God is Speaking

Where had He gone? I dunno. Did He move? Had I? Did we break up? I don't know. I've had glimpses of His love. Whispers of His presence. But nothing like I used to. Was it a season of transition? I don't know. All I know is He consumes me now. Here lately, everyday, and in, it seems, every way.

I could tell you stories that happened just today where it was SO obvious that God was involved. From early this morning when God so vividly reminded my co-worker Dan and I that God "gives" and the enemy "takes". To this evening when God spoke very clearly to me about another new song that He's just given me.

I can tell you that God has "stirred" up my Spirit with this book.

I love it. God speaks to me on every page. I'm SO not a reader. Buying books is similar to buying peaches to me. You know what I mean? They all look good, but they're not always satisfying. So when I find one that touches me, I want to share.

Here's an example of how God has spoken to me this evening. The new song that I've written is about Elijah. I've written it because John's sermon series in August is all on Elijah, and I couldn't find a theme song that I liked, so I held the pen while God wrote one. In the song there's a "bridge" that I go to and I couldn't decide whether it should say this:

can we call down fire? can we part the waters? can we heal the sick? and raise the dead?

or this:

we can call down fire. we can part the waters. we can heal the sick. and raise the dead.

So I prayed, "Lord, tell me which way do you want it?"

Tonight, amazingly enough, the pages that I read in the "Walking with God" book dealt with the exact same subject that my song does. Which is this: Elijah was a man just like us, and because He served God, and surrendered to God, God was able to do great things thru him...and when we surrender to Him, He can do great things thru us too.

Eldridge says this: "Now why did James make a point of saying that Elijah was a man just like us? Because of that thing in each of us that says, "I could never do that". Because of the theology that says, "Those stories are exceptions." That sort of thinking cripples faith. It cuts your prayer life off at the knees. Why are we given stories about the power of godly people praying if our prayers really don't accomplish anything? James said that Elijah was just like you and me. This was no exception. Meaning, you can pray and do this too. You can pray and see things happen.

So, guess what? I'm going with the latter. Yes. We can call down fire. We can part the waters. We can heal the sick. and raise the dead. Yes.

Elijah was a man just like us, serving the same God we serve. The Word says that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Meaning, what He does for one, He'll do for another. He may choose to show Himself thru you in different ways, but the bottom line is, when we serve and surrender to the great I AM, "Miracles Happen"(that's the name of the song)

She Loves a Party!

After church today we went out to eat with about 30 other cousins and aunts and uncles, to celebrate my Grandma's 89th birthday. She loves a party. Seriously. She always gets excited about her birthday, and she ALWAYS wants a party.

Since we were in a restaurant, we had forgotted to sing her "Happy Birthday", which she was quick to remind us of before we all left! So while we sang "Happy Birthday", she sat there grinning ear to ear, and then she clapped afterwards! She cracks me up, living life with such enthusiasm. That's probably why she's 89 and still going strong!

Have We Been Married Too Long?

Okay, It's past midnight, and all the kids are asleep. Will's in bed. Josh has crashed upright sitting in a chair :-), Maren is nestled nicely on the couch, and Denny and I seem to be having an all night blogging party!

We've made some updates to our blogs, (see my new blogroll in the side bar) and read lots of others...and have laughed hysterically over the fact that we're sitting side by side at the dining room table sharing down time, and yet not really communicating. It's kind of reminescent of when our friends Tim and Jen come over to our house in the winter. Tim sleeps, and Denny, Jen and I all have our laptops out surfing the web. Weird, I know, and yet so comforting that our friendship has reached a state where we can just hang out, and not worry about having to "entertain" one another...even though it's still pretty entertaining!

It made us laugh when we saw that Jen had just left a comment on Denny's blog at this late hour.

No big plans for this weekend, other than, I've written a new song, and would love to spend some time recording it...we'll see. We're actually playing it at church Sunday, we ran through it Wednesday night at practice...hopefully we'll all remember it come Sunday morning! If I can get it recorded, and I like the way it sounds, I'll throw it up here on the blog, along with the story behind it.

Now I lay me down to sleep...

ANOTHER Earthquake??

another tremor....click here for info...

earthquakes? Floods? War? Jesus?

Our Wittle Mo-Mo

Isn't she sweet? Look...Moser and I kissed and made up.

She just got back from the Hair Salon where she got a bath, and a new hair cut. She's stylin'.

I know you're all saying, "ahhh, how could you frow dat cute wittle phoo phoo dog out da door?"

