My Good King

www.oakbrookpca,org  So I've been praying for two young men to surrender their lives to the Lord--one I've been praying several years for, the other just a couple of years.  Neither is an atheist, but they seemed to have zero desire to deepen their (almost nonexistent) relationship with God. Fast forward ... years go by with ABSOLUTELY no sign that God and I are on the same page.  Not even a HINT that God is moving in the spiritual realm to answer my prayer.  I continue to pray, because obviously salvation is God's heart for both of them as well. http://www.reachingcampus.com Fast forward to last week.  Within the SAME WEEK I find out that both of them are just now talking about getting closer to God!  They are confused as to how to do this, but in their hearts they desire to be closer to Him!  Isn't that amazing?!?!  Nothing ... for a L-O-N-G time, then--boom!--both prayer requests begin to be answered within a few days of each other...

One of the admirable qualities that so strikes me about this author is his ability to methodically teach bravery in a very practical way.  I so appreciate that.  Personally, his points of view reassure me that I'm on the right track--I just need to practice more. Want to be braver?  Here are his main requirements for being brave: Force yourself to push past your fears and do what you need to do.  Just force yourself. Keep putting yourself in a position where you are required to push past that fear. Sometimes, start small and work your way up to bigger challenges. Practice overcoming your fears--over and over and over and over.  Thousands of times. Visualize yourself succeeding. See?  Any one of us can do this!  It's not some complicated formula or something that requires herculean strength (well, maybe herculean strength of character--but that will come in time!) . He also points out that bravery definitely builds confidence ... and who...

I started reading this book called Worth Dying For:  A Navy Seal's Call to a Nation.   I HIGHLY recommend it.  I agree completely with his views and I believe much more attention needs to be brought to the truth that is presented in this book, or our country will suffer greatly. Here's the link to find out more:   Worth Dying For I feel like everything I'm immersing myself in this summer connects to my little Joshua Bible Study I'm doing.  I'm glad.  I like when God does that--to me it signifies that there is a "big picture" that He's trying to show me {He has thus far been unsuccessful!  But I am still trying.  :) } Anyway, I have reached the part where he really discusses bravery in a profound, practical way.  I felt so touched because one of the first things he discusses in his book is that real heroes are the average human being doing the right thing on a day-to-day basis.  And he mentioned moms.  I just really needed t...

Well, so much for my goal of three to four posts per week.  :) Sorry.  I'll try to do better. So I'm on  chapter 11 of my Joshua study and there were three statements that stuck out at me today: The Israelites fought continuously for a long time. (v. 18) They conquered the whole land. (v. 23) Then they rested. (v. 23) It dawned on me that sometimes we have seasons like that in our lives, too--where we have continuous, deep struggles and we have to work hard to get past them.  The Israelites did a lot of work to obtain their blessing--they, too, must have been completely drained by the end of their military campaigns.  But their victories during the trial must have given them the encouragement and strength to continue to fight, despite their exhaustion and their desire to rest for a while.  None of them complained like the generation that Moses had to lead (oops, NO, I don't feel convicted!!). HOWEVER, once the hard work was done, they got to r...

Me on the wharf :) Well, today finds me waking up in paradise, aka Santa Barbara. :). Yesterday I took a walk on the wharf, and I just have to say that every time I'm at the beach I marvel at our glorious God who created such amazing beauty for us to enjoy. I especially enjoy the sound of the waves as they reach the shore.  They are so deeply calming to my soul. I have no idea why they have such a profound effect on me, but they do. Every time. I remember once going camping at the beach and enjoying that sound throughout the night. I also feel so deeply blessed to be in a season of life when I get to leave the responsibilities of home for a couple of days and relax. I don't know that I'll ever take it for granted. I feel so at peace right now. view from our hotel (NOT our room!) Santa Barbara Harbor view from the wharf--so serene, huh? an orchid shop we visited in Carpinteria

My One-Year Bible reading today included I Kings 18--one of my FAVORITE chapters in the entire Bible!!  No matter how many times I read it, each time I am struck anew by how powerfully God's omnipotence is displayed in this chapter.   I am struck by one of the minor characters as well--Obadiah.  He was so scared to tell King Ahab that he had seen Elijah because he was sure he would be killed.  Likely this had happened to several people already over the course of the three years of drought.  In spite of his fear, he obeyed, and his life was spared.   I had to make a phone call today to follow up on something that God might be doing in my life--an unanticipated change of course.  I was so scared to make the phone call.  I delayed, using every excuse I could think of (except housework--I hate housework).  Finally, I felt compelled to make the call, so I did it in fear and trepidation.   I was not able to speak with the person, so I will...

Well, I've decided that life has calmed down enough (at least for the summer), so I want to post about my life with God and what He is showing me.  I will try to post at least 3-4 times per week (even if it's a short snippet).  My goal is to allow God to shine through His amazing miracles in my life. I have committed to doing a free online Bible Study on the Book of Joshua.  I really want a friend who has the time to do this with me (so I'm praying that God will bring me someone), but if not, I'm okay with just me 'n Jesus.   In case you're interested, here is the link to the commentary:  http://www.religionofjesuschrist.com/commentary/history/joshua.pdf  Here is the link to the questions:  http://www.biblestudylessons.com/classbooks/history/joshua-questions.pdf I don't find the study itself extremely insightful and inspiring, but the genius of this study is the conversations that it sparks among us women as we discuss the questions.  I le...