for your reading enjoyment

Knowing You Jesus penned by Joel Hunt
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=2177495799588

When Peace Like A River penned by Andrea Hunt
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=465163937131

a day that will live in infamy

today is the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor invasion...an event that changed the world for forever. today is also the 9th birthday of my beautiful niece ashlyn. and today is exactly one year from the day my brother had his leg amputated.

i remember very clearly the emotions i was facing the night before his surgery. i was fearful but standing up in the face of that fear claiming spiritual truths, things i didn't really feel so much as believed. amazingly God allowed me a very peaceful sleep and i woke up refreshed and ready to tackle what ever the day might bring.

joining friends for prayer was the perfect way to start my day and then my friend and i head into the city hoping to be at the hospital by the time joel was out of surgery. we got lost, multiple times, couldn't find parking, encountered very unhelpful people and were winding our ways through a strange hospital when we rounded a corner and there were mom and dad! that day began a new year of so many new things, new trials, new joys, new experiences.

lucy eliene was born in januray and i was told that joel didn't let hobbling around on one leg slow him down. mom said he hopped around carrying the new born "just like any new dad would".

joel quickly began working towards his physical training to rejoin the fire force not even knowing if it would truly become a reality. involved in that was not only learning to be physical fit but to walk again. i can't imagine learning to walk again as an adult.

this picture to the right is joel at the top of the ladder post amputation, with a prosthetic, back at work!

i am at a loss to describe the wonder i have in the majesty and wonder of God's plan. to be present during this amazing journey has been something of a dream. i in no way want to trivialize the trials joel has faced, the struggle, the pain but it is overwhelming to know that Romans 8:28 remains just as true today as it did the day that the apostle paul penned the words.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

watch this video...everyone.

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i choose to be simple minded

last week i became engaged in a high spirited facebook conversation on the subject of the Bible being the truth or simply an interesting read. actually this individual called the Bible a "snooze-fest" that was written very poorly. as you can imagine my defenses came up and i began an all out attack of scriptures backing up my view point. all in all this was a very civilized debate but i began to feel personally attacked. i was told that i was "being lied to by the devil" (the very same devil that this facebooker denies exists). i was told that i am closed minded and simple minded. at first that was offensive to me but i was reminded of Matthew 19:14, "But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."" and Matthew 18:13, "and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."

i choose to believe the bible. i choose to believe that Jesus loves me. i choose to believe that He died for me. i choose to believe that He rose again. i choose to believe that He is returning one day to take me home.

if that makes me "simple minded" than so be it.


Jesus loves me! this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
they are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
For the Bible tells me so.

6,927 and counting

i haven't even logged onto this blog in quite awhile and you can imagine my shock when i see that i have a total of 6,927 site views!! seriously? who knew that the words i write could be read by so many!! actually it seems that one of the pictures in one of my posts has been picked up by google images and that's where the hits have come from!! maybe just maybe some of those image hunters are actually reading what i've written.

words and rejoicing

have you ever had one of those moments where you have a ton to say but don't know what to say? that's exactly how i feel right now. maybe my inspiration will come later today.

oh, one quick something...i think i felt a little bit like the father in the prodigal son story in the bible (luke 15:11-32). one that i have been praying, hurting for told me they have come home. contiune praying for this one.

my thougths on easter

 have you ever stopped to wonder what it really was like to be in the garden with Jesus? we know because of biblical accounts that the disciples who were with Him fell asleep while Jesus was praying. how often have we been guilty of falling asleep during times with our Master? i read an article the other day that discussed the physical changes that went through Jesus' body during this period of time and it's shocking! i wonder what the disciples thought was happening... did they see the sweat drops of blood? did they realize Jesus was in agony? this image here is beautiful but the accounts of Jesus time in the garden of gethsemane are intense and sorrowful, moments of great betrayal and even hostility. we look on these events from behind and see that they all are leading up to a glorious victory but i wonder what it really would have been like to be there on that day. either as a character in the story or as a silent observer. in fact i am certain that at some point we have all been in the same place as the different characters. judas who betrayed Jesus, peter who slept through "prayer meeting" but was quick to come to the defense of Jesus even though he really didn't have a clue as to what was going on. and even maybe we have been the soldiers who are so certain that they are in the right and will stop at nothing to see "the right prevail".

