/Denver area was non-stop snow through Tuesday, and yet, the skies said otherwise, and the roads were melted off.) I praised the Lord as I drove along in silence. I talked to Him about everything: The weekend, the weather, the people, the drive, the sessions, the speakers, spending time with my cousins, the rock, the scenery, the girls praying for me, the opportunity, the donors who made this possible, the ‘red sea’, etc. The Lord and I had sweet car time! The closer I got to Denver, the more apparent it became that today was Superbowl Sunday, and the Broncos were in it! The spirit EVERYWHERE was UNITED ORANGE, GO BRONCOS!! From all the people wearing orange, to HUGE flags waving, stuck in the beds of trucks on the freeway; it was fun to see the festivities. This made me drive just a little faster. For, according to the calculations and re-calculations, I was set to arrive, in Casper at my parents’ home moments before the kick off. One of my favorite things about Superbowl is the National Anthem. Who will sing it? Will they do the song, and the country justice? Anyway, I kept recalculating, praying, and watching the gas gauge drop and the miles tick by. I didn’t realize just how close to making it I was. I prayed the Lord would continue to grant great gas mileage to Gracie, my 2007 Honda Accord. I was watching the mileage signs, as the miles were quickly piling up behind me, I still had 21 miles to go and the gauge was encroaching an area I don’t like to push. But, per the calculations of how many miles I was getting, to how many I had left, I knew it would be close. I even grabbed the manual out of the glove box to see how many gallons I have when and if my gas light comes on. 2.72 gallons approximately is what it told me. And at 30 miles to the gallon, I should be safe to go at least 60 miles with it, allowing the extra .72 as cushion. I didn’t want to push that, but I was racing the clock, the gas, and miles to Casper. It was intense. Well, just after the sign that said 21 miles, the gas light came on, and I said, ‘PRAISE THE LORD, YOU have done it again’!! I will make it, and no, it was NOT life or death if I made the national anthem, and I was prepared to stop in Glenrock for gas if I had needed to, but I love how the Lord desires to get glory through simple things, and this is all His! GLORY to HIM! I rolled into my parents driveway at 4:17, kick off was to be at 4:30. I wasn’t sure if I had missed the national anthem yet, but I ran in the house and down the stairs and they said: ‘they just finished God Bless America, next up is the anthem!’ Praise the Lord! I made it in time to watch with my family! I AM BLESSED! I stayed until after half time. The game was pitiful, but the time with my family, priceless!

After leaving their home, the Lord again was all about this trip and getting glory! The roads remained dry and the weather sunny. (Until it set of course) Truly a blessing! I arrived home around 10:30 without any crazy experiences. The only thing I fought the last couple hours, were my eyes. They wanted to shut SO badly. I had a hard time keeping them open. I cranked up the praise music and belted it to the Lord. That was, well, special! J The Lord parted the ‘red sea’ once again! And get this!! The Lord wanted MORE glory, so the next morning when I woke up…there was fresh snow on the ground and it was STILL snowing! Can you believe it? It snowed most of Monday and part of Tuesday…it just kept coming, and blowing, and and and…!! The Lord is greatly to be praised! Do you see it? The Lord not only parted the ‘red sea’ where I was, my path was clear, amidst all the snow falling, and icy roads, but He also parted the ‘red sea’ in the scheme of time. I traveled before the storm, He parted it, and allowed me safe passage during it, and it resumed once I was safely at my destinations! Do you see it? Do you see the glory to be had here? Do you see how powerful the Lord is? He answered prayers and to HIM be ALL the glory for it! Amazing! Utterly, and unspeakably!! ALL HIS!!!

Now, to those of you who might not know the story of the ‘red sea’, it comes from the Bible. Exodus 14. The Israelites were escaping Pharaoh and were on the run. The Lord did this for the glory. “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them (Israelites) and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” (Ex. 14:4) The Israelites were on their journey and they came to the Red Sea with the Egyptians closing in on them. The Israelites were panicking. They saw the Red Sea as a dead end. They saw no escape. There were well over 600 chariots, ALL of Pharaoh’s horsemen, chariots, and armies were pursuing them. When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord!’ (Ex. 14:10) Moses cried out for them, and even though it seemed scary, the Lord provided. The Lord God split the Red Sea at the right time, and the Israelites walked across the floor of the Red Sea. The waves were pushed up, held by the power of the Holy Spirit on either side of them. And did you catch that? They walked across DRY ground! There was no mud, no getting stuck, it was DRY ground! (vs. 29)And just as the last Israelite came onto shore, the Lord let the water free…crashing down on ALL of Pharaoh’s men, chariots, horsemen, and armies were drown by the water of the Red Sea. The example here in scripture is amazing and why I asked the gals to pray for the ‘red sea’ to be parted are as such: the Lord’s timing is perfect. I could have been praying for perfect weather all week, in order to have safe travels, yet that is NOT what I needed. I didn’t need ALL week to be clear roads; I simply needed the time I was on the road to be clear. And the Lord knew that. Also, as my co-worker seemed set to discourage me, yet I clung to the Lord, prayed He would get glory through this situation. And He did! I was even able to share with my co-worker how the roads were amazingly clear…Praise the Lord! (not sure how she took it, but one comment at a time!!) Also, it wasn’t just a little bit of the ‘red sea’ parted, like the Israelites; I was able to drive on ‘dry’ ground. The Lord got the glory all weekend long, and He got even more glory through the little blessings He sent just for me! When the Israelites saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore, they saw the GREAT POWER the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord, and His servant Moses. (vs. 31) The Lord did what He did to get the glory. And just like the Israelites saw the results after arriving safely on the shore, as I woke up that next morning, with more snow falling from the sky, I too gave the Lord glory and believed! Did He have to part the ‘red sea’ for me? Absolutely not. Why did He? I can only say: to bring Him MORE glory. He used me to bring Him glory. That is so beautiful! A sinner, washed by His blood, to bring Him glory! Praise HIM! I cannot stop praising the Lord! Thank you Father! For making this weekend happen! Truly, it has changed my life. You are worthy of ALL glory!! Thank you!!

"FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN TO ITS SETTING,

THE NAME

OF THE LORD IS TO BE PRAISED!!!"

PSALM 113:3

One Thing

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Expect God.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Jesus knows me, THIS I love!

Friday, February 7, 2014

Joy? JOY!!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

The "Red Sea" Experience