Redeemed: From the Law

Last year, if I had picked just One Word that summed up my year, it would be GRACE. From beginning to end, last year was washed and bathed with His fresh & new, sweet-smelling grace. I won't go into all the details in this post, but my blog is filled with posts that reflect His grace in my life in so many ways.

I have been thinking about my one word for this year --REDEEMED-- and how similar to grace it is.

Galatians 4:5 (New American Standard Bible)

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

I think I had one thing in mind when I first began this One Word journey and felt the Holy Spirit nudging me towards this focus, but He is already surprising me (He's funny like that, right?) with how He wants to reveal the depth of redemption to me.

What I love about this discovery is how much I DON'T KNOW. Funny enough, for a perfectionist like me.....THAT is oddly comforting. And I think that is the basis of redemption. It takes YOU out of the equation and puts the focus back on HIM, and then HE brings the gift to YOU.

In a nutshell, HE does the work...not me!

And...I'm good with that! ;)

Gifts of Laughter, Friendships, & Words

We're sisters.

We're Africans. (Ok. So maybe I am a little more Haitian...but well...you know!)

We're shoulders to lean on.


We're prayer partners.


We're BFFs!


And today after 6 weeks of planning, we FINALLY got together and laughed and reminisced....


....and then we gave each other a gift...


....our WORDS!!


Thanks, ladies, for a fun day filled with memories, laughter, and precious words to take home and remember. What a gift!

Love you!

Five Minute Friday: Francis

Lisa-Jo at Gypsy Mama had a cool idea that inspired me so I decided to try it out and join up with her and some other bloggers today.

Here is the challenge from this creative mother of (almost) 3.....

"So, here’s the skinny: I’ve been thinking about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And I figured, why not take 5 minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing.

Ala-ka-zam – Five Minute Friday was born."

So here is my first attempt.....

GO.

Her name is Francis. I never knew her name before this week, never even saw her face, but now my life and hers are collided in ways that I would have not expected. Francis is 94 years old, and she is dying.

My job - sit with her, talk to her, make her comfortable, pray for her, sing to her, be Jesus to her.

Her life becomes SO real to me as I meet her son, her granddaughter, and as I answer the phone to friends who call to check in after her stroke. I am their connection, although they don't even know my name. I look around and see traces of her life....the man she loved...the child she raised...the granddaughter she spoiled....the pets she crooned over.

And, then I see more....the tears she cried...the prayers she prayed...the joys she brought into the world...and I thank God for Francis and what her life teaches me as she lies in her bed struggling with each breath. I thank God for teaching me and I thank Him on her behalf for using her even when she doesn't know. Her life still holds purpose and in that, HOPE stirs in me. And I thankful...truly thankful...

STOP.

Hahaha....that was actually quite cool! If you are a fellow blogger, try it out!! Either way, please link over to Gypsy Mama and read some of the Five Minute Friday postings...you just might see something new today in a person you never expected. I know I did! Thanks, Lisa-Jo!

My Hope is in.......YOU!!

And now, Lord, what do I wait for and expect? My hope and expectation are in You.

Psalm 39: 7

The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.

Lamentations 3: 24

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

Proverbs 13: 12

Don't Doubt in the Darkness....

This season of learning....this season of desert.....this season of the unknown.....this season of waiting is sometimes hard to put into words. I am learning so much and the learning process often makes one feel like more of a failure because you realize, "I have really been living my life ALL ABOUT ME! How did I, after growing up as a missionary kid and then pursuing ministry as a single and then as a married woman, live a life seemingly of service and yet it be so much STILL about me??"

Oswald Chambers, yet again, knocks it out of the park for me today and puts it in words that I wish I could find....enjoy!

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Vision and Darkness

Whenever God gives a vision to a Christian, it is as if He puts him in “the shadow of His hand” (Isaiah 49:2). The saint’s duty is to be still and listen. There is a “darkness” that comes from too much light-that is the time to listen.

The story of Abram and Hagar in Genesis 16 is an excellent example of listening to so-called good advice during a time of darkness, rather than waiting for God to send the light. When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait. God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing. Never try to help God fulfill His word. Abram went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years all of his self-sufficiency was destroyed. He grew past the point of relying on his own common sense. Those years of silence were a time of discipline, not a period of God’s displeasure.

