two-for-two-at-one

A good while back my pastor friend, John Moore encouraged us do be very intentional as we prayed. One suggestion was that we choose a specific time every day to pray about the same thing. So for a long time I prayed for two things for two minutes every day at 1:00 (lunch). I would go to the back of our building and lean against the brick wall. Every day I would pray for a friends salvation and I would also pray for the forgiveness of another friend.

I would like to share of God's faithfulness to those prayers.

I'll start with the forgiveness story. It is after all, one of my very favorite stories!

I had wounded a very good friend with what I thought was good reason. I felt very justified in what I had said to her. I knew what I had spoken was truth, but true or not... maybe I shouldn't have said it. My friend Christine even worked up the gumption to come and talk to me about it. Still I was hard hearted and thought I was right in my opinion. The truth is, it may have been true, but did I need to say it in the tone and the time that I did? Ummmm... looking back, that would be a big fat "NO"! So, finally, I realized that my friendship was extremely severed with my precious friend. Now let me say, she wasn't just a friend. She was a heart friend. The one you fall in love with the moment you meet her and you love her with all you heart. The kind of friend if you don't see her for a long time, it's just like yesterday when you do see her. Well, I called my friend and told her I was sorry and asked her to forgive me. She said she would. But I could tell by her tone that the day she forgave me would be a very cold day in you-know-where.
So, every day that was one of my prayers. And I prayed, and I prayed and I prayed.

It was at a Beth Moore conference in Columbia. It was Beth's first time in our area. So far back that she was actually in a church and not an arena. As our group settled into our seats I looked directly across the sanctuary and guess who was sitting right there in front of me.
There we sat Friday night, Saturday morning trying not to get caught looking at each other. As the last service was coming to a close, my heart was about to jump out of my chest. I looked and faithful Christine had dropped slam out of sight. She was down on her knees praying. I jumped two pews and almost ran to get to my friend. As I rounded the last corner, I looked up and to my surprise... there she was, running to me. We stood there hugging and kissing and hugging some more. Every time I hear the song that was playing, I think of God's faithfulness to redeem all things, even things said in haste to an already wounded heart.


Then there was the prayer of salvation. I knew my friend needed prayer. Not knowing what all he needed, it seemed that his salvation would be the most important thing I could pray for. So every day he was my second prayer at 1:00.
One day I received a call from P.J. saying his friend was in trouble and they needed help. I went by and picked up my pastor friend, John, and we went to see what help we could offer.
That was one of the saddest days of my life. My friends life had ended. It became mine and John's job to tell his family.
That was hard.
But God is good.
The night after my friends death, I woke up with two very specific scriptures that seemed to be amplified in my head.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is
faithful.
~Hebrews 10:23

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his
glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior
be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before
all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~Jude1:23-25

I knew in my heart that God was letting me know that my friend was with Him.

It's always good to remember those times in our lives when God's hand was so visible in our lives. I hope you have sweet memories of times when He was there in such satisfying moments with you too.

I would like to encourage you to do the two-for-two-at-one.
You can make your own formula.
But try it.. you'll like it!

If you need something to pray about... I would humbly ask that if you have time that you pray a prayer for Wellspring Living SC. I wouldn't presume to tell you what to pray, because that might limit what you would pray.

It is always an honor to know that you think of us, pray for us and encourage us in the many ways that we do.
Here are the lyrics that was playing that day in Columbia... way back when...

Thank You, Lord by Dennis Jernigan

For all that You've done, I will thank
You
For all that You're going to do
For all that You've promised
And
all that You are
Is all that has carried me through
Jesus I thank You
And I thank You
Thank You Lord
And I thank You
Thank You Lord
Thank You for loving and setting me free
Thank You for giving Your life
just for me
How I thank You
Jesus, I thank You
Gracefully thank You
Thank You

Democrat or Republican ?

I guess this election season has stirred my thoughts on a few things such as Democrats, Republicans and Christians. Some of my dearest friends are Democrats. And do you know what? They love the same Jesus, rely on the same Holy Spirit, worship the same God and are just as devoted to their Savior and their churches as most of the Republicans I know.

You have to love the fact that God will not fit into any box even when it comes to politics. It's really funny, we pray to the same God about the same thing... God... show me Lord how YOU want me to vote. I believe He does just that. To some of His children He says "you vote for my child Barack", and to some He says "you vote for my child John". No matter how upset we may be when the winner is announced, one thing is for sure - God's Word tells us how we are to honor those in authority over us.

Don't you know it's all about HIM and not THEM? If every Christian in America voted for the same candidate, could it be that we would place our worship and our trust in that person and not our God, who is the only ONE.

Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Pentecostals... since we each have our own personal relationship with the Lord, He leads us all in different directions through His zillions to the tenth power (more than we have ever heard of!) aspects of His character.

What I hate most during an election year is not a person who votes Democrat over Republican. What breaks my heart is when people who have been granted a freedom that much of the world only read about in books (if they have that freedom) choose to sit at home and complain about the outcome of it all.

Truly, the greatest sadness happens not just during an election, but day after day and week after week when the Democratic or Republican Christians don't live out their lives in the greatest freedom that they were given by our Lord...

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1

God bless you in all your freedoms. I pray that you don't take a single
one for granted, but understand how great they all are.

I pray that you will vote on November fourth... no matter who you vote for!

But more than that, I pray that you come to a fuller knowledge of the freedom given you by the blood of Christ.

Stormy day at the beach

You know how you are usually wishing that you had remembered your camera when you see something breath-taking? Well that's me almost all the time. This time included. A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to hang out at the beach with a few girlfriends. Some of them decided to stay in their jammies all day watching chick-flicks. Tracy and I decided to head to the beach. It had rained the day before and there was a 60% chance of rain for Friday. But off we went. We had walked a couple of hundred feet when it started raining. We stopped, and decided to go on and figured the rain would pass over us. I don't know if Tracy has ever clocked it, but I am guessing we walked well over a mile to where the channel comes into the barrier island. We made the trek with sand blowing over the beach like you would expect to see in Lawrence of Arabia or a modern-day war movie.
But on we walked. When we reached the edge of the beach where it runs into the channel, there was a small crowd of folks gathered on the shore to watch the dolphins playing. It was so much fun, it was like you could almost touch them they were so close. After the dolphins swam out into the deep, we turned to head back.

As we turned what we saw actually took our breath. It was the biggest, darkest, closest cloud I have ever seen. Not only that, it was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen at the beach. Far beyond the most beautiful sunrise or sunset. It almost looked like the picture above. There were no light clouds at the top of the sky. It was layers of deep blues in varied hues, mingled with smokey white to foggy gray clouds hanging in streaks over the blue. The beach rippled in motion with what seemed to be three different beaches amid the waves. It was almost to much to take in. As we continued to walk into the storm, we could see the faint white mast of a shrimp boat out in the distance. Wow.

As I looked at Tracy I had to laugh. She looked like someone trying to walk into a wind tunnel. As the rain begin to blow in our faces it felt like small pins stinging our skin. After we had walked a pretty good distance, I told Tracy that I had just had to stop. I wanted to cry because it was so beautiful. I had to stop and praise the Lord for the beauty that we were witnessing in the midst of the storm.

