Come now, let us reason together...

hey are
Do you have something in your life that would just cause you to die if people, especially your peeps found out? Well, I have had one of those things in my life for sometime now. It's one of those things God and I work on, it seems like it will be OK, then before you know it... it's back like it always was.

Once I stopped by the church on my way to work to just worship and praise the Lord. Upon entering the sanctuary I started my music and was just having the best time. Then I felt drawn to the Bible on the pulpit. It belonged to my friend John Moore, left from the day before. I opened it up and when I saw where it opened to, my praise turned to tears of sadness and despair over what God had just shown me. That same old sin once again... argh!

So, I addressed it for a little while, then fell back into the same old me.

Same old, same old - time after time.

Then came November 2008. We were issued a challenge at church. Guaranteed to work... or your money back! Hub challenged us to (here it comes, the revelation of my secret) tithe for three months. At the end of the challenge if we didn't feel like we had been blessed by doing so, he would refund our money. Now, I hope you know I didn't take the challenge to get the refund.
Tell me why after all these years... I believe it took! There was something different. I don't know why, but I know there is.

So in the weeks that passed by I was blessed. Blessed in ways I never could have imagined.
One thing that blew me away was a friend that I had not seen in three years stopped by to sponsor me in an upcoming event. I kept telling her "no", but she insisted. I was about to say no one more time, when it seemed as though God said "take the money, it's from ME!"

Then I had decided I needed a set of twin beds for my grand babies as they grew older. A few days later, another friend called to see if Wellspring was ready to accept donations. I said yes. But when she told me what she had to donate, I asked if I could buy them and use them instead.
Twin beds! She gave them to me, mattresses and all. Perfect, just perfect.

Then about two weeks ago I knew God had given permission for me to go to Brooklyn with WBC on their summer mission trip. I'll be staying with three of my favorite young ladies from youth trip days. One of which happens to be my youngest daughter, Sarah. The icing on the cake is I'll will be at the Brooklyn Tabernacle Tuesday Night Prayer Service on my birthday! I cannot wait. If you remember my last birthday story on a mission trip.

And these are only the stories I will tell about. There are a few other things that have completely blown me away, like nothing ever has before. Those stories will come after God has written the end of them. - Stories you won't believe!!! But worth the wait - I guarantee it!

But here is the sweetest part of this particular story. I had a meeting with the Milestones staff and before I talked with them about Wellspring, I had to share about my blessing from tithing. I only shared about the lady coming to see me at work. Two days later, Hub called to see if I would mind sharing at church - both services. I said yes, because God is such a wonderful God, how can you not tell of His greatness?

Now it seemed kind of funny, here I was not wanting my closest friends and family to know my shameful secret, and now I was going public with it. That is so God!

After I said yes, I guess God figured it was time to discuss the Paul Harvey of this whole thing.

It was like He said, "Now Susan, can you explain to me one more time why you thought you didn't really have to tithe".

I had decided that I would give God all the time He needed, that I would go and do and give Him any of my talents that He could use and I could keep my money, after all, I did need it more than He did. Right?

That made sense to me. Until He asked the next question.

"Susan, do you realize what the bigger problem is here?"

Oh my gosh! I had no clue. I never knew that I had so much pride and arrogance in my heart.
It was like I had decided I was exempt from God's law. That's pretty bad.

Now tell me how that even made any sense? Looking back, it's like "what were you thinking?"

You know, I always thought God would deal really harshly with me for the sin in my life. That was the biggest lie I believed. Once we got started, He was ever so gentle with me. It was a very sweet, a very tender unfolding of my heart and the contents thereof. Almost like He was saying, "would you look at what I found in here!"

So, on Sunday April 26, 2009... I came clean. And it feels sooooooo good!

I knew I would have to write and share the story. The hard part was what to call it. Then on Tuesdays the 28th I flipped the old faithful Max Calender and there it was, Isaiah 1:18.

How fitting, "come let us reason together". It was especially sweet for me because it reminded me of the days when I was a little girl. My daddy would put the paddle in his pocket and we would walk out into the woods behind our house and sit on an old tree that had fallen. He never would take that paddle out. He just talked, and we reasoned together.

Ahhh God.... thanks for the talking to. I think I got it now, now that I understand the heart behind the action.

I love you, thanks for being patient all these years.






This is me standing next to a piece of the Berlin Wall.
For a long time now, I have wanted my picture made there.
The wall coming down... that was a day we never thought we would see, so it was with my sin.

Hallelujah! God is big enough to knock any wall down!

National Dance Day

Just in case you thought you had an excuse, not any more!
It is time to dance.... feel like it or not.

If you have never danced before the Lord or with the Lord... try it, you'll like it!


I would add the link, but am doing this post at lunch from my official work location ... so I don't have those at my disposal right now!

Here are a few favorites~
If you are in the mood for ballet,I recommend "It is Well" by Crystal Lewis.
That one is great to do indoors, or in the privacy of the moonlit night sky.

If you are in the mood to be swept away, I recommend "Revelation Song" by Kari Jobe, or "Praise Adoni" by Paul Baloche.

