It is All About HIM...

He has made everything
beautiful in its time.
He has also set eternity
in the hearts of men;
yet they cannot fathom
what God has done
from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Disappointed but Not Surprised

America has spoken,
Come January we will call
Senator Obama, President Obama.

Is is the end of the world?
No.

Will things change?
Most likely.

My biggest concern through this
is to help my children to understand
that this is not a time for fear or
hate. They were so involved in the
process this time. We studied historical
cases of those whose political bents were
the same as President-Elect Obama's so they
are aware of what could happen,
if taken to the extreme.

The job now is to remind them that God is in
control of all things. He will not leave us
or forsake us. Even if laws are passed that
we disagree with morally, or if our rights are
eroded, we serve a great God! HE will be our
help and our strength.

Now on to prettier things...
or should I say...
Regular Programming!



I took this as I stood in our front yard looking
across the street. I just love the colors.
I hope they are half as brilliant for you as they
were for me this couple of days ago.

I closed out one Fundraiser this week and picked
up the candles this woman had as her inventory...
Last night my Mother-in-law talked to some people
and now I have a new one to begin on Saturday.
Whew! Fun!
I am so glad I have that inventory to use as a base
since they are planning to set up a display at a
church for two weeks.

Today I have to complete my, every two years, investment
continuing education. It is a boring, boring time
but is relatively easy. It is a monitored computerized
program. I am allowed three hours to
process the information and pass tests. Often, I am
out of there in just about an hour. I read quickly.
I am thankful for that. Hope this one is speedy too.
It seems like last time there was a lot more reading
and the computer wouldn't go as fast as I was used to.
I love my job...I don't always like all of the requirements
for keeping the licenses.
But who does like absolutely
everything about their employment? Never met anyone yet
who didn't have something that made them crazy.

The kids have a lot of school work to catch up on after
these last couple of weeks. They worked a lot.
If I am correct this is their last week of work for the
season and then they will have to "buckle down".

Makes me look forward to a long snowy winter so that
we can snuggle on the couch with math and reading.

We are currently reading a Mrs. Pollifax book.
She makes me laugh. As a retired widow this
woman was looking for adventure. Her doctor recommended
she pursue something that she has always wanted to do but
was never able to. This, for her, was spying. She wanted
to be a spy. She becomes one. It is so funny. There are
quite a few books in the series.

One of the biggest benefits from reading aloud to the kids,
even at their advanced ages, is their appreciation for new literature.

It pleases me so to see them get into these books and want
more. Mikey has even been reading some on his own. He has
finished one sizable novel and is part way through another.
Finally...after many years of "hating" to read although
when tested he was always on grade level, he just thought
it was boring...well we are changing that one page at a time!

Have a blessed day,
Serve the One who made you.

Becky K.

The Wind!

It has been a long, long
time since I just screamed...
really screamed in public.

It happened yesterday, though.

We had been bowling...while dismal
by the scores, it was fun for the
company....here Grandpa Bob was doing
a little instruction for someone...
I don't remember who.



Mrs. Rabe and I got on one of my very favorite subjects...theology. Maybe that had something to do with my low score that game. A bit distracted.

Anyway, just before we left the bowling alley, The Rabes informed us that Taco Bell was giving away free tacos from 2-6pm. We were within that window of time...so that sounded fun. Off we went for our free tacos.

Now, the wind had risen to such a fright that we were dodging pieces of limbs, trash cans and all other sorts of things on the roads...but we were not to be deterred.

Once there, Mikey wisely stayed in the car...Jonathan, Chelsea and I marched in and got our freebies...however, I had to order something else to go along with it...I just can't look THAT cheap! Jonathan would be happy to eat it...we got everything "to go" and headed back to the car...

The wind gusted alarmingly!

It was insane.

I am no small person but it took me backwards.

You know how it is when the wind is so strong in
your face that you can't catch your breath?
That was this wind yesterday.

I opened the car door but just as I was about to
get in it slammed shut catching me in the shoulder.

This would have been when I screamed.

It didn't really hurt but was so surprising.

After two tries, I finally got into the car.

We laughed so hard!