It seemed like it took us a good forty-five minutes, longer really, to make it back to the board walk where we had left our shoes.

It must have been that kind of storm on the sea when the disciples saw Jesus walking to them on the water. No wonder He said "peace be still". I know many of you have had just that too... peace in the storm. Or maybe you are in that storm right now. Stop where you are, lift your hands and praise Him... for He alone is worthy!

Even though I didn't have my camera, I stil have the picture in my mind. I hope it stays there for years to come as a visual reminder of the beauty that comes with the storms in our lives. It's my prayer for you that you have seen beauty in the storm.

God + Me = Me or God

You know I got to thinking the other day about this whole Wellspring thing. As I was having my morning prayer time I told God that I believed He would super naturally provide for the funding for the Wellspring Home. But then I'll go write a grant proposal. So I had to ask myself after I prayed that prayer... how would that be super natural to do it like everyone else in Spartanburg County? Would God get the credit? I would give it to Him. But chances not very many people around here would hear or notice.

So here is my declaration as of Wednesday, October 9, 2008...
I do believe that God will do just what He has said. That part
of Wellspring is His yoke, not mine. Hence... I am hereby released from operating according to the world's system.

And when it happens... God will get all the glory and I will humbly bask in the comfort of His faithfulness as He provides for His daughters that will occupy the Wellspring Home.

Make me heart ready Lord... do whatever it takes. I trust YOU in ALL THINGS.

So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.
Acts 27:25 (New Living Translation)

five years and a day

I sat down at my computer desk last night to catch up on a few blog readings. As I began to straighten up a few of the accumulated piles something caught my eye. I knew immediately that it was my ticket to the 2003 Beth Moore conference in Atlanta. As I picked it up and realized it was dated September 26-27th, how it took me back. Yesterday was the 27th. Five... count them five years have rolled by as we continue to make strides to start a Wellspring Living in Spartanburg, SC.

This past Thursday night we held our board meeting at what we believe and hope and pray will become the Wellspring Home. One of our board members asked me how I decided on Wellspring. My reply was that I had not decided on it at all, that God made that decision for me as I sat in that arena of 20,000 women.

Remember when God spoke to Elijah in that whisper? More than any other way, that is how God speaks to me too. So soft that it would be easy to ignore Him and pass it off as a fleeting thought of my own. But when I stop to listen and act - there is no doubt that it was Him.

But on that September day... He was using more than a whisper. It was more like the earthquake.

Then there was the day that Geraldine and I went to Atlanta to meet with Mary Frances and she gave us the hope of carrying the Wellspring name to SC. That was the day God spoke to me with the fire of the passion He had placed in my heart in 2003.

Then there was the wind... as I waited for the board to arrive at the home Thursday night, I went out to the swing in the back yard. As I imagined the healing that might take place in that very spot the wind began to blow so strong that it seemed to push the swing even higher (yes... even with me in it!!). It was as though God was speaking in the wind.

So five years and a day later I am still so humbled to walk this journey with my Lord. There is so much excitement to think about all that He is doing in our city and the world. When you realize all the redemptive work He has going on all at one time. Woo-Hoo! When we are reminded as we were Thursday night that He is and has more than enough for all of us.

So Lord... again... help me to cease striving and rest in You. To do the things you have told me to do so we can get on with our next step. I thank you for hearts inclined to your voice and your heart that come along side to get Your work done. May we forever be reminded of who we are in You. As my old friend Allen used to say... "may we not try to possess the power but rather may we be possessed by the power..."
Thank You that You speak in earthquakes, fires, strong winds and whispers...with written words, through other people, dancing girls on a stage, birds that sing,
we love you for being You and are more than thankful that we are YOURS!

This weeks fav song...

Yours by Steven Curtis Chapman

Such Irony

This morning I read something that really caught my attention...

When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned
with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."

I Samuel 17:28

That seemed a little odd because yesterday I read what God had to say...

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

I Samuel 16:7

Isn't it ironic that God looked at David's heart and saw it for all it was worth and David's oldest brother looked into his heart and saw the total opposite? How many times have we been accused by those that are closest to us of motives, and actions that are as far as east to west from the truth?

And how many times have we listened to the voice of everyone but God for our self-worth? We think because of our sins or the opinion of others that God cannot use us or we are not worthy to be used. Yes, David was a young man here when all these conversation were going on, but God knew even then the sins David would commit in his lifetime. But when we think of David we always think of him as

"The Man After God's Own Heart"

No matter what, no matter where, may we too strive to live by what God has said about us over the opinion of others!

Just a tiny little question came to mind today...

Is there much difference between a "lame duck president"
and a ""luke-warm Christian"?

I am guessing there is not.

We are always quick to point out others lack of commitment or effort like ours is of little concern.

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye

when you have a log in your own?"

Luke 6:41 (New Living Translation)

Will I do what ? ? ?

Will I give $100.00 to the democratic party for the upcoming election... huh? Do what?

My mind began to speculate as to why on earth they would be calling me. As I listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, she continued on and on with reasons why we did not want John McCain to be elected. That's when it dawned on me. . .

She thinks I am one of them.
She doesn't know where my loyalties lie. She is only following the lead of my actions.
She thought I was a part of their "family" because I voted in the SC Democratic Primary.

When she finally took I breath and I was able to tell her I am a registered Republican, she sounded rather surprised - said "thank you, have a nice day" and she hung up.

Like it or not - Democratic, Republican or Independent we are all the same at the end of the day.
I guess that's why people who are not Christ followers look at us and think we are no different than they are. We show up at church on Sunday and live like the world the other six days of the week. At the end of the day there are huge differences between us and the world. But only because we have the assurance of where we will spend our eternity.

We are registered "Christians" because our name is in the book.

But we do what I did back in the spring... we abandon our ship, we don't follow through with who we say we are. If our walk was only for us, it would be of little significance, but what Christ needs out of us is so much bigger and better than what we give to Him or the world.

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry,
written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of
stone but on tablets of human hearts.
2 Corinthians 3:3

So, no thanks I don't want to give $100 to the Democratic party... but I do want to give 100% of myself to the work He has called me to.

May we all be living letters of His greatness to the world each and every day.

Finally....

If you have visited lately, you have probably noticed I keep changing my background. After much searching I think I finally found a keeper. I loved the bold colors in a few of the others and what I love about this one are the colors but also the torn paper look.

With the world all buzzing about being "green" I wanted to show you a few of my favorite recycling projects just for fun.
These are all thanks to Jenn who taught me all about decoupaging.

