THE CHRISTMAS TIME

     Didn't take the pictures, but had a wonderful time at my daughter's home and taken there by my son at 7 on the Saturday evening and brought home when it was about 10.  My husband was there from 8 to 9:30, b/c before that he was playing piano at a church and then going again and would be doing the piano and would be able to drive home about 12.  He got home about 12:30 of the morning of Christmas on Sunday.  WELL, he went to others churches at 7 in the morning and got home at 10:30 and a couple hours later we went to the Bhutanese and we at their church from 12:30 to 3:00.  AND Dave took me home and went back to our church to do some cleaning.  Anyhow, I've said too much.  I'm still sleeping most of the time from about 7:30 or 8:00 at the evening and getting up about 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning.  All I can show you is our present time Christmas things AND they will be here until sometime in February.  Love to see them and won't get them out for weeks and weeks.  Anyhow, bless you and thank you.  I'm talking too much as usual.  Sure love and miss many, many of you!  Pray for many of you, and worship and glorify the Lord and focus on Him and Heaven!!  

HIS NAME IN THE EARTH!!

      This Word was dropped on me yesterday and I looked around at my photos and, when seeing me on this when on another place in Morocco where we would be blessing and praying for people, in our hearts, to say the least.  It was a God-gift to be in Morocco -- Spring, '01 -- and that's truly what I count on day-by-day.


       I put the cross there when I came back from Morocco.  It had been given to me and many very secretly and carefully that came from an underground area in one of the main cities.  I've never forgotten them.  Some were kids, too.  So, I have kept this cross there every day and I can't forget.

GOD BENDS DOWN! WE ARE BLESSED THROUGH THAT!

     That's what we can count on, forever and ever.  Touching and praying and encouraging is all we can do in our lifetime.  And heading to Heaven is a wonderful spiritual understanding piece!  It is Christmas time, and filled with wonderfulness, moment-by-moment -- either in, the last 31 years, Omaha usually, or at a Christmas stretch-of-days at Minnesota several times for my "sister"/ friend, Susan in the Clearbrook area and to the Twin Cities at Dave's family.  Also,  were in Uganda three Christmas times ['94, '95, 2003].  It's all a blessing. 
      BUT, anywhere, and here or there, serving the Lord is all that counts!  He's had me reading, recently, all the Prophets, a bit of Psalms, Revelation, and, now, John -- will finish that on Saturday.  Thinking of our Heavenly Father and Jesus when everything I'm reading.  On my heart momentarily, even today.

AND, BTW, this photo was taken when we were praying for a family mom or aunt of the teenage boy who had been murdered.  Just happened to work out that I was the official pray-er that day when the prayer shawl was placed.  That was about three years ago. It was a very cold time, but no snow right then, so driving to that part of town... way southeast... was possible.  Many were prayed over by several who were blessing them!!  OH, and I don't know when and/or how I can be at First Responders at the murder sites ... which I've done for 7-1/2 years, unless I'm out of town to the NW or Minnesota area usually ... and I can't drive any more.  It's been at a hospital here when I was being tested about 10 days ago, immediately said I could not drive a car.  I've been crying a LOT since then, but worshiping and praying and glorifying the Lord.  All that counts is HIM, forever and ever!!  Now I'll shut up!!

CHRISTMAS PIECES HERE AND IN UGANDA!

     About the December of 1992, Dave and I chose a Jesus born stretch.  It was very big and was being set aside by the shop.  I guess they didn't think people would want it in their home.  We did then, and often we do it now.  I just took this photo a couple days ago.

        AND the coffee table is filled with it!  We have to be careful when walking from the kitchen or bathroom area, b/c we could stumble against it when it's so wide.  But we love it and watch carefully.
       When we were going to Uganda in '94, we thought we'd be there forever, so other than the stable piece we had, the others were taken.  When we had a home in the Kampala area [Katelemwa] right before Christmas, and we had been given 4 kids from one family to teach ... Dave did computer and piano and other things, and I did a bit of the English class situation and teaching books ... and, even though we didn't have couches or anything people could sit on, we sat on the floor.  And we put this piece then.  And their brother didn't sit there right then in the living room.  The girls were excited and filled with joyfulness to be right there!  Never had anything like this in Uganda.

