~ Summertime With God ~

A couple of months ago, the Lord placed on my heart a burden to do a summer Bible study with other women.  I did not know where, when, or how, but I knew God was leading me in that direction.  Being involved in many other ministries for the last decade, I have not been able to attend a ladies Bible study and felt as though it was time to get into the Word deeper with other sisters in Christ.  I was able to facilitate a couple at my church since February and what a joy that was!  So as I began praying about summertime, I knew that I wanted to stay in the Word and give other women an opportunity to do the same.

Don’t you love how God works out the details?  When you say, “yes” to him, he will work it all out.  I decided to step out in faith and start a study and now we are getting ready to begin next week with a class of 23… in a home!  God is so amazing!  This is a group of women that God brought together for a Divine appointment! It will be women from all walks of life, from newly married to widowed, from young to mature age, from different churches in our area, and from different circles of friends. The one common bond we will all have is a love for Jesus and the desire to grow closer to him through the study of his Word!

I look forward to seeing the amazing things God is going to teach us through his Word!  I ask you all to pray for this group of ladies as we begin our study of the book of James.  As we embark on this journey I pray that we grasp the need to not just “talk the talk”, but “walk the talk” and live the Christian life as God intends us to live.  May we surrender our lives to him and may this be the summer that is forever etched as a spiritual transformation of our souls!  We will give God all the glory and all the praise!

James 2:18

 “But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”

Praying and anticipating,

Allison

- WARNING -

~ Saying “Yes” to God may take you out of your comfort zone, make you do things you didn’t plan on doing, walk new territory, stretch your faith, and…experience total peace and joy being in the center of HIS will! ~

It seems as though my blogging has been a little more spread out lately and for that I apologize.  We are in the homestretch of finishing up school for this year and that means utter craziness.  Finishing up projects, exams, lots of field trips, sports banquets, Celebration banquets, etc., etc., etc.  You know what I’m talking about! Whew! Just typing that made me take another deep breath! Lol!  But the end is near!  Only 4 school days left and the burden is getting lighter!  Our preschool finished up a week ago so I have been tying up loose ends in the office and enjoying some extra time in the Word since my kids are still in school.  Though things seem very busy, I wouldn’t trade a second of it!

Last year, as I was studying and searching God’s Word, I began to feel God tugging at my heart.  I shared with Matt that I felt as though God was preparing me for something that I didn’t quite know what it was.  Matt encouraged me to continue praying and seeking God’s will and in time he would reveal his plan for me.  Over the next month or so, I continued seeking his face and had such a sense of excitement that he was preparing me for something.  In March, me and two of my sisters attended a women’s conference in Greenville, SC.  It had been almost 10 years since I was able to go so I was very excited to attend with my sisters.  I spent a lot of that time in tears over the teachings that were shared by these great women of faith.  It seemed as though God was speaking through them the exact same things he was showing me in Scripture.  Yes, God had my full attention!

When I returned home, I couldn’t wait to get started on whatever road God had before me!  I was so excited!  Little did I know that 2 days later this road, or journey, would begin with health issues that would test my faith in ways like never before.

At first, I thought it would be just a bump in the road that didn’t affect my journey at all.  But over the next month it seemed that this was actually part of my journey.  I remember sitting outside one beautiful spring Sunday afternoon just praying and crying to the Lord.  “Lord, this isn’t supposed to be part of my journey.  Please fix this problem so I can move forward.”  Yes, honestly, that was part of my selfish prayer I am ashamed to admit.  As I sat there going through Scripture, there were several that leapt off the pages straight into my heart.  It was as if God was asking me, “Do you trust me?”

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God, 
I will strengthen you and help you; 
 I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

“When you pass through the waters, 
I will be with you; 
and when you pass through the rivers, 
they will not sweep over you. 
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Isaiah 43:2

“And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Romans 5:2-5

In that moment of unknown, I said, “Yes” to God! “Yes God, I don’t know what lies before me but I trust you. Yes, God, I am surrendering this journey to you. Yes God, I will do whatever you ask of me.”

That was a defining moment in my life and I will never forget that day!  Over the next several months I will admit that it was hard to wake up and say, “yes” many mornings.  The road before me was very uncomfortable and at times I questioned if I heard God wrong.  Satan threw me lie upon lie.  It was a physical and spiritual battle like I had never experienced before.  But I am here to tell you that Satan is a liar! 

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

God began showing me that this was part of what he had been preparing me for.  Though the journey was hard, I began experiencing his indescribable love and comfort in ways I never had.  My faith was stretched far beyond what was conceivable for me and I had to make many decisions that felt unnatural.  I stepped back from things in my life that I cherished for this time of physical healing but also a time of spiritual growth.  Saying, “yes” to God wasn’t always easy but oh so worth it!  This journey wasn’t what I expected but was what God had in store for me.  He brought me through the physical issues and strengthened my faith and love for him.  He has directed me and opened doors for me that I would never have expected to go through but it is all for his glory.  I am experiencing the peace in his center of his will and though times are not always easy, they are so full of joy because he is with me always!