An old trunk Sarah and I did as our first project

A set of clear glass plates with scrapbook paper

to match my bedroom

I couldn't find the wallpaper I wanted,

so I made me a quilt pattern
using about 15 different scrapbook patterns

A locker I purchased at a church yard sale in the midst of being papered

An old window frame with original paint

filled with outdated Mary Engelbreit calendar pages

My dressing room done with wallpaper samples

Those have been fun to do. Taking old things from scrap piles, salvage stores and yard sales. Some were made with brand new things and used in ways beyond what they were meant to be. There are lots more things I could show, but you get the picture. I think my favorite is my foyer. It took months of deciding on exactly which scrap book papers to use and decide how many sheets I would need of each pattern. Then when I actually started the project, it took forever or so it seemed. I would work on it a while and get tired and stop. A few miscalculations were made on the amount of paper. Some of my favorite patterns were purchased at the beach. I had friends who went back to try and find more of the same. When that didn't always work out I realized I would have to work new patterns into the mix. What I ended up with is one of my favorite spots in our house.

Below you will see the really big recycling project that is underway. It has been going on for way too many years to count. It has taken a lot of time and effort on the Crafter's part. Bless His heart... He must be worn out by now. I wonder how many times scrapping the whole thing seemed like the best thing to do.

Huh... "never"... you never thought once about throwing this one out!?!? Wow...

You see, we are all works of art in the greatest masterpiece ever. He knows that we are all worth saving. Once He has pulled us out of the scrap heap that we have worked our way into - we become little pieces of Him. We won't all end up in famous art galleries. He places us where we can reflect Him the best. So, wherever He has placed you today, be glad and rejoice and remember you are an ever changing reflection of your Creator. Hopefully we will all reflect Him bigger and better today than we did yesterday.

See ya ~ gotta go dance ~ it's raining outside and a little splashing around does a body good!

after all...Life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain!

piddly litte prayers

The sermon topic for the third and final week at SCC was the subject of prayer. Hub's closing remark hit home as he closed in a very powerful prayer.

All of a sudden I realized that according to who God is... my prayers have been way to small.

Here is a thought... imagine Bill Gates has a son/daughter who wants or needs a new phone- Bill who could hook them up with the latest and greatest gets this request from them . . .

Hey dad, I saw in the paper that Walmart has their Trac Phones on sale this week. Do you think we could get me one?

Can you imagine how Bill would feel? Like his child didn't have a clue who he was or what he was.

Father forgive me for the countless times I have come into your presence and been clueless to who You really are. Lead me to immeasurably more in my prayer life.

God can do anything, you know— far more than you could ever imagine or guess
or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us. ~ Ephesians 3:20

Where have all the flowers gone?

You'd have to come real close to being a bona fide "hippie" to remember that tune. But as I started thinking about this time of year and what it represents at our house, the words of the song kept coming to mind.

It was Ray who stirred my heart to think about such things - and there it was...

The mailbox.

To an untrained eye, it was just a normal mailbox on any given day of the week. But it's our mailbox on the first day of school. There are no more kids standing by our mailbox. That was the place we hurried off to before we left for the first day of school. I will have to confess that some years, the picture was probably made a week or so after school started. It was a picture record of how Jenn, P.J. and Sarah had grown from year to year.

I love to look at the old photos. The first year it wasn't even beside the mailbox and Jenn would probably kill me if I posted that one. She was (and still is) a beautiful child. The best mom ever to two very special little characters. P.J. is a self-employed brick mason, who still has the same tender heart he had as a child. Then there is Sarah. The other day my mom was kind of worried about her changing careers. I asked her "when has Sarah ever not landed on her feet?" Jennifer once asked what we did for entertainment before Sarah came along.

They are an amazing group of people. I miss the days by the mailbox. But I am thankful for new days and new places beyond the mailbox. I am glad that God allowed me to be part of their family!

Thinking about our my days as a "hands-on" mom, I think about all the times I goofed up so bad I sometimes cringe when we all get together and we take a stroll or two down memory lane. Often some of the memories seem more like night mares than sweet dreams.

Ahhhhh.... but then there is little thing called GRACE. Actually it's not a little thing at all. It's a great big thing my family and friends offer me when I have done an "A-number-one job" of being a total wretch.

Today Lord, help me to offer it to others with the same eagerness that I want to receive it. God bless our families each and every one... no matter what they look like.

Home

Home. Hopefully it's a safe haven from the world for you. The place you cannot wait to get to at the end of the day.

This summer we had fun going to Charleston with our friends Larry and Tracy. It was sweet, beach by day (every day), pool in the afternoon and some of the best food ever in the evenings. I had my very first blueberry pie and never would have guessed I would love it so much. The best part was getting to spend time with our friends. As much fun as the trip was, it was good to be back home.

Most recently I have traveled back and forth to Raleigh for the birth of my granddaughter Charlotte Ruth, for her heart surgery when she was three days old. The next trip we went so Ray could see Jenn, Tim, Sam and Charlotte. The final trip was to help out when Charlotte was released from the hospital in record time. As much as I loved being with Jenn and her family during this very sweet and sacred time, when I walked into my bedroom on Saturday, it was good to be home.

When we've been away for fun or for difficult and unsure times, coming home usually represents a time back to what we know as normal. Back to a normal work week or routine. Back home because circumstances are well enough for life to resume the normal pace.

When I woke up Sunday morning it was as though I heard "welcome home" in my head. I thought it was funny because I had thought about being glad to be home, but this was welcome home.

I got dressed and headed off to church. As I looked at the bulletin I realized that we were observing The Lord's Supper. I remembered that was what we did our first Sunday at SCC back in January. At the beginning of the service we watched a video about The Lord's Supper and they spoke of being at home.
http://www.sermonspice.com/videos/840/suppertime--short-version-
When I heard the word "home" it literally took my breath. I asked of the Lord... is this my home? It doesn't feel like home, but then, I guess when Abraham followed God and pitched his tent it didn't either. I wondered if we would have to take that step of faith and cross on over before it will feel like home.

Father I trust you because you are a faithful God. You have walked me up many a mountain from the deep valleys below. On those days when it didn't seem like there was any reason to carry on... bless your heart... you carried me and on we went. We have cried, we have laughed and we have danced, oh, we have danced. I thank you for dancing feet, feet that long to be at home, wherever that is.
I love you :)

Insufficient Evidence...

or so it seems.



This morning when I came to my computer to open my daily Harvest devotion I was a little confused when no daily scripture popped up. That's normal for Saturday, but not any other day of the week. In the place of the scripture was a tribute to Greg Laurie's son who was killed yesterday in a car accident.

Not so very long ago we heard of the tragic death of Maria Sue Chapman, daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman.

Just last Friday I was remembering my were abouts a year-ago to the day. Several of us had traveled from Wellford to Charleston to be with our dear friend Susan, Steve and their boys. Many of us had believed with all the faith we had that God was going to do this great healing miracle in Steve Dyar. Even after Steve had passed on over into glory, we were believing he would open those eyes again. After all, who better that Steve Dyar, right?

When all these tragedies are occurring to the most faithful of the faithful... where is God?

Is there sufficient evidence of His presence?

Many would say no. That the evidence of God's presence was insufficient, and thus turn away in anger, depression and for some maybe even hatred.

One of the scriptures that I have come to love is

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the
LORD in the
land of the living.
Psalm 27:13

I understood what that meant a little better after Steve changed his residence. It seems as God is telling us that the goodness would be for us to get it "our way". But the true goodness comes in when we allow God's graces and truths to penetrate the marrow of our being in those most difficult times.

