I hope you'll join me.

 

 

I'm writing over at Joli Blog today. 

 

I'm sharing our amazing journey to this cutie-patootie...

 

 

 

I hope you'll join me!

 

He makes a way, where there is no way.

 

Be blessed!



When you're gasping for air...just breathe.

 

 

 

 

 

 Job 10:12
You gave me life itself, and incredible love.
You watched and guarded every breath I took.

 

I didn't start the New Year off quite like I expected to.

 

It began with the sniffles for a few days accompanied by lots of tiredness,

which then turned into a persistent and nagging dry cough.

The next thing I know...

I'm sitting in the ER, the last place I wanted to be,
 gasping on a nebulizer due to a severe case of Bronchitis.

 

Not at all what I expected.

 

That, my friend,

has been the last two weeks.

 

Although I am feeling 100% better today,

I can't say that about the past week.

 

I sat on my couch a few nights ago, alone in the quiet and darkness of my living room,

praying to God as my lungs worked aimlessly to take in another breath. Gasping for air I prayed,

"Just one more breath God. Give me strength for one more breath."

 

Honestly,

I couldn't see anything passed that at that particular moment.

 

I just needed to get through each breath,

one at a time.

 

 He whispered into my heart,

"Why do you not pray that way every day? Why do you worry about tomorrow when you just need to worry about the now and let Me take care of tomorrow? All I need you to do is trust Me and breathe. Just breathe."

 

A single tear ran down my cheek.
I sat there quiet, motionless,
breathing Him in.

 

In the still of the night...He embraced me, breathed His life into me, filling me up.

Hasn't He always been just that...
my breath of life?

 

I've been in a place of worry lately.

 

A place I haven't been in a long while.

 

I'm not sure why or how I even got here,
in this place of worry.

 

Why do I let myself go to such a place?
I don't like it there.
It drains me so.

Worry is birthed from fear.

It's birthed from those moments when I'm gasping for air.
Those times when I don't think I can even make it to the next moment,
much less the next day filled with the unknown.
Those moments I fear the worst before it even happens.
Most of the time...it doesn't even happen at all,
 so I've wasted some precious moments and breaths worrying for no reason.

The thing about fear is, that it's a choice.
 A concious choice.

I can either choose to trust or I can choose to fear.

It's just that simple.

John 10:10
I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus died so that we would find freedom in every area of our life.
That includes those areas where we choose to fear and worry.

He desires for us to obtain full freedom, not partial freedom.
He is the God of wholeness.
There is nothing that He does half way.
He does everything to completion.
He wants our lives to be complete and abundant in freedom!
He desires for us to just breathe in each moment as it comes.
One at a time.
Moment by moment.
 Breath by breath, leaving everything else in His hands.
He wants our trust.
He wants our knowing of Him, not tomorrow.

He wants us to savor the moments of now with Him and just breathe Him in.

It's in the breath of now that we will find His peace.

 

 It's taking one breath at a time, until we get to the next, then the next, and so on.

No more gasping for air in fear of what tomorrow may or may not bring.

Just breathing in...right here, right now.
Living abundantly in the breath of life that He brings to each moment.

When you find yourself in a place of fear, or worry, or doubt...just breathe.
When you find yourself in a desperate place...just breathe.
When you're gasping for air...just breathe.

Breathe Him in.
He's right there with you.
Just breathe.

"Just one more breath God. Give me strength for just one more breath."

 

 Matthew 6:25-34

 

"I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

 



 

 

I can do this!

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua 1:9b

I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the LORD your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go.

 

 

 One week from today,
 I will stand on a stage and speak to hundreds of women for about five minutes.

It's our Night of Pink for Breast Cancer awareness and I've been asked to speak to the women about the importance of early detection and share a personal story on breast cancer.

That may not seem like a lot of time or a big deal at all...
but for me, it's a huge deal.

I'm pretty good at putting words together and sharing my life...
on this laptop,
hiding behind my screen,
with the noise of just my fingers tapping the keys,
alone in the privacy of my home.

Speaking in public...
well that's another story.
These are waters I've never tread before, much less even put my toes into.