Last but not least... if you like a little hip-hop, I recommend "Lose my Soul" by Toby Mac and friends.

And, if you don't like any of these and have an ipod, just set it to shuffle and let Jesus be the Lord of your Dance today!

I'll repeat myself ONE MORE TIME...

Just in case you missed my post three times ago, let me stress the point one more time!

LET GO OF IT!!!

Whatever IT IS!!!

This past weekend my heart was so broken over something very near and dear to me. I was mad all day Sunday, cried all day Monday. During my morning prayer time on Tuesday, God said... lay it down and be glad about it.
So, I did. I let go of it. I told the Lord, as far as anyone knew, I would be agreeable and happy about the situation... even though He knew better.

As the week progressed, I asked God to do one thing for me concerning the situation at hand.

As a result of honoring Him and letting go of my control... I got the biggest Ephesians 3:20 to the max that I have ever gotten on anything.

God did what only GOD CAN DO.

Had I held on and tried to control it and make it go my way, it would have been mean, ugly and resulted in a killing for all I know.

BUT GOD! ! ! Woo Hoo....

So one more time for the road.... Sling that sucker down and run ... run... run to the arms of your sweet Lord who is there waiting to bless you more than you even thought about asking for.

G U A R E N T E E D !

Celebrating 4:20

Many people will be glad that today is 4:20.... a day to celebrate the cannabis culture.

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Well, that doesn't hold a lot of excitement for me personally.

But here are some everlasting 4:20's that do.



My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words
Proverbs 4:20
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Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet,
join us there. Our God will fight for us!"
Deuteronomy 4:20
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And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones
they had taken out of the Jordan.
Joshua 4:20
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The tree you saw, which grew large and strong,
with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth,
Daniel 4:20
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At once they left their nets and followed him
Matthew 4:20
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For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
Acts 4:20
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Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God
Romans 4:20

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For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power 1 Corinthians 4:20

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I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, Philemon 4:20

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If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar.

For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen,

cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

1 John 4:20

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To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen

Philippians 4:20

The good thing about God's 4:20.... they will never be gone in a puff of smoke... everlasting and eternal!

Now that's cause for celebration!!!

Once upon a time, in a land far away...

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God reminded me today of one of the most profound things He has ever done in my life. Maybe I have written this account here, maybe I haven't. If I have, please excuse the fact that I just have to tell the story one more time

The year I turned 49, I had the awesome pleasure of spending that very day in Patate, Ecuador.

As preparation for the trip, my co-workers gave me cards to open everyday while I was away. It was great. Included in the bundle was one from my friend Kim Hautamaki. As a matter of fact, I couldn't leave work until she returned with hers. When she handed me the envelope, she explained that out of desperation she finally just opened her Bible and placed her finger on a passage after praying and praying for God to give her a verse.

Maybe not the most theological way to give encouragement. But you know what!? that was all God needed - a willing finger!

While we were there, we heard stories of earthquakes that had destroyed many things that once stood on the mountainsides where we were assigned to work during the week.

This was the location of my groups daily visit. Someone in the village gave this land. We tore the house down, a church stands there now.

Well, me being the "granny" of the crew, there wasn't a lot I could do. One thing I did daily, was walk around the property and read scripture and pray over what was yet to come. As the children ran and played around me, I prayed over them, believing they are the

future leaders of the church in that village, claiming all that God has for them.
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I opened Kim's card on Sunday, read it and tucked it away. The week after returning home, I opened it, read it again and almost passed out!

This was the portion of scripture covered in her card...

LORD, You are my
God; I will exalt You. I will praise Your name, for You have accomplished
wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
2 For You have
turned the city into a pile of rubble, a fortified city, into a ruin; the
fortress of barbarians is no longer a city; it will never be rebuilt.
3
Therefore, a strong people will honor You. A city of violent people will fear
You.
4 For You have been a stronghold for the poor, a stronghold for the
humble person in his distress, a refuge from the rain, a shade from the heat.
When the breath of the violent is like rain against a wall,
5 like heat in a
dry land, You subdue the uproar of barbarians. As the shade of a cloud cools the
heat of the day, so He stills the song of the violent.
6 The LORD of Hosts will prepare a feast
for all the peoples on this mountain — a feast of aged wine, choice meat, finely aged wine.
7 On this mountain He
will destroy the burial shroud, the shroud over all the peoples, the sheet
covering all the nations;
8 He will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will
wipe away the tears from every face and remove His people's disgrace from the
whole earth, for the LORD has spoken.

After reading it for the second time... I almost passed out! I almost cut a cart wheel (well my spirit did)!

It was kind of like hearing a sermon on Sunday and thinking it doesn't apply to you, then realizing, it was straight from the heart of God to you!

Read verse 6 again.

If you know the story, I hope it excites your heart again too!

You see, our last day in the village, the villagers prepared a feast for us. Their finest foods, collected from all the village families. It felt like God, Himself had prepared this place at the table for us. As we sat there, the village elder came in with his finest bottle of home made wine.

It was there, that i realized this very day was indeed my birthday.

As we pulled back into the camp, there suspended in the sky was the biggest, thickest brightest rainbow I have ever seen.