There is something freeing about just letting
your guard down and being your own self.
Screaming with surprise.

I am glad for that wind yesterday...it is one more
memory before these kids are all grown and out
on their own.

After we got home I was letting the dogs out and
watched the trees bend with the wind.

They were just swaying to and fro.

Makes me glad for their strong roots.

It amazes me that something we cannot see can be
so powerful...very impressive! The roar and the
feel of it on our skin lets us know it is there
and yet it is invisible to the eye. Just its
effects are shown.

Hmmm...makes me think of God.

We cannot see Him.

But we know He is there.

His effects are in everything.

Sometimes He roars...but more often He is quiet
and gentle as a soft breeze on a summer's evening.

Sometimes it is good to scream with glee in His
presence.

Sometimes I just want to snuggle up and worship
Him in quiet.

God.

The wind.

Both...real...

Both...powerful...

I am thankful for the reminders in
nature that declare the power of God!

Have a joyful day!

Becky K.

What will this Day Hold?

We never really know.

We think we plan...doing our
best...but ultimately our days
are in the Lord's hands.

This is a very good thing.

Sometimes life is overwhelming.
We are scared.
Sometimes saddened.

Maybe it is an illness.
Perhaps a wayward child.
Sometimes employment is the issue.

Whatever the case it is so good to
remember that our days, if we are believers,
are totally and completely allowed by a
Heavenly Father who loved us so much that He
sent His own Son, Jesus, to die for our sins.

This is the One who permits the "good" and the "bad"
into our lives.

All things that we must face are for our good...
and more importantly His glory.

Does it make it easy...NO!

Can we make it through? YES!

Because of the knowledge that He will never
leave us...not ever!

I sometimes picture myself sitting in the palm
of one of God's hands.
The other hand comes, ever so gently
down, to cover and protect me.
I feel so safe.
This is the mental image that I carry on
days when the pain is intense
or things feel out of my control.

I am tranferring this image to include
my children as they grow and are more
often away from me and at work or play.

One son wants to begin riding dirt bike.
The first response from me is fear.
Didn't he learn by nearly crushing his head
just last week? Don't we know lots of people who
have experienced horrible accidents on these machines?

A sport that requires so much safety equipment
seems to me to be a pointless risk.
To he and his Dad...it is good preparation
for the day he buys his own motorcycle.
Yikes!

Mikey is a child of God.
He is in the palm of God's hand.
I must trust in that.
This is a hard one, for me.
Others face much harder letting go issues.
Much!

I was going to write about going bowling today,
and getting more chairs off the truck at the church.
Could be today...
Hmmm...I wonder what the Lord has in store?

So many friends are facing serious illnesses,
hurts and concerns.
I just want you to know that you are
in my prayers and I love knowing that you pray
for me...

Your Friend...

Thinking about Surgery

It is getting closer.
My fifth surgery in 2 years.
In some ways I feel I am tempting fate.

How many times can one put themselves on
the operating table and come out ok?

Then the pain sets in and I think it will be worth it.

The date is not yet set but I know it is going to have to
happen.

I guess this, like absolutely everything else in life, has to be left in the hands of God. Not easy for a control freak.
I must rest in the fact that HE knows me. HE has a plan.
It certainly is not what I would have chosen, however, HE knows what is best.

I am glad that it is not about fate.
It is about an all knowing God, Who has had a plan
for my life since before the foundation of the world.

Awesome thought, isn't it.
HE knew ME!
Before I was...
Weird, But cool!

Why am I still scared?
I am human.
Oh, so human!

Worship

I've been thinking...

You who know me are groaning...

But really, these are my thoughts this morning.

I love to create. I love to design.
A lot of times I love the things that I create.
However, every time I see flaws in the things
I have created.

God does it differently.

He created the universe, the day and night,
the plants, the animals, he created man.

HE saw that it was good!

Isn't that cool?

HE was pleased by HIS creation.
See how many times this passage says this?

Love it!

Genesis 1
The History of Creation
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was[a] on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all[b] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

The moral of this story?
Be glad that God is your Creator...

Believing For a Miracle

The church saga continues.

We have been praying specifically for a
building which is situated in a very nice
location and which we know has been sitting
empty for the past two years.

