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Friday, May 16, 2008

New reasons

"Every day [with its new reasons] will I bless You [affectionately and gratefully praise You]; yes, I will praise Your name forever and ever." Psalm 145:2 (Amplified)

"New reasons" I am grateful today:

  • Two cute little finch at my bird feeder
  • New flowers to plant
  • Spring weather with perfect open-your-windows temperatures
  • The soothing sound of my water fountain on the porch
  • The end of another semester of college
  • Bargains found at a thrift store
  • New babies being born today
  • Friends who trust me with their children
  • The scent of geraniums
  • My incredible Lord whose Word is always fresh and never becomes stale or irrelevant

How about you? What "new reasons" inspire your gratitude today?

Friday, May 9, 2008

Gentlemen, let's plow the road!

I am all the time listening to friends tell me incredible stories of God's activity in their lives or something hilarious that their children have done recently. As they could attest, I'm always saying, "You gotta write that down!" Here I am, taking a dose of my own medicine...

Last week I drove to Oklahoma City for a training conference to lead Precept Bible studies. (The conference was incredible, but that isn't the subject for this post.) Leaving Joy behind is always heart wrenching for me and we both shed some tears as I backed out of the driveway. As always, Joy prayed that my car would be surrounded by angels as I traveled.

I had smooth traveling until the Stroud area, about an hour outside Oklahoma City, when I noticed some particularly ominous clouds ahead. Over my left shoulder was a huge dark cloud encompassing the eastern part of the sky. It looked like the kind of cloud that would pour buckets and buckets of rain. Over my right shoulder was a truly massive, puffy, white thunderhead. I really didn't grasp the immensity of that cloud until it was behind me. I could look in both side mirrors and the rear view mirror and still couldn't see it all. It was HUGE.

But here is the God-is-so-amazing part...the turnpike highway literally split those two storms in half and I was driving toward clear blue sky. As soon as I recognized the awesomeness of this, I called Joy at home and said something like, "You're not going to believe this. I am literally driving right between two huge storms." In true Joy fashion, he replied something like, "Of course I believe it. I prayed for the angels to "plow the road" (a reference to my favorite part of Independence Day with Will Smith)."

It is such an amazing thing when God obviously intervenes in my life. I know He is working all the time behind the scenes, but when He puts His work right there in front of my eyes, I am just awestruck. The dark storm over my left shoulder ended up producing baseball sized hail and the huge thunderhead spawned an F1 tornado. I was surrounded with danger on all sides but protected by the Lord in the midst. I read this scripture this morning and it fits so well: "You have enclosed me behind and before and laid Your hand upon me." (Psalm 139:5 NASB)

Thank you, Lord, for a husband who prays for me. Thank you, Lord, for showing me in such an obvious way that You are active in my life.