From the red-ish color on the left to the right portion with the door portion was all the living room then.  Quite wonderful. 

                           Here's one we did on a door area!

           About a year later, we were at New Hope Uganda in the house that the teacher for the Jay and Vickie Dangers kids.  We were doing what we could do.  AND the house was a lot smaller than our previous one.

      When we had just gotten there, and had our stuff to put in the place, it was quite a bit of stuff.  And this was our kitchen room and our living room.  You can see that brown seat on both of the pictures.  One on the left side in the kitchen and the other on the right portion.  Actually, that was at our table. It was quite a time.
       Well, we had our Christmas piece with us, and we had put it on a table back in the corner.  Eventually, a few kids were brought in and we held the kids and we showed all of it to them.  It was on a small table, right back in that corner that you could see.  Anyhow, one thing happened then, when a young kid grabbed one of them and broke a piece of it.  I cried.

And it's on our table, as usual.  Just thought I'd remind you.

        A miracle is that we still have used it in our homes for all these years.  It's been 20 years now since that happened. So, this is what it still looks like.  I don't cry again, but I always smile!  And I'm amazed and grateful how the Lord let us keep it.  Here it is!  I'll show the group again, and then the last piece of the men who had come to give gifts to Jesus.

  

[OH, and the rock piece is what Dave and I got in Canada at Thunder Bay, Ontario.  A week after our wedding we were at that place for a couple hours and got that rock.  We've smiled at it forever!]

 

 

YES, HE DOES WONDEROUS THINGS!

HE FILLS US WITH WONDER,

FOREVER AND EVER.

AND HE'S A BLESSING...AND BLESSES US!!

PRAYER OF POWER AND STENGTH

                     CHRISTMAS STRENGTH... HOLY SPIRIT. 

SING OF CHRISTMAS -- Again

There was a star that shined the night

that Jesus Christ was born.

It shone so very 'specially bright
with twinkling, brilliant sparks of light,the night was bright as morn.

Chorus:

 
O Sing, O Sing of Christmas,

the time of Jesus' birth,

the time when we recall again
God sent His Son to earth.

The Angels sang their joyous songs
on that first Christmas eve. "Alleluia, Praise the Lord"

rolled 'cross the fields in sweet accord and spread the news,
"God's Holy Word has come; O please believe."

Chorus.

The shepherds in the fields by night
heard the angels sing.
They heard the songs and left the sheep,
they did not stop to eat or sleep,

they hurried on through darkness deep,

they ran as if on wings.

Chorus.

The Wise Men came from parts unknown
upon their camel's fleet.
They'd seen the star shine in the East,
they'd come to share a royal feast,
with the Baby, God's High Priest,and worship at His feet.

Chorus.

 

 O Sing, O Sing of Christmas,

the time of Jesus' birth.

the time when we recall again
God sent His Son to earth.
======================================

 

I wrote this during Christmas-time, 1971. At the time, I lived in Redwood City, CA.  "Sing of Christmas" was first simply a poem.  Then, a few days later, while in the bathtub [as crazy as that sounds], the melody went through my head and never left. That year, I sent out the poem as my Christmas card. Eventually, the music was written, and in the late '70s I sent it out again, this time as a song. One evening my dear friend, Susie, in Minnesota, called. She played the song on the piano and her family sang it to me over the phone as a Christmas gift. That was truly a sweet present.

I hadn't shared it for years. However, last year I chose to post it, because I wanted to post something Christmasy and decided this would be fun to do.  Well, redoing a bit of it... colors, photo, and "history" about it has been improved.  Wanted to send it to my dear ones and friends around the world.  

 

Bless you all...

