Fill 'er up...

Do you ever feel like you are chasing your tail, running in circles?
Which of course leads to running nowhere as well as running out of gas.

Over the course of the last week, our focus as a board and staff has been to fall on our faces before the Lord. To seek Him with all of our hearts, minds, souls and strengths.

I'm going to stop right here and say... no matter what God has gifted you with, it is for His Glory and His ALONE. Maybe you are working a nine-to-five and feel like you have nothing to offer because your gift is not one mentioned... preaching, teaching, evangelism...
Can I just say - that my friend is a lie!

I had a meeting today with an old friend, Johnny R. I had heard he was the one I needed to sit down with (remember from my last post?) to help us get over all the hurdles that have pretty much immobilized us. A few simple questions, more hard questions. Some I had answers for, some I didn't. But now that I know what the questions are, now I can find the answers.

So maybe you have a gift of knowing what to ask, knowing how to fit a puzzle together, or something that seems so far off the beaten path from an evangelist, a prophet... put yourself out there, because if God created it in you - it is for Him. I pray that you will discover a few new possibilities beyond that nine-to-five!


So fill'er up, no more running around in circles, no more running on empty.

Yes, please fill'er up and I think I'll have the PREMIUM this time!

Battle Hymns of the day!

Open my eyes that i may see
glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.
Place in my hand the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee
Ready my God, Thy will to see
Open my eyes illumine me Spirit Divine!

Open my ears that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear.
And while the wave notes fall on my ear
Everything false will disappear.

Silently now I wait for Thee
Ready my God, Thy will to see
Open my ears illumine me Spirit Divine!

Open my mouth, and let me bear,
Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share.

Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my heart, illumine me,
Spirit divine!

Sometimes (OK, a lot of times) while getting bogged down in the trenches of trying to move this mountain, which seems like such a daunting task. A small, but forward step comes along and wouldn't you know it so then does a huge load of discouragement. Mostly the discouragement comes in my own mind. Probably because the only thing I usually see is what progress I, myself am making.

But then... (BUT GOD) out of nowhere I get an email or a phone call that sounds something like this...

"I recently had a call from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office wanting to know where they could send prostitutes when they want to get out of this lifestyle."

"We are going to come along side Wellspring this year because we believe in the mission. Our gift should be around $5,000."

"I would gladly open my home to you for luncheons, teas or whatever to help you get the word out."

"You should talk to so and so or such and such." (Just so happens that the so and so and such and such that was recommended to me by TWO different people is someone I already know... someone I have ministered with in the past, both here and in the Philippines)."

So, Mr. Doubt.... I have to BELIEVE! No matter how inadequate I feel, or how small my steps seem to be...I will continue to walk in the shadow of my MIGHTY BIG GOD! Basking in the rippling effect of His Glory and His alone.

Lead on, O King eternal,
The day of march has come
Henceforth in fields
of conquest
They tents shall be our home.

Through days of
preparation
Thy grace has made us strong,
And now, O King eternal,
We lift our battle song.

Lead on, O King eternal,
Till sin's
fierce war shall cease.
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet amen of
peace.

For not with swords loud clashing,
Nor roll of stirring
drums,
With deeds of love and mercy,
The heavenly kingdom comes.

Lead on, O King eternal,
We follow, not with fears.
For gladness
breaks like morning
Where'er Thy face appears.

Thy cross is lifted
o'er us;
We journey in its light.
The crown awaits the conquest,
Lead on, O God of might.

Join in and sing our song! It may spur you on to victory as well.

(No music on MyPlaylist to accompany the two quoted here!!!)

Grants and such

I was sharing with Martha today about grants and such at our inaugural prayer meeting. Realizing what a booger they can be. Being at MTCC over the years I have seen them come and go. Each perhaps intertwined with another, but no matter how related they may be, they each have their own grueling set of hoops to jump through.

On one of my visits to Atlanta, I had asked Mary Frances if they wrote a lot of grants. Her answer was a real shocker to me. "No, none." It was almost unthinkable that a non-profit could survive or be sustained without them... for such is the way of the world.

But thanks be to our Lord... we are not of that mindset.

I have given it a try or two, or three or more. God did bless us and encourage our hearts greatly when we received almost $10,000 from the Spartanburg Christian Community Foundation for Bibles and other materials in 2007.

