An Easter Story/"A Living Prayer"

"...Why do you look for the living among the dead? HE is not here; HE has risen!" Luke 24:5-6

"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." I Corinthians 15:19-20.



Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for your precious prayers on our behalf and my behalf for the ladies retreat with our homeschool group, Excalibur, last weekend at Desota State Park. I included a few pictures above of beautiful Desota Falls, Little River Canyon, my dear friend Louise Todd who took care of me all weekend (she gained a greater appreciation for my husband:) , and some special gals from the retreat i got to know last weekend. GOD answered your prayers "exceedingly abundantly" with HIS power and presence upon us, kept us safe through the storms, and blessed the socks off of all us through the testimonies and love of the older and younger women there. HE even kept me so busy involved in hillbilly skits..."Oh, we're not the kind to go around spreading rumors...", playing and singing with Melinda Quinn and her girls who did a beautiful job leading us in praise songs and hymns, visiting and praying with other women... that i didn't go hiking once ( so He answered that prayer too-the woods didn't bother me:).
Thank you, Kathy Bond and Billie Sue for your wonderful leadership, love, and examples to us of being godly, older women. Thank you for taking time to encourage us who are coming behind you. Thank you, Tenise, for being such a fireball, and dragging me to see Desota Falls when i really needed to rest, but so glad you took me-it was the prettiest i had ever seen it due to all the rain the night before. Thank you the rest of the retreat team for working so hard and being such a blessing to me and everyone there. The theme of the retreat was from Titus 2 about the older women teaching the younger women to "love their husbands, children, be self-controlled, pure, etc, busy at home, kind, and to be subject to their husbands so that no one will malign the word of GOD." Well, to say i have been tested in that this week, and failed would be an understatement, but that's not the point of this email:).
This time of year is incredibly special to me because the LORD JESUS CHRIST reached down and saved me from the miry pit of sin i was in when i was 19 years old on April 3, 1982. A few days later, April 11, on Easter Sunday, I was baptized at Central Baptist Church in Decatur, Al. Mine was a dramatic conversion, and i felt the load of my sin, lifted off of me when the blood of CHRIST washed over me, and cleansed me to be "white as snow."
It wasn't long after CHRIST came into my life that GOD raised up godly women to encourage me in my walk with CHRIST...my Mother had read Bible stories to me and modeled for me a life of goodness to me and my 3 brothers and one sister since i was a child. My sister, Jill, who is six years older than me, used to make me read the "Upper Room" devotion book with her each night in bed and say prayers with her and she was a tremendous example to me in the way she helped my Mom clean cook, and doing the things i spent a lot of effort trying to avoid as a child.
As a CHRISTian, GOD has brought many older women to encourage me and disciple me, including Anne Marie Ezzo. We met Anne Marie and her husband Gary, in Richardson, Texas when Johnny was in seminary during the latter part of the 1980's. They were sharing there parenting principles at a Shepherd's Conference that John MacArthur was leading. We didn't have any children then, but GOD HE knew how much we desperately needed to be taught to be the parent's we needed to be to the children HE had planned for us in the future. GOD has used Gary and Anne Marie not only to be such a tremendous blessing to us in our parenting, but to thousands of parents and families throughout the world who have been blessed by their teaching based on Biblical principals. (www.growingkids.org, www.gfi.org) Anne Marie and i have stayed in contact through the years through email, as it's probably been over 10 years since we've seen each other in person, and through praying for one another. What a special blessing from the LORD she is to me as she continues to share her wisdom, her love, and her life with me...she has a very gracious way of speaking into your life when you need correction:).
She passed on the following story to the Growing Kids "family" this week about Easter and i wanted to share it with you, my dear praying friends and family. She said she wasn't sure if the following "Easter" story is true or not but it is a beautiful story, passed on to her by a friend from Georgia. Thank you, Anne Marie, for sharing it with me and the GFI family. I pray that you along with me, will take time these next few days to think about the agony of CHRIST's suffering and death for your sins and mine, HIS burial, and HIS glorious resurrection from the dead. This is the Gospel and to all who believe in HIM, HE gives eternal life... "For GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS only SON that whosoever believes in HIM should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16.



THE STORY OF EDITH BURNS...
Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in

San Antonio, Texas. She was the patient of a doctor

by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a

gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His

favorite patient was Edith Burns.