MURDER AT THE MALL...DECEMBER 5, '07

 
This is LONG, but breaking it into two or three posts to keep the working down didn't seem to fit, considering the circumstances. Hope you can endure it; it will be worth it. Also, even though I've rewritten portions today, I did post this 2 years ago, but wanted to share it again.  AND a very important change has occurred has been placed at the end of the post.  Thanks much.
==================
I often tell people that, as followers of the Lord, we need to trust Him that we will be in the right place at the right time.

On December 5, 2007, early afternoon, I was heading to Westroads Mall here in Omaha to take some time to relax and snack and wander and enjoy the Christmas lights and decorations. I'd had a busy morning with my young grandson and was now free. My evening was going to be very busy, because it was time for the rehearsal for our Christmas play at church. I had four whole hours of freedom. I was so looking forward to that time, that quiet and blessed time.

About an hour after arriving at the mall, I suddenly decided to go to the opposite end from my usual "wandering" location. I went to J C Penney's to see if I could find a sweater. Something significantly on sale... truly, TRULY on sale.

Found what was perfect for me, and, after the purchase, I was preparing to walk out into the corridor, but heard a man hollering loudly, it echoing down the hall, and I hesitated; I didn't want to risk walking into a fight of some kind. A few seconds later, a group came running through. All ages, all sizes, men and women. My first thought while watching them rush through was "what bus are they going to miss?" The last person, a well-dressed and high-heeled lady, glanced at me and said, "There's shooters here."

I looked at the lady who was standing next to me, an elderly, small, sophisticated, white-haired, beautifully dressed woman. [I was dressed about as casually as possible and could still show up in public!] I said, "I'll take care of you." She looked me up and down and said, "OK." -- She has always told people that I said to her "I'm your guardian angel." That wouldn't be anywhere near the truth; ain't my style.

I called Dave quickly. He was at work at Offutt AFB, a few miles south of town. My phone signal wasn't very good, so when he answered all I said was, "Someone said there's shooters here at the mall. Don't know if it's a rumor. Pray."

In the next few minutes the stress piled. Penney's basement had a special delivery area, and the police invaded a good portion of the mall through that entrance. While I stood near the corridor, able to see a good distance down the hallway, the police rushed in. The store's corridor glass door closed, two of the officers faced the interior of the store, stone-faced, clutching rifles across their chests, looking at those of us who were there. A couple other officers ran up the escalator, guns in hand.

Partly because of my upbringing, I'm not one that runs to hide in a closet. I always look for exits or prepare for a crisis, not backing down. So, in this situation, I moved a few feet and stood among the clothes racks so I could hit the floor if necessary. I wasn't afraid... I just knew I needed to concentrate on what was happening.

A few minutes later... don't know how long it was -- stressful, adrenal-style times overwhelm the normal time frame -- the store manager came through and said we needed to evacuate the store and head out the back entrance, then go across the parking lot and over to a strip mall with businesses and small shops ... the equivalent of a couple-blocks walk. When I reached the outside, I saw "my" lady again, and joined her and there was another lady holding her arm and supporting her. The other lady was an employee of Penney's and, as we were helping Alyce across the lot and across the street, Julia [I knew that by reading her name tag] suddenly said, "We haven't prayed!" So, as we walked through the snow and ice and helped Alyce, we prayed that the Lord would protect and help and bring all of this to the right light.

Amazing to watch: it was COLD out, temp in the teens, and some people had no jackets or long sleeved shirts, because they'd dropped them or left them behind when they had to run, and some had small children, even in strollers, were not wearing enough warm clothing. I tossed my bag to a couple young gals and said to just wear the shirt and sweater and they could keep them, but if they wanted to give them back I'd be in the office building a block away. [A few minutes later they found me and returned them. I was just happy that they'd been able to stay warm for a while before they'd worked out their problems.] Julia and Alyce had kept walking ahead while I stopped to talk to the young ladies. When I had rushed away from them after giving them my clothes, trying to catch up with Alyce and Julia, and was walking across the strip mall, headed for the office building, a police car suddenly cut between me and the stores, and a policeman jumped out of the car, and pointed his gun over the top and hollered to a guy who was walking on the sidewalk, "Stop!... Hit the ground!" The man, who had walked out of Penney's with the rest of us, did. [I found out later that it was because he was wearing a camo jacket and a ball cap, the only description of the shooter(s) the police had at that time.] At that moment, I called Dave again, and this time I burst into tears. Just overwhelmed. Within a couple minutes, another officer showed up, and the man was freed.