I am excited where God is taking me!  The journey to this point was tough but you see it had to be to bring me to the point of utter surrender and reliance on him alone!  I experienced his full control in my life, defeating Satan and his lies, and shining his glory all around!  Is the journey over?  Definitely not, it is ongoing for me to see where he wants me to go and what he wants me to do.  I am here to tell you to follow HIM!  The journey may be scary at times and it may make you uncomfortable but from someone who has been there, surrender the journey to him and say, “Yes!”  You will experience more of him than you ever thought possible and there is beauty on the other side of the pain!  But sometimes you have to go through it to see what awaits!  I have so much joy in knowing that he is in control of my life!  The paths he is directing me now are different that what I would have expected but so exciting because it’s all about HIM!

I know I have written a lot today, but I wanted to share my experience so that if any of you are dealing with issues of saying, “yes” to God, you can see that it is worth it!  Persevere and have hope that God is so good!  He will show you, in time, what his perfect and glorious will is for you! 

“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Blessings for an obedience-filled day!

Allison

~ Forever a Family ~

Caleb at "Gotcha"

Caleb 5 years later!

I sit here this morning in awe of our Lord as I look back to this day 5 years ago!  On May 9, 2007, Guang Yue Chuan left a Chinese orphanage that had been the only home he had ever known and joined his “forever family”.  Nevermore an orphan but a very loved and special boy to be forever known as Caleb YueChuan Jordan!  I can almost hear those same noises and smell those same aromas I did just 5 years ago in Guangzhou, China. Waking up that morning I was so excited and somewhat nervous to be meeting my new son!  I had only seen him in pictures and he was never smiling in any of them, so did that mean he was a very unhappy child or did he even have any teeth?  I didn’t know.  Would he be scared of me, would he want to come with me, would he love me?  These were all the questions that were going on in my head that whole day as we rushed around the city getting all our final paperwork completed.

Finally, it was time to go downstairs and meet the other families for our bus ride to pick up our children.  Matt, Ben, Callie, and me gathered on the bed to pray for the last time as a family of four and the peace we all had was overwhelming.  I remember loading on our bus, which was typically full of chatter and laughter, but this particular ride was rather quiet with a bunch of anxious, excited, families!  That had to be the longest bus ride I have ever taken. Lol!  When we pulled up to the Civil Affairs building, we all filed off the bus and headed in.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  We were told that they would bring our children to us in alphabetical order so we should have been around 4^th or 5^th.  That would give us time to get our cameras ready and enjoy some of the others welcome their children, but as soon as we walked in the door, we hear in broken English, “Jordan family!”  As I turned around, there he was!  My son, my Caleb!  After all these months of praying at this stranger in a picture, there he was, my son! 

He was so scared.  Poor thing was trying to be brave but tears were rolling down his little face and his nanny tried to comfort him by telling him “Mama”, “Baba” (mom and dad) but my heart broke for him.  This child’s whole life was being changed in that moment and I cannot even fathom what was going on in his little head.  Of course, the next thing I did is what every mother does when her child is hurting; she picks them up and loves on them.  He let me pick him up and that was it….all my fears were erased because I was holding my son.  It was so natural and perfect!  I will never forget that moment.  He still didn’t know quite what to make of it all but I just held him close and told him that mommy was here and how much I loved him.  Then he got the wonderful opportunity to love on his daddy for the first time, and his new brother and sister.  Finally, we were complete!  Thank you sweet Jesus!

For those first 45 minutes, he was very somber and confused, but once we returned to our hotel room his beautiful smile was revealed!  He began laughing and playing with all of us and seemed so at ease.  I could not get my camera to take pictures fast enough.  Not only did he have teeth but he also had the most beautiful smile ever! From that point on, that smile remains his trademark! For the rest of the evening he laughed and enjoyed his new family. 

As we put him to bed that night, we all gathered on the same bed for prayer, as we did that morning, and shared with Caleb, for the first time, the most precious name he would ever hear….the name of Jesus!  I was able to rock my son and sing, “Jesus Loves Me” as he drifted off to sleep.  What a moment!  Matt and I looked over the hotel room that night as all “3” of our children were asleep and just praised our God for the miracle of adoption!  We took a leap of faith 2 years before that we would say “yes” to God and follow him down the road of adoption not knowing what was in store.   Praise God we did!  What a magnificent road it has been!  His ways are perfect and his plan never fails! 

By the grace of God, our family is complete...our family is forever!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

~ Anniversary at Sea ~

“O Lord, our Lord, 
how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Psalm 8:1

I just realized that it has been a few weeks since my last post.  I apologize for the delay in posting, but it sure has been a wonderful few weeks of time with the Lord! He is so good and he never ceases to amaze me with such wonderful teachable moments! 