It was like a kiss from heaven... just for me.

It wasn't until I was home that I realized God fulfilled that verse to the fullest.

So my friend, whatever you may be going through... know that God controls more than you can see, more than you can know. Just know THAT HE IS... and that is enough!

Thank you Lord, that You love each one of us enough. Help us to take the time to look back and see where we have been with You, what You have said, and what You have provided. To know that that scripture was for this day in time.... mmmmm I love you so Lord!!!

You bless my heart much more than I deserve!

Letting go

You know there are some things that are so precious in life you have to hold onto them very tightly. Right? That's true if it's your skirt on a windy day, or maybe an umbrella when it's pouring rain.

But what about something really dear, say a family member, or the hopes and dreams you've been praying over for years. I have found out that the best place for all that is not in our hands at all. When we grip "our stuff" with all we have, there's no way to receive all the things that need to come our way. You know.. like the answer to our prayers.

I guess the first time I really learned that was was back when, standing on our front porch around two a.m. To anyone passing by or peeping out their window, I probably looked more like a lunatic howling at the moon. But what else is there to do when you don't know what else to do? So that morning I was trying to figure out just what direction to face to sing my praise to the face of God. That was back before the days of the ipod. So it was just me and my voice singing "Shout to the Lord" from a broken and weary heart. As I turned to go back inside, it was like God whispered to my heart, "give him to me completely, and live from this time forth like I have answered your prayer."

Wow! If you have never tried it, let me strongly suggest it. You have no idea how great it feels to be out from under the load. That was probably nine years ago. I am still living like it's been done. And let me tell you - the day it is you will know it! I may even rent a bill board on 85! The one thing that has made it easy not to pick it back up is quite simply... the WORD of God.
I bet if counted the many words of confirmation He has given me, it would amaze even me.

Recently, you have heard me talk about my trips to the Cove with me kicking and screaming. Mainly, because I had a prayer group and I wasn't in the market for a new one. But this past Saturday, the Cove Sista's were going to get together to surprise Martha with a few goodies for her upcoming mission trip to Africa. As the week progressed, it seemed as though many of the group were under attack. So we gave up breakfast at the Cracker Barrel for a lengthy prayer time instead. Our time together was a joyous time. As I sat in this circle, I was so glad I had let go of the notion that my heart was only big enough for one group. When God whispered the name "Susan" to Martha, she went to another friend first, but the other friend said God didn't mean her. During a conversation that Martha and I had, God whispered "this Susan". Oh Praise His Name! I let go of a few and now I have a whole bunch! God multiplied, made it immeasurably more!

Just last week, I let go of another dream. THE HOUSE. Not the whole idea of Wellspring, but I let go of Dr. J's house. I know there is another ministry looking at the home. It would be a home for African orphans. So there, I released that into the Lord's hands too. If I can trust him with my precious son, my prayer group, I know I can more than trust Him with this. Whatever He allows to occupy Dr. J's home will be awesome.

So, are your knuckles white because of what you're holding on to? Maybe, it's time for you to think about letting go, and trusting God with all your stuff!

Mine eyes have seen the glory!

This past week our family joined together to share our memories and console one another as we said goodbye to one great lady. We knew her as Grandma Margaret around our house. Once upon a time I was married to her oldest son, Phillip. He died at the age of 34, in 1984. I always admired the way she handled his death. I know her heart was more broken than mine. After all, she was his mom. But you know, she never showed her grief to me. The only thing I remember seeing was that she carried on for her grand kids who had lost their dad. Jenn was only 6 and PJ was not yet 3. It was a hard time for sure.

Then in 1986, I married Ray. In 1988, Sarah was born. Margaret and the rest of the family accepted Ray and Sarah as if they had been born into their family. Isn't that so like God? In the past few years I came to realize that it may have been easy for Margaret to turn a hard heart toward Sarah. After all, look at what had been taken that allowed her to be here.
But, Margaret loved her, and held nothing back.
I never told her, but I was so thankful that she loved Sarah with her whole heart. Who knows, maybe Sarah helped piece her own heart together a little bit more than it had been.

It was right before Margaret's funeral began that I got a glimpse of the Glory of the Lord.

This is how it came about~

My little grandson Sam was in my arms. He had folded his little program into a cylinder that he referred to as his trumpet. We walked over toward PJ and Sam began to say these words...

"The LORD
your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
Zephaniah 3:17

To an untrained soul, that might just appear as a little kid rambling on and being silly. But to someone who believes God is at work in all things, it was music to my ears and my heart.

1 Corinthians 2:9
However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him."

Now it doesn't say that we won't see, hear or understand some things until we get to heaven. I think we need to be on the lookout at all times. Because we serve a God who can make it thunder and lightening during a snow storm! Who knew?
He can do anything.

He can use anyone. Even a little 3 year old to proclaim His word.

I believe that His Word did not return back to Him on Sunday afternoon until it accomplished His purpose. From the foundation of the world God had a purpose for Zephaniah 3:17 on Sunday, March 1, 2009.

I am just glad that God allowed me to witness it.

So be on guard, look for Him in all situations, in all places, from all people!

And by the way... happy birthday Phillip.