There is never any need to pretend that your life is filled with joy and confidence; just wait upon God and be grounded in Him (see Isaiah 50:10-11).

Do I trust at all in the flesh? Or have I learned to go beyond all confidence in myself and other people of God? Do I trust in books and prayers or other joys in my life? Or have I placed my confidence in God Himself, not in His blessings? “I am Almighty God . . .”— El-Shaddai, the All-Powerful God (Genesis 17:1).

The reason we are all being disciplined is that we will know God is real. As soon as God becomes real to us, people pale by comparison, becoming shadows of reality. Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God.

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Father, may my confidence and my hope be in You alone -- not in my deepest longings, my unfulfilled dreams or my limitless blessings. May knowing YOU and YOU ALONE be my #1 priority so that other's opinions and thoughts (including my own) "....pale by comparison".

Wordless Wednesday: G-mom & Haylee

(Aunt Paula playing with her 1st grand baby, Haylee)

Please join me over at Wordless Wednesday, Live and Love Out Loud, and A Beautiful Mess today!

On Breathing, Quitting, & Dancing

"Sometimes at the end of the week I’m too tired to be much good for anything or anyone.

I get that “my eyes feel like they’ve been crying” sensation, even when they haven’t. My head aches and my lips can’t seem to absorb enough Vaseline. I’m hungry, but making a meal seems like a gigantic effort and it’s much easier just to sit here on the couch, absorbing all the silence along with the huff and puff of the heater.

It soothes me.

To just sit here and be still for a bit....."

Click here for more about emptiness and breathing from Gypsy Mama.

"The sweat. The fall. The doubt. The belief. The sunrise. The trail. The pain. The end.

The sun was calling over the mountains like a siren to sailor’s death. The mountain called. I responded. Step by step, minute by minute, mile by mile, I endured the hill. Half way up the trail, I lost my footing and slipped down onto jagged rocks, cutting my hand and shin. I debated quitting. I mean, I had already completed a good amount of trail. What would it matter if I continued? Who would know? Who would care?..."

If you click this link here, you can read the rest of this story on NOT quitting by (in)Courage.

"We should write more letters,
and make more mixed CDs,
and ride our bikes around the block.

We should wave at our neighbors
and talk to our neighbors
and bake cookies for our neighbors and then go talk with them some more.

We should smell flowers on our walk to work...."

Over here, at The Art of Losing, check out the rest of this post and remember to "....dance when everyone is watching...."

I Know Your Pain

I know your pain.

You just received ANOTHER wedding invitation and you dread the RSVP -- Number attending __1__.

You go out with your group of friends and you wonder, "Will I be the 3rd, 5th, 11th wheel.....AGAIN???

You hear a woman complain about her husband's dirty shoes or dishes and you think, "At least you have someone to hold you before you go to sleep tonight....", but you say nothing...you DON'T want the pity!

You wonder how to survive in a world that seems focused on couples, marriage, & relationships.

You wonder how to function even in the Body of Christ that preaches and teaches FAMILY as the MOST important, primary, and basic institution that God has established.

I know your pain.

You see, I, too, have been there. I know what it feels like to cry yourself to sleep and wonder, "Father, have you forgotten about me? I have tried so hard to wait on Your time, Your plan, Your purpose? Am I still not good enough? When will someone love ME?"

I feel embarrassment in my questioning, yet I know that He holds my fragile heart and catches my tears....and then I hear Him whisper to me...."Remember the cross..."

"Father, why have you forsaken Me?" - Jesus

Jesus spoke those words? He was human? Like me? He was real. He was raw. He felt heartbreak. He felt pain.

He felt MY pain. HE KNOWS MORE PAIN. He not only holds my heart and catches my tears, but HE walked a mile in MY shoes and farther and farther and farther until every pain I would faced was walked out. NOW, He is prepared to walk the distance with me, to comfort me, to pick me up, to prod me forward, to challenge, and to encourage because HE KNOWS.

HE KNOWS!!

HE KNOWS YOUR PAIN!

