Not by Might nor by Power

Zechariah 4:6 Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.



I was disappointed as I reasoned with my then 16 year old son, Johnny. Not disappointed that he wanted to finish college first, but that he didn't seem to have a desire to go on an extended missions trip or go overseas to bible school to dive into the Word before he started college at a secular school. I shared with him that right after graduation would be a perfect time to do something like it because he had no responsibilities of family, job, etc. and he would probably never be able to get another opportunity. Even when I mentioned it, I could sense he had already decided he wasn't going to do it. Every part of me wanted to continue reasoning with him and arguing with him about why it was such a good idea. But deep in my heart, I said these exact words..."Ok, I won't mention it again, but you can't escape my prayers." I smiled to myself knowing that the Lord would honor my quiet spirit (which is very difficult for me by the way), and He would honor my self control in not quarrelling. I was certain I could come to the Lord with my request and He would move on my behalf if I acted in meekness and faith.

That evening, I added this important request to my prayer journal. The Lord brought a scripture to my spirit. Exodus 10:1-2 Now the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son's son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord." You see, the Lord wants to take every opportunity to bring glory to Himself...He is worthy of all praise. I knew as soon as I read this truth that in the end, no matter how long it took, the Lord would bring glory upon Himself. I also knew if He could change Pharoah's heart from hard to soft, he could certainly change Johnny's heart who had a deep desire to serve and honor the Lord.

It has been over a year since I wrote that in my prayer journal. I have quietly come to the Lord with my request and I have never mentioned anything about bible school or a missions trip to Johnny again since that day. I have waited patiently on the Lord for Him to bring glory to Himself. Just a couple of days ago, I was riding in the van with Johnny. "You know, mom, I've continued to have this feeling in my heart that God wants me to go to go out of the country either to bible school or on a missions trip with Gospel for Asia. The Lord has just continued to bring it up in my heart. I don't know what to think about that."

He didn't know what to think about it, but I did! I wanted to jump up and down and get out of the van and do a dance! Our God hears our prayers and if we wait, He will answer, without fail, 100% of the time. We don't have to knock our kids over the head or beat our husbands to listen, or be verbally aggressive to get our way. We just need to have a quiet spirit, and come to the One who will change our situation. He is in the business of the heart. He judges the heart and works in the heart and He is very, very good at the work He does. I want to bring honor and glory to the One who knows our hearts. I am thankful today that the Lord gave me His Word and He ALWAYS tells me the truth. If we seek Him and His Word and quietly come to Him with our requests, He will move and it's the most amazing thing! I pray that you never give up asking, seeking, and knocking. Because if we ask, it will be given to us, if we seek, we will find, and if we knock, the One who opens the doors, will open it to us! (Matthew 7:7) God Bless you this Christmas!

Psalm 107:1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

1Peter 4:7 Love will cover a multitude of sins.

It was September of 2005 and I had just started my job at the hospital. I was taking care of a young woman with end-stage AIDS. Her body was severely battered by years of drug addiction and AIDS had taken its toll on her. All she wanted to do was lie in bed and wait for her pain medications. She looked like a shell of a person lying there. There was no eye contact, no expression. She didn't want to shower or even talk. She just waited to die. Her condition saddened me and I called out to the Lord for help. God placed her on my heart and I started to pray for her daily. I asked that the Lord how I could minister to her and also that He would open a door so I could share with her about the love of Jesus. Day after day as I cared for her, I would try different avenues to get on the subject, but the door was completely closed. I remember telling the Lord that it was impossible to share with her because her heart was closed to anything spiritual. She was discharged from the hospital one day and I never saw her again.

Over a year later, I returned from the hospital after maternity leave. I hadn’t worked for some time. I grabbed my coffee and listened to report. I was surprised when I heard Becky was one of my patients. I was sure she had probably passed away. During morning rounds, I went into her room and she was sitting up in a chair writing in a journal. Becky was reading a little prayer book that one of the priests from the hospital had given her. I introduced myself again and told her that I remembered her. She shared a little bit about herself. Becky said that she had gotten into drugs very early in life. She explained that she had three kids, all of which she had lost custody of, and she had gotten AIDS from IV drug use. I had a small window of opportunity to tell her just a little bit about what Jesus had done in my life. She was a little more open about talking about spiritual things, but she still seemed distant and had a wall up. Every chance I got, I glorified God and shared all that God was doing in my life. I had hoped and prayed that God would open a door for me to share how Jesus wanted to give her a new life, but as the days went by, I realized the opportunity to do this was slipping by. Her discharge date was set in a couple of days.