once Jesus was arrested and questioned we don't read much about his disciples. we read the account of  peter who just hours before was overly zealous now denying that he even knew Jesus. again, i go back to the article i read...it talks about the physical beating that Jesus endured...silently i might add...isaiah 52:14 ~ "Just as there were many who were appalled at him his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being"

we later see Jesus on the cross, he has been nailed to the cross, a sign of mockery placed above His head and a crown of thorns placed, none to gently i presume, to His head. at golgatha we again encounter some of His followers: His mother, the disciple who Jesus loved (john) and the other two mary's...what has happened to the great crowds that triumphed Jesus just days before? i wonder what they were thinking. had some gone home thinking they had been wrong about this their Messiah? or were they standing off in the distance a part of them wanting to be there and yet not brave enough to join those at the foot of the cross? maybe they were those who were quickly persuaded to wave branches and throw their cloaks on the road in front of Jesus but were easily swayed and now shook their fists in the air yelling, "crucify, crucify!" again, i'm certain we can all relate to the characters...it's easy to follow the Lord when things are good but what about when there's opposition or persecution? i wonder what mary was thinking. she knew who her son was but sat there watching as her dreams and promises hung on the cross. i am sure that all seemed lost.

we all know the story...Jesus dies. and is buried. how dreadful. in His death He paid the penalty of our sin but to what cost?  Jesus is dead, where is the victory? for 3 days He lay in the tomb. i wonder what the people were thinking then. i would guess there was alot of hurt, confusion, disbelief, reality sinking in...Jesus is dead, we've gotta go on from here...

but the story doesn't end there!! (as i type i have countless songs running through my mind....Up From The Grave He Arose...Sunday's Coming...He's Alive and I'm Forgiven Heaven's Gates Are Open Wide...Was It A Morning Like This...) we all know what happened that sunday but again i wonder what it would have been like to be the characters there that day. the soldiers guarding the tomb, peter and john who ran to the tomb to check things out but remained baffled, mary who actually confronted Jesus but didn't realize it was Him, thomas who had to touch the wounds before he believed, the disciples who had hidden themselves out of fear... what role would be yours here? i would like to  think i that i would have known right away but i seriously doubt it.

i don't know what purpose i have in writing this except to share some of my thoughts on the story of Jesus death and resurrection. i alluded to an article i recently read and i will link it and encourage you to read it. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v4/n2/suffering-savior i am also going to include isaiah 52:13- isaiah 53. there are so many different prophecies and accounts of the story of salvation but this is one that has recently really tugged at my heart.

 

Isaiah 52: 13 - Isaiah 53

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

 ¹³ See, my servant will act wisely^[b];
   he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
¹⁴ Just as there were many who were appalled at him^[c]—
   his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
   and his form marred beyond human likeness—
¹⁵ so he will sprinkle many nations,^[d]
   and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
   and what they have not heard, they will understand.

 ¹ Who has believed our message
   and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
   and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
   nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
   a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
   he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

 ⁴ Surely he took up our pain
   and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
   stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
   he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
   and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
   each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
   the iniquity of us all.
 ⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
   yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
   and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
   so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression^[a] and judgment he was taken away.
   Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
   for the transgression of my people he was punished.^[b]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
   and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
   nor was any deceit in his mouth.
 ¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
   and though the LORD makes^[c] his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
   and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,
   he will see the light of life^[d] and be satisfied^[e];
by his knowledge^[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
   and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,^[g]
   and he will divide the spoils with the strong,^[h]
because he poured out his life unto death,
   and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
   and made intercession for the transgressors.

i didn't do it and learned a great lesson

have you ever known you were supposed to do something but didn't do it? geeesh, we all have! but what if you are sure it was God telling you to do it? have you ever not listened to Him? it happened to me just the other day.

let me give you some back ground info on the life and times of me...

i am the girl who had her ministry and had it figured out good, real good. i have often said that while i love nursing i work so that i can be a volunteer youth leader full time (you know, i gotta be able to afford new shoes *wink*). anyway, i'm not bragging but i had this youth leader gig down pat. after all we're talking more than 12 years of living and breathing teenagers! along that time i have worked in other ministry areas but everyone knew all of those would come in second, third, fourth... to youth stuff. all this youth ministry stuff came to a crashing halt several months ago and i was at first terrified and then excited. i began to wonder where God was leading me, what my purpose was, how to walk into uncharted territory... the first and scarriest step for me was accepting that there was most clearly that God was moving me out of youth ministry on to something else. i mean come on, i have for the past 21 years been going to at least one youth service/event a week. 21 years!! that's crazy! and now all of a sudden wednesday nights are free, empty and not filled with all the sights and sounds of youth ministry. and i didn't miss it. that scared the living day lights out of me! so over the course of the next several months i have purposed to "figure out" what God has for me.