I had contacted who I thought was the owner
only to be told he had been leasing the
building for the past ten years.

He strongly suggested I talk to the owner of
the building, which I did.

At that point this man had things stored in this
space and was not interested in renting it out.

Months passed. Many months.

Over those months,
we have been through so much as a church.

We have left the denomination
the church had been founded under.
We have a new name.
New bylaws have been written.
The incorporation papers are on their way
to the necessary agencies.
We have a vision of where we believe the
Lord is taking us. To fill the need for
an Family Integrated Church in the Mid to Southern
Lancaster County Area.
Our web site is coming along.
Those who could not make this leap with us
have moved on.

It has been hard.
Very hard.

We wanted to give up many times.

But now, there is a renewed hope.

I knew that it should not be me to
go back to request to see the building
again. Sometimes you just "know" these things.
I asked that one of the men be
responsible to make that contact.

Our Pastor took on the challenge.

God's timing was apparent.

The owner of the building had just cleared
everything out of the space and was preparing
it for rent...He and our Pastor went together
last week. Mike came back so excited.

We discussed the retail value of the space.
I figured easily this man could ask $2,000 to $2,500
and be well within reason. It is a very large space!

Those who were available went last evening to look.

We met the owner. A very nice gentleman.

After much discussion about what we would do
with each of the many areas in the building,
Mike brought up the subject of money.
We were told that the former tenants had paid
$2,500 month. Just what I thought.
We have 30 people on a good Sunday and none
of us are wealthy. With a full time Pastor this
is just more than we can afford on our own!

Pastor Mike, Warren and the owner of the building all
disappeared into a quiet section of the building.
The rest of us prayed.

This man's offer to us...$1,000 per month and he
will help get the building "church ready".

Is God good, or what?!??

I don't know if this is going to be the solution.
I certainly have not seen anything nearly as suitable
or possible...in the year or more that we have been looking.

Please pray with us.

We truly want to be a church with a purpose.
Reaching out and growing in this community.

I hope you see God at work in your life.
It is a beautiful thing.

Joy in Days of Sorrow

I did not title this post "Happiness" in Days of Sorrow. But, Joy. We are counting down to the two year passing of my Dad. November 9th, 2005 he slipped peacefully into eternity at the young age of 58. We are not happy that he is gone! But we are joyful that his suffering from diabetes and what it had done to his body is over. We are not happy that we do not get to enjoy his presence every day...but we rejoice in the knowledge that he is in the presence of his own best friend, Jesus.
We are not happy about the pain this has left in our hearts, but we rejoice that God has been faithful to carry us through.

In April, Warren's Dad went to be with the Lord after a three year struggle with a spinal chord tumor. November of 2006 found him with extreme brain damage after a fall, since the tumor had left him pretty much paralyzed on one side and the medications had side effects that caused him to bleed easily. This fall rattled his brain and he was no longer able to communicate much or care for himself at all. The circumstances of the months that followed are at this point in our lives absolutely the hardest we have faced, to date. But there is joy in watching how the Lord orchestrated Gene's miraculous acceptance at the Nursing Home at the end of our road and the opening up of Mom's home to Georgia during those difficult months...the family home was an hour away. The Lord brought just the right people across our path when we needed it most. Did we feel happy during those times...emphatically NO!...but we do know the comfort and JOY of resting in HIM and knowing that HE had shown the evidence of HIS care in working out the impossible details.

These are the things that I hold on to when I am so tempted to be overwhelmed and let that Joy slip away into despair. God was in the details. God was with us. God was our comfort. God gave both Dads dying grace...it was beautiful. Can I say that? Their passings were beautiful! It is true.

So...whether I "feel" happy about the loss of these really important men in our lives is not important. Finding my JOY in the LORD is!

If you have lost someone close to you and you have lost your joy, I would challenge you to look for God in the details. Make a list. Can you see HIM there? In the days, weeks, months or years since...how has God worked in your life to show you how much HE loves you and cares for you? Rejoice in that love. If you are HIS child there is absolutely nothing that comes your way that HE cannot or will not enable you to make it through.

Joy...in days of sorrow!