I went to the office building and helped Julia and Alyce. The only funny part ... some of the ladies who had been forced out of the mall were in a hair salon, and, with the salon-style capes, their hair in various kinds of care, including perms and color-adjustments of one type or another, were sitting in the lobby of this office building. All I could think of was what a mess this could end up being for them.

A while later, the Penney's employees were called back to the building, so Julia left Alyce and me. A while later... [this is a constant phrase from that day... so little accurate time was known], I was able to contact Alyce's retirement center and let them know that she was OK and that I would bring her home. I had to walk a long way around the mall to find my car, but I made it in a few minutes, and passed through the police checkpoint, picked up Alyce and took her to her place. The office members ran out for her and just blessed my socks off.-- A few days later gave me a gift card with which I purchased a stone-style vase. [BTW, the reason she couldn't get home without help was because the center's van had dropped her off, but the police wouldn't let anyone enter the mall parking lots, so she would have been stuck there for hours. I just happened to be her protector, keeper, provider.]


Up to that point, there were only rumors regarding the shootings, the number of deaths, the number of shooters. It hit the news nationally, almost immediately. I was headed for my car when I decided to call my Mom in Tacoma, Washington, and warn her that if she heard about the mall, that she could know I would be OK. She said she was watching it on TV right then.
 
After dropping Alyce off, I headed home. When nearly there I realized I hadn't called my friend, Marge, to let her know I was OK. That morning I had told her I was going to be at the mall. When I called her, she became ecstatic... when this event had hit the news she had called others around town and her family members in other states asking them to pray for my protection.
 
When I got home, I was a bit in shock. Even though I remember the tiny details of my time at the mall and the drive home, I hardly remember what I did later, or how I felt. I, of course, turned on the TV and was buried in that news for hours... the rehearsal for that night was canceled, of course.

The final result: 8 murdered in one store, Von Maur, by a 19-year old "man", who took his own life at the end. Several others were wounded physically; many in the store and nearby locations suffered emotionally for quite some time, including the police who were faced with horrific bloodshed. The officers also struggled after facing terrified people, hiding in closets and fitting rooms, sometimes not realizing that, as a policeman opened a door, they were safe, not a target.
 
Ten days later, I went to the mall again. I needed to. Von Maur was still closed, being refurbished and remodeled. I simply wanted to walk through and feel and see what I needed to ... I didn't need much healing ... just a nugget or two. I also went to Penney's to find Julia. When I finally saw her at a customer service location, and I moved through the line and reached her, she dropped what she was doing and ran around the counter and threw her arms around me and sobbed.
 
A few days later, the day before Von Maur was reopening, the memorial bits and pieces were going to be removed and put in storage. I went there to take photos and walk through the whole phase of healing, one more time.





Julia and I went to Alyce's center for lunch in early January. She, and a number of others, blessed and thanked us so much for what we had done.I still have the sweater and I wear it every December 5th, and will until it's one ragged piece of junk. I've lost track of Julia. Alyce moved to Branson, MO, to be with family. [OH, and her family members, who at first said to her, when she told them about the woman who had said she was her guardian angel, "You believed her!!? You really believed she'd take you home!?" now have some respect for me.]

But the point is... what I began this post with... I know that I was in the exact place the Lord wanted me to be at exactly the right time to help exactly the right person. I wasn't there to keep someone from being killed, or help the wounded. I was only there to take one elderly lady to a safe location and then to take her home.

It was worth it!
===============================
This is what I recently received:

Want to inform you, in case you did not know, Alyce died in her sleep with me sitting with her on the night of October 1st.  Her heart just gave out.

