We've Already Got a Hero - For His Glory, Wednesday, June 24, 2009

This past Sunday was Father's Day and one of our pastors spoke of how much he loved and admired his father. He told of how his father was his "hero." It moved me to tears to hear Pastor Dan say how proud he was of his father and that he was named after his father and that there were many, many stories he could tell of his dad. One of the thoughts that came to mind, hearing Pastor Don Wilson give the statistics of the fatherless, was "who is THEIR hero?" Well, my friends - every one of us has a hero. His name is Jesus. Webster's Online Dictionary defines "hero" as

1 a: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b: an illustrious warrior c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d: one that shows great courage . . .an "object" of extreme admiration and devotion, i.e. "an idol."

For those of us who believe, by Faith, in the one true and living God and His son Jesus, we know that Jesus is of divine descent and He was endowed by His Father God with the "great courage" to lay down His life for us on the cross so that we could have a restoration of the fellowship with the Almighty God that our sin nature has taken from us. Jesus told us that we were His "friends" and John 15:13 says "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." Jesus set the standard for what it is to be a "hero" and in the struggles I have encountered raising the children God blessed me with, I know that daily, I have to humble myself before the Throne of Grace to learn how best to parent them and how best to be the wife that God has for me to be. More importantly, my friends, I am learning that I don't need an earthly "hero" because Jesus is already our hero. My dad, my brother, my husband and other men like them are wonderful men who are the textbook definition of "courageous" but there are many, like my older son, who never got to meet their father and could never engage in the schoolyard exchange of "my dad can beat your dad" and they are left to ask "will someone be my hero?" Someone already is! While my heart breaks for those who don't appear to have someone to mentor them, the prayer of my heart is that each of us will take seriously the call to be the one who points the fatherless and wounded to the Savior. I am only a Mom and I am human and imperfect and while I would CERTAINLY take a bullet for my children, I cannot say for certain I would "lay down my life" for just anyone - even my best girlfriends but Jesus did JUST THAT. It is the earnest prayer of my heart that one Godly follower of Christ would come along side those who feel alone, and point them to the true hero - Jesus. And with that prayer I am asking the Almighty to anoint me with the aroma of Christ - that I be filled with the fruits of the spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness - cuz I am no one's "hero" at this point and not sure that I will ever be called to be. But I know The Hero - I know who laid down HIS life for me - do you? If you don't - e-me or give me a call. I'll meet you where you are and share with you how you, too, can have a relationship with a real Hero. If you already know the salvation of Jesus, will you join me in pointing the world to Him? Keep me accountable as it is the desire of my heart that ALL I do be For His Glory! Loving you, with His Love - AA

I'm Slipping . . . no, wait . . . I FELL! For His Glory, Monday, June 22, 2009

Yeah - it's been four weeks ago today that I crash landed. While I would LOVE to be telling you that "the rest is history" it's not. Today, I started physical therapy. For most of it, I cried - great rivers of painful tears. While I kinda "knew" in the back of my head that this was gonna hurt, I really had NO IDEA how badly. Muscles have stiffened and were in spasm, crutches were too short, brace wasn't adjusted correctly, hip was out of alignment - in short, I'm a wreck. BUT once I got done with the therapy, I actually began to feel some relief. Am I uncomfortable - yeah. Is it actually better than before the therapy? Absolutely? I had to laugh when I finally made it back to work as the scripture from Saturday's devotional was Psalm 94:18 which says "I cried out, 'I'm slipping!' and your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me." While God didn't keep me from falling, His love has continued to support me and I feel it. While I was waiting for therapy to start, I was flipping through a scripture card index I have made and am taking greating comfort in the Word from Psalm 17:6 which says "I am praying to YOU because I know YOU will answer, oh God. Bend down and listen as I pray." (both NLT). Friends, it's tough and for some, it may get tougher before it gets better. God may not keep us from falling (physically or spiritually) but He WILL help us when we do and when we're on our backsides after the fall, I KNOW that we can pray and that He will bend down to listen as we do. Be encouraged today that no matter how low you're feeling, how far you've fallen or if you're down and can't get up, His love is supporting you and will continue to do so and He WILL hear you when you pray. Loving you with His love! AA

The Miracle of His Grace - For His Glory, Wednesday, June 17, 2009

1 Peter Chapter 1, beginning with verse 3 and continuing through verse 9, says:

All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

for it is by HIS boundless mercy

that God has given us the PRIVILEGE of being born again.