And as I now feel another, deeper, harsher, more ravaging pain (for me personally) -- a greater longing, a chasm filled with unfilled promises -- MOTHERHOOD.

I remember. He reminds me.

"I have walked miles farther so your path would be lighter and your burden would be easy....REST, my child.....REST...."


"I KNOW YOUR PAIN."

How to Stay Young

A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.

- John Barrymore

{Wow! That challenges me!}

Just For Fun!! (Appreciating Nature)

What a GREAT and SUPER FUNNY way to appreciate God's Creation!!

Transformed

Mom & Dad left for Haiti today. They traded in their gala attire.....



....for their "regular" missionary clothes....


and I think they rather like their "normal"!

With Love, Haiti Gala 2011

In honor of our first annual With Love, Haiti gala event, here are a few words of reminiscence....

....from Evangelistic World Outreach (Facebook page)....

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Hahahahaa.....as if we didn't tire you out with those two words last night! What a FABULOUS night at With Love, Haiti gala event!! Thank you WHOLEHEARTEDLY to the many of you who have prayed, labored, served, given, donated, and loved, loved, loved! Haiti is FULL of lives that have been changed by YOU!!

WHAT A BLESSING!!"

....and from the friends & supporters of EWO....

What a wonderful night so thankful for the people that God is using to help rebuild EWO.

~Bonnie Townsend

Wonderful evening! You did a great job! Looking forward to the next one!

~Laurie Bireley

A Beautiful Night, with Beautiful People, for a Beautiful Cause....HAITI!!! All for the Children! We are honored to be a part of what God is doing through Bev and Tom in Haiti!!!

~Melanie Devine Gladden

....and from my family....

Celebrating life and love on the one year anniversary of such devastation was made more precious by the people that surrounded me! Grateful for all those who were able to be there and have supported my family throughout the past year! Words can never express my thanks to the hearts of those who continue to walk along side my family

through this unexpected life journey!

~Kasi Lyndaker (my sis)

Wow, we feel so blessed tonight! Thank you, friends and family for standing together with us at EWO in Haiti. We enjoyed! so much connecting with so many of you at the Gala....

"With Love, Haiti"!!

~Bev Brumbley (my mom)

....and from me....

Oh my word! What a GLORIOUS night! Ha! Thanks to all of you who donated, attended, participated, volunteered, & prayed for the @With Love, Haiti gala event! It was awesome & fun while precious & powerful all at the same time! Thank you, Lord, for your continuous work in & through people to bless those on a little island not so far away!!

I See Their Faces....

I was going through my foreign country souvenirs today as I helped to prepare for the 1st annual gala event that my family is hosting for their organization, Evangelistic World Outreach. We are holding this event on the anniversary of the earthquake one year ago to continue to help with rebuilding the rubble...turning the ashes into a thing of greater beauty.

As I was looking through my souvenirs, I could remember exactly where each one came from -- the photo album from Thailand, the leather mirror from Columbia, the wicker purse from the Philippines, the monkey balls from South Africa, the hand carved pencil from Malaysia, the $40 guitar from India, and my beloved, Haiti -- paintings, shells, tap-tap (public transportation), hand painted boxes, etc.

I was in awe of the fact that in spite of the struggle with my health this past year that has also affected my memory at times, I could clearly remember almost every item numbering in the dozens from these precious countries. It excited me and amazed me!

And I realized why....the souvenirs represent the faces to me -- the faces of the children laughing, the faces of the mothers weeping, the faces of the fathers softening to the words of Jesus, the faces of God's beautiful people around the globe.

So as we remember what happened in Haiti today, I remember how God's hand is so poignantly poised to move and work not just IN THE NATIONS but TO and FOR THE FACES.

I like that.

Haitian Proverb: Bay kou bliye, pote mak sonje.
Translation: The giver of the blow forgets, the bearer of the scar remembers.

Nou sonje.....We remember (the faces).

We Remember You, Ayiti Cheri!!

Wherever you are tomorrow, will you take some time to remember those who lost there lives one year ago tomorrow in Haiti......AND to celebrate for/with those who survived and continue to move forward and thrive!

Click here for a reminder of the devastation that struck this island on January 12, 2010.

Thanks for your prayers and support!