The next day, I drove across town to Gospel Supplies so I could buy her a bible. It wasn't just any bible. I wanted to get her one with big letters because she had AIDS-related meningitis that damaged her eyes. I also wanted to get her name engraved on it so that she could call this bible her own. I went and purchased her pretty, red bible and I brought it up to her in hopes that we would be able to talk more. She seemed thankful, but I still never had an opportunity to share with her about this matchless love that can only come from Jesus.

It was over a month later and a day before Thanksgiving, 2005, I stopped in to work because I had to pick up some paperwork. I wasn’t even in my uniform, but I heard someone from behind me call my name. I turned around and it was Becky. She said excitedly, "I have been looking for you." She told me that she had a relapse with her drugs and she had gotten readmitted to the hospital three days earlier. For the past three days, she had been walking up and down the hallways looking for me and wondering if I was going to be at work. She had just prayed that she would see me and there I was! I walked with her for a while. I noticed how broken she looked. She had really come to the end of her rope. She explained she wanted to find me to let me know how special her bible was to her. She said, “I had no idea that you had engraved my name on the cover of the bible. I have shown every doctor and nurse who comes into my room my new bible and I hold it up and say this is my bible!” Friends, may we never underestimate the power of love. It covers a multitude of sin and it NEVER fails. Becky went on to explain that every time she felt like doing drugs, she would pull her bible out and read it. When she did, the feelings to go and do drugs would leave her. It made me want to cry for her. I saw her in her eyes how much she longed to be free and that God had touched her heart through His Word.

She invited me to sit with her for a while and the anointing of God was in the room. I shared that I had been praying for her and I sensed the Lord had opened the door for this appointment. I asked Becky if I could share with her how she could go to heaven. God had totally opened up her heart and she listened intently to everything I said. When I asked her if she wanted to repent and receive eternal life, she nodded her head and closed her weary eyes as I led her in prayer. She sat on her hospital bed repenting and asking Jesus to be her Lord and Savior. For the first time, I saw joy light up her face. I just wanted to cry with her because I knew that the Lord set a wretch like me free and He was doing His mighty work again. He had created another beautiful masterpiece by His blood.

Right before I left Becky’s room, I asked if I could lay hands on her and pray for her health. She asked if I could pray for healing of her body and that God would deliver her from her drug addiction. I prayed over her and spoke the Word of God over her and her addiction. I told her the Lord had the power to deliver her and she could believe Him because He was worthy. I have never seen such a change in a person's demeanor as I saw after she had received the powerful blood of Jesus. Praise God that even when we give up on ourselves, He is faithful to never give up on us.

As I walked down the hall and out of the hospital, I realized how much I had to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. I thought about my own salvation and how freely Jesus forgave a sinful woman like me. I write this to encourage all of you on this Thanksgiving 2010. For all of you who have prayed for your family and friends to be saved and have lost hope, be encouraged on this Thanksgiving season and believe with me for the salvation of our loved ones. The Lord’s hand is not too short to reach those we see as unreachable. We serve a God who has the power to heal and save mightily. I prayed for this woman that I didn't even know and God answered me in all of His glory and power. Now what more do you think our Father in heaven will do for those His own children hold up in prayer? When it really comes down to it, what else is there? It’s just God's perfect love for us and the precious gift of salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving as we see the Lord’s work in our own lives and as we continue to see the gospel go out and touch the lives of those we see who do not yet know Him.

God is Mighty

I rushed out the grocery store making my escape to the van. My six week old daughter was hungry and not about to wait. As I made my way across the parking lot, there I saw her. Our eyes met. As if I knew what she was going to ask, I quickly shifted my eyes to the asphalt hoping she wouldn't notice me. As she took two steps towards me, I heard the dreaded request. "Do you have any spare change?" With a sigh, I replied, "No, no spare change." I was annoyed as I moved quickly to my van. I just wanted to get home to feed my baby and relax. Could they not understand my body language and my annoyance when they asked me for money, I wondered. She promptly thanked me after I said no and I hurried on my way. Deep in my spirit, I thought how this homeless lady still mattered to God and as a daughter of the King, she should matter to me also.