God put it on my heart a few months back that He was going to be moving me away from the comfort of my laptop and having me share my stories in person with others.

About a year ago I had a dream that I was speaking in front of hundreds of women.

Although I believed that the dream was from God, I never imagined it would be this soon or in the way that I will be speaking next week.

God always has a leg up on us...always.

I keep pumping myself up saying,
"This is what God has called you to do, even if for this one moment, don't bail out on Him now. You got this and He's got you."

I keep praying that He speak through me.
That His voice be heard, not my own.

But that word fear creeps in and I lose myself in the anxiety of it all.
I see myself standing there with shakey legs and not being able to get the words out.
My tummy gets all wishy washy and my heart beats fast.
Questions of doubt have had their way with my mind.
I've feared the worst.

I've even had moments where I've asked God, just as Moses did...

"Lord, can you send someone to speak for me? I'm not good with words. I get lost in them and my lisp comes out when I'm nervous. Can you send me an Aaron?  If just for this one time."
(Exodus 4:10-17)

I laugh it off as I tell this to one of my closest friends,
but in all honesty...
it's how I feel.
I'm scared of this unknown water.

And then I read my email and every post I read has to do with facing fears.

The titles themselves speak volumes to me...

"When you don't believe you can do it"

"Taking that leap of faith"

"It's okay if you're scared silly"

One post that I read said,
 "Don’t listen to the voices that want to steal your wings. You were given wings for a purpose; use them."

I open my Bible and every scripture has to do with walking in God's strength...


Psalm 44:3
They did not conquer the land with their swords;
it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory.
It was Your right hand and strong arm
and the blinding light from Your face that helped them,
for You loved them.

II Timothy 1:7
God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.


Then my sweet friend wrote a blog post today on a book we are studying, and she spoke about fear saying...

"Fear is a powerful spirit. A spirit that holds many of us captive not only with the threat of illness but with going forth in what God is calling us to do."

 

She went on to say how we most often give our fear more credit than we do God.

This really spoke to me.

(You may read her post here at Joli Blog.)
 

All this time,
I've been speaking into my fear giving it life, 
 instead of speaking to my fear and telling it how big God is,
causing it to die.

I've allowed my fear to scare me into doing what God has called me to do.
I've let the voice of fear steal my wings.

I've forgotten...that when I am weak, He is strong.
That what I think of as impossible, He sees as possible.
That my little fear has nothing on His huge strength!

He reminded me this morning about Moses and what He did through him.
He led God's people out of captivity and into freedom!
He performed countless miracles through Moses!
His fear had no match on God's power to do great things!


I hear you God...I hear You.

Loud. and. clear.

Although I don't always believe in myself,
I do believe in the One who is guiding me to the water.


So, I'm going to do this...
knowing that God is not only going to be with me, but He has already gone before me!


I'm going to put my toes in the water of this new journey and let God be God.


With God as my courage...I can do this!
 

Exodus3:12
"I'll be with you," God said. "And this will be the proof that I am the One who sent you: When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God right there at this very mountain."
 

 

Deuteronomy 9:1-3
Hear, oh Israel, You are about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. The people are strong and tall – Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?” But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them, he will subdue them before you.   
 

 

 Please join us for a great night of fun and fellowship!

Night of Pink
Friday, September 28th at 6:30 pm at Crossroads Church in Lafayette.

It's a free event honoring and celebrating ladies in our community who have battled breast cancer.

Bring a friend!

 



It's Just One of Those Days

There is no such thing as a perfect parent so just be a real one.

~~ Sue Atkin

I saw this prayer today on a blog I read quite often.

Chasing Blue Skies

My heart felt full as I read it and my eyes filled with tears.

I guess we,

my teenager and I...

are just having one of those days.

They don't come often, but when they do,
 it's like a monsoon that sweeps me away, leaving debris to clog the way between her and I.

It weighs heavy on me.
And her.
I struggle with having to be the drill sergeant at times, and have to continually remind myself to love my kids through the process, even on those hard days.

Even if that love requires strong and stern discipline that they don't much care for.

The kind of discipline, that will most likely take me off of the top of their list of favorite people.