Now we live with a wonderful expectation

because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead.

For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children.

It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled,

beyond the reach of change and decay.

And God, in HIS MIGHTY POWER,

WILL PROTECT YOU until you receive this salvation,

because you are trusting him.

It will be revealed on the last day for all to see.
SO BE TRULY GLAD!

THERE IS WONDERFUL JOY AHEAD,

even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.

These trials are only to test your faith,

to show that it is strong and pure.

It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold –

and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold.

So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials,

it will bring you much praise and glory and honor

on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

[WE] love him even though you have never seen him.

Though [WE] do not see him, you trust him;

and even now [WE] are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy.

OUR reward for trusting HIM will be the salvation of our souls.

[Words - God - 1 Peter, Chapter 1; Emphasis - Mine]

Brothers and sisters, friends - these past three weeks have been difficult - culminating at the end of last week with yet another fiery trial - one involving yet another battle with our drug abusing, angry and wounded son and his girlfriend. I'm afraid, my friends, I did not rise above the fray and at first was mildly irritated at being called on the carpet about how I had and had not raised our son and then became angry and wounded. I said somethings I wouldn't want splashed across the headlines. I reacted out of anger and I need forgiveness and mercy. Oh, my dear friends, I KNOW life is tough. Yet I know that we can thank God for HIS indescribable gift. None of us, my friends, is born with the character of God. We are to "add" to our lives all that character means and that character MUST be developed. Nor are we born with habits — we have to form Godly habits on the basis of the new life God has placed within us. NONE OF US are not meant to be seen as God’s perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everyday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of HIS grace. Oh, my friends, I know my true, un-Christ-like nature will rear its ugly head and let me tell you, Satan has beat me up for my humanity. If any man (or woman) be in Christ, he or she is a new creation and I know and will testify with my last breath how the grace and mercy of God have changed my life! It is my earnest prayer that, through my tears, my failures, my shortcomings, my mistakes, my mis-steps and stumbles, that all who know me will see the Miracle of God's genuine grace displayed to me and that I can continue to learn how to demonstrate, without words, the miracle of that Grace to ALL I encounter! Loving you, praying for you and soliciting your prayers for me as we continue to make this journey, by His Grace, For His Glory! Much love - AA