So, as Martha and I were sharing before we started praying, she pulled out her Fasting Journal by Franklin Jentzen, turned to the back and started reading. We each had our pens and new journals for the journey (provided by Martha) ready and that's when it happened.

After she finished reading, I realized we had what amounts to our first grant request (working under our own 501c3).

Maybe if God has called you to something much bigger than yourself, you can use our grant formula. For sure I will let you know how it turns out for us!

GRANT us your favor.
GRANT us courage.
GRANT us clearly understood words.
GRANT us "Saving" grace (when God comes in and saves the day).
GRANT us a belief in the impossible.
GRANT us humility.
GRANT us faith.
GRANT us PUSHing power (to pray or praise until something happens).
GRANT us open doors.
GRANT us Your Strength and not our own.
GRANT us light for the pathway.
GRANT us DONE!

So that shall be our request for this day and this time.

And before I forget, Martha sent me this after she returned home...
GRANT: to give what is asked, to allow; to give or confer (as a right of
ownership) by formal act or by writing to agree... This
is the best part... a gift, especially land or rights given by a
government, or a gift of money.

I'll be sharing more about unique ways that you can pray for Wellspring if you have a heart and mind to. And please if God leads you to pray in another way... let me know!

And before i forget... if you are tired and thirsty and looking for some refreshment, you too can experience the GREAT MOUNTAIN of GOD... aka THE COVE... with MARTHA... Duncan First has space available for their March 5th & 6th ladies retreat. You may never be the same. You know according to His WORD... He likes to GRANT things on those mountains! For more info 439-7528.

See you soon!

Father Knows Best.... really HE does!

Many of you my age will remember that TV show from way back in the day. I couldn't tell you everyone that starred in it, well I can only name one - Danny Thomas.
Oh well, on with the story for today.

Remember how I have fought the Lord concerning the Cove the past few years because I thought I knew what was best for me? This year I didn't fight at all, and the truth is from the time I came back last year, I knew I wouldn't fight Him any more on this. Too bad that may not be the case for all my "yet to comes"!

I was right on the one thing I had guessed He had planned for the weekend. It was indeed my commissioning service for the Wellspring call. I tasted the sweetness of realizing that He indeed does know best... in all things.

One of the last things we did was the actual commissioning. The laying on of hands and words tenderly spoken in love. As each woman came up and prayed over me, they also read God's Word that He had given for the occasion. To hear these women that I had fought so hard against was very humbling. To realize that for whatever reason, this was indeed a case of Father Knows Best. To be honest, I cannot imagine a more fitting group to share the occasion with.

I thought of an old rhyme after I got home...

Make new friends, but keep the old
Some are silver and some are gold

...now it's just a little bit harder to tell the old from the new!

It has really caused me to stop and ask what other things in my life am I holding onto because I think I know best? I pray Thee Lord Jesus... loosen my grip and help me to trust you more and more each day.

There was a lot more that happened on that Great Mountain of God... but those will be other stories for other days. Days after my heart and head have processed them all!

Happy Birthday Mable!

January 6th I will celebrate my first year as Mable High. It's been a great year with many affirmations and promises for what is yet to come.

So, what am I doing with myself these first days of the new year? Resting, organizing and cleaning. Getting geared up for whatever God has in store. I know He has some amazing things, things I have never even thought about, dreamed about or even prayed about. How do I know... because that's just Who He is and just how He operates.

I am not planning on stepping into the Wellspring new year until I return from The Cove. The Cove.... I can hardly wait! Several years ago, Martha Gillen and I were heading back home from a speaking engagement in Laurens. As I shared my Ecuador mountain story, Martha was very moved. In a few days I found myself her guest for lunch. As we sat and talked, she shared the story of "the mountain of God". She and the small group God had assembled had been the previous year and this year, God had invited me. She had heard Him say "invite Susan" and had actually invited another friend that she thought He was talking about. Her friend prayed and said that she didn't feel like it was supposed to be her. When I shared my story she knew that I was the intended Susan.


When we arrived at the conference room where we would be meeting, we all saw that Martha had made each of us a box that told the stories of our lives. I was most impressed because at that time I barely knew Martha.