=============================
I had received letters and cards from her over these years, besides the times I visited her at the retirement center here.  If I'm ever able to go Branson, I'll definitely try to meet her daughter.  Again... THAT would be worth it!  

MOROCCO PALM SUNDAY

One of the most amazing experiences I had in Morocco during our prayer walk/ride was the Palm Sunday service in a hotel in Marrakech.  What we were told was that this was the first time a Christian service had been publicly allowed in that nation.  Approximately 400 of us were in the large hotel convention area.  The nations involved were from Europe, Africa, and North America.  Occasionally, out of curiosity, a tourist would pop into the side door .. sometimes bikini-style swimmers.

The service was put together by a spiritual partnership.  The sermon by Pastor Steve Hawthorne from Austin, Texas.  The worship leader?  It was Graham Kendrick from the U.K. [co-founder of the March for Jesus and author of "Shine, Jesus, Shine".]  I would never have imagined this. During the service, the congregation was divided.  One part singing "Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna" while the other part "wailed" "Save Us! Save Us!".  Mix that with dancers and banners, children with palm branches, and circle-the-room processional, and you have the makings of a spirit-enlivening experience.  We KNEW beyond doubt that this was a monumental landmark in the life of Morocco - and ourselves.

In my case, as I thought of it, I attended the most significant service I had in my 35 years with the Lord. [Are these photos good?  No.  The lack of light and movements kept them from being accurately taken.  Oh, well... but wanted to share what I had.]

Now, what do I have left over from it?

We were given side-gifts.  The Underground Church, for want of a better word, made bookmarks from pieces of local cloth and beautiful Christian symbols sewn on them.  Then another gift immediately entered my heart.  When arriving home, I planted that cross-gift into Joseph's arm at a Nativity set.  It hasn't been damaged and it hasn't been moved.  I love it.

This Nativity set is never removed from my curio cabinet.  So every moment-by-moment of every day of the year, Joseph is seen carrying the special cross from Morocco.  Nothing could make me happier.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR HOMELESS

OK, OK.  I know it ain't anywhere near Christmas at this point.  BUT when reading a blog post about giving blankets to the homeless ... a blog which I couldn't find, so Susie sent it to me for which I'm very grateful: http://ponderingsbykris.blogspot.com/2012/08/reach-out-and-touch.html ... I recalled immediately something that landed in my life at Christmas, 1984, was really worth sharing with you.

Back then, I had recently been divorced and had moved back to Omaha, NE, from Edmond, OK, in September.  Got a job soon, so I could, at least, feed my kids and pay my rent, etc. You know, those basics.  Overall, it was truly a challenge. I didn't have enough money for much of anything else, and the Lord dropped some sweet bits and pieces into my life through friends and a local missions organization.  My Lord was truly my Restorer and Storer.

Then...Heavy sigh!  When Christmas break was hitting at school, my kids [15 and 12] wanted to go to Oklahoma to see their friends and visit their dad.  I had to pay for the bus trip.  Can't remember how I came up with that money, but it was not easy.

As soon as they left, it was also not easy to face Christmas with no family on my plate.  Depression slammed me...again.

Now, in October, God had given me a friend.  Ken was a musician and a single dad with his two kids.  We met through and hung out with a bunch of folks at a Teen Challenge Friday night drama/music/worship gathering.

Ken, just like me, rarely had extra cash. Then something happened that has always caused me to rejoice and I've never quite understood how it came to pass.  One of those "God" things.

On Christmas Eve, Ken had an idea.  He had one of his neighbors babysit his kids.  Then, shortly before stores were closing down, we went to K-Mart.  We grabbed about 30 snow caps and gloves from a filled bin at one of the central aisles.  Because it was late and people were done buying, the prices were reduced significantly.  Somehow, we had enough to pay for them.  Then we went to his apartment and wrapped them, sometimes caps and gloves together and sometimes each separately.

The next day, Christmas, we drove downtown with the pile of gifts on the passenger-side floor.  When we saw someone against a building wall, not covered with anything warm, we'd open the windows and holler "Merry Christmas" and I'd toss a package.  We had the stuff divided between men, women, and kids, so I grabbed what looked like it would be best for the folks we saw.