Thoughts came flooding back to my heart as I remembered what Pastor Fernando told me months earlier. He said he never gave money when homeless people asked, but he would give them fruit or whatever he had from his lunch. I got to my van and buckled my daughter in her car seat. I looked in my grocery bag at the one loaf of bread and carton of yogurt at the bottom of the bag. A drew in a deep breath as I felt the Lord prompting me to share the little I had. I drove across the parking lot to the woman. I opened my window and called out to her. She came over to my window. I said, "I have no money, but I do have a yogurt if you want it." She smiled a sad smile and thanked me for sharing. She was about 40 years old, thin, weathered, and one of the loneliest souls I had ever seen. It showed on her face all of the pain and sorrow her life had offered her. I saw the dissatisfaction that that squashed her hopes and dreams that resulted from believing the lie that the world had something to offer her. The world had left her void of any peace, joy, or love. All of a sudden, like a flood, I got such an overwhelming feeling of love that flowed in my heart for this woman. What spilled out of my mouth at that moment would do nothing short of changing this woman's life in an instant. Tears welled up in my eyes and I said, "I want you to know that Jesus loves you." Just the sound of that name changes people...that beautiful name, Jesus. A flash of hope lit up in her eyes and I saw that my Mighty God had had touched her deep in her soul. "I appreciate you telling me that," she said. "I have been very, very down lately and I needed to hear that."

For a few moments we were like old friends catching up. She started opening up to me about her life. She told me her name was Cynthia and that she was homeless and hungry. She had contracted a rare blood disease that was causing her to be sick. The doctors told her that she didn't have long to live. She shared with me the hurt she had in her heart that she could trace back as far as she could remember. Over the past couple of days she explained that things had gotten so bad for her that she didn't want to get up and face another day. She thought to herself just hours before that she hoped to either die on her own or that she would commit suicide. Tears flowed down my face as I pointed to Jesus for her solution. I explained that the Lord sent me to talk with her and that He was willing and able to to change her life and heal her.

Cynthia had been very sick recently from her disease and she had been thinking a lot about God and heaven and when I asked her if she knew she was going to heaven, she said this very question plaqued her heart. All the while it tugged at her heart, she was completely unsure of her eternal destiny. My heart flowed out Living Water as the scripture talks about. The power of Jesus just flowed through my heart as I sat in awe of God. He was opening the door for me to share with this woman and I was privileged to be a part of His glorious work. My daughter, on the other hand, was not very excited. She was starting to cry because she was hungry.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, I invited Cynthia into my van to drive across the parking lot. This is something I would never recommend. When I think back, I knew I was being led by the Holy Spirit because this is something so contrary to what I would do on my own. I would never invite anyone into my car, especially with my 6 week old baby in the car with me. We quietly drove through the parking lot to the resturant where I would give her something to eat that would satisfy her for a while, but also share with her the Bread of Life that would last forever.

As we sat down together at the table, she ate as if it were her last meal. I knew she was hungry for food. But what I started to realize was she was more hungry for eternal security and the love of Jesus. I told her that even more than the food she was eating or any amount of money in the world, what I was about to share with her was worth more than Gold. I sat and nursed my daughter as I shared the gospel with this stranger. Cynthia cried as she accepted forgiveness and invited Jesus into her heart. While I prayed with her, she took in a very deep breath. After I finished, she said that she had not been able to breath in deeply in so long because of this heaviness she had in her chest. She explained that while I was praying for her that God had lifted something from her and she was able to take a deep breath. God had forgiven all of her sins and removed the burden from her.

The Lord removed her sin and I visited with my new friend. She was now my sister and part of my family. I was so cut to the heart when she shared her life with me. She had been living in an abandoned home with no furniture or electricity. She shared that her childhood was very difficult and she never felt any love in her home. The Lord revealed to me that she had been wounded and deeply hurt by abuse as a child. As if being unloved isn't enough, her brother had committed suicide 6 years earlier. It broke her heart so much that she gave up on God. She realized as the Holy Spirit worked in her heart that she had been mad at God for her brother dying. I told her, "I assure you, Cynthia, God has never given up on you because He sent me to talk with you today." Jesus was the answer to all of her problems and He wanted to give her a new life and fill her with a joy that couldn't be obtained anywhere except through HIm.

