Tuesday, October 23, 2007
morning pages

Thank you Father that you make no mistakes with what you allow or permit to happen in my life. I trust you no matter what! Oh Father, bring me to a deeper knowledge of You and Your will for my life. In Your Arms today as always, Beth

Love Sunday

Love waking up in a nice warm bed and thanking God for this.

Love having warm water for a bath and thanking God for this.

Love praying with my friends at New Hope Church and thanking God for them.

Love Disability Ministry Sunday, my favorite Sunday of the year and thanking God for this.

Love my leaders and children in HopeWatchers and thanking God for them.

Love my lunch (leftover taco pie, made by Terry) and thanking God for this.

Love getting school work done this afternoon and thanking God for this.

Love that I could help a friend out and give her a ride to church for her evening class and thanking God for her.

Love being prayed over by Terry, Pastor Dave and Steve for the healing of my hand and thanking God for this.

Love a late Culvers dinner with my husband and thanking God for this.

Love getting into my p.j.'s and cozy bathrobe and thanking God for this.

Love saying goodnight and thanking God for that warm bed once again.

In His Arms, B.

ps forgot to say that I did not go to Honduras and His way is perfect even though it is hard at times.

Maria's Prayer Journal

I'd love to have you take the time to check out the godsightings story!

You can see and hear the story by clicking on the family and friends site entiled Evangelical Free Church of America at the right or follow the link below ...

http://www.efca.org/godsightings/2007/marias-prayer-journal-1.php

Monday, October 15, 2007

My handwritten journal from Friday, October 12th was as follows:
Oh God You are Holy and Pure. Make me holy and pure through the reading of your word.
"And the words of the Lord are flawless like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. O Lord, You will keep me safe..." Psalm 12:6-7a
Today Father I am sore physically and overwhelmed emotionally as I think about my upcoming WFTW trip ... heal me physically ... help me to put one foot in front of the other and walk in Your Power, Spirit, and Light ...

My handwritten journal from Saturday, October 13th was as follows:
You answered much differently than I expected Lord as I tripped and fell against a cement wall at church. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital ER and later discharged with a contusion to the head and a fracture in my left thumb.
Is it not interesting how God hears and answers prayer? :-)
This is my prayer ...
"I honor You, God for making a covenant with me to reveal the fact that Your name and Your nature are to make us well. Surely Your steadfast love endures forever" (Ex.15:26, 34:10)
and "Thank you, Lord that one of the first revelations of Your nature is to heal. Your name is Jehovah Rophi, which means that the essence of who you are is to heal and make whole."
(Ex. 15:36-37)

Well, my readers I am leaving the decision up to the Lord and my doctor (who most importantly is a believer) regarding going to Honduras. I have an appointment on Wednesday, October 17th at 3:45. So ... keep praying and I will keep you posted.

In His Arms again and again, B.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007
evening pages

God has always taught me to expect the unexpected ... so several years ago while waiting for Terry to close the store at Snyder Drugs in Hopkins I sat and read a Life Magazine article about Wheels For The World.

Years later I attended a workshop led by Kathy White. The workshop was a life-planning workshop and we took time to think and pray about where we wanted to be in 1 month, 5 months, 5 years, 10 years, and before we died. During this time of reflection we covered spiritual, physical, emotional, and relational goals, hopes, and dreams. I recorded in the "Spiritual" section that before I died I wanted to serve on a Wheels For The World (WFTW) team with Joni and Friends and deliver wheelchairs to people with disabilities in developing countries.

This month, this dream will become a reality and for this I praise God! This is when I first began to think about WFTW and then just 2 years ago while walking to work and being in prayer God began to change my focus from a
Joni and Friends Ministry Associate in the area of prayer to a Joni and Friends short-term missionary with WFTW.

The word the Lord gave me was ...

Beth,

"The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is on you, because the Lord has anointed you to preach good news to the poor. He has sent you to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." Isaiah 61:1

continuing to love these conversations while being In His Arms, B.

Love Sunday

OK so today I love Sunday because one of my kids in HopeWatchers encouraged me to put the following on my blog after sharing it with the group as an example of a letter to God so here goes ... from my handwritten journal dated, you guessed it, Sunday, October 7, 2007 ...

Oh Father, How I miss these times of just "hanging out" with you in the morning. I love having conversations (hence the name of my blog) with you where we can talk and listen to one another. You are such a blessing to me. You are always there ready to hang out but I am now often in a rush (with two new jobs and an upcoming missions trip). Help me Father, to slow down ... I lift up Terry, each one of my kids, (this includes Jacob and Joshua) and my new grandson to your throne today. Please guide, watch over and pour out Your favor on them. Keep each of them walking closely with you ... I love you Father! Your daughter, Beth

Love Sunday

Love enjoying devotions at my kitchen table before leaving for church
Love times of intimacy with my Savior
Love prayer; the act of conversation both talking and listening to God
Love music; The act of worshipping God though singing (or as my kids would say, "making a joyful noise")
Love to see the children (Hopewatchers) move into quiet corners to seek to know Christ better
Love when my grandson visits me at church
Love my new phone that now has a picture of me holding Sidney thanks to Kelley (since I don't know how to use my camera phone yet)
Love having my friend Liz bless me with an afternoon and evening off (I actually took a short nap)
Love seeing Ken and Joni this evening
Love the challenge ... "To become like Christ in His death is to get rid of self." ~Joni~
Love 2 Corinthians 1:9b

In His Arms, B.

September 29, 2007
evening pages

I could not let another day go by without blogging. I miss this time of writing so much but the last two weeks have been crazy. I have started a new job at an elementary school in the special-education department working with mostly 3rd graders and I simply love it!

This week, as I was preparing for my department interview at Crown College to get into the education program, the Lord really gave me good times with Him to think and to process some of my qualities and gifts. I did this because they were questions I was asked to prepare for my interview (which by the way went amazingly well).

I was so thankful to reflect in the following way ...
Father, thank you for being my giver of every good and perfect gift.
Thank you that you have given me the gift of faith; that any student I work with will succeed.
Thank you for the gift of giving; the giving of my time and resources and to teach the act of giving to my students.
Thank you for the gift of mercy; being able to feel with the student who struggles, the student who everyone else has given up on.
Thank you for the gift of encouragement; the act of giving praise and teaching intrinsic rewards while at times using extrinsic rewards.

Thank you for the gift of teaching. I write and read to teach and I teach to read and write. Thank you Father for the plan and purposes you have for my life.

In His Arms, Beth

Love Sunday

Love waking up to the sun

Love taking some time to read and write

Love the quiet of the morning

Love getting to church early

Love praying with friends

Love Sunday donuts (I did not get mine today)

Love Gospel Sunday worship team as lead worshippers

Love our very special "Prayer Room" at New Hope Church

Love HopeWatchers and listening to their prayers

Love meeting new people and helping them find their way around

Love getting a call from Ashley today and being able to talk for more than 3 minutes

Love having my new grandson visit me at church so I can hold him for awhile

Love getting home a bit early and taking a two hour nap

Love having pizza with Terry for dinner

Love going to bed early and being ready for the second week at my new job (this is my only explanation for not blogging last week)

Love Sunday

love catching a few extra minutes of sleep under my flannel sheets

love feeling clean after a hot water shower

love peanut butter on my whole wheat raisin toast for breakfast

love having some quiet time before going off to church

love praying with friends in the prayer room

love seeing friends, Joe and Catherine, Cheryl and Bev this morning

love the songs that Pastor Jeff put together, especially today, for our worship time

love reading and listening to the Word

love hearing the children pray

love getting one of four papers done this afternoon

love being available to serve in any way I can