I knew that there was sufficient evidence as we came to realize that Steve's earthly life had ceased. When Susan Dyar said with a strong confidence to all of us in that room that day, especially to her sons, that we do not grieve as those with no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Then she ever so soundly said "hand me my Bible". I cannot tell you the verses she read. I do know it was one of those incomparable moments that I will forever hold dear in my heart. That room was pretty crowded with friends and family. I don't think one of us would say "where was God?". It was more than evident that He was there.

I imagine it was the same for the Chapman family and is also true of the Laurie family.

It is my prayer for you that no matter what has happened to you that you will allow the presence of God to invade your heart and bring you wholeness and healing. Your enemy has lied and is lying to you now. He is saying that it's not possible in your case.

He is kind of like an attorney who knows his client is guilty of all the crimes he is charged with. He is the one saying that there is insufficient evidence of God's presence in your hard times, knowing all the time that God was there.

Dive into God's Word; listen to those who have experienced His presence in times of trouble. Seek God with your whole heart and do not hold back. Be crazy in love with the one who knows you better than you know yourself.

One of the best parts of my life whether in good times or bad is my prayer group. We started out calling ourselves "The Women at the Well" because we were so desperate to see God move. We have changed faces and places as the years have come and gone. We saw our beloved sister Denise pass over into glory. We have grown from one prayer group to many. The thing we have carried with us is our belief in God's ability to be who He says He is and that H can and will do what He has said He will do. It doesn't always look like we think it will. But His Glory takes our breath each and every day.

We hope to always be found guilty of believing Him to be our everything.

Who knows... you may end wearing crazy homemade jewelry out in public just like us!

Stop and smell the roses

Today we are taking a field trip away from the normal blog entry. Pretty much every post prior to today's has had a Wellspring theme or connection. Maybe before this one is complete God will have tied it together too.

But for today, I'd like to invite you into my recent trip to the "Rose Garden". Not that it was a formal garden of any kind, and there weren't really any roses, but just glorious displays from God's hand over the past week of our lives.

Most of you probably know that my daughter Jenn was pregnant with our little Charlotte Ruth. Dr.'s had seen some problems with Charlotte's heart months ago. So we were all prepared for a heart surgery after her birth. Jenn was scheduled to be induced on 7-13-08, But GOD had a different plan. Instead He sent her a week early on 7-7-08. We were thrilled that He had a say so and had relieved the Dr's of that little duty.

All the days ordained for me were written in
your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16

Then they told Jenn the maternity floor had no spaces and she would have to move to the 7700 hallway. 7730 to be exact. Hmmmm... sevens and threes.

Charlotte made her debut looking all pink and beautiful, that was great because Dr's had warned there was a chance that she might be blue. But there was none of that for her.

Then came the day before her surgery - Jenn told me that Charlotte had a surprise for me. I couldn't figure out what kind of surprise it could be. Then when I walked into her little p-icu room I saw it for myself... a beautiful LIME GREEN ribbon in her hair. Many have accused me of pulling that one off, but i have to confess that it must have been a gift from God, because He surely knows what LIME GREEN means around this part of the country!

Like the bow wasn't enough for us to know that God had Charlotte tucked securely away in the palm of His hand. There was a horrible storm in the area with wild winds, thunder and lightening. Jennifer and Tim were on their way home that night and called me when they were almost there. I was instructed to run outside and see what was hovering over their house.

You might have guessed a rainbow, and if you did you were close. It was a brilliant double rainbow that you had to see from the front door as well as the back door to see the entire thing. Just like God had purposely hung it right over their house. Who knows, maybe He did!

There were no worries, just sweet and peaceful sleep until the morning.

Surgery day started just like the night before ended. The trip to the hospital was as peaceful as it could be. Jenn and Tim got to spend some precious time with their baby girl before they took her to surgery. The hospital staff could not have been any better to Charlotte or her mom and dad. This part was really sweet to me. After they took Charlotte to surgery and we had gotten a bite to eat we made our way to the Children's wing of the Hospital. As Jenn sat down I noticed the quilt she was sitting under...

As Jenn sat under that picture i was reminded that this time last year she was heading to Botswana and all God's provisions in getting her there, her time there and her trip home. Especially of a dream, a prayer and a belief of Jenn and many black feet.

Then there was this whole song thing going on from the day Charlotte's diagnosis came until this past Sunday morning after her arrival. To put it in a nut shell worship service to worship service came full circle with the playing of this song then and now, with scripture from the song and the words on a quilt sandwiched in between.

This was the song He used ... Made Me Glad by Hillsong

So, that was a lot to follow for an untrained soul. You know I have to go around a block several times to get my point across. There are tons more I could have shared, but I have about tuckered myself out!

I would like to ask a personal question. Have you noticed all the little "roses" that God has planted along your journey? Have you been so bothered by your circumstances that along the way you have forgotten that you have the best ever tour guide who really knows His way around the garden? You know that was the first place He ever had a relationship, a friendship with His prize creation. Slow down, trust Him in all things big and small. Notice the things that are personal to you like lime green ribbons and rainbows or whatever that He has placed along your path to let you know you are not alone! I love whoever you are that may be reading this! I hope and pray that through the crazy ramblings of this Jesus girl you appreciate His love for YOU!

I know it's not Tuesday...

It's really Wednesday, but there are two things I want to share today.
So it's a "Two for Tuesday" sort of thing.

I'll start with Immeasurably More because God certainly outdid Himself on Monday Night! I think it may have been immeasurably more than more if that's possible. Life Song Church had their "This Night" and had asked me to come and share about Wellspring. Amy Hickman who heads up their Aroma ministry had asked the women who were coming to bring a gift off of the Wellspring registry at Target. So, the ladies paid for a ticket to come, bought gifts and took up a love offering to top off the night!

Did I say love offering? Those sweet ladies gave over one thousand dollars to Wellspring! That's where the more than more comes in. The gifts were unbelievable, but the love offering was truly over the top. It is such affirmation that we are moving God Speed into this, following where He leads. It was evident that He showed up and showed out. I'm ever so thankful that He allows me to hang out with Him in all of this! It is an amazing journey.

Part two probably deserves it's own post. If I had done that I would title it

because that seems to be the theme of things lately. Monday night that was the title of the song that we ended the evening on. But more than that, God gave me a true revelation about a week ago. I was driving down the same old road I travel everyday that I work at Middle Tyger Community Center. As I came up to my final turn before getting to the main highway, is when it happened. For the first time in my life God revealed to me what it meant to have a new day before me. Many of you are probably thinking I have lost it, but stay with me! I know that every day is a new day, but for the first time ever it dawned on me that it feels the same because everything I see and everything I do most days are repeated over and over again. All of a sudden there was such an excitement in my soul to actually realize this new day was unfolding moment by moment before me. The lie had always been "same old... same old" - no more!

Same old... same old has given way to brand new, brand new! It is so amazing to wake up every morning and realize that it's a new start. This day has never been before, so I have a new day with new possibilities that maybe I didn't have yesterday! A chance to believe like I have never believed before. A chance to forgive, a chance to love, a chance to trust! I have savored knowing that even this moment right here has never been! Now that has changed my world. I don't know if I could translate to you what God did for me that morning. It was like looking at a whole new world.