After all of this, she said, "More than the meal you've given me, thank you for taking the time to tell me all of this." In all of her life experience, no one had ever taken the time to talk to her about God. She explained how she had a deep sense of relief in her heart that she was unable to explain. Her smile lit up the room and it gave me great joy to see God be glorified.

When we were getting ready to leave, she pulled out a dirty, crumpled piece of paper with a poem on it. She had written it that morning and this is what it said

My true love, Sent from the Heavens above
As beautiful as a flying white dove
Wanting him, needing him, missing him, and loving him,
I have deep emotions for this man, so much so you just
wouldn't understand.

Life has so many commands and demands,
struggles and strides, so many tears to hide
not really one soul you could honestly confide
Life to me has always been a rough ride,
much loss but not much gained
releasing my tears as it may rain
at times I may feel insane, with no one in particular to blame

I pray day after day, night after night, for my life to just be alright
Yet I know I must not give up, I must try with all of my might
Althoguh I cry myself to sleep almost every night, still I must awake
the next day and put up another fight just to survive and be alright

Written by Cynthia AKA Sinner

I was moved in my heart that she had written this. The man she spoke of in this poem was Jesus and He had given her a new life. He had rescued her from her darkest hour and she was going to be alright. The Lord had done a wonderful thing in this woman's life. I was amazed as I thought about how when people ask me for spare change, how deep inside I have already judged them. But God showed me how it doesn't matter to the Lord if we live in an abandoned building or a high dollar mansion, His spirit wants to reach them and save their lost souls.

I felt blessed as I walked back to my van. I reached in my glove box and handed her a brand new bible that I had been carrying around for months for that special soul that God showed me. She was thankful for her bible and told me she never had one of her own. While we said goodbye, I asked if I could lay hands on her and ask that God would heal her body. As I prayed, I felt God's anointing and I believe by His power He not only healed her spirit, but her body also.

As I drove away, I pondered the greatness of God. I realized the matchless gift God had given me through His adoption. My life with Him was an abundant life and now Cynthia had the same rights to that life I had by taking one step of faith and believing. I smiled as I thought about my wonderful husband, five beautiful children, and an inheritance in heaven that no one can put a price on. I never saw Cynthia again. I often look for her when I go to that grocery store on the west side of town. But I knew I would see her again in eternity, as she had just received from God what every man and woman is looking for...forgiveness.

A friend of mine recently sent me an email and she signed it "God is Mighty." I say, yes He is! My God is so mighty.

He Redeemed the Crown

As most of my good friends know, one of my biggest struggles in life is to eat to the glory of God. It is truly a struggle for me. I like to eat past the point of being full, I love candy and cake and everything that isn't good for me. To some, overeating might seem like a small thing, but to me, it is purely captivity when I am controlled by food. But over the past two years, the Lord has really convicted my heart to stop eating when I am full, give up the sugar, and look to Him and only Him for my satisfaction. He has reminded me that that piece of cake or candy is not going to satisfy me. I continue over and over to try to meet my needs and satisfaction in food, but it leads me to the same result every time...emptiness.

To that end, the Lord has really been working with me. He has given me so many truths and He has satisfied me beyond anything a piece of chocolate cake could do! A few weeks ago, He gave me a promise. Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land.I have been standing on this promise for weeks. I try to remember it when I want to overeat or eat something I know I shouldn't. I realized that IF I am willing and obedient to His Word, God has something so much more for me than food or candy.

Well, in my rebellion, I decided the other day to get some Lemonheads. I don't know if anyone knows what those are, but they are little hard candies. I am driving to the bank and I am eating away. The whole time I am eating, I am remembering that promise and really not caring, if you know what I mean. I'm thinking, I might care after I get done with my candy. Really, I had several days of just rebelling and deciding in my heart that I really just want to eat my candy. So I am chewing away and all of a sudden a hear a crunch, crunch, crunch. I knew it wasn't the candy and I reached in my mouth to pull out a whole chunk of my crown that had broken off.