Matt and I celebrated our 20^th anniversary on February 8, and as a gift to each other, decided to embark on our very first cruise.  I have to admit that I was a little nervous to go on a cruise.  As someone who is prone to motion sickness the thought of being on a big ship for several days with seasickness didn’t sound like a lot of fun, but then on the flip side, the thought of being on a big ship with the love of my life for several days out in the Caribbean sea, spending lots of time in the Word, visiting tropical destinations, and having people wait on you hand and foot really sounded quite appealing.  So guess what won?  That’s right!!! We went cruising!

I had lot of advice from friends who had been cruising before with all the different remedies to make sure that I didn’t get sick.  My doctor had prescribed me those patches that you wear behind your ear for motion sickness, and at $60, I thought those things should work.  So, on April 23, Matt and I boarded the big “Monarch of the Seas” with my “first aid” kit well stocked with prescription patches, sea bands, and Dramamine.  I was armed and ready for our trek at sea!

When we boarded the ship, you could tell this was our first cruise! We were early so we could get accustomed to where everything was and see what we were in for.  By that morning, I was so excited I could hardly stand it.  I actually told Matt as we were heading to the port, that I had such a peace that I wasn’t going to get sick.  (I know he was relieved to hear that! Lol!) So, we made our way through each deck of the ship taking pictures and getting more and more excited about our adventure!  Our room was not ready yet so we just kept exploring.  There were game rooms, pools, a spa, a whole floor with shops, a coffee shop (not Starbucks, but will do), an ice cream parlor and much more.  Okay, this was getting better and better!  Once our room was ready, we headed that way and were so excited to find that they had decorated our room for our anniversary!  Everything seemed perfect!

Finally around 4:30 in the afternoon, it was time to set sail!  Everyone headed up to the pool deck for the big “Bon Voyage” party!  How fun!  The music was playing, people were dancing, and the weather was beautiful!  It was actually a little cool from the cold front that moved in the night before and caused the water to be a little bit choppy.  I was texting my family and talking to the kids as we pulled away from the dock and everyone was wishing us farewell!  It was so much fun!  About 10 minutes out and I was already getting texts from my family asking how I was feeling! Haha!  I had everyone praying that I wouldn’t get sick!  That first night was a little bumpy and I could feel it, but I am so glad to report, that I didn’t feel sick at all!  Woohoo!  I had a wonderful time at sea and never experienced seasickness!  All that money I spent on my arsenal of motion sickness medication went down the drain! Lol! But at least I had it in case. So you know what that means…that’s right, it’s time to start planning the next cruise!

Aside from all the talk of seasickness, this really was a beautiful vacation!  Matt and I didn’t have much of a honeymoon 20 years ago, as my grandfather died suddenly of a heart attack two days after our wedding and we spent that extremely difficult week with our family!  But 20 years later, God granted us this beautiful opportunity to have a wonderful honeymoon!  Matt has always been my best friend and after these last 20 years still remains that way.  For those of you reading this that are newly married or engaged, you will hear a lot of things about marriage.  I know where you are as far as feeling like you could never love this person more than you do right now and that things are so great right now that you don’t know how it can get any better.  Well, I’m here to tell you it DOES!  After 20 years of marriage, three kids, and many trials, our love is so much stronger than ever and even better than it was at the beginning!  I felt the same way and people used to tell me that the longer you were married the more boring things got, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  Put Christ first in your marriage, always, and the love for each other grows sweeter and stronger every day!  For those of you reading this that have been married for a long time and don’t experience those feeling, I urge you to look at the priorities in your life and commit to make your marriage the beautiful blessing God intended it to be.

Matt and I have been through a lot over our 20 years of marriage, and having that week together to reminisce on the ways God grew us through our trials and sufferings was beautiful.  Spending time in God’s Word over the open sea was almost more than I could bear sometimes.  Just the splendor of God’s miraculous creation was a sight to behold!  I felt like the God of the universe paused just for us that week, to remind us of his love and power, the blessing of marriage, and the beauty of his creation.  And in those moments, we took it all in!  In utter abandon we surrendered to our God the next 20 years of our marriage and our lives to his will.  Apart from him we are nothing!  Our desire is to serve and honor him no matter the cost!  There is so much about our trip that I will share with you in time.  But as I type this, my heart is so full reliving those quiet moments with my God that I feel like I need to stop here today. 

You know, I am no great scholar or theologian.  I don’t always know the exact scripture reference without looking it up or have the knowledge of a seminary grad.  I am just a simple “Jesus girl” who loves her God so much because of what he has done in my life and I’m here to urge you to surrender your life to him.  There is so much joy being in the center of his will and living a life sold out for him!  Maybe you have accepted him as your Savior but you aren’t living your life for him.  The time has come to stop playing around.  You have one life to live, and the life lived for him far outweighs anything you could ever imagine!  Let this be the day!  Please know that I am praying today for you!  If I can help you or pray for you please contact me, it would be my honor to lift you up to our Father!

Joshua 24:15  “choose you this day whom ye will serve;”

Choosing HIM,

Allison