It's coming up on July Fourth... it's my prayer for you that you walk in all the freedoms that you have not only as an American (if you are) but more so that you walk in the freedoms granted you by Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living GOD!

It's All About YOU!

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Ten years ago this September I had the opportunity of a lifetime to travel with some of my dearest friends and partners in ministry to General Santos City in the Philippines. It was one of those Immeasurably More times in my life, in all our lives.

The last night we were there, we were in the backyard of one of the friends we had made during our stay. Larry and I had been having this ongoing conversation all week long. You see, with all God was doing in my life I was certain the trip was all about me. But with all I had seen God do in Larry's life (and everyone elses too) I could see that Larry had a very good argument to why he thought the trip was all about him. So here we are in the middle of the party trying to make sense of it all, when there out of nowhere stepped Pastor Rodney Moore from Beaumont, Texas and handed me his Walkman. He said there is a song that I feel like you should hear. Well guess what? As soon as I finished listening, I passed it on to Larry and said "you are not going to believe this!" That Rodney, wow, that Jesus... there are no words.

When we got back on American soil Larry made it a priority to make sure we each had a copy of it. The original was by Dave Fellingham, but I could not find his version on the Internet.

I say all that to say that I love how God works things and people and places in our lives and 99.9% of the time I think we are oblivious to it. But then, every now and again He lets us have a tiny little glimpse into what He is doing.

One of those times happened to be June the 12, 2008 at six thirty in the evening, a small group of eight met at LifeSong Church in Lyman for the first official board meeting of Wellspring Living SC. To most people we would have looked like a group of misfits with not a lot in common with each other. But as I looked around at the group God was assembling, I knew that they each realized it is all about Him, and His plan of grace, mercy, redemption and restoration. The sweet thing is, it will not just be for the Wellspring Women who will live in our Wellspring Home, it will be for all of us too. I realized as I sat there that each of them possess a great gift of hearing from the Lord and moving in what they hear. As thoughts of the meeting and the faces continued on in my head, what I also realized about our little group is they all love to worship the Lord out loud. They are not silent, nor ashamed of their love nor their convictions.

As the meeting came to a close we had our to-do-list. Was it filled with business agendas and people to call and decisions to toil over? No, it was a simple prayer list of specific prayers we need to be praying.

Father, we acknowledge that this ministry reflects your heart beat and we submit ourselves to you, your wisdom and your way, after all... it is all about You....

We, your servants love and adore you...

Immeasurably More

A month or so ago I was challenged by my friend Martha to pray "Immeasurably more Lord" to see what God would do. Part of the challenge was to move something out of its ordinary place so when I went to reach for it in the old place I would speak the words... Immeasurably More.

So I moved things in my office, living room, and shower. I even used my lime green fingernail polish and put a green dot on the face of my watch. As I would reach for Kleenexes, shampoo or look for the time I would whisper those words...Immeasurably More. One morning as I reached for the shampoo I added "how much longer will I have to wait to see Immeasurably More?"
Well let me tell you - I didn't have to wait long at all.
Jesus was about to show me Ephesians 3:20 close up, personal and WAY MORE than I would have ever hoped for!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us...

to the greater power! That was on a Sunday morning as I was getting ready for church. That afternoon I noticed I had a voice mail. As I listened to the message I was blown away by what I heard, but more so by who was calling to leave the message.

Please understand that with all God has done to bring Wellspring here, my greatest fear was that it would be here and we would be so unprepared. We would have the house, we would have the women coming in for help and they would have me! After all I had the Wellspring manual of what they do. I have their curriculum of how they do it. I had all I need to make it happen. You see, I can read a manual all day long, bit what works best for me is to see it.
I did get to spend one night in the Atlanta home. But one night wasn't going to do it!

So my voice mail went something like this...

Susan, this is _ __ _ from Atlanta, and I was wondering if there was
anything I could do to help you get started in SC.

Anything she could help us do? ? ? As the message settled into my heart, I realized this was an immediate answer to my morning Immeasurably More prayer. She had been a counselor for about a year and was looking to do more.
I had met her briefly at the Demand Conference that I attended in April.
Mary Frances had spoken so highly of her.

Could we use her? Wow!

God had done Immeasurably More - - way more than I would have ever thought or dreamed!

The monkey was off my back!

God never intended for me to do what He has fashioned her heart to do!

Don't you love it when God makes it so clear?

When He calls us to do something - we usually have a small part in a very large picture!

Now that's a reason to DANCE!

All the more proof that indeed - His yoke is light! I don't have to do it all or be it all!
I can just be me and that's enough as long as I am operating where He has gifted me and placed me.

It is my prayer for each of you that you too have discovered that His yoke is easy, and if you are too burdened by the yoke you are carrying, you might want to be sure the yoke is from Him!
Would you take the challenge and pray Immeasurably More for yourself?

I love each of you and thank you for what you are doing for the kingdom of God. As the song says... we are all in this together...

Dance for Me

This has absolutely nothing to do with anything that I am aware of. But over the past few weeks God keeps taking me back and I think perhaps He wants me to share the story with you! Who knows, maybe He has done the same thing for you. If He has be sure to let us know.

I don't even know how many years ago this was. I do know it was during the time that John Moore was at WBC for chapter II! Rick Warren from Saddleback Church was coming to Myrtle Beach for a Celebrate Recovery Conference. It seemed really logical to get some info since we try to know and be and do as much as we can for our community at MTCC. So Wanda sent (agreed) for Donna Dawkins and me to go. We were so grateful that Lisa Foster also went with us. She may not be. It was the first time she had ever traveled with us (me)!

The conference was great and as it turns out Celebrate Recovery is part of the Wellspring restoration plan. Who would have ever guessed way back then that God was already preparing my head and my heart for what He had in store.

I cannot tell you what hotel we stayed in other than to say it had lots of floors and surely we must have been near the very top.

I cannot tell you how many nights we were there.

But what I can tell you is that one night when we got to our room, we went out onto the balcony and looked down. There in the biggest letters you have ever seen were the words

"DANCE FOR ME"

They were so big that we went out on the beach to see them at ground level. There were huge. If you think I am exaggerating, please ask Donna or Lisa to confirm what I have said. They were so big, so perfectly straight, so equal in size from the first letter to the last.

I just have to say... I think God Himself reached down and decided He, Himself wanted to write a love letter in the sand.

Many people ask me why I have my dancer magnet on my Forerunner.

That's why. If He loved me enough to ask me, me of all people to dance for Him... count me in! I might not be the prettiest or most graceful dancer you'll ever see. But hopefully if you see me or have seen me acting a fool in the middle of my driveway, backyard, office, church, beach or mountain top now you know why. He is the best dancin' partner a girl could ever hope for. He has yet to complain that I haven't an ounce of rhythm or two left feet. Maybe it's because when I'm dancing with Him, He sweeps me off my feet as we dance to our favorite songs. It is like strolling down memory lane remembering how each song is a reminder of His love and faithfulness as well as the hope of what He has yet to do! Lead on King Jesus... lead on in the dance of life. It is my honor and pleasure to be your dance partner.