We just struggle with eachother on some days.
Words are hard or not at all.
Eyes roll.
Feet stomp.
Doors slam.
Tears fall.
And the heart stretches to learn and love.
So yeah...

today...is just one of those days.

We've both been stretched.

It's nice to be reminded on days like today that we are not alone in the parenting process.

God is the ultimate Parent.
He too has to deal with some stubborn kids.
(ehemmm...cough, cough)

Even still...

He is always there,

watching and guiding us as we watch and guide our teenagers.

Disciplining us...

as we discipline them.

Giving us grace...

as we are gracious to them.

Loving us...

as we love them.

I needed this prayer today...

and I thought you just might need it too.

A Prayer for Teenage Kids and Their Mama, Too

Dear Father,

I flat out need You more today than ever.

I know I’ve said this before. But something about being in charge of teens – young men and women – feels mighty scary.

When a sense of urgency weighs heavy, remind me how You’ve helped me train my kids all along. Help me not focus on what I haven’t done but relax in what I have. Help me parent from Truth not fear, and may the eyes of my heart see Your perspective, promises, and patience.

Please help me remember they are becoming. Don’t let a spirit of discouragement settle in when I don’t see progress. Though I want to be clear about boundaries, may my responses to their poor choices be gracious. May my responses to their good choices be gracious.

If it ain’t broke, don’t let me fix it.

It seems so much of parenting older kids well is about being hands-off as much as hands-on. Give me wisdom on when my voice is needed or simply my ears. When my presence helps and when my presence hurts. Because sometimes parenting well means getting out of the way, letting them test their wings. Fly or fall, remind me that both serve their purpose. Help me be their loudest cheerleader when they succeed. Help me be their quiet haven when they fall.

Help me know when to make a big deal of something and when to chill out. Don’t let me turn molehills into mountains, but also give me courage to look real problems straight in the eye.

Help me understand their fears and emotions and not blow them off. Help me take them seriously because they seriously need me. And because they are always worth it.

May encouragement not criticism be my default. Now more than ever, unconstructive criticism makes me an unsafe confidante.

 May I give eye contact, hugs, and grace in abundance. May they know they can’t outsin or outrun Your love. May they see their worth in nothing but Christ.

Everyday, please show me something uniquely beautiful about my teens, and may I praise You for it. For them.

May I always turn to You first for gratitude and guidance. Help me remember you see all my children’s days stretched before them as I see only today. Thank you for always being for my children and for filling all my parenting gaps.

In the mighty name of Jesus,

{and all the mamas of teens say}

Amen

Want a free copy of this prayer?

Download here

Psalm 127:3-5

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb as reward.

As arrows are in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth.

Happy, blessed, and fortunate is the man whose quiver is filled with them.



Never say never, never, never.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that

                     something else is more important than fear.                   

 ~~ Ambrose Redmoon

 

 

"I'm never going to fly. Never, never, never! 

God is going to have to do something really big for me to get on a plane."

I giggle to myself as I type those words.

I remember how my husband felt as we discussed the possibility of flying.

He had made up his mind, and he wasn't changing it...

ever.

I love how God pursues us,

even in the places we would least expect.

He looks for us, moment my moment, wooing us to Himself.

More often than none...

He finds us in the darkest of places,

in the weakest of moments,

and

in the scariest of fears.

He goes to the pit with us and isn't afraid to sit in the midst of the dust with us.

He calls us to those situations that will bring out our courage,

overcoming the things that we feared in the first place.

He goes into the fire with us,
being our strength,
and helping us to become courageous.

Giving us the strength not to leave the fire,
but to stand up in it despite the heat of the flames.

He will bring us straight to our fear,
not to be defeated by it,
but to overcome it.

Not to make us weaker,
but to make us stronger.

Then, He refines us within it.
The fire, our fear,  being the very thing that brings out His greatness in us.

courageous~possessing or displaying bravery, valiant, able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching, expressing courage.



My heart palpitated loudly as he hugged me tightly.

His small blue backpack draped over his shoulder and his sunglasses sitting firmly on top his head,
as he approached the airport terminal.

The kids and I looked on as his figure became smaller and smaller the closer he reached the gate.