You know, I just sat there and thought to myself...that's what I get! You know, God's promise to me is contingent upon "IF" I am willing and obedient, then I will get His best. So here I sat, I had just paid $600 to get this crown on not long ago and I was going to have to get it redone at the same price. I even thought I had cracked the tooth next to it.

I went home with a heavy heart. I wasn't willing and obedient and it was clear I was not reaping the best from God. So I went up to my room and I sat quietly before the Lord. I repented and made a committment to Him that by His Spirit, I would look to Him again for my satisfaction and not the candy.

I was so sad that I was going to have to pay so much money to get my tooth done again. So I said to the Lord, "Lord I am turning from my overeating again, for the thousandth time. I know I am back here again, but I ask you to forgive me. This is not too much for you Lord. I know you can redeem my crown too. You can make it cost me nothing if you choose to. But I am putting this in Your hands."

Friday, I went to my dentist and I am thinking anything under $1000 is good (considering I thought I might have hurt the crowned tooth and chipped the tooth next to it). He looked it over and guest what? There was no damage to the underlying tooth and I did not crack the tooth next to it. The crown is still under warranty (If you can believe that...I didn't even know they had a warranty) and it is not going to cost me anything to have it replaced! Nothing is too much for my God. The one thing that really came to me with this experience is not so much the crown being fixed for nothing, but that the Lord just desires me to repent and be right with Him. He WANTS us to have the best from Him and IF we are willing and obedient, He will give it to us. Even if we start out wrong and repent, He will still give us the best. My God is able to do immeasurably more than I could EVER ask or think.

His Words Heal Our Flesh

After several hours of traveling and waiting in airports, I was finally boarding my plane to Mexico City. It had been in the works for a couple of months and the day had finally arrived. It was March 2003, and I was going to Mexico City on my first mission trip with Operation Serve International. When I boarded the plane, the Holy Spirit whispered something so profound to me, “This will be a life-changing experience for you.” I was so excited. After all, it is always my hope to be changed by Him who is the only one who has the ability to change me. I had no idea what was in store, but I was anxiously awaiting the work of the Lord.

The next morning, we arose early at our hotel and were assigned to our areas of work. We would be going to a dump site in Mexico City and setting up a make-shift medical clinic. Here we would be providing medical, dental, and vision care for the people in the dumps. I’m sure Connie could see the disappointment when she assigned me to work in dental. I was in the middle of nursing school and it was my desire to be used in this capacity. But something in my spirit said God had other plans for me and I was right where He wanted me to be.

I was privileged to work with Dr. Ismael, a national dentist, for the week. He had a measure of faith I had not seen in my three years of Christianity. Our whole team was cut deep in our hearts when he shared his testimony with us one evening. He was about 20 years old (which was about 12 years before this time) when he and another friend had eaten a taco from a street vendor. They both became violently ill and within a few days, his friend sadly passed away. Tears welled up in his eyes as he recalled this time in his life. He told us day by day, he continued to get sicker and sicker. Finally, the grave news came when doctors told him there was nothing they could do for him and they didn’t think he would live two more weeks. He was not a believer at the time, but the Lord sent his aunts to his side to share with him about Jesus. They explained that the Lord could heal him and if he wanted to accept Him in his life, they believed the Lord would restore his health. Right there, he accepted Jesus in his life and within 3 days, he was completely restored to health. It was truly a miracle. I could go on and on about what God had done in his life since that time His testimony to the Lord and our experience working with him was such a time of faith for all of us. After 10 days of personal revival and being changed from the inside out, we all said our goodbyes to the Operation Serve Team. I returned home but all that Dr. Ismael shared with me about his faith has stayed in my heart until this day.

In June of 2003, the Lord opened another door for me to return to Mexico City for a second mission. Again I arrived to Mexico City for the Lord to finish what He had started in me just three months before. Our team loaded the bus in the morning to go to the dumps. There sitting by herself was a young, quiet woman. I sat down next to her and introduced myself. All the way to the site, we talked and shared with each other. I was sad as she shared with me how as a young child, she never felt loved by her family. She explained how this experience as a child caused her to have some deep wounds in her heart that affected her mentally and spiritually.

