IS YOUR HEART HURTING FOR YOUR CHILD?....

My heart is heavy this morning thinking how many times we sit with parents HURTING FOR THEIR CHILDREN.  I listen to their stories as they tell about their children making wrong choices and going down paths of destruction, I hurt with them.  I feel helpless not being able to give a quick resolve.  I realize all I can do is be a friend walking with them in this dark time, as they seek Father in their pain.

I do know when this does strike your home and your children “act out” there is only one thing you can do... that is to open your hand and lift that “precious one” to God giving them and the whole circumstances to Him. 

This morning as I read Neil Anderson’s daily devotional “Daily In Christ”, I thought it to do timely.  I feel like someone is facing this same challenge today.  This information will help bring comfort to your Soul..... 

                    GIVE YOUR CHILD TO GOD

Psalm 37:5 "Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it"

You can and should uphold Christian values and standards in your own home. But when your child leaves your home, he leaves with his own values, beliefs and personal agenda. This is the first half of the prodigal son story (Luke 15:11-32). The prodigal son wanted to do his own thing, so his father let him. I don't think the father would have let the boy rule in his home, but he did let him go. We don't like to see our children fail or make mistakes like that. When they do, we are too quick to rescue them from the natural consequences of their actions.

The father in the story welcomed his son home after the boy came to his senses. His repentance was complete: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son" (verse 21). The critical insight we need is offered by the father: "This son of mine was dead, and has come to life again" (verse 24). When your child is out of your sight, only God can bring him to his senses, bring him home, and give him life.

You can't go everywhere your child goes, but God can. He is the child's heavenly Father, and He is fully capable of protecting him.

I know of a dear lady who has buried two sons and witnessed the miracle healing of her husband from a near-fatal car accident. But her hardest trial was discovering that her beloved third son was struggling with homosexuality. Months of dark depression were lifted in one day when she realized that her son belonged to God, so she gave her boy to Him. For 11 years she didn't hear from him. Then one day he called and said he had a Mother's Day present for her. He had come back to the Lord!

God is in control. When you pray you release Him to do what only He can do in your child's life. And when you pray, He can mold your parenting style so you can do what He has called you to do in raising your child.

Prayer: Lord, I release my children to Your care and protection, and I relinquish my will for them in favor of Your will.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN......

Yes we’re ON THE ROAD AGAIN!.... Ministry calls us to travel away from our office from time to time.  

I love to travel, seeing all the sights of the towns and their people.... that stirs my interest!  I look in Awe at God’s creations. 

We left July 14^th, a Friday morning around 7:00am.  We did our usual stop at our favorite place for a fast pick up and ride biscuit from HARDEE’S, oh yum!!! 

We enjoyed a visit with friends, Archie and Kim. They just live a couple hours from us, we tried to get in a visit with them but it just would not work out. Strangely enough, I saw on Facebook that they were attending a meeting for a couple going into Missions.  We called them, got reservations at their motel and had breakfast the next morning having a fun time catching up.  I love it when that happens! God had to put that together with a sense of humor putting it together miles away in PA, that worked!  

As we were leaving the next morning I notice the flowers outside the motel door shining in the sunlight of July!...

Back on our path for the day we drove several hours looking at this sight.....

 .......and this sight....

.......and some of this......

                                       .....I enjoyed taking pictures to share with you so you can travel with us.

These were taken at at a Rest Stop we took a break to get a walk in.....

Petunias must be the flowers of choice for this summer you could find them in most flower displays..... 

We arrived in the beautiful Adirondack area of New York.  We are at Word of Life in Schroon Lake, NY.












The driveway is surrounded by really tall pines.






 

My view one day....
















It is so relaxing to sit in one of their Adirondack Chairs on the hill that over looks the Lake and listen to the breeze tipping the top of the pines making a sound you want forget....

 
Look at our view from the chairs...

This was a sight we watched that was unusual....How amazing! The Island has, a bus named "Barney" takes supplies and camper's luggage across on the barge.  I think this week there were 300+ teens attending camp on the Island from all over the States and some from out of the country.  Good work done here!!!

It is so beautiful here.... speaking of God’s beautiful. Walking back from the Dinning Hall this was our view on this sunny day....

One interesting landscape is a clock in the ground I just had to capture this....

The day after we arrived we still had the “lets keep moving” feeling in us, so we weren’t to begin our work until Monday so we got back on the road and set out one state over to Vermont, one of my favorites. A friend who resides in VT told me of her recent visit to The Vermont Country Store right out of Middleburg we found it and so enjoyed more than we expected.