i used those little quotation marks there on purpose becasue while i did seek God's will there was a LOT of anje's will thrown in to the mix as well. i pushed in certain areas, i pulled back when i got scared of the unknown. God has given me a burden for young women in the area of purity and doors have swung wide open. *insert commercial for this blogging ministry* http://awaitingmaiden.blogspot.com/. this has opened so many oppurtunities and has challenged me as well. other areas have been overwhelmingly hard. i am feeling God's leading towards a particular area of ministry that i feel passionate for but very unprepared for. i am activly seeking out wise council and taking giant leaps of faith (at least giant for me). i will share more on this as time goes by but i ask, beg, plead for your prayers!


all this to get to the not doing what God told me to do, i promise, i'm getting there!


i have shared my heart very openly with the women i call my aaron and hur (Exodus 17:12). if you don't have an aaron and hur i challenge you to find someone who can fill this role in your life. this example is one i have come to see as true friendship. the best part of this time has been these ladies don't always agree with me, each other and have been really honest about their personal feelings as well as seeking out how God is leading. we girls are emotional and passionate beings by nature and that can at times lead us astray. i have loved their honest and "real" wisdom.


and finally...


as i have already said, i have been very comfortable with how i have been used but on that sunday morning i knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that i was supposed to do something. i don't think i can explain the how i knew (i've been trying to ever since this happened) but one thing is certain, i knew it. i was scared to death and i challenged God to give me a sign...He didn't do it! and in the end, i didn't do what i was supposed to do. i have wrestled with guilt and let down but i really don't think that God was ever mad at me. i believe that He was, in this, teaching me to depend more and more on His leading. to trust Him to guide me. i wondered why He would push me into something so very different than what i know and again it's the need to trust Him.


this has opened a flood gate of oppurtunities for me. what i was supposed to do involved speaking and while i didn't speak that day i am learning that God has given me the gift of words. for a long time one of my most favorite things to do is to pour scripture and encouragement into the lives of people. i have found that facebook and blogging are great avenues to do this but all this time i haven't been doing this because it's a gift from God but because it's something i found that i was good at. it's amazing how turning this around and allowing it to be a ministry has given me so many chances to share. and also once again, God amazed me by allowing something that i feel like i'm good at be the way He wants to use me.


i know now that next time God speaks so clearly to me that i will listen and respond.

may i always remember the sacrifice

last saturday i sat in church completely lost and absorbed in the wonder of what my Savior did for me. Jesus shed His blood for ME. not because of anything i have done but inspite of what i have done. and even becasue of what i have done. He chose to do this for ME. who am i to deserve such a sacrifice?

say "i love you"

i love you.

how do you feel when you hear those words? i know how it makes me feel. wonderful, important, wanted, needed. so if it feels so great to hear it why don't we say it more often?

and if it feels that great to hear it shouldn't it feel just as amazing to say it?

i received a call the other night and that was the only message. it was a call from someone who i knew how they felt, how they cared but hearing the words made a normal night into an amazing night; made my smile more than only surface deep. the phrase "it made my day" pales in comparison to the emotions i felt at that moment.

say, "i love you".

i just love this color...

my heart is overflowing

i sit down to write with no idea where this going...so many different thoughts bouncing around my brain right now so here goes...

i went out on a wild moment and bought a tube of red lipstick a few months ago and it has been so much fun to wear! and amazingly so i most often wear it when i'm running around in sweats...i guess it makes me feel mysterious ;)

today at church i was so overwhelmed in my worship that i found myself off in a corner singing and praising to my hearts content. it feels so wonderful to surrender yourself in worship. last weekend i sat so overwhelmed with the biggness and vastness of God that i literally couldn't move. i sat there as the rest of the congregation dined in communion togetherand experienced another kind of communion, just me and the Lord. it was so special that words come up short.

this afternoon i experienced and unexpected blessing of a conversation with a dear friend. the words she shared were such a confirmtion and encouragement to me. i pray that i am worthy of the words she shared. it is not i but Christ in me.