I guess He had heard me sing and thought I should try dancing instead!

Now I'm not proud enough to think I was the only one that received the invitation to dance from Him. It's my prayer for every person who saw those letters in the sand that you too said "YES!"

Craziness

I just sometimes have to stop and profess out loud to the Lord...

"THIS IS CRAZY!"

It still makes no sense whatsoever to me that God would or could allow me to be part of Wellspring Living. A few weeks ago I had the very special privilege to go to Atlanta and say a few words at a conference they were holding. The greatest part was that I spent the night in the Wellspring Home and met 6 beautiful young women, seven including the coach.
I arrived at the house a little while before Mary Frances (Atlanta Ministry President). It was such a beautiful day, I decided to sit out in the warm air. While I was sitting there I noticed the shadow of a bird. As I looked up I saw that it was a hawk. I looked again and there were two.
Off in the distance there was another. They soon joined together and began to circle over the Wellspring Home. It was all I could do not to cry. It was as though God was showing me a symbol of His protection over Wellspring.
I did a Google search to see what the hawk might represent. Here are a few things that popped up from the search...
... a yearning for freedom
... new power

I like that! A yearning to be free from the past and exchanging the old for the new!

One of the ladies I met had only been in the home a week. She had traded prison clothes for jeans and tees. You could see the new power had already begun to transform her. All she did was giggle and laugh and had the sweetest demeanor about her. As she shared her life story, I felt like she was going to make it. Determined to let God win this battle she had fought most of her life. You go girl! YOU GO GOD!!! Do Your thing Lord... do Your thing!!

God - YOU are wild and wonderful and YOU do the craziest of things in the craziest of ways!
May we be aware of you in the things we see around us. Help us to understand You the best we can! Be blessed always and forever... suz

Ready, set - - - - - go!

Seems as though we are getting a little closer to the dreaded thing that I have been putting off for sometime now. No, it is not a trip to the dentist! Not that I don't need to do that too. Maybe one day Gretchen and I can do that together.
I did do one thing the other week when I went and talked to my friend that owns "The HOUSE". That one turned out really great. But then there is the trip to see the owner of the Wellspring Store. I don't know why I am so afraid to go. But I am! God has twice through scripture told me that the owner's heart is prepared. I know he won't hurt me or harm me. The worst thing he can do is throw me out of his office or say "no". And I guess that is what scares me most. That after all this putting off, I missed God.
God continued to confirm last week that not only has He prepared the owners heart, but He has done a little prep work with me too. Several of us went to SCC to hear Ruth McWhite speak last week. One of the scriptures she shared was from

Jeremiah 1... I'll tell you where to go and you'll go there.I'll tell
you what to say and you'll say it. Don't be afraid of a
soul.I'll be right there, looking after you." God's
Decree. God reached out, touched my mouth, and said,
"Look! I've just put my words in your mouth—hand-delivered!See
what I've done? I've given you a job to do among nations and
governments—a red-letter day!

I like a red letter day... that must mean Jesus is speaking - right? So, even if the gentleman says "no" that will be OK. The outcome is more about my obedience and giving God the opportunity to speak than the owner saying "yes". Yes, would be the icing on the cake. The cake would be the opportunity we have in representing Christ to a lost world.

Then, like that WORD wasn't enough... I called a friend of mine who knows the owner and his wife and asked her if she might be interested in going with me. She said yes, that we needed to set a day and fast and pray leading up to it.
I was doing my daily Bible reading and JUST HAPPENED to be at

Matthew 21... You'll find a donkey tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her
and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you're doing, say, 'The Master needs
them!' He will send them with you."

I had read that story many times, but never realized that Jesus asked for the donkey and her colt! Why He needed tow, I don't know. But it sure was sweet to feel like He was saying that it was part of His plan to take someone with me!
The sweet part is "any old donkey will do" and now she has more help to get it done!

So please pray for our hearts and our words and all that God has ordained for the day we go and do it! I'll let you know when we schedule an official date.

Mucho-thanks for the prayers!

Cease Striving

The new pics above are commonly know as the "Money Plant". Many years ago on a small mountain top, our prayer group gathered for brunch and a time of prayer. Our dear friend Denise gave us all seed packets containing seeds for what you see in the pictures above. The seed pack was titled "Everlasting" and the plant is also known as "Honesty". I struggled year after year to get some to grow. Results... nothing. Many years after the mountain top gathering my daughter Sarah's best friends mom and dad were killed in a tragic accident. Many days after the accident, I would go to their house and just sit in the drive way and cry. On one of those days I noticed something growing in the wooded area in front of their house. It was the dried silvery disk of the Money Plant scattered all around. I gathered many stalks and took them home with me as a remembrance of Mike and Jo and of what had once been.
When we moved into our new home in 2003, I put a few of the stalks in an arrangement on our front porch. The following spring I noticed something growing behind the white fence at the end of our driveway. I asked Ray not to cut it or spray it, but to let it grow in case it was something we liked. I didn't recognize it when the purple blooms first opened. As the weeks passed and the blooms gave way to these round green disks, I wondered could it be? Then a few weeks later I knew for certain that it was the Money Plant. What I had tried so hard to do resulted in nothing. What God did resulted in the desires of my heart becoming a reality.
There was only one stalk and it grew to be at least a foot tall with hundreds of little shimmering disks. One morning as I came to my driveway at the end of my morning walk "Days of Elijah" had just started playing on my ipod. How could my walk end when the song was only beginning? As I danced in our driveway I spotted what seemed to be the best pom-pom a cheerleader ever had.
You guessed it... the money Plant! I danced and shook, and danced and shook. As I did, all the seeds began spilling out from under the little covers. That was two years ago. (They are biennials) Last year when all these little green plants popped up I knew what they were and how the might have ended up all over the place. If it wasn't raining so today, I would go out and count them to see just how many did take root and are covered with the purple blooms today.

They are a reminder to me that just like Wellspring, God placed the desire in my heart and all my work will result in nothing unless it is work ordained by Him. Just like the Money Plant... in His time Wellspring will be established just like the plants growing in my yard.

Thank you Lord, for hearts desires that you plant and water and grow. Thank you for what is and what is yet to come. We worship You with a grateful heart.

Memories

It's a good thing when you can know that you know that you know. When you start getting invitations from AARP, it's sometimes another thing to be able to remember all that you might at one time have known.
The latest thing to prompt the question... "did I know that?" came this week. On Monday, I read Matthew 14 where Jesus fed the five thousand. Then on Tuesday as I was reading Matthew 15, there Jesus was feeding the four thousand. Did I remember that He did that on two different occasions? I think so. It seems as though the first time Jesus fed the crowds was only days before He fed the second group. It just seemed a little odd that the disciples are asking Him such a question in Matthew 15:33... "where could we get enough bread in this remote area to feed such a crowd?"
I had to "lol" They sure were slow learners.
Then I think Jesus Himself must have been "lol" at me!