More beautiful flowers were on the front entrance made you feel welcome. These Snapdragons seem to be telling us "HELLO"....

Then we toured inside OH MY!  These next pictures show how the items were from years back.  Do any of you older people remember the old fashion Oil Cloth Table Clothes?....

We felt like little kids wondering through that place. Oh how we loved it and could have stayed all day.....

This store had so many items in so many areas it would take a whole day to see it all.....

Any of you ever wear some of these to smell your best?.....

I came upon the candy section and was absolutely amazed....my eyes could not take it all in.....They had candy I had not seen in years....

.......and some I had never seen before, check out the price of this one.........needless to say I did not buy any of these I think I thought I would have to share and have to say "no way"!...

Funny when you rounded the corner from the sweets area you came upon all the medicines from years back...


This made my mind go back in time when my mother would administer some of these when I played sick to get out of going to school. Oh what a bad taste I will never forget......

Got back that evening for a delicious dinner at the Word of Life Inn, you know the place I think everyone should experience?.... Take a look at our Menu for the night...

The Inn got a facelift this year with a beautiful Adirondack effect makes it so comfortable to sit and visit with friends or sit reading in a quite spot....

So today we had a day off slipped out and went one city over shopping and we ate at one of our favorite restaurant, "99", only see them in the North but when we come we are sure to go there and have some Gold Wings...LOVE THIS PLACE

So that's it for now check back for more of this trip as it unfolds....

A STATE OF REST... GOD’S DEVINE FLOW...

 What is that, you say? Well it is what I am searching for; it is the “story of my life”.  I am forever trying to rest.  When I rest I am doing something, just can’t stop. I do have a relaxation tape I listen to for 20 minutes at day when I get time...uh more trying to rest! When I want to stop and let my mind and body rest I see great results.  I just love life and don’t want to miss out on anything, would “type A” personality come to mind?  Yeah! On Steroids!!!

You noticed it has been a few weeks since I posted here and it might be a while until I get back, who knows.  I know you hate it when somebody starts a blog and then doesn’t post on it.  You get your interest up and then can’t wait until another post, and then you think the writer went for a break and forgot to come back.  Well that’s where I am right now.  I am real busy. I think that’s a bad sign, when I don’t write. Means I am not taking time for me. 

I love to vent here, can you tell?  I like to put out good information you can take and use, but right now I sit down to write and “nothing...zero”.  I am asking God what’s going on with me?... and guess what?...I hear crickets...nothing!  So here I am just typing away and saying nothing.  But it feels good anyway, like it “scratches where it itches”, like they say.

We got back from our trip; you saw the pictures in my last post, now we are packing to do a work project in the Northeast right where we were in May. The month of June was the beautiful wedding of our son and new gorgeous DIL whom we love.  I will give you some pictures to see for yourself. We had July the 4^th.  It seems to be one thing right after another, but you know what?  I like it that way.  If you see me and I look frazzled and look like I am running in circles, don’t worry about me I am just doing a “Gomer Pyle” lifestyle, trying to keep up. Thank goodness for my Electronic Tools or is it Toys? My MacBook Pro, iPad and iPhone keep me at the right place at the right time even if I haven’t had a bath or had time to feed my body or soul.  Are you getting the picture?

You can see things are busy, and I want to talk about REST? It is the kind of REST I might have mentioned in the past. It is to Rest in Him, you know the One who gives Rest for your Soul.  It is that place where I want to get and stay.  I read the other day a good book by Artie Sposaro, “Sacred Flow”.  After reading it I thought, “I want to live right here” and I plan to as I practice that Rest.  Here’s some valuable advice the writer put out, “We simply need to give our full attention to discovering and moving in step with God’s beat.  It greatly benefits us to regularly stop in the midst of our frenetic days and take a few deep prayerful breaths in order to re-attune ourselves with God’s peaceful rhythm”.

One of the statements he said was so powerful and makes so much sense, “We’re meant to live freely in God’s Spirit, intimately walking with God and tenaciously trusting in his love. God means to dislodge our Faith, set us free in the flow of his divine current.”  I think that is what is going on in my life right now, He wants to take me up to another level of Faith as I live, RESTING....  He might be doing the same thing with you right now.....

So let be brag as a proud Mom. Here is a picture of our Son Rob and his new bride Jennifer, we are so proud to welcome her into this wonderful family....