it's such a beautiful mess outside today! the snow is melting and is turning into slush and making puddles....i love it!! i took a walk which involved walking down the middle of the street because side walks aren't completly cleared, walking down the train track and climbing up on top of a concrete planter and jumping over a huge snow pile!! i canlt believe that i'm running around in capris and a long sleeved t-shirt...thank you Lord for changes in the weather!

i warned you in the beginning that i had a lot on my mind :)

some lamenting on my part

what an exhausting night!!

work was just that, exausting. from the very beginning with the fire alarms and the varnish in the air to the med man coming smack dab in the middle of my heaviest rush to the brown water to activities pulling resident's from my med cart and messing up my routine to sitting in a room with a tearful resident and not having a solution to her problem to the new meds not fitting in the med cart to the irritation and frustration of being the mediator between my employees...(note: longest run on sentence, yeah i know but i have to admit that i just don't care!) ...what a night!!! i am thankful tonight that God is faithful and that His mercies are new every morning! ~lamantations 3:22-23

what i'm learning

i love seeing God's hand in the things around me. i have been told that each snow flake is unique, each wave crests in sequence but is unique, each leaf that falls from the trees are unique, each finger print is unique...you catch my drift. and while God chose to be so detail oriented in creation He continues to be involved in each and every moment, happenning, experience of every day. when i wake up in the morning i see that the sun has risen just like it did the day before, there is air for me to breathe, water to quench my thirst; my house is warm, light comes on with the flip of a switch, my refrigerator keeps foor cold and fresh while ther oven is calibrated to heat and cook as it is designed. the heat, lights, fridge and oven may be "artificial" or man made but nothing is made that God didn't create either the ability or the pieces. nothing is without the stamp of God's working.

i remember as a child wondering if somehow creation was either like a dream that God was having or maybe it was more like a game He was playing. I am grateful that neither of those scenerios were correct, instead i have learned that God created us for His pleasure and that He desires intimate communion with us.

these are lyrics to a song we sing at church that remind me that even the rocks cry out and cause me to desire to praise Him more passionately:

Your voice it thunders The oaks start twisting The forest sounds with cedars breaking The waters see You and start their writhing From the depths a song is rising Now it’s rising from the ground Holy, Holy Holy, Holy Lord The earth is Yours and singing Holy, Holy Holy, Holy Lord The earth is Yours The earth is Yours Your voice it thunders The ground is shaking The mighty mountains now are trembling Creation sees You And starts composing The fields and trees they start rejoicing. Now it’s rising form the ground It’s rising from the ground Hear us crying out Hear us crying out Holy, Holy Holy, Holy Lord The earth is Yours and singing Holy, Holy Holy, Holy Lord The earth is Yours The earth is Yours

lip smacking!

so instead of going to bed all snuggled up and keeping warm i was out in the yard in sweats and flats collecting snow!! i can't remember the last time i had snow cream, hehe! anyway, i don't have any very profound thoughts tonight.

isn't it grand that God makes fresh fallen snow, ahhhh.

one last thought...check out tim hawkins on youtube, good laughs and watching them while eating snow cream is a great combo!

it's snowy

i look out my window on the undisturbed snow and think about everything it's covering up: the dead grass, dirt and mud from last summer, uneven and rough soil and terrain, trash and junk left out in the yard...but today i see none of that, i see a fresh, smooth, clean landscape.

isaiah 1:18
your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be white as snow

Jesus shed His blood so that our dirt, dead areas, rough patches, junk may be covered and made new.

in moments like these

it is so easy to sing of God's goodness when things are going great but when faced with uncertainties and questions it is so much harder. that's why i am constantly surprised when i catch myself suddenly singing this song...
In moments like these I sing out a song,
I sing out a love song to Jesus.
In moments like these I lift up my hands,
I lift up my hands to the Lord.

Singing I love You, Lord.
Singing I love You, Lord.
Singing I love You, Lord,
I love You.

i wonder sometimes about what the writer of this song was going through when he penned these words? was he standing in a worship service surrounded by a crowd of people lifting praises to God? had he just received wonderful news? was it Easter morning and he was overrun with emotions of the Saviors Resurrection? or was he possibly sitting next to the bed of a dying loved one? was he in the middle of a work lay off? was he feeling some sort of persecution? were life's stresses mounting up?

excited expectancy

i went to bed last night excited that it was sunday and that involved church. i woke up this morning and felt a real sense of expectancy for what God might have in store for me at church. i dressed my best...what an outfit!! (sorry, that's a different post!)...because i like dressing my best for going to The Lord's house. i get to church still excited, expecting, looking my best and walk into the sanctuary and realize the message was on parenting. well um, that's not really me.