After a long time of talking, she started to share in more detail how this experience of feeling unloved had affected her life as an adolescent. Sarah explained that she started noticing that she was not having any “normal” relationships with boys. She didn’t feel comfortable around them and just started to get a lot of anxiety. It really started to bother her and she developed a bipolar disorder. This caused her thoughts to be very clouded and this is where the enemy was able to get her to start believing a lie. She said her thoughts started to mess with her and she felt that maybe because she couldn’t have any normal relationships with boys, that she must be a lesbian. It started to seep into her mind and into her heart and if it weren’t for the Lord’s protection, this lie would have utterly destroyed this woman. She started to struggle with this temptation and it completely ravaged her heart and soul. I have to be honest, as she explained these things to me, I got really uncomfortable. I had just met Sarah on the bus ride to the site and I was sitting all alone with her while she was telling me she struggled with being a lesbian. At that time, I just said a little prayer in my heart to the Lord. “Lord, just help me have wisdom to minister to this woman,” I prayed. I trusted the Lord for His strength because I knew He had me sitting next to her for a reason.

Sarah shared that through all of these emotional, physical and mental struggles, she had committed her life to Jesus and He was bringing her mind back to where it needed to be. She continued seeking the Lord for deliverance in this area that she struggled with. “One time God spoke to me,” she said out of the blue. Sarah explained that she is a math major and she often times will think in terms of numbers. One morning while she was struggling, the Lord placed a number in her heart. The number was 4. A little while later, another number came to her. It was the number 23. She was perplexed by these numbers that were dropped into her spirit, until finally she asked God for understanding. She waited on the Lord and later that morning, the word Proverbs was on her heart. She grabbed her bible and looked up <strong>Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. This was a Word from the Lord and she knew it. She said from that day forward, she had been holding on to those Words from the Lord. I was amazed at God and pondered in my heart how efficient and sufficient He truly is. He is totally able to meet all of our needs in whatever way that He chooses to do it.

As we continued to drive, we had a few moments of silence. When she broke the silence, she said with her quiet voice, “Do you think I am going to struggle with this my whole life?” For a second, I didn’t know if I could answer her. But the Lord quickened my spirit and gave me wisdom…not my wisdom but His. I told her, sexual sin is a problem with your flesh and the Word says, “Do not let my Word depart from before your eyes, because it is health and healing to ALL of your flesh.” I thought to myself…where did that come from? In fact, when she asked me where the scripture was, I didn’t even know. I thought it might be in Proverbs, but we spent the rest of the trip looking through Proverbs to no avail. I apologized to her that I couldn’t find it for her, but I assured her that it was indeed there. I knew she wanted to find it in print so she could hold on to that promise.

Within a few minutes, we heard the rattling of the bus and we were stopped at a gas station to pick up someone. I looked up from my bible and there was Dr. Ismael! I waved to him and he looked surprised to see me. He sat down several seats from me and the bus driver put it in gear and we drove to our site.

Finally, we had arrived at our destination…the dumps. I walked off the bus with Sarah, and apologized again that I couldn’t find the scripture. We gave each other a hug and I encouraged her to keep holding on to the promises of God. She gave me a nod and we walked off to our separate work sites.

As I entered the building, I saw Dr. Ismael standing there. He had a big smile on his face and then he reached right into his shirt pocket and pulled out a folded piece of purple paper. Handing me the piece of paper, in his broken English, he explained that right after I left Mexico three months earlier, he and his wife, Rosa, were in a car accident. In their private prayer time with the Lord after their accident, they both had asked the Lord why He had allowed this to happen to them. In answer to them, the Lord gave them three scriptures. Taking the piece of purple paper from him, he said , “And the Lord told me to give these to you because you would need them.” As I think back on this event, I couldn’t even tell you what the first two verses were, but when I looked at the third verse written on the paper, I saw Proverbs 4:20-23. I looked down at the word “Proverbs” and as if the world had stopped for a moment, I immediately knew this was the scripture I was looking for to give to Sarah.

Excitement swirled in my head as I began to grasp that the God of the universe had given this Word to Sarah three months prior to her ever arriving into the country and Dr. Ismael had no knowledge that I would even be there. I snapped the piece of paper into my palm and I ran out of the building and into the bus. I reached up in the luggage carrier of the bus and pulled down my blue bible. There it was in print…Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. It was beautiful. The Lord had provided His Words for Sarah before her search ever began. His Word is true when He says, “ask and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7

I leapt off the bus to search for Sarah. You should have seen her face when she realized what God had done on her behalf. She lit up like Times Square. The Lord gave her assurance that He was going to take care of her and by His Word and His Word alone He would heal her flesh. We marveled at what an awesome God we were serving. Then she said, “And look, the scripture that the Lord spoke to me months before that I have been holding on to is just below it.” It was as if God was finishing a thought He had for her and waited for the perfect time to finish the thought.