He turned around to look at us one last time,
and he grinned a grin I had never seen before.

His courage peaking out for us to see.


God did that something.

That something big.

And because of that big thing, my sweet husband boarded a plane yesterday to fly across the country to begin a new journey.

One that has God's fingerprints all over it.


One that is so great, that I am still trying to wrap my head around it.



Psalm 23:3
He gives me new strength.
He leads me on paths that are right for the good of His name.


He pursued my husband in his fear,
and together...

they are courageous.

He called me when he landed at his destination.
With a voice overflowing with excitement he said,

"Never in my mind, did I think I would ever fly through the clouds.  You should have seen them.  It was beautiful."


Never say never,
never,
never...

because you never know when or where God will call you to be courageous,
turning your fear into something beautiful.

Daniel 3:16-28

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.  He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. 

Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.  For this reason, because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.  But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.
 
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.”  He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the god. 

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!”

Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire. The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.

 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God."

Wings to fly

Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings.

~~Victor Hugo

We drove slowly down our gravel road the other day,

listening to the crackel of the rocks beneath the tires.

The radio softly played in the background.

I noticed two birds sitting in the middle of the road a little ways ahead of us.

As we drove closer to them,

they spread their wings of majesty and swooped up from the dirty gravel,

leaving behind a tiny cloud of dust.

We continued driving,

and the birds began to fly back and forth above the road.

My daughter and I giggled as it looked like they were playing with us.

We were almost to our driveway when both of the birds flew speedily in front of the windshield of our dusty truck.

So close, that I ducked in my seat thinking they were going to hit the glass.

I could see the grayish white underbelly of one of the birds.

"Man!" I exclaimed,

"Those birds sure are brave to get that close."

My daughter responded, in a round about way of speaking, as if she had written an entire lecture on the matter...

"They are brave, because they have wings."

Quiet filled the entirety of the truck as I took in her words filled with so much life and wisdom.

Then I saw her,

five years old,
smiling brightly,

hair all mangled and knotted and soft,

standing on the back of the couch in our living room.

Her little voice saying to me, as she balanced herself upright on the edge,

"Ready Momma? I'm going to fly to you."

As I stood before her just a foot and a half away,

she jumped into my arms with a breath taking bravery.

"See Momma, I'm like a bird. I can fly."

She says seconds after landing against me.

I held her tightly to me as we spun around,

her hair whisping in the air.

I rubbed my hand down her tiny little back,

where her wings had begun to gently sprout.

Her trust in me being the wind beneath her tiny soft downy wings.

She is brave, because she has wings.

The truck comes to a stop in the driveway, she opens her door and leaves the truck, shutting it behind her.

She walks away radiantly and confident.

I think in the quiet awe of the words she just spoke,

how much her wings have grown.

How beautifully she flies.

I ask God to help her trust Him with all her heart.

I pray upon her all the bravery He can give her.

I pray that she find her wings to fly.

Isaiah 40:31

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

They are brave, because they have wings.

I pray that you find trust in Him today.

May you be brave enough to use your wings to fly.

Captivated

James 4:8

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

I sometimes wish I were like the Psalmist David,

 spewing out words of desperate, yet beautiful, poignant poetry to God.

But...

I definitely think I miss the mark on that comparison.

As I lay in bed weaping a blubbery wet mess on my pillow out to God...

I hardly think He sees any likeness to His servant David.

Or does He?

I read this quote in the prelude to the book of Psalms in my bible the other day...

Prayer is elemental, not advanced, language.  It is the means by which our language becomes honest, true, and personal in response to God.  It is the means by which we get everything in our lives out in the open before God.

I definitely got it all out in the open for God the other night as my tears soaked my pillow.

It wasn't pretty or poignant or poetic.

It got honest, true and very personal.

My prayer was out of complete desperation.

It was elemental.

I cried an ugly cry before Him.

I'm pretty sure He wasn't surprised.

I even think, that He was just waiting for me to get it all out.

Waiting for me to speak the words He knew I was already feeling,
 and somehow attempting to hide from Him.

The God of truth,
wanted me to be honest with Him.

He needed me to communicate with Him.

He desired my openness.