You might remember that last year we were to actually take a pair of dancing shoes for an evening with the Lord in the Chapel at The Cove. You might also remember that I have gone not so whole hearted the past two years. But after it was all said and done, I am so glad that I was there. From the time I came back off that mountain last year,I have anxiously waited this January's trip. We hadn't been back even a week it seemed when Martha was already asking questions and giving assignments for the new year. As emails started whirling back and forth I told her if she had any extra spots, I would love for Christine, Madonna and Tracy to be invited. I also included that as much as I would love to have them there, I knew it was God's place to do the inviting... not mine. Her response, God had already told her to invite them and my response was her confirmation. Now the real kicker to this years trip...
God has made the theme, the topic... Wellspring Living SC.

That's right, Wellspring LivingSC!

I don't let myself think about it too much or too often. I can hardly imagine what God has planned. I do believe it will be my commissioning service for the mission He has called me to. That's the real reason I'm not jumping into a lot of stuff before the 15th. I certainly don't want to get in front of Him on this one!

The only thing I am thinking about... which song do I want to offer to the Lord in the chapel this year as my wave offering.

You can bet that you will hear about it all in the days that follow our trip!

In the meantime, I hope and pray that you and your family are well on these cold, cold days.

Many questions... one answer...

Many of you know that I have resigned my position(S) at Middle Tyger Community Center after eleven plus years of employment effective at the end of what is known as DFFM CHRISTMAS. It has been one of the best experiences of my entire life. The thing I love most about MTCC... the people. Wanda has been an inspiration to watch and to love. Of all I hope to take from Wanda... her grace towards others no matter what the circumstance.

There is an endless list of names that have come and gone through the years. Tammy, Piper, Lynn and Kim are the ones that left a mark on my heart that have gone on to other callings in their lives. I am blessed to have known each and every one of them. That leaves us with the ones that I will be leaving behind... wow. I love each and every one of them too. MTCC contains some of the smartest, most clever, most compassionate women that I have ever encountered. It has been an honor to serve side by side with them over the years. And with James too! Hallelujah I never had to wear his hat too often... I might have left sooner!

In the years since the calling to Wellspring came back in 2003, I have felt a lot like Moses. Learning things at MTCC that will be most useful. In recent days, it's been feeling a little more like Noah. I guess no one had ever seen a boat, certainly not one of mammoth proportions. They too, had never seen rain. But for one hundred or so years, Noah labored in preparation for what was to be. I'm sure he answered many questions and people thought him foolish.



So here are some of the questions...



Q: Do you have a house yet?

A: NO!



Q: Do you have a store yet?

A: NO!



Q: Do you have coaches lined up?

A: NO!



Q: Do you have counselors lined up?

A: NO!



Q: Is there money to pay you?

A: No!



Q: Are you crazy?
A: NO!



Q: What will you do all day every day?

A: Not sure yet... but I do have a few thoughts below...



After years of waiting on the Lord, He made it abundantly clear in New York that the tables had turned and now He is waiting on me. I don't have all the answers, as a matter of fact I only have one... II Corinthians 9:8

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all
times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Knowing and believing that God indeed has called me to this, I have but one option. Follow.
Where would the faith be if I already had an answer to even one of the questions?

Like Abraham... God said go - he went. He had no answers, just a heart to follow. He never built a home... but every place he set up home in a tent he did build an alter unto the Lord. That says a lot about what Abraham thought to be most important.

I know that life as I know it may never be the same... but who is to say it won't be better? Better may not mean easier... but as long as I am walking hand in hand with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit - what could be better?

Maybe you know that you are to be involved but don't know how. Invite a group of friends over and we can have an evening of celebrating God through sharing the Wellspring story and what is yet to be. Do you have a women's ministry at your church? I would love to come and share.

I do plan on working with some other area ministries who are already making a difference for women in the Upstate.
I will also...
Believe God is Who He says He IS
Believe that God IS ABLE to do what HE says HE CAN DO
Believe that I am who God says I am
Believe that I can do all things through Christ Jesus
Believe that God's WORD is alive and active through me

So, there you have it... The Susan Georgeanna Lister Metcalf High Game Plan 101
with a little encouragement from two rounds of Believing God with Beth Moore.

Love you all and hope that you too will answer whatever He is calling out to you to BELIEVE HIM for today!