He's Yours, Lord - Once Again!

Every once in a while I clean my house-hard to believe. Recently, when that happened, I was looking through a book on my bedside table. I know-what does THAT have to do with cleaning? Nothing really; I just get sidetracked. This day I was glad I did because it would soon turn into a cool collision with God. The book I picked up to glance through is one I had once read so much that some of the pages are close to falling out. It is a book of daily inspirational readings written by W. Glyn Evans. Although it has remained on my little table, I had tucked it away in a small pile of books long ago. On this particular day, I leafed through it and stopped on the reading for April 5-don't know why-maybe the title of the reading caught my eye: "Loving Our Loved Ones Properly". As I read, I welled up with tears and was deeply moved by the bold-faced truth of what this author was writing. Let me share a piece of it with you.

"As a disciple of Jesus Christ I must come to terms with my family, my loved ones. My natural tendency is to become dependent upon them-upon my wife for physical comfort, my children for companionship. If I do this, I am going against everything that characterizes the discipled man. The key word is dependence. God has graciously given me a wife and children, but they must not be my dependence.

I must relate to my loved ones as Abraham related to his son Isaac. On Moriah, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his dearest possession. So I must consign my loved ones to the altar, I must sacrifice them, I must give them up. I must cut clean the lines of dependency forever.

To be dependent means to be vulnerable to tragedy. I have seen many of God's children devastated because they built their lives on their loved ones, and then God called the loved ones home! I must always live, in a sense, as if God had already called my loved ones home. I must always place the shadow of the cross over their fair faces.

This does not mean loving my dear ones less, or enjoying them less. It simply means I cannot love them without putting Jesus between us. And it reserves the right for Him as the third party to control the relationship." (Daily With the King by W. Glyn Evans)

This reading really wowed me because it has always been the way I have truly believed. I can connect completely with the importance of choosing this point of view. As I closed the book, I noticed that I had once upon a time written "April 5" right inside the front of the book. I then realized that years ago, I had also 'connected' with this same reading.

Fast forward to a few days later. It's dirt bike riding season! (For my son; NOT for me!) Darian asked me to take video to document the first day of him riding the Honda 250R that he just bought. I said 'yes' and attempted to look very excited. Actually, I am excited for him; it's just that dirt bike riding holds such huge risks in this momma's mind. As I ran the camera, following his every move, jump, and wheelie; I had to intentionally NOT add my own anxiety-filled commentary. I had to focus on keeping the camera focused instead of allowing it to shake with my longing to cringe. As I watched my son ride, I kept an open dialogue going with God. You know what He impressed upon me? He is my son's Daddy-just as He is mine. He loves Darian more than I ever can-THAT seems impossible to me, knowing how much I love my son-and yet I absolutely know that it is true. And then, the April 5^th reading came flooding through my being. What was the root of my fear and anxiety? Nothing changes the fact that my son has chosen a risk-filled hobby. (Why he didn't take my advice to participate in competitive chess, I just can't figure out!) What does change is my attitude toward it. God reminded me that I 'laid each of my children on His altar' at the moment of the gift of their births-and have revisited that many times. He reminded me that while I may not be comfortable with this choice that Darian is making, I cannot change this choice. What I can do is process through all that Darian is experiencing with him. And that is what we are doing. I shared with Darian my rediscovery of that April 5^th reading and how God used it to bring me back to a much larger God-perspective. I told my son that he is so good at riding that bike. I told him that I believe he is careful, wise, and in control of all that he can be. Then we talked about some of the things he CANNOT control-but God can and will. We talked about accidents and death-these things happen of course. How beautiful to know that no matter how; no matter when; the death of a Christ follower is truly a promotion into the highest level of living with God! Ultimately, what could be better?! We do not know what we will face-even in the next moment; but God does, and He is ready and waiting to put into us whatever 'arsenal' of equipment we will need to handle it.

Do I still have moments of anxiety and cringing when I watch my talented son ride? YOU BET!! I just keep focusing on the fact that Daddy is watching him right along with me, and He knows all about each and every ride.You know, I really do believe that as much as my son is elated to ride and enjoying it so much, His heavenly Daddy is smiling and enjoying watching 'our' son even more! "Lord, help me to know and delight in Your Presence each moment that we watch Darian together."

Thanks for reading,

Libby

Love Letters

This past weekend I went perusing through the clearance section in a local used bookstore and found an anthology of love letters. Actual letters written by people to their spouses, fiances, and so on. Some even a couple hundred of years old.

I had to pick it up and buy it. And after reading through the last couple days I have been amazed at the way people used to articulate their feelings. I lamented to my husband that he'd never written me a "love letter" and he reminded me that we've never been apart for more than a couple days in all the time we've been together! In the age of the internet, letters have nearly become obsolete. But emails, tweets, text messages, and facebook posts don't come close to the kind of passion and beauty in the words written long ago.

I mean, who wouldn't want something like this written to them?

"I cannot behold you without emotion; my heart still answers to your voice, my blood in my veins to your footsteps."

"All will pass, except for my passion for you."

"For me, to love is to love you."

"Don't you know everything I do is always done with you in mind. When I have proof of success this is simply my homage to you."

"I should like to live at your feet and die in your arms."

Think those words are pretty amazing? That they convey some kind of love that's indescribable? How about these words?

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:16-21).

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness" (Jeremiah 31:3).

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love (John 15:9).