In about half an hour nearly everything was gone.  Then we saw a lady and her young-teen boy standing by a bus stop, but no hats or gloves [and, believe me, it was NOT warm that day!].  We had exactly what they needed and we tossed them, and the car was empty.  We headed back to his apartment and spent time "yippee-ing" and rejoicing and enjoying his kids, watching Christmas stories on TV.

When I think of Christmas now... nearly 28 years later ... I often think of the joyfulness of that one day.  And how the Lord turned "mourning" and "sorrow" and big time depression into happiness -- for me, and, hopefully, for the recipients.  So often have wanted to do that same thing again [and again, and again], but life keeps interfering. 

Maybe,  just maybe, it'll happen, be another blessing ... for them and for me.

MIRACLE #2 ... MY SISTER

 This is a portion of a "Grandma Cary" children story called "Angels".  Since I began to focus on miracles last week, and posted my accident event, I chose to share this one, too.  If any of you want the whole "Angel" story, I'd be glad to send it. This begins rather in the middle.

========================

...“You know what, girls?  I remember a time when I believe an angel was very busy helping my family when I was a little girl just about your age.  Want to hear the story?”

With her eyes rolling and talking fast, Makayla said, “If it’s the time you fell out of the car and your dad ran over your legs, but you ended up OK, we already know that story and you never mentioned an angel when you told us."

“No, it’s not that time.  It’s another time entirely, a couple of years after that, and it’s even far more, wonderfully more, miraculous.  But before I tell you, let’s get out of the kitchen – it makes me either want to work or eat, and I’ve had enough of both of those today.  Let’s go up on my bed.”

The girls headed for the doorway as Grandma Cary took one last glance around the kitchen and turned out the light.  The three of them headed up the stairs and climbed onto the bed, plopping down in the middle of the pile of pillows and pulling the comforter up around their chins.  The girls snuggled up against Grandma Cary, one on each side.  Then the story began pouring out of Grandma's mouth... and heart.

“A very long time ago, more than fifty years now, our family was traveling from Portland, Oregon, where we were living, to Tacoma, Washington, where we had piles of family -- aunts and uncles and lots and lots of cousins.  It was a trip of about 150 miles. In those days, It took much longer than it would now.  No Interstate highways back then and just single lanes.  Usually cars weren’t able to go as fast and, even if they could, speed limits were a lot lower.”

Miranda popped in. “Mom sure would have had a harder time driving then,” she laughed, and Grandma Cary shook her head and laughed along with her and Makayla.  Their Mom had a reputation as a pretty fast driver and everybody teased her about it.

“Back to the story, Miranda.” Grandma winked at her.  “We were going to Tacoma for Christmas, and it was a dark, rainy and foggy evening. I was 8, Niki was 3, and Patti was 2, Teri was about 10 months old, and Mom was expecting my sister Betty.  In those days cars didn’t have seat belts or safety locks on the doors and there weren’t car seats for babies. Mom says that Niki and I were sitting on the back seat and that I was holding baby Teri.  Patti, the 2-year-old, was playing around in the back, and had been hollered at a couple of times to stay away from the door. 

"Suddenly, Patti leaned on the door handle and disappeared out of the car on the passenger side.  I screamed about it and Dad hit the brakes.  It took a few seconds to get stopped, especially since – and this is the scary and strange part – we were going over a bridge.  There wasn’t anywhere to pull over.

“Not long ago when we talked about this for the first time in many, many years, Mom told me that somehow Patti, instead of flying outward from the car, and hitting the concrete side of the bridge, she bounced along the road and into the lane behind them.  A man driving behind us saw her fly out, and he stopped.  At first they couldn’t see her -- it was dark and foggy -- and then they heard her whimper.  The other man found her in the middle of the road and he stood over her and protected her until Mom and Dad could reach her.  Mom says that Patti had been wearing a heavy snow suit, heavy shoes, and a stocking cap.  The cap was gone, and her head was badly hurt and she had a wound on her neck.  The man told Mom and Dad that his wife worked in a hospital nearby, so Mom held Patti in her lap and Dad drove to the hospital as fast as he could.  Niki remembers Patti being all bloody, and screaming all the way to the hospital and in the emergency room. 