This Jesus is like no other, friends. He is always looking out for you and for me. He is always willing and able to meet all of our needs, physically, spiritually, and mentally. He desires to speak to us personally through His Word, other believers, and through His Spirit. My prayer is that the Lord would speak to you so profoundly that you would never let go of His promises. His promises are for good and the Lord will never fall short of His beautiful promises to you.

Dance for Jesus - a Little Rap Song

I went into my daughter's room today and she had gotten hold of one of Chad's notebooks. She scribbled all over it and ripped up all of the pages. When I looked down at it, I could see that it was something Chad had written. I found all the pieces of paper and put them all back together. It really touched me what he wrote and wanted to share it with all of you. Here's a special little rap song Chad wrote.



Dance for Jesus, by Chad Gallego

1,2,3 Jesus loves you and me.
He is the One,
He didn't rest until the earth was all done.
He is great, He is our fate,
He is the truth and not a rumor.
If you think He isn't, you have no future.
Jesus has no sin,
Against the devil He will always win.
Jesus is the way,
So get up, raise your voices, and say...

The devil doesn't stand a chance, so come on, come on let's dance. Dance for Jesus; dance because He is the Son who will save everyone. He sits on the throne night and day; the Word of God is here to stay. We all like sheep have gone astray, but on the cross He dearly paid.

If you always read the Bible, I promise you will never get bored.
The Bible is like a spiritual sword.
In the Bible it says not to kill,but to fill everybody's mind with God's will.
In Heaven there are streets of gold,
So if you want to go, be bold.
Be bold against the world and hardships and pain,
Don't worry about fame.
Be wise,
You are famous in God's eyes.
Jesus is the way,
So get up, raise your voices, and say...

The devil doesn't stand a chance, so come on, come on, let's dance. Dance for Jesus, dance because He is the Son, who will save everyone. He sits on the throne night and day; the Word of God is here to stay. We all like sheep have gone astray, but on the cross He dearly paid.

All those gangsters and want to be homies,
Think they don't need Jesus, but they're just a bunch of phonies.
They pray to all the other gods, but they are unheard.
What they need is the Word.
Don't be like those thugs, who waste their life on drugs.
But do what's right, and fight the spiritual fight.
Jesus loves you and me,
I know you will see,
Jesus is the way,
So get up, raise your voices, and say...

The devil doesn't stand a chance, so come on, come on let's dance. Dance for Jesus, dance because He is the Son who will save everyone. He sits on the throne night and day; the Word of God is here to stay. We all like sheep have gone astray, but on the cross He dearly paid.

Jesus is never wrong and always fair.
If you want to accept Him, it only takes one little prayer.
Don't say God's name in vain,
To Him it is like pain.
Everything that you do, God will always provide for you.
Pay attention to this song,
If you don't, you go the way that is wrong.
Jesus is the way,
So get up, raise your voices, and say...

The devil doesn't stand a chance, so come on, come on let's dance. Dance for Jesus, dance because He is the Son who will save everyone. He sits on the throne night and day; the Word of God is here to stay. We all like sheep have gone astray, but on the cross He dearly paid.

Not the Craigslist Killer, But the Craigslist Healer

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Every night when I make dinner for my family, I look over at the large, empty space in my dining room. After 6 months in my new house, I still don’t have a kitchen table! Every evening, my beautiful, large family gathers around our breakfast bar trying to find a place to eat!

I was determined last week that I was going to find myself a table. I have no idea why I chose that day…John was at work and he would probably shoot me if I went to buy a table without him. But I jumped on Craigslist and saw the most beautiful table I had ever seen and it had just been posted on the site minutes before. It was a hand-crafted, beautifully carved wood table with 8 perfectly padded chairs. I immediately got on the phone to call before someone else bought it.