There are a lot of things we are asking related to Wellspring. Things like where on earth are we going to get the money to buy the house? The house! Where on earth are we going to get enough money to sustain the ministry? Where on earth are we going to get coaches to live with our girls? How on earth are we (am I) going to be able to pull such a grand plan off?
Then there is my personal life apart from the ministry. I have many things I am asking God "how God, how?"

Slowly, the old noggin' kicks back in and says... "oh Susan, don't you remember the time when God did..." Yes Lord, I do remember.

If you have never done Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby, may I strongly recommend it?
In the book Henry talks about spiritual markers. Things that God does throughout our lives and we place stones of remembrance like the Israelites did. As I went throughout the day yesterday, God reminded me of one that I would like to share with you.

In the spring of 1999, someone very dear to my heart was arrested in Asheville. When we were preparing to go and bring him home we were told that it would cost us $150 to get him out. What they didn't tell us was that $150 was only if you went through a bails bondsman. We (Jenn and me) realized after we were standing there with our $150 that what we really needed was $1500. We searched the Asheville skyline for bank signs and proceeded to see what we could do with our ATM cards. Before we put the cards into the machines we prayed and told the Lord that if it was His will for us to do this, He would have to provide. Taking everything we could from the accounts we could access, along with the $150 that we had to start with we were still $20 short.
Was it not the Lord's will? How could we come so close and not make it? Then all of a sudden Jenn remembered that her grandmother had given her $20 for gas money! We had to the penny all that we needed.
Jesus came through with exactly what we needed!

So for everything I have been wondering "how?" God has an answer. He has reminded me through His forgetful disciples that just like in times past... He can do it again!

I don't know what you might need to be reminded of from your past with our great God. Search your memories and know that He is the same. He can do it again... and again... and again!

Now that calls for a BIG WOO - - HOO ! !

Taste and see

Taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34:8

This week we had almost $3000 worth of books come in for the Wellspring Home.

It was a little different from other shipments that we have been ordering. Previous shipments included different studies and materials that will be used to lead our Wellspring Girls to understand there is healing to be found. As I was unpacking theses boxes there was an excitement in my spirit that was not there before. I was reminded of...

He sent forth his word and healed them;

he rescued them from the grave.

Psalm 107:20

This shipment contained many translations of God's Word. I could imagine our girls digging in deep and wanting to know all they could. That they will grasp hold of the Truth of how they are loved by God and the Truth of who they are in Christ. It was a sweet moment. It made me hungry to wrap my arms around them and start loving on them.

Prepare our hearts Lord to walk into this destiny that You have set before us! Make us ready.

A special prayer request for some very special friends of the Wellspring ministry... Jeff and Amy Hickman and Brian George of Lifesong Church in Lyman. They are headed to Las Vegas where they have a church plant. How exciting to see God moving and connecting His People... His Body... His BRIDE! Woo - hoo that's us!

Love and thanks...

Time out...

Today, I'll take a different position. Instead of sharing news or prayer request, today I simply and humbly ask you to join with us as we worship our Lord. If you cannot open the You Tube version to the left, try God Tube .
We are so thankful to be a part of His family. Worship Him fresh and new today!

We love you Lord!

The Paul Harvey of it all

So here is the story of the step I took yesterday. I had looked at a house last week. When I first Googled directions, I knew it was close by, but did not recognize the street name. As I got closer to it's location, I realized that I know whose house it is.
When I walked in through the front door all I could do was cry. God's spirit was so sweet and His presence was very evident. As we walked through the house it seemed that it would be the perfect location, house, setting. If God has an Ephesians 3:20 on this one... I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE IT!
So my step was talking to the owner. I was really glad I had known the person for over 20 years. They already knew I was crazy, so they weren't caught off guard. It reminded me of the day that Geraldine and I went to Atlanta to meet Mary Frances. God blessed us both.
Their realtor had shared with them what the interested party wanted to use the house for. The wife cried upon hearing.
It was a blessed meeting and I can't wait to see what God does from this point.

And of course when I got home and checked the mail, there was a card from my sweet friend Martha. Here is a small portion of what she had written...God is reminding me to pray for "The Great House of God." He had friends praying before I ever asked.

I felt like a toddler who is struggling to take that first step. I knew my Abba Father was there right in front of me with His arms stretched toward me all the while saying ... "come on Susan, you can do it!"

Woo- hoo thank you Lord for arms to fall in to! For steps taken and that your Glory is always there all along!

Maybe you are tottering on the edge of a step He has called you to. Be blessed as you put that foot out into the wild blue yonder!

Yes, God does have a sense of humor!

Today at 12:37 right before I left home for my 1:00 appointment I headed to my bedroom. I wanted to get face down before the Lord and just be still and worship Him before I left home. I decided to take my ipod and let Jesus pick the song for the moments together. I turned it on, selected shuffle songs and could not believe my ears when "Sometimes by Step" with Rich Mullins and Bebo Norman started playing. If you are not familiar with the song here is the chorus...

Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise You Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise You I will seek You in the morning and I will learn to walk in Your ways and step by step You'll lead me and I will follow You all of my days ...

If the shoe fits... you might as well wear it

Many years ago, me dear friend Tracy called me a weenie. I went to great lengths to reason with her why I was being smart and not putting myself in a position to choke on both my feet at once. On and on I rambled as to why I was not a weenie. Well, on Monday, March 17th during my morning prayer time I came face to face with the truth that I, indeed, am a weenie.

Time after time I have shared the Words that God has placed before me as a road map for the direction I am to take with Wellspring. Time after time I have waited on Him not only to open the doors he has set before me, but to pull me through from the other side. Or better yet send someone from the other side out and say "here lady, your order is ready". Where is the faith in that? It is so easy for me to believe that God is, that God will, that God has. Right after our Broken to Beautiful Conference was over, I started a solo journey of Discerning the Voice of God. Then in January we started attending Spartanburg Community Church. On into the month I started the Beth Moore Bible study Stepping Up. They all had one similar thread running through... what is your next step? I have known for months what a few of the ministry related next steps are. And here I confess to you as I confessed to the Lord yesterday... i am afraid.

I will be the first to shout what I believe from the roof tops, because I'm good at being loud. I can talk about the goodness and the greatness of God all day. I believe every word that I say. I do believe He will do what He has promised for E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. I know He is faithful in His part. Then there is this little part He requires of me... the next step. Putting that foot through the doorway He has opened. Thankfully He has said no man can shut it or I would be in trouble for sure.

Something caught my eye the other day, a piece of hot pink paper on the side of my refrigerator. On it are the Words from Revelation 3:8... "I see what you've done. Now see what I've done. I've opened a door before you that no one can slam shut. You don't have much strength, I know that; you used what you had to keep my Word. You didn't deny me when times were rough."
It's been there since August 2006.

Then there was the day at WBC when Allen shared a scripture during the morning prayer time.
Proverbs 21:1...The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases." (God actually gave that one again sitting with Madonna at El Molcajete one night)

Then there was this past weekend when God gave Matthew 7:7 not once, but twice..."Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

So friends... today - I AM TAKING A NEXT STEP!

Please pray against any fear on my part. God has gotten me through too many things for me to revert back to being that weenie!