One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart

and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked

into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big

black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young

mother sitting beside her.



Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in

this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you

believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the

meaning of Easter, and many times people would be

saved.



Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he

saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met

Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith

began by saying, "My name is Edith Burns. Do you

believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do.

"Edith said, "Well, what do you believe about

Easter?" Beverly said, "Well, it's all about egg

hunts, going to church, and dressing up. "Edith

kept pressing her about the real meaning of Easter,

and finally led her to a saving knowledge of Jesus

Christ.



Dr. Phillips said, "Beverly, don't call Edith into

the office quite yet. I believe there is another

delivery taking place in the waiting room. After

being called back in the doctor's office, Edith sat

down and when she took a look at the doctor she

said, "Dr. Will, why are you so sad? Are you

reading your Bible? Are you praying?" Dr. Phillips

said gently, "Edith, I'm the doctor and you're the

patient." With a heavy heart he said, "Your lab

report came back and it says you have cancer, and

Edith, you're not going to live very long."



Edith said, "Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why

are you so sad? Do you think God makes mistakes?

You have just told me I'm going to see my precious

Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends. You have

just told me that I am going to celebrate Easter

Forever, and here you are having difficulty giving

me my ticket!" Dr. Phillips thought to himself,

"What a magnificent woman this Edith Burns is!"

Edith continued coming to Dr. Phillips. Christmas

came and the office was closed through January 3rd.

On the day the office opened, Edith did not show up.

Later that afternoon, Edith called Dr. Phillips

and said she would have to be moving her story to

the hospital and said, "Will, I'm very near home, so

would you make sure that they put women in here next

to me in my room who need to know about Easter.

"Well, they did just that and women began to come in

and share that room with Edith. Many women were

saved. Everybody on that floor from staff to

patients were so excited about Edith, that they

started calling her Edith Easter; that is everyone

except Phyllis Cross, the head nurse.



Phyllis made it plain that she wanted nothing to do

with Edith because she was a "religious nut". She

had been a nurse in an army hospital. She had seen

it all and heard it all. She was the original G.I.

Jane. She had been married three times, she was

hard, cold, and did everything by the book.



One morning the two nurses who were to attend to

Edith were sick. Edith had the flu and Phyllis Cross

had to go in and give her a shot. When she walked

in, Edith had a big smile on her face and said,

"Phyllis, God loves you and I love you, and I have

been praying for you. "Phyllis Cross said, "Well,

you can quit praying for me, it won't work. I'm not

interested." Edith said, "Well, I will pray and I

have asked God not to let me go home until you come

into the family. "Phyllis Cross said, "Then you

will never die because that will never happen, "and

curtly walked out of the room.



Every day Phyllis Cross would walk into the room and

Edith would say, "God loves you Phyllis and I love

you, and I'm praying for you. "One day Phyllis

Cross said she was literally drawn to Edith's room

like a magnet would draw iron. She sat down on the

bed and Edith said, "I'm so glad you have come,

because God told me that today is your special day.

"Phyllis Cross said, "Edith, you have asked

everybody here the question, "Do you believe in

Easter? "but you have never asked me. "Edith said,

"Phyllis, I wanted to many times, but God told me to

wait until you asked, and now that you have asked.

"Edith Burns took her Bible and shared with Phyllis

Cross the Easter Story of the death, burial and

resurrection of Jesus Christ. Edith said, "Phyllis,

do you believe in Easter? Do you believe that Jesus

Christ is alive and that He wants to live in your

heart? "Phyllis Cross said, "Oh I want to believe

that with all of my heart, and I do want Jesus in my

life. "Right there, Phyllis Cross prayed and

invited Jesus Christ into her heart. For the first

time Phyllis Cross did not walk out of a hospital

room, she was carried out on the wings of angels.



Two days later, Phyllis Cross came in and Edith

said, "Do you know what day it is? "Phyllis Cross

said, "Why Edith, it's Good Friday. "Edith said,

"Oh, no, for you every day is Easter. Happy Easter

Phyllis! "Two days later, on Easter Sunday, Phyllis

Cross came into work, did some of her duties and

then went down to the flower shop and got some

Easter lilies because she wanted to go up to see

Edith and give her some Easter lilies and wish her a

Happy Easter.



When she walked into Edith's room, Edith was in bed.

That big black