I called the number on the ad and the woman answered and told me to come over. Johnny hadn’t been feeling good that morning, so he was home from school. My girls were comfortably snuggled on the couch ready to take a nap. I thought it was a perfect time to slip away to go look at this table that would fill this large hole in my dining room.

I arrived at the address and went in to look at the table. It was even more beautiful in real life than it was in the pictures. It was beautifully carved wood and perfect condition. As I looked over the table, I started talking to Lisa, the lady who was selling the table. In the middle of our small talk, she shared that she had been pregnant with quadruplets at an advanced age and only two of the babies survived. They were now four years old. She said she had been going through a very awful menopause and felt at times she might be going crazy. One minute, she was depressed and the other minute she was happy. She said it had been an extremely difficult time for her and for her husband.

I felt for her. I remember the days of feeling depression and having so much anxiety that weighed me down to the point of not being able to function. "And I’m about to be going through a very nasty divorce,” Lisa said matter-of-factly. It took me by surprise how she said it. It was so bold how she said it, but the Lord showed me in an instant she was deeply wounded in her heart. She shared with me that she felt that divorce might be the way they needed to go because her husband just couldn’t take it anymore. “If that’s what he needs to do, then that’s what he needs to do,” she said. I could literally see the wall that she had up trying to protect her broken heart and I could see that she was just frustrated and hurt. Then I asked her, “How long have you known that you were getting divorced?” I was shocked when she answered me that they had just decided they were going to get divorced that day. As I looked over the table, I realized the reason I was there had nothing to do with this beautiful table.

Lisa walked me out and I let her know I couldn’t make a decision on the table without my husband seeing it. When I looked at her sadness, I just felt so much compassion for her and her situation. I started to share with her that our husbands really thrive on the respect that we have for them and we as wives thrive on love. She answered me back, “I want to be respected too. I am sick of not being respected by him.” I knew she was so wounded and my heart went out to her.

I knew at this point, the only thing she really needed from me was to know that Jesus loved her. She felt unloved by her husband, but there was One whose love never failed. So I told her, “Lisa, Jesus loves you more than you know and He has thought about you before you were ever born. He loves you and wants to spend time with you and heal your heart and your marriage.” When I said these words to her, she just broke down and I saw the tears start coming down her face. The love of Jesus is just such a matchless love. In the midst of her feelings of being unloved, just knowing that Jesus loved her seemed comforting.

I let her how my life was before Jesus and that one day, God brought me someone to tell me that Jesus wanted to change my life. I said, “Lisa, I don’t think I’m here about the table. I think God sent you someone like he sent for me.” Right there, I shared with her the beautiful gospel of peace and salvation and I prayed with her as she accepted Jesus Christ into her life as her Lord and Savior. She said that morning, she was sitting out on her patio and she was crying out to God and God is so faithful to have answered her. Jesus was her answer.

1Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,” Now Lisa had this hope, the same hope that I have to hold on to. Lisa had been a Jehovah’s Witness for 15 years and when she got out of the church, she didn’t really want anything to do with God. She had family who tried to get her to go to a Christian church with them, but she said she just wasn’t ready. “You know what I’m going to do?” Lisa proclaimed, “I’m going to call my family who has been trying to get me to go church with them and tell them what happened today,” She called her mom and her cousin and said, “You are never going to guess what happened to me today? I got saved!” On the other end of the phone, they were crying because they were so happy for her! Lisa was now able to give a defense for the hope that had entered her heart and share with others.

That same evening, John and went back to her house to look at the table and this woman was such a different person. She had so much joy on her face when four hours before, she looked so desolate and empty and void of joy. It was truly a beautiful picture of God’s grace and forgiveness and restoration.

She shared with us that after I had left her house earlier, she went in to talk with her husband and they were able to talk things through and the Lord restored the division between them. I was so blessed at the beauty and power of Jesus Christ. I am just amazed that this powerful Father has adopted me into His family.

The funny thing was, we didn’t end up getting the table! But God did something so profound in this woman’s life. I was just looking for a table, but God was looking to answer someone’s prayer. Allowing me to even be a part of His work, is just so humbling. While I was thinking of a table, Jesus was thinking of Lisa. I was so touched deep in my soul when Lisa told me, “I will never forget what happened here today.” For me, years may go on, and I may even forget about what happened with Lisa, but Jesus…He will never forget.