~ Precious Moments, Perfect Peace ~

I absolutely love sitting on my back porch out here in the country just listening to the birds chirping and soaking in every little bit of God’s Word! Just being out here in his beautiful creation makes his Word come alive even more. It always amazes me how I can read a verse that I have known for years, but every time I get something new from it! What proof right there that God’s Word is alive and active!

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

I’ve spent a lot of time with my sweet baby girl this week just going over life lessons! What precious time that the Lord has allowed a teachable moment out of a situation she is going through. I love watching her grow in her love of our God! Many times this week we have been able to just sit and talk about scripture and how it applies to each situation she has encountered. Even at 10 years of age, I see something so special in her. I see a love for God blooming and maturing and it blesses my heart. I see how God is speaking to her and how she is responding to his call! She has been a shining example in my own life.

One of the scriptures that we have focused on this week is,

Phil. 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

This has been a verse that has really been a prayer of mine and in our home at many different times and just this week became a prayer of Callie’s once again. As Callie was going through this situation, she was quick to remind me of this verse and we sat and read and prayed it aloud. I love how it reminds us that, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” It doesn’t say that when our answer comes we will have this peace. It says, to present our requests to God and the peace of God, which exceeds all our understanding, will guard our hearts and minds! Love it! We can come to God with our requests, our prayers, and our petitions and his peace will rise above all that we understand! Can I get an AMEN from someone? Wow!

Our understanding can get a little clouded when it comes to challenging situations, but when we give it to God, his peace covers us! When you truly experience God’s peace, there is no other experience like it!

God used this teachable moment with Callie into a teachable moment with me as well! A time to praise him for this soul-satisfying peace that only he can give. I am so thankful for these precious moments with Callie! I love to see her grow in her walk with God, but I am also thankful that she knows where to go first, right to God’s Word!

No matter what your circumstances are, and trust me, there are many challenging situations that are right in front of me as well, God’s Word is the source of guidance and comfort we need. Pick up your Bible and read from his love letter to you. So much awaits you there and to pour your heart and soul into it will only reap a harvest of blessings and peace! I praise him that through the challenges, I have peace and, yes; it is the peace of God, which transcends all understanding and guards my heart and my mind in him and him alone!

I pray that your week if filled with God’s peace and that his blessings abound!

His Servant~

Allison

~ Radical Obedience ~

I just love those times when the Holy Spirit prompts me to stop what I am doing and spend more time with him! This week has been one of those weeks when I have changed my plans many times to give my undivided attention to my awesome Lord! Sure things on my “to-do” list may not have been completed but I can tell you my soul has been nourished. From what I have received from those quiet times crying over the beautiful promises in God’s Word, my soul desperately needed that sweet nourishment.

For many months now, God has really been doing a work in my life. I felt as though he has been preparing me for changes to come but not quite knowing what he had in store. I have felt his presence so strong in leading me in new territories. I have asked Matt and a few close friends to pray that I would be open and obedient to what God had in store. Along this journey, he has called me to a time of “radical obedience”. You know when you hear either one of those words by themselves, they are pretty powerful but when put together it raises the meaning to a whole new level. Webster’s defines “radical” as “fundamental, extreme” and the word “obedience” as “submissive compliance”. Wow, put that together and you get “fundamental and extreme submissive compliance”. Okay, that just made obeying pretty serious!

As the Lord has tugged at my heart about this radical obedience it has not come without some resistance on my part. Just being honest here! Anything that goes against what feels comfortable usually tends to have some resistance, and I can assure you that some of the areas that God is directing me are definitely out of my comfort zone. But you know, comfort leads to complacency and I don’t ever want to get complacent in my walk with God! I want to continue growing in my spiritual life. I want to mature and have God mold and shape me even more. I have discovered that growth in Christ is not looking for comfort and complacency, but looking for purpose and perspective, God’s perspective! This week especially, I have seen Satan trying to keep my perspective at a place where it could be discouraged because of trials and challenges at bay. But praise be to God for his Word! His Word says to glory in our sufferings!

Romans 5:3-4 says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

So long Satan! God’s Word is powerful and such a source of encouragement! God uses our times of suffering and trial to equip us for the journey ahead. The end result is hope! As God has so evidently called me to a time of radical obedience I know that the focus of my mind and my heart will shape the decisions and the actions that I take. So how do I keep my focus on him?

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

My mind needs to stay steadfast in him and him alone! I have a choice. I can wake up each morning and dread what is in front of me or I can wake up and choose obedience! I don’t know all that God is calling me to do just yet. He is revealing those things in his time, not mine. This is his journey for me and I am just a willing vessel to be used for his glory! Scared as the road may seem sometimes, he will go with me. He will never call us to do his will without equipping for the journey and staying with us every step of the way! So I am in for the long haul….radical obedience!

Lord, today I choose to accept the tasks you have for me because I desire a life sold-out for you. Today, I say, “YES” to you! God, keep my focus on you alone so that I can complete the work to further your Kingdom. I choose to say, “Yes” even when my flesh wants to say “no”. I choose to persevere when times get tough and challenges seem overwhelming. I choose to trust you when the task seems uncomfortable. Lord, I choose you because there is hope! Lord, I choose you because I love you!

Allison

A Time of Celebrations, Challenges, & Peace

In the past week I have celebrated some very special events! First was Mother’s Day, and then was Caleb’s 4^th Gotcha Day, and finally my birthday! It was a week of parties and celebrations! I am all about a party and we had so many good memories taken from that special week. In the midst of all the celebrations, we also found ourselves dealing with some other issues that could have put a huge damper on all the festivities. But don’t you just love how our God takes his huge loving arms and wraps them so tightly around you that the breath that was just knocked out of you is so sweetly flowing again?