I love you and wouldn't make it without your sweet prayer support!

Know that you know that you know!

I love reading and studying and finding nuggets of truth that resonate in my spirit. Don't you?
This was my latest discovery and I would like to encourage you with it...

"You don't have to wait until you see the answer with your senses to know that you possess it."
-Jennifer Kennedy Dean - Riches Stored in Secret Places

Oh how I pray that is true for each of you who read this. Have you asked God for things? Do you know He is a God (the only one as a matter of fact) that responds to our hearts cry? Are you anxiously awaiting His response? I hope that your heart starts beating a little faster and an uncontrollable smile springs forth across your face. As someone once said to me... "a smile that Ajax wouldn't wash" off with the anticipation of His movement. I won't go into all the things that I know I already possess in my spirit... but, oh! the day that they become reality that I can wrap my arms around ! Woo - Hoo to the HIGHEST!
Trust Him in all things, believe Him for all things for He is worthy of your trust!

So... on to the most recent Wellspring Living SC happenings...

Today I spoke with a sweet sister from Charlotte who was in hopes that our particular WLSC location would be near Rock Hill so she could be involved. After we shared stories of God's movement, I am hoping she will be the one who will start a Wellspring in the Charlotte area. IS God grander than we think or what? A few months ago I felt like we would be part of the Wellspring NATION! Maybe you wonder is it really necessary. To quote a portion of Ephesians 3:20... more than you can imagine. The reported statistics are 1 of every 4 women and 1 of every 6 men were sexually abused as children. If that's what is reported, can we even fathom what the true statistics are? Join us as we pray for D.R. and that if it's God's calling on her life to be part of this, she will know without hesitation.

I also made a phone call to a young lady I met in Atlanta last August. When I met her, she had just returned from a 3 month stay in Cambodia where she worked with girls who had been rescued out of the sex slave industry. She has such a heart for the Wellspring girls we will one day serve. She has done an internship at the Atlanta home. I have invited her to be our first coach. We have not spoken other than voice mail. Please also pray for what will become of this.
- - - Just hard from her and she has once again been globetrotting for the Lord! She has such a sweet heart for young girls and women who have become victims of human trafficking. She was working with Nightlight Bangkok while she was away. She just accepted a position yesterday with a group in Atlanta. She will be a great advocate for the young women in Atlanta who have lived through horrors we cannot imagine.
So, there you go... just when you think you have God figured out and tried to stuff Him in a little box. No way. His plans far exceed my own. It just sounded like a plan that would work! Back to the drawing board A-G-A-I-N!

We are continuing to pursue board members.

I almost forgot! We have started looking at houses! That has been fun going into different places and seeing the potential. That goes back to our being prepared. It was decided that perhaps if someone had some money to give and asked how much we needed, we might have an educated starting point.

Oh be blessed today with a fresh view of His provision, feel it in your hearts, live a life of thankful worship before Him!

Love to you all!
Suz

Filling our lamps...

Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. - Matthew 25:2-4

Well, we intend on being counted among the wise on this one! Last Thursday, Gretchen, Joe(Gretchen's son) and I made a giant step in "filling our lamps with oil" in preparation for what is yet to be. We went to Target and started a gift registry for Wellspring Living SC. This may seem foolish to some, but He has said He was going to do this thing, and He is after all, a MAN of HIS WORD!
Many of you may recall that in my own personal life there is this "thing" that God has promised He was in the midst of doing and late one night He spoke to my heart and said..."live your life as if I have already done it!"
So it seemed like if it was a good thing in one area, it might be smart to apply it to other areas where we have seen Him on the move. I may have never been a Girl or Boy Scout ... but a person that walks with Jesus better have on his or her preparedness!

Another reason to be excited... we are now up to two official board members and counting! We will give a complete list in the days ahead.

I have a sweet story to tell about someone else we will be inviting to come along beside us on the journey. But I will have to wait, because if she reads this before we offer the invitaion it would spoil the fun. All I will say is that God shows up in the most unexpected places at the most unexpected times to whisper in our ears. It's good to hear the whisper!

God of Wonders

Isn't it the truth that His ways are not our ways? And I am thankful for it! Thank goodness we are created in His image and not the opposite! Great things are starting to unfold. I have this mental picture of this little group of three (so far) making plans ... big plans! Then I look at my "to do list" and am a little overwhelmed. I wonder how can I do all of this? Then, out of now where comes the gentle reminder that I am just a small part of a larger team. May it ever be so Lord. The great thing is - I don't even know who all the team members are!

On Monday morning God had the sweetest surprise waiting for me. A friend of mine presented me with a check. She shared how God has placed Wellspring on her heart. Each year she selects a ministry to support throughout the year. She chose us. Rather... God chose us! That means we have our first pledge, a monthly donor. She said that even though it was a small amount that God had impressed upon her heart that we had to start somewhere. We are so honored for the work of the Holy Spirit in hearts and lives.

Later that day Ray and I met at the Cracker Barrel for dinner. As I headed to the table where he was already seated I saw some ladies that I know, but don't know that well. One of them came over and sat down at our table and asked about the ministry. Did we have a house yet? What kind of house would we be looking for? A question we often get. But this time there was a different response. She had heard me speak at Jackson Baptist in November. She shared that as I talked about the house then, she had one in mind. The glory of what she shared on Monday night... she is meeting with the owner of the house on Tuesday(she is a Realtor!!). It seems as though she is a Wellspring Ministry Representative too! Who would have ever guessed???
You may recall that I had a similar experience in August when I spoke at Lifesong Church. One of their ministry leaders had been talking with a local dentist to see about having dental care provided for our Wellspring Girls!
We have also had the commitment of makeovers and new dos from a sweet cosmetologist that attended the Broken to Beautiful conference in October.

We ask that you continue to pray over this God thing that He is sharing in our midst! I love it when He starts moving and being true to His character and invites us in and blesses us with good seats to the main event!

Sounds like the perfect time for our favorite Woo - Hoo... ZA Celebration Dance and Shout!

Prayer request... We turned in our Letter of Inquiry to the Spartanburg County Foundation last Friday. If approved, we will then be able to submit a grant for $15, 750.

Milestones in the making...

This week marks another big step in the "next step" category. On Thursday morning we will meet for the first official Borad/Staff Planning Retreat for WLSC. All THREE of us are so excited. The two staff are myself and Gretchen and our one board member so far is Madonna. We have much to discuss and many plans to make. Did I say we are so excited??

This past weekend I was cleaning out closets and such when I came across the first email correspondence I had with Mary Frances Bowley (Atlanta ministry founder) prior to our first meeting. Almost two years to the day. It was a timely reminder of God's faithful provisions since that time. I had no idea that we would be allowed to bring the Wellspring name here into our area. It is an honor to do so. I pray that we will continue the tradition of excellence that they have constantly modeled before us in all we do.

The one thing we truly desire is that you would cover us in prayer. Asking that the decisions we make will be led by the Spirit of the True and Living God.
We humbly appreciate all your prayer and excitement along side us as we continue to seek our Lord's Beautiful Heart and Face.