boy am i glad i went to church this morning and that i went expecting! God touched on an area of my heart that i tend to keep pretty protected. i fell on my knees at the altar weeping as God refreshed my knowledge that He has my life in His hands. He reassured me that He knows my heart's cry. i must continue to lean on and find my security, peace, joy in Him because He is all that i need. no human will ever fill that need.

i could have easily sat back and enjoyed the laughs, sang the songs, celebrated communion and packed up and gone home unchanged. i could have crossed my legs, folded my arms and been bored, upset and dare i say even bitter and left hurting and angry.

i'm sure we have all seen those posters that say things like "attitude is everything". not patting myself on the back but rather being thankful for those who have ingrained in me to come expecting.

i came, i expected, i received and i go away praising.

what a day!

i had the greatest lunch with a couple of great friends that i never see any more and got rid of this huge piece of furnature which had taken over my living room and now, if i was at home i would be smelling the wonderous food cooking for tonight's ladies get together! actually the day started better than that...a super fun and refreshing email from my best friend before i was even out of bed!

now it's on to doing some serious redecorating, well mostly moving stuff around and getting rid of the next huge piece of offending furnature, my broken down consel tv from another era. i'm really excited to see how it's all going to look once it's done and best yet, i don't think i need to buy any other furnature but in the end things will look so much more cozy. i might even see about getting my zebra rug professionally cleaned and bring it back out...

would you believe that i just did an image search and my very tv came up on page one! that's slightly frightening, lol.

now i need to move my lovely red couch and antique teal chair...don't judge me, i love my antique teal upholstered rocker. it actually looks just like this one pictured except mine is bright teal wool. my mom brought it home for me when going through things at my grandparent's house before the house was sold. if i have the story straight this is the same chair that my great-grandmother used for years. surprisingly it is still very comfortable and rocks nicely. it has beautiful claw feet that almost didn't make my move but thankfully a friend realized that they must belong to something important and rescued them! my couch is just another fun story. i quite literally bought it from a girl who was moving out of my apartnemt  building the same time i was moving in. we took it from her trailer to my living room. i had told a friend just minutes before that i really wanted a red couch and God heard my request. i love how He does that some times :)

and just this morning i realized that with all this furnature moving i can bring out another prized piece...my custom built hope chest from my grandpa, ahh life is good!

oh and so many more great things to mention...it's looking more and more likely that my new niece or nephew will be born today or at least this week!! and on this dreary day i got to thinking that this is just the kind of day that Jesus may return...nobody is suspecting. may we always be prepared for that glorious day.

something tasty

one of my favorite things about Christmas is all of the scrumptous foods! this year i tried something different on recomondation of a 2 minute clip of some cooking show i caught. it was easy, it was tasty, it was pretty, it was gone really fast!

APPLE APPITIZER PIZZA
1 refridgerator pizza crust
1/2 cup apple butter
1/2-3/4 cup shredded mozzerella cheese
1/2 apple, chopped finely (i left the skin on for color)
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
6-8 slices canadian bacon, chopped

spread pizza dough on the back side of a cookie sheet. evenly spread apple butter cover with cheese and top with apples, onion and bacon. bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. cheese will be hot and bubbly. cut in squares and enjoy.

my sister in law made some delicious chicken that was also new to our buffet: thinly sliced chicken breasts baked or maybe crock-potted in sweet baby ray's bbq sauce and jack's hot sauce. the hot sauce made for a really nice kick!

another sister in law also used jack's hot sauce: she fried up some pork sausage and chopped onion and rolled it into a stromboli along with grated cheddar and baked it. the jack's sause was then served as a dipping sauce. this was really, really good!

we also went through 2 batches, or should i say 2 casserole dishes of ruben dip which i've tweaked over the years into something that i will shamelessly admit to being near perfect! and my swiss cheese dispising brother's even quickly devour :)

we had so many little smokies that the crock-pot was never empty for long, sauted mushrooms, cubed cold cuts, countless cheese balls, jalapeno dill pickles, cheese dips, homemade candies, wrapped candies, nuts, cinnamon rolls, spiced cider, punch, coffee with all sorts of flavored creamers, snack mixes, jalepeno bacon wraps, relish trays, artichoke hearts, spicy peanuts in the shell...it was a yummy day!