Hmm. Seems to me I already have the greatest love letter ever written

Emily

Doing Life Together

Here are my friends Beth and Libby

and Libby and Dawn.

We have a blast doing radio together and sometimes it gets a little crazy

This is our friend Wilma, who has her own ideas of how radio should be done

And our Beth - who is always up for a challenge.

And me? I'm smart enough to stay behind the microphone and the camera!

Listen to Circle of Friends Radio at 10 am weekdays.

You never know what might be going on!

95.9 Canton www.thelight959.com

91.5 Columbus www.freedomfm.org

All for Him,

Missy

Confessions of a Peace Lover...

I was asked by our daughter's college roommate to answer some questions she'd been given in class. After I got over the shock - and momentary depression - of being considered a candidate to answer questions on "Adult Development and Aging" (cough cough) I quickly began to formulate my response to each question in my mind. As I began to write things down I realized that not only was I helping Miss Laura out for a class but I was also in the midst of a blog-in-progress. I won't post all of my responses here, but the following was my answer to her question of "would you be able to pass along any wisdom to me or to people just starting a career or a family?" - with just a few additions for the sake of this blog.

Wisdom for your generation: relationships matter more than we realize. Make sure you take time to honor those relationships closest to you. Too often they are the ones that get neglected! When you are young you are so invested in your work, paying your college debt and/or mortgage that you don't fully realize how quickly time passes and all the "little moments" can't be regained. While work IS important, and God's word reminds us again and again just how important it is, we also need to take time to rest - we are created in His image and even He took time to rest!

I have been writing a weekly blog for the past year, it has helped me recognize what is good, strong, healthy growth in my life, and what is "fluff" and won't really matter in the long run; it has also made me realize the importance of journaling. God told the children of Israel repeatedly to "write this down" and "teach it to your children", He must have had a good reason why!

I wish that when I was your age I would have:

taken the time early on to learn what the Bible has to say about finances;

saved $100 each month for the first ten years;

realized how quickly my kids would grow;

realized that what is in my heart and mind is so much more important than the clothes I wear, the car I drive, the house I live in (and how it's decorated);

realized that kids grow too fast to waste money on clothes that will make them look fashionable but force me to continue to work when I would rather be at home with them;

learned to set better boundaries with my friends, to be honest even when it was hard, and to continue to love when the going got tough instead of distancing myself.

I wish I had committed to the discipline of spiritual AND physical exercise on a daily basis. Spiritual health, physical health and emotional health go hand in hand!

I have learned much in 27 years of marriage and 24 years of parenting. Many of those lessons were learned thru mistakes that I made. I regret the stupid mistakes that affected my kids, yet I trust that they also received some good stuff along the way! My biggest regret is not getting serious about my relationship with Christ until after I was married and had kids.

I have learned that I've learned MORE from the tough times, (perhaps even the "stupid mistake" times) than I ever thought possible. I've learned that it's ok to say, "I'm sorry", "I was wrong" and "I need help". I've learned that it's ok to ask for advice. I've learned that as much as you love your spouse on your wedding day there will be times that you have to remind yourself why you got married! (And I think he might have had to remind himself too!) And I've learned my husband cannot read my mind!

I've learned that marriage is so much better when you remember you're on the same team; marriage is so much better when you stop trying to change your spouse and begin praying "Lord, change me": marriage requires honest communication.

I've learned that having a couple of friends ask you some tough questions each week helps you live life with greater focus, and helps get you back on track when you've misplaced your compass! Accountability is vital to healthy growth - physically, emotionally, and spiritually! When you don't allow yourself to be accountable to someone it is easy to live as if you are accountable to no one.

I've learned that just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

I've learned that it is impossible to give your kids too much love - but you can give them too much stuff!

I've learned that, just like potty training and tying shoes, a good work ethic needs to be taught; rarely does it happen without guidance.

I've learned that in regards to bad habits, more is caught than taught (and if I see a bad habit in my child the first place I need to look is probably in the mirror). I've learned that good habits unfortunately don't take root as quickly as bad habits do!

I've learned that God's word changes me from the inside out, and I've learned that even if I don't completely understand it that is no excuse to not read it.I don't completely understand the law of physics but I still depend on it!

I've learned to examine my activities carefully and to make sure it is something I want to give my time to. I've learned that if it is not something I want to give my time to and God has still led me to it He has a plan and a purpose that I simply cannot see. It is often in those circumstances that I have learned to trust Him more.

I've learned that prayer changes things, but most of all, prayer changes me.

I've learned to look for "fruit" to see if things are growing in a healthy manner - in my life, in our home, in the work that I do, and the relationships I am in.

I've learned that there are new things to learn each and every day!

Until next time.

Beth

The Happiest Woman In The World

"You should be the happiest woman in the world."

My husband told me this recently. He meant that he wanted to do whatever it took to make me happy. Aside from the fact that it is not his job to make me happy or that that is a choice I can only make for myself, I was struck with the thought that he was right! I should be the happiest woman in the world!

Paul told the Ephesians, "I have everything I need" (4:18) and you know what? So do I! Christ has promised us abundant life (John 10:10) and that is exactly what He has given me.

I am the most blessed among women - God has given me abundant mercy and grace and poured out His love to me. I truly am 'lacking nothing'. What more could I want? Psalm 16:5 says, "the Lord is all I need. He takes care of me."

Are you the happiest woman in the world?

All for Him,

Missy