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!