I tried to ignore the issue, and hide from it,

but it was there...

looking me in the face every day.

When I do that, I tend to ignore Him and stop talking to Him.

This just adds to the issue and I sink further back.

I think that it's "no big deal" and I just need to keep it all in.

But, the things that matter to me, or that hurt me, or that worry me...
also matter to Him.

I matter to Him.

When I keep it all to myself, I keep myself from Him.

The truth is...

life is hard.

it hurts at times.
sometimes its really stinky and unfair.

change is difficult and crazy.

waiting for results is excrutiating.

fear creeps in like an unwanted guest.

worry hovers like a dark cloud.

it makes me shrink back into a quiet desolate place.

When I don't talk to Him and get it all out,
my soul begins to feel dry like the desert I'm in.

So I did.

I released it all.

The ugliness of my frustration and every wet tear that could possibly fall.

Psalm 56:8 
You keep track of all my sorrows.  You have collected all my tears in your bottle.

Then I let it go.

It became no longer my issue, but His.

He gained control.

And that...

is beautiful poetry to God.

That is music to His ears.

Psalm 57:1
O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

As I lay in my bed,

 after all the tears had fallen,
 and all of my frustration and worry had flowed out like a broken faucet,

I could see Him for what He was.

I took my eyes off of my problem,

and placed it on my Deliverer.

As I cried for help, I entered His presence.

He bent down to listen to my whimper.
He covered me with His peace.

His love enveloped me.

He rescued me.

And in that quiet personal moment of release...
He captivated me.

Psalm 18:1-6

I love you, God-

you make me strong.

God is bedrock under my feet,

my rescuing knight.

My God-the high crag

where I run for dear life,

hiding behind the boulders,

safe in the granite hideout.

I sing to God, the Praise- Lofty,

and find myself safe and saved.

A hostile world!

I call to God, I cry to God to help me.

From His palace he hears my call;

my cry brings me right into his presence-a private audience!

What do you do?

What do you do when He whispers something into your heart,

that just seems all wrong?

What do you do when what He asks you to do goes against what you know?

What do you do when what He asks of you seems impossible?

What do you do when He wants you to do something that seems crazy and far beyond what your mind can comprehend?

What if what He asks of you is all too unimaginable?

What if you look crazy?

What do you do when He tells you to just go with the flow of the tide even when you can hear the rushing colliding sounds of the waterfall that waits at the end?

What do you do when the world pulls you one way,

and He directs you another?

What do you do?

Noah was a simple man.

Living his life out with his family.

The Bible says, "he was a good man, a man of integrity in his community."

"Noah walked with God",  It says.

But God had plans for Noah.

Plans, that most likely broad sided Noah and brought about questions in his mind.

Plans that made Noah look a little crazy.

Plans that would change the world that Noah knew.
Possibly bring him out of his "comfy spot".

What do you do when God asks you to build a boat?

But, not just any boat...

a human race saving ark.

A boat measuring at 450 ft. long, 75 ft. wide, and 45 ft. high.

A boat with three levels.
A boat as tall as a skyrise.

We're not talking a little canoe here.

We're talking a boat big enough to carry and keep comfortable a fleet of animals.
Two of every kind of unclean, and seven of every kind of clean.
Some as tall as a tree and big as a tank!
Some that crawled and others that flew.
Then he was told to tell all the people in his community that the Lord was going to bring a great flood.

One big enough to wipe out mankind!


Noah, was over 500 years old at the time.

I'm imagining, with his children having children of their own, he was very much close to retirement and not at all looking for such a huge assignment.

He was no young wipper-snapper!

What would you do?

What would you do,
 when the mocking and snickering and laughing and finger pointing would begin?

What would you do?


Noah...
built a boat,
and waited for the rain.


Genesis 6: 14-17
  "Build yourself a ship from teakwood. Make rooms in it. Coat it with pitch inside and out. Make it 450 feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. Build a roof for it and put in a window eighteen inches from the top; put in a door on the side of the ship; and make three decks, lower, middle, and upper.
  I'm going to bring a flood on the Earth that will destroy everything alive under Heaven. Total destruction."