He is such an amazing God! He made those special moments even more special for me this past week. The most treasured title I hold on this earth is that of “Mother”. As I celebrated “Mother’s Day”, I looked at my mom and the beautiful example she has constantly set in my life. She is a woman of godly character and grace and has instilled in me that a love for God is of utmost priority. Now I get to instill that same love to the three wonderful blessings that God has entrusted to me. They give me so much joy and I find myself just so humbled that God chose me to be their mom. I have really stopped to focus on each and every one of them this week and the uniqueness that makes them so special! I can tell you that they amaze me!

The next day we got to relive that special moment when Caleb forever walked into our family! As I look into his little eyes, I see so much life in there and I praise God for this special miracle. In his 4 years as part of this family, he has taught me so much about perseverance and cheer. He has been through so much in his short little life but through it all has persevered and has done it with a smile on his face because he loves life! What a testimony!

My birthday finished out the week and I know a lot of people dread that day because it signifies them getting older. But I look at it as a time to celebrate another year to serve our Lord! I had the privilege to spend this birthday on a weekend getaway with my magnificent hubby! I always look forward to our special times together. He can make me laugh like no other and we just truly enjoy each other’s company. I am so thankful for the husband I have! This weekend getaway was a time of rest, focus, and prayer as we had decisions facing us. God so sweetly orchestrated this time for us and we were able to find such peace in the direction he was leading us!

I come off of that week of celebrations and challenges and feel so empowered! Not because of anything I have done, but because of everything my Lord has done! He is Life and Breath and the reason I live! He gives me, my family strength to make it day to day as we encounter trials. He gives us hope that he will see us through and he does so with such peace and comfort! I love him more than words can say and I know he will carry us through!

No matter what you are going through, find comfort in God and his Word! He is the peace that surpasses all understanding.

A passage of scripture that penetrates to the depths of my soul is in Philippians and I want to share it with you to feast on this week. It has seen us through many trials and continues to minister in a mighty way.

Phil. 4:6-8 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Don’t just read it, take it and let it infiltrate your soul and change your life! I am so thankful for my Jesus! Just the thought of him brings peace to the mind and joy to the soul!

Love and blessings for a beautiful week in Christ!

Allison

Happy 4th Gotcha Day Caleb!

4 Years ago today our lives were forever changed! All the way around the world, our precious little Caleb entered our lives! I remember that day like it was yesterday! I still can feel the butterflies flying around my stomach as I waited all day to go meet him and prayed that he would love me as much as I already loved him. I could not even fathom what he was going through that day as his whole world was about to be rocked as well. But on May 9, 2007 around 4:30 in the afternoon I met my sweet boy. He was so scared as he made his entrance into the room, but the minute I held him in my arms, I knew he was home! Praise be to God! Though his tears broke my heart, in about 45 minutes he was laughing and cutting up with his new brother and sister! I cannot even begin to tell you all the emotions that I am going through right now!

I remember the smells, the sounds in the room, the clothes he was wearing, and everything about that beautiful moment! Only my God can orchestrate a moment like that and I am so grateful that he loves me enough to entrust this precious child to me. I am his mom! Wow! Not only did he give me Ben and Callie, but now Caleb! Thank you precious Lord! My thoughts are going wild right now as I type this and one day, I will share all those special memories with you all about our adoption experience! For now, I share with you that indescribable moment of when this beautiful child was placed in my arms forever as my son!

I love you Caleb!

(I have posted more pictures of Gotcha Day on my facebook page)

~ Bearing Fruit ~

One of the greatest mission opportunities that I have been involved with is our “Operation Inasmuch” here at SHBC. It is a one-day community blitz where the church goes out into the community to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Matthew 25:40 “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

A couple of years ago as we were participating in this one day mission blitz, we were able to do some yard work for a very sweet lady. She had a beautifully landscaped yard and it was in need of a little TLC, so we donned our gloves and hedge clippers and headed out! One of the jobs we needed to do was put out some fresh pine straw and remove any old, dead bushes. Someone asked where the dead bushes were and she said that we would definitely notice them in the bunch. Well, she was right. In the middle of all those beautiful bushes and trees were two bushes that were dead. No leaves, dry, brittle branches, yep! They were dead. We took an ax and started at the bottom. As we pulled on the branches to bring it out of the ground, they just started breaking off. What an eyesore to such a serene setting. They were of no significance to that setting because they did nothing. They could not produce any flowers or leaves and they just caused the others to seem dull. Once we removed the dead bushes, the landscape was once again a place of serenity and beauty. The same is true with our lives.

John 15:1-2 “I am the vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

Are our lives producing fruit for the Savior? Jesus’ words here distinguish between those lives that are producing fruit, they will be cut back to promote new and more fruitful growth, and those that bear no fruit, they need to go. They will be cut off at the trunk. Ouch! This is serious stuff! I want a tree that is beautiful and bountiful with fruit! Sure those times that God prunes my branches can be painful, but oh so necessary to strengthen my character and promote new growth that will bring him glory. Those that choose not to follow and lead unproductive lives will be cut off in order to keep the rest of the tree from being infected. How do we produce this fruit for him?

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

We need to remain in him. There is no way to produce fruit without him. We have it plain and clear and I am so grateful that he guides me and shows me everything I need. His Word is my source of guidance! I choose this day to follow and obey my Savior, to produce fruit that is sweet and pleasant for him.

Blessings~

Allison