In His Presence

Lula Martha Alweena Vogel Evans. That was my grandmother's name, and you can tell she was a spitfire just from her moniker.

My family is going to miss her terribly. After 95 full years of life, she died on Saturday. It's one of those times that though my heart aches for my mom, my aunt and uncle, my heart is full of joy for my grandmother. She's released from the ravages of old age and from grieving her son who died earlier last year.

Lula Martha Alweena Vogel Evans is in the home that my heart longs for. She is in the presence of Jesus.

My list of those with whom I yearn to be reconnected grows--Grandpa Evans, Grandpa Dohm, Linda, Granddaddy Scott, Granddaddy Carroll, Grandmama Carroll, Dean, Grandmama Scott and now Grandma Evans. When I sing those great hymns of the faith that point to heaven, I picture in my mind the people that I love in front of Jesus. It's a picture that gives me joy and hope.

But today I'm still here--on this planet that is and is not my home. I want to live today, though, with a view of heaven. I want to live out the commandments to love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind and with all my strength. I want to love my neighbor as myself. I want to gain victory over sin in the power of the Holy Spirit and to live the life that God created for me.

Anne Lotz challenged me with this during my morning quiet time:

"Years ago, I heard a great Bible teacher issue a challenge that not only haunts me with fear of failure but motivates me to be very disciplined and intentional about living in my new nature. He asked this question: When you get to heaven, and
for the first time you see Jesus face-to-face,
for the first time you fully comprehend what it cost Him to open heaven's
gates for you,
for the first time you understand the height and depth and breadth
and length of His love,
for the first time you possess your eternal treasures,
don't you think you will want to have something to give Him in return for all He has given you? On that day, will you have the ashes of a wasted life to press into His nail-scarred palm? Or will you have a crown to lay at His nail-scarred feet? Nothing I could ever give Him would be adequate to express my heartfelt appreciation for all He has done for me, but a crown would be something to give... What happens at the judgment seat of Christ then is determined by our choices now."

Whew! Pray with me.

Lord, we are your children who long to have something to offer you when it is our turn to stand before you in heaven. Thank You that you have surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us to set an example to follow. As we move toward the day of being in Your Presence, we desire to allow You to work in us here and now. Help us to make one choice of obedience at a time out of our great love for You. Amen.

Let's walk it out, Sisters!

Giving and Goodies

Friends ~ As you know, God calls each of us to be the hands and feet of Jesus. He calls us to serve the least of these. He calls us to...
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves"(Proverbs 31:8)

I am very proud to partner with Compassion International as they seek to rescue children from poverty, in Jesus' name. I have seen first hand their work in the poorest communities in Ecuador where our sponsored child Manuel lives. We got to see Jesus through Compassion's work there when we traveled to Ecuador with our speaker team.We saw firsthand, they are the real deal!

Their work is changing lives, families and entire communities.When the earthquake hit Haiti, Compassion had a team on the ground within 24 hours. They were providing emergency relief and preparing to help rebuild. My friends at She Seeks were inspired by Compassion's efforts and have issued a Speak Up challenge in response. I would love for you to join them. They are up to very cool things! It's a free way to give to Haiti relief.

Check it out HERE!

Give to Compassion's Haiti Disaster Relief fund HERE!

This is a time to give! But it's also a time when some friends of mine want to bless you with the opportunity to RECEIVE as well!

My friends Lysa is giving away an amazing Bible Study gift pak that includes a book, a DVD set with 6 weeks of great teaching and a study guide to go with it. This is something you want to win!!!

My friend Karen is doing a fantastic marriage give-away on her blog. It includes a couples 'basket-in-a-box' centered around Bill and Pam Farrel's best-selling book Men Are Like Waffles; Women Are Like Spaghetti: Understand and Delighting in Your Differences. There are some other fun guy and girl items as well. Oh, I want to win this one too!

Instead of leaving comments open today, I'm going to close them and encourage you to head on over to all these amazing places - to give and maybe receive, too.

Have a great weekend!

A Sad Decline

I'm a real southern girl through and through. My parents, who hail from Kansas, used to laugh at our NC neighbors who had such a low tolerance for snow.

Hellooooo...once again I have proven to myself that although I was born in Kansas, the South has imprinted me with not only a hick-ish (I mean belle-ish) accent but with ambivalence for snow.

Here's how it goes:

Day 1: Ooooo....Isn't it beautiful? It just makes me feel so spiritual. It reminds me of how Jesus covers my sin.

Day 2: (With a mug of hot chocolate with yummy marshmellows) I just love watching my big 'ole boys play in the snow. It's not so bad that drippy boots and soppy coats are laying everywhere.

Day 3: (I'm still in my pajamas from day 1) This is getting a little old. There is too much yellow snow for snow cream. There are tracks all through the beautiful whiteness. There is not a snowplow in sight, because, after all, we are in the South. I'm starting to feel a little cabin fever.

Day 4: (Still in said nasty pajamas and nairy a shower in days) Running screaming through the house... Go back to school!!!!!! Get back to work!!!!!!! What are you all still doing here?!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, that is only a slight exaggeration. Do you see the sad slide from the snow covering sin to the snow creating sin? (It IS the snow's fault...right?) Pitiful.

Encouragement EXTREme 2010

Encouragement EXTREme 2010

Extreme Snow Day

Well, I'm back. It was a dicey drive home from the Encouragement Extreme weekend in Greensboro but worth every minute of driving in the snow!

I want to try to describe the Friday night session, because I've never experienced anything like it. My friend Carol Davis gave an amazing message about the woman with "issues" from Luke 8. I've been hearing little pieces of this message for months in our conversations, but the thoughts that God has been giving Carol as she studied and lived out this message were truly remarkable.

At the end she expounded on this verse, "Then he [Jesus] said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.'" (Luke 8:48) Jesus knew that the woman's physical healing was only a part of what she needed. She needed peace, and she needed a face-to-face encounter with Jesus. He didn't just heal her. He made her whole.

As Carol finished, a woman named Betty Shoopman stood. She stood in front of a canvas in which she had already painted the ocean in beautiful colors of yellow, orange, and blue. Suddenly she began painting over the original painting.

I can't begin to describe the transformation, but she added these words one at a time.

love

me

He

loves

me

And then she joined them all together with the word "Redeemer".

That's when the floodgates opened. God began speaking to me about a place in my own heart that needed wholeness.

When the painting of Jesus on the cross was finished, Carol asked all of us to come dip our hand in paint and touch the hem of Jesus' garment. Then we stood while Luann or Ramona washed our hand and tenderly dried it with a towel.

It was that rare combination of words, visual and tactile that broke right through to the recesses of my heart.

The painting at the top of the post is the one that Betty did for us. It's a visual of God's grace that will stay with me forever.