Love and Fellowship

Brotherly love entails knowing one another and 
sharing life together.  Unless we open the doors of our homes to 
one another, the reality of the local church as a close-knit family of loving brothers and sisters is just one more empty religious theory.  It is impossible to know or grow close to our brothers and sisters by meeting for an hour a week with a large group in a church sanctuary.  It is through the ministry of hospitality that we provide the fellowship and care that nurtures true brotherly and sisterly love. 
Alexander  Strauch

From the first day I met Devin, he endeared himself to our church family, and soon thereafter he sought out our family as friends.  He purposed to nurture and encourage us in our faith and relationships with one another, which to me was a strength we needed amongst us.

I've always thought, Devin is like a son, and he loved us in such a way as if he wanted to be.  That kind of relational friendliness encouraged me during the low season I was in.  Soon after he arrived at our church, I learned of my diagnosis with cancer.  As I slowly began to tell our church friends, I was thankful Devin and Meg were together.  Meg had not been in town long, but she too, was dear.  Ohh what love and grace they extended to me through their hugs.  I will never forget their warm reception as they fully engaged my struggling heart to trust the Lord's providence in my life.  They reminded me of His faithfulness, and I knew they would be faithful to comfort me, and they were.  Though Meg was soon after deployed, Devin needed us and we needed him.  His spiritual words and maturity were demonstrated far beyond his young years.
I treasure the season of life God gave me and our family with such a giving and loving friend.
When Dev and Meg recently prepared to move away, we cried many tears as we anticipated their departure.  It was a very difficult parting, but OHH the JOY we exclaimed when we learned he was returning.
He registered to attend a conference south of us with friends from church, and he texted to ask if he could borrow our couch for the night....   

😱 "You're coming, REALLY??  YES!!"  🎉

What a joy it was to open our hearts and home again to a dear friend, even if it was for only 12 hours before he was gone again!  Thank you, Father, for your gracious giving of friends who just simply loved us and enjoyed spending time with us.  I'm thankful you knew we needed one another!  
Meg and Dev have since been back to visit our church family again, and we enjoyed having them join us for lunch before they returned home.  Meg has begun a year's worth of schooling, before they will move again to head a little further north, but they joyfully encouraged us by saying when their duty is complete, they plan to return to our city and anticipate starting a family.  What a treasure and delight that will be!
OHH, Lord, may you be pleased to satisfy their heart's desires, for the JOY of being glorified in that gift!  

Thank you, LORD! 

Behold Your God!!

We were all together today, but we didn't get a picture!!! 

🤦‍♀️
Soo, this is one of my favorites...

Happy Resurrection Day! 

Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”

Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.

He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
Isaiah 40:9-11

Grace in Exchange for a Mother's Grief

“A sword will pierce through your own soul.” The most wonderful, gracious event in human history was God sending his Son into the world —
to the cross —
to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21), and this gracious event caused indescribable grief for Mary. This is important to note.

As God works out his salvation of sinners, he leads us along unexpected paths that result in unexpected and sometimes agonizing pain.
When it does, we can remember Mary.
The darkest moment of her life, the sword that stabbed deepest into her soul, was the moment that God used most to bring salvation and joy to the world — and to her! 

That’s how he works with us too. When the sword pierces, all it feels like is terrible pain. But later we discover that our deepest wounding often becomes the channel through which the most profound grace flows.
Jon Bloom, When a Sword Pierces Your Soul, December 16, 2013
author, board chair, and co-founder of Desiring God.

Joy for Catastrophe

Grant, O Lord my God, that I may never fall away in success or in failure, that I may not be prideful in prosperity nor dejected in adversity.  Let me rejoice only in what unites us and sorrow only in what separates us.  May I strive to please no one or fear to displease anyone except Yourself.  May I seek always the things that are eternal and never those that are only temporal.  May I shun any joy that is without You and never seek any that is beside You.  O Lord, may I delight in any work I do for You and tire of any rest that is apart from You.  My God, let me direct my heart towards You, and in my failings, always repent with a purpose of amendment.  
St. Thomas Aquinas
(As shared by Elisabeth Elliot in her book, Keep a Quiet Heart, Don't Forfeit Your Peace, page 59) 

The last thing I expected to see when we walked in the door after church that morning, was our big black cat, Bagheera, sprawled out on the dining room table.  I'd set it the night before in preparation of returning home to serve lunch for a gathering of friends and a visiting pastor (who lead the TheoDox Conference at our church that weekend). Thankfully, only a couple of us discovered Bagheera, and our pastor arrived with Dr. Waldron a few minutes later, which gave me time to remedy this aggravating surprise!  

The LORD oft uses what He wills to guide my heart away from myself and back to His will...that I trust He is leading me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  As hard as I try sometimes to plan, produce, and perfect, it seems sometimes the LORD doesn't want me to do what He's called me to my way, or in my strength alone, but His. If my efforts are only in that which is temporal, than my heart is wayward and lost from the deeper, more meaningful purposes He's called me to, of loving and serving Him and others.  
Though I never really thought this dinner was about me, I could have been distracted in the motions of serving and pulling out what I believed was necessary to host a gathering.  Yes, there were additional matters on my heart that day, so it could have been the LORD wanted to assure me, "I've got this!  Relax!"  
Somehow, my cats have a way of settling me, and this particular incident actually made me laugh, and I needed that upon walking in the door.  

I am thankful for captured memories that help me to remember my heart needs to be calibrated to the LORD and His purpose for what He's called me to!  I truly want to be more focused on Him than on myself or my circumstances.  
Though I wish I'd captured pictures of our guests that day while running back and forth between the dining and living room, I'm thankful for the fun and special time we enjoyed!  Yeah, it was an exhausting effort, but one I look back on and enjoy thinking about.  Thank you, Father, for giving me joy in the midst of  the work you called me to that weekend.  May I never tire of serving You!  

(Note: This is the only other picture I captured Saturday morning when I was at home, live streaming the sessions while making preparations for the next day.  Thankfully I was able to text back and forth with Mark and Phil so they could "remedy" the sideways streaming. Haha!  That was a bit hair raising as well.)  

The Wise Man Builds on the Rock, Jesus

OHH, yesterday!!  What a wonderful day, I wish not to forget. 

Our Cleland family gathered for the first time, almost all of us together, in the new home of Meme and Poppy!  It was a joy to surround them as we listened to the encouraging counsel of their new pastor who came to dedicate their home and our family to the LORD.   

Thank you, Pastor Spencer of FBC South Campus, and your lovely bride, Taylor, for joining us to dedicate our parents' new home to the LORD. You read Matthew 7:24-27, which were perfect words to encourage our hearts yesterday, today, and tomorrow...

Build Your House on the Rock

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”   

  

My heart is full and thankful!!