Lessons for Living From God and Mosie, Psalm 119 33-40

This morning, I was attempting to have some quiet time, but kept getting disrupted by the dog as she was running 100 miles an hour around the house tormenting the cat. I tried settling her down many times, but to no avail. So then I tried catching her to put her in her cage...but I couldn't catch her, which of course made me even more furious.

What infuriates me the most during these circumstances, is you know that the dog knows that she's doing wrong, but she won't stop, nor will she obey our commands to come to us. So, I called Denny to come help. By the time we caught her, I was so furious that I picked up our precious little phoo phoo dog, by the hair and gave her a giant toss out the front door in the pouring down rain.

I was pondering the morning happenings, as I continued getting ready for work, and I realized once again, how much I HATE disobedience. I have a very low tolerance for it amongst our kids and certainly with the dog. The times I can think of when I've been the most angry with our kids is the times when they have shown blatant disobedience. I can't stand it. Don't they know that we want the best for them, and the things that we ask them to do, though they may not like it, are ultimately for their good?

Then I thought of the two additional things that God has asked me to do here in the past couple of weeks, and I still haven't done them. I don't feel like I'm being disobedient, for I intend on doing what he asked...however, when I ask Maren to pick her stuff up off of the dining room table, and three days later it's still there, and she says, "I meant to do it, I just keep forgetting..." I see that as disobedience. So, Is delayed obedience disobedience? I believe it is.

Our God is patient with us, and He knows our heart. He knows there are times when we're seeking confirmation from Him, before we act...and He allows that. However, there are other times when He knows that we KNOW what He has asked us to do, and we just haven't done it yet...even though we "mean" to, we just haven't gotten around to it, and I'm guessing that in those times...delayed obedience is disobedience.

So, I guess through that stupid dog, God gave me a "lesson for living" this morning, as Psalm 119:33 refers to. My prayer is that He'll continue to give me lessons for living so I can stay on course. That He'll give me insight so I can do what He tells me, and that my whole life will be one long obedient response (I love that). Here's Psalm 119:33-40...

33-40 God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me— my whole life one long, obedient response.

Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway! Give me a bent for your words of wisdom, and not for piling up loot. Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets, invigorate me on the pilgrim way. Affirm your promises to me—promises made to all who fear you. Deflect the harsh words of my critics—but what you say is always so good. See how hungry I am for your counsel; preserve my life through your righteous ways!

Awesome Eye!!

Scope this out....this is my eye!! Does it make you want to hurl?



I was speaking to my friend Angela at work today, when she said, "what did you do to your eye?" To which I replied, "huh?" I had no idea what she was talking about. she said, "go look in a mirror." Ooo Wee, that was gnarly.


I showed it to my bosses in hopes that it might get me out of work early, but they didn't turn me loose.


I've grossed the kids out with it all evening long. Just a minute ago Will said, "I'm not gonna wake up tonight with you doing something stupid like standing over me with your eye lid pulled back am I?"


In case you don't know, it's a busted blood vessel. They're normally caused by hard coughing, hard sneezing, and/or vomiting. I attribute mine to a hard sneeze. I had sneezed three really hard sneezes this morning...the kind that seems to get their start all the way down from your toes. A definite power sneeze. In fact, I remember after one of those sneezes this morning, a fellow co-worker who sits on the other side of the office, hollered at me saying, "I think you should probably wipe your computer screen off :-). (Yeah, I know, that's about as gross as the eye).


Another interesting tid bit of information is this: A busted blood vessel is what bruises are made up of. When they appear under the skin they appear bluish, purpleish....you know, you've seen them. But when the "bruise" appears in the eye, it appears red, because the eye is transparent.

So there you go, an educationally gross post giving you all kinds of information that you never wanted to know.

Waking up in His Presence

This morning I woke up feeling God's presence immensely. Why is that? Why does that happen sometimes, that you just wake up and feel like He's RIGHT THERE. Is it because yesterday I finally did something that He's been asking me to do for the past four weeks? Am I living out, once again, the truth of John 14:21 "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

When we obey God, the reward is more of God. He reveals Himself to us.

The song that keeps going through my brain this morning is one of my favorite worship songs EVER. In fact, it's the song that this blog was named after, "Reaching for You"... I SOOO mean these words as I say/sing them...

I can't believe the way your love has got ahold on me
each morning I wake to find you near
you lift me above my fears and set my feet on solid ground
all of my days belong to you.

and I breathe in your breath of life that fills my heart
you are my all consuming fire

and I stand here before you in wide open wonder, amazed
at the glory of you.
The power of Heaven revealing your purpose in me,
as I'm reaching for you...