For His Glory, Thursday, June 11, 2009 - My Redeemer is Faithful and True

What a week!! What a three weeks. As most of you know by now, I fell on Memorial Day and fractured the tibia (really ouch), ruptured the cartilage and tore the meniscus in my knee. Surgery was done on June 3rd and left me with some small punctures and some slightly bigger wounds where they put in THE SCREWS (known to those ortho guys as 'orthopedic hardware.') Does this mean ya'll can now call me Ace? Hah! In the midst of all, life goes on and sometimes we want the merry go round to stop spinning so we can get off of it - if only for a moment or two - and catch our breath. Having been in a head-on car accident almost 27 years ago I thought had "forgotten" how painful bone injuries can be. Uh, yeah - NOT! For most of Thursday and part of Friday, I wept out of the sheer physical pain I was in. Now, I'm not "tough" but I'm not a total pain weenie but this one kids hurt me. Is still hurting me. God, however, in HIS infinite, wonderful wisdom and timing, has brought us to a new place in our journey. I received word on Monday - while at home still trying to get my bearings - that the Firm by whom I am employed will cease to exist as of September 30, 2009. The men who own the Firm have been partners for 19 years and friends for closer to 30 both of them having been former Directors of the Arizona Department of Insurance. I was at home with my Tanner when I got the news and when I hung up the phone, I cried as if I had just been told my dearest friend had died. I have been in the employ of these two amazing people for almost eight years and it certainly wasn't part of MY grand plan to change that - at least not in the immediate. My sweet Tanner tried so hard to be calming and despite my tears, I looked at him and said "baby, we KNOW that ALL things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to HIS purpose!" I reminded Him that God, indeed, knows the plans HE has for us - plans to prosper us and NOT harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future. While I am sad at the end of this era of my life, I am excited as the Lord is already beginning to fill me with HIS confidence and His assurance as HE is NOT a God of chaos. He is a God of Order and if we will allow Him to, He will order the very steps we take for our good and For HIS glory. Oh, dear ones, my leg is broken but healing, my future is unclear but CERTAIN because I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES and the tears I shed are, in part, out of pain and in part, healing cleansing tears that clear the cobwebs and remind me that nothing that happens in our lives is without God's permission. I don't know what each of you is experiencing today but trust me on this - OUR REDEEMER IS FAITHFUL AND TRUE and regardless of the physical or emotional pain that you're in, regardless of the financial worries, regardless of the future you can't see - GOD IS STILL GOD and if we will trust Him, I promise, It's gonna be okay.

Romans 12:1-3 says:

And so, dear brothers and sisters,

I plead with you to give your bodies to God.

Let them be a living and holy sacrifice –

the kind he will accept.

When you think of what he has done for you,

is this too much to ask?

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world,

but let God transform you into a new person

by changing the way you think.

Then you will know what God wants you to do,

and you will know how good and pleasing

and PERFECT his will really is!!

Max Lucado said on Twitter today that his prayer for all who reads [these] words "May God root you in the soil of His love. May He bask you in the warmth of His hope." Oh, my friends - here's Hope!! Join me on the journey and trust that I will make it with you, loving you with His love and desiring that ALL I do is For His Glory! Andrea

The Story of My Life

Okay- so broken leg notwithstanding - I am getting by. Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow and we're "bopping" along as well as we can "bop." Yesterday, my "page a day" scripture was from Jeremiah 17:14, which says "heal me, O Lord and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved; for THOU art my praise." When this happened - after I got over the initial shock of "Now what?" I began to ask the Lord to be glorified in this circumstance and vowed that I would, as I attempt to do with everything in my life, trust Him implicitly to know what He's doing through this situation. One thing that has become abundantly clear is that the Hand of God has written the pages of my Life. I know and trust that God, indeed, is the story of my life whether it be in how He has blessed me with my children, blessed me to be Brendan's wife, blessed me to be working where I work, ministering where I minister and serving where I serve. God is written on every page and God WILL be written on this page too. I shared with my sweetie this morning that I believe I have never felt so loved and attended to by him as I have this past week or so. He has tended my every need - even letting me cry on his shoulder in pain and frustration. I know that the Lord will heal this broken leg and I trust the surgeon's skilled hands to do his part to get me knitting back together but through it all, Romans 8:28 reminds me that we KNOW that all things work together for good even those things that to our earthly, seeing eyes, don't seem to have much good about them. Am I thankful for this broken leg? I'm learning to be. Am I rejoicing that God is using even this to write the story of my life. The song by Shannon Wexelberg says it all:

You are the story of my Life

I need you in my Life

Both now and ever

You are the Lover of my soul

no matter where I go

I know it's true

the story of my life

is You.

(C) The Story of My Life by Shannon Wexelberg

Dear ones - it is my prayer that you will allow the Almighty to be the story of YOUR life and I promise, while it will have twists and turns and all the "exciting" things (like broken bones) that life brings, if you allow Him, He'll write a perfect, ETERNAL ending. Yours, In Him! AA