What do you do when He tells you to ask your husband to move out after 17 years of marriage, so that He can restore it, and trust Him to do it?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then watch Him bind up the broken hearted and heal a love lost.

What do you do when He tells you to quit your job, stay home with your kids, and trust Him to take care of you?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then watch Him provide.

What do you do when He tells you to give up your big brick house, move back into a much smaller space with your growing family, and trust Him to make things new?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then you watch Him turn that small space into a home.

What do you do when He tells you to homeschool your children, when you haven't a clue what you are doing, and trust Him to teach you?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then watch your children grow and learn in ways you never thought possible.

What do you do when your husband has a stroke, he can't work for six weeks and everything in your mind says, "You have to get a job and support your family", but God says, "Stay home with your family and love your husband through this", and trust Him, just trust Him?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then watch Him provide abundance from the nothing.

Genesis 6:18-22
 "But I'm going to establish a covenant with you: You'll board the ship, and your sons, your wife and your sons' wives will come on board with you. You are also to take two of each living creature, a male and a female, on board the ship, to preserve their lives with you: two of every species of bird, mammal, and reptile—two of everything so as to preserve their lives along with yours. Also get all the food you'll need and store it up for you and them.
  Noah did everything God commanded him to do."

What do you do when your husband doesn't know Him like you do, and you desire more than anything for him to know God and find freedom, but He tells you to wait, love him, and trust Him to love Him just as He loves you?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then watch Him restore a heart to His fullness after 38 years of wandering and searching for His love.

What do you do when He asks you to take in that one that wanders alone, and love them with all of your heart as they search for an Honest Love, and trust Him to make it right?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then watch Him pour His love on hopeless hearts.

Genesis 7:1-5
  Next God said to Noah, "Now board the ship, you and all your family—out of everyone in this generation, you're the righteous one.
  Take on board with you seven pairs of every clean animal, a male and a female; one pair of every unclean animal, a male and a female; and seven pairs of every kind of bird, a male and a female, to insure their survival on Earth. In just seven days I will dump rain on Earth for forty days and forty nights. I'll make a clean sweep of everything that I've made. Noah did everything God commanded him."

What do you do when your dreams seem unreachable and they begin to fade, but He continues to tell you, "I have great plans for your life. Be patient. In due time. Trust me to fulfill them."


You build a boat, wait for the rain...
and watch His promises unfold for you.



What do you do when the voices from the past remind you of your mistakes, but He reminds you of who you are and how much He loves you, to trust Him and know?


You build a boat, wait for the rain...
and let His love flow over you.

What do you do when He asks you to give all that's left of you, and trust Him to fill you up?

What do you do when He whispers to your heart, as your hands are lifted high...

"Would you give it all up for Me and trust Me?"

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

and trust Him.

What do you do when He asks you to take Him into your heart,

letting Him have Lordship over your life, and trust Him?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

and ask Him in.

What do you do when everything inside you is telling you to give up,
but He whispers softly, "Hold on. I'm right here. I'll never let you go. Trust Me."

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

and trust Him.

Genesis 7:6-12
" Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters covered the Earth. Noah and his wife and sons and their wives boarded the ship to escape the flood. Clean and unclean animals, birds, and all the crawling creatures came in pairs to Noah and to the ship, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah. In seven days the floodwaters came.
  It was the six-hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month that it happened: all the underground springs erupted and all the windows of Heaven were thrown open. Rain poured for forty days and forty nights."

What do you do when He tells you to just go with the flow of the tide even when you can hear the rushing colliding sounds of the waterfall that waits at the end of that flow?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

and hold onto Him with all of your might.

Genesis 8:13-17
 In the six-hundred-first year of Noah's life, on the first day of the first month, the flood had dried up. Noah opened the hatch of the ship and saw dry ground. By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the Earth was completely dry.
 God spoke to Noah: "Leave the ship, you and your wife and your sons and your sons' wives. And take all the animals with you, the whole menagerie of birds and mammals and crawling creatures, all that brimming prodigality of life, so they can reproduce and flourish on the Earth."



When you know nothing else...
Build your boat, and wait for His rain.



It's not about how well or how much you can believe,
but WHO you believe.