"Mom and Dad left Patti at the hospital with the doctors and we all went on to Tacoma about 60 miles away.  The three of us girls stayed there with an aunt and uncle so Mom and Dad could go back down to be with her.  Patti was only in the hospital overnight.  Even though she was pretty scratched up and had a concussion, they couldn’t find anything else really wrong with her, so the doctors sent her home.  Mom said Patti had bandages all over her head, and that she was really hurting.  She didn’t want anyone to touch her.  That’s really hard on a Mom, because when your baby is sick, let me tell you, you want to hold them and rock them and make it all better.”

Grandma Cary looked at the girls.  For once they didn’t have much to say.  They looked back at her with big, serious eyes.

“So, Grandma,” Miranda asked, thoughtfully.  “Where do you think the angel was?”

“Over the years, as I’ve thought about this accident, I’ve realized an angel must have been there to ‘aim’ Patti away from the bridge wall and somehow under or around our car and then softened her landing.  To land in the middle of a highway like that, and not have a car hit her, and to find her in the fog, and the guy to stand over her to protect her -- all that is pretty amazing. 

"When my Mom and I talked about this she said there must have been an angel, and believe me, Mom had never been an angel-thinking kind of person.  But when we wonder, sometimes, whether angels can see us and know what we’re doing and what could happen if they weren’t paying attention, all I have to do is remember riding in the backseat of the car and watching Patti fly out the door..."
=======================

For many years of being caught up in our family generational addictions and much of the abuse, Patti struggled.  Niki and Patti have been in the Northwest all these years.  Niki, who had come to the Lord when she was 19, had prayed for Patti and sought to draw her to the Lord and free her from all she was buried in.  [I was rarely in the NW for many years and seldom saw Patti even when I was visiting.]  A few years ago, in her early 50s, Patti suddenly truly understood that the Lord would forgive her when she accepted Him, and that she knew He had protected her all those years.  The photo is one I took of them a year ago when I was out visiting and the three of us went "playing" together for a day on the Oregon coast.  Believe me, fellowshiping with my sisters is a wonderful blessing beyond belief.

"COME UP AND KNOW ME BETTER..."

From Utmost, Jan. 2 – “Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is."


Our so-often question: “What do you want us to do with our lives?”

The answer is from the lips of the Ghost of Christmas Present from A Muppet Christmas Carol:

“Come up and know me better, man.”

What to do with our lives? – Live for Him. Seek Him. Fill our minds with Him. Grow in Him.

How is that accomplished? Opening all of our senses, all of our selves to His Spirit – in whatever form that may take.

Does that mean hiding away from the world-at-large and becoming solitary, untouchable? Probably the opposite.

--- The Triune God gave The Spirit entity to convict, convince, comfort and counsel;

--- the Triune God gave The Father entity
to govern,
to dictate and “spread his wings over
[us] as an eagle overspreads her young. She carries them upon her wings, as does the Lord His people.” Deut. 32:10-12;
to set the boundaries, to know when and how
“enough is enough.”

--- The Triune God gave the Son -- a Holy, Loving, Father-Focused Servant -- a call opposite the life of a hermit, even a hermit
determined to focus his mental and
spiritual energies on Him.

--- The Triune God calls us to be out among
the hurting and the hopeless.
To provide refuge for the homeless –
in spirit, soul, or body.
To fulfill the cry of Matthew 25:
visit the hospitals and prisons, clothe the naked,
feed the hungry;
To fulfill the call of James 1:27-- to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.

And how is this done – individually and corporately – without becoming overwhelmed by the needs, without becoming hard and cynical when confronted with people who are hard and cynical?

By hearing and heeding His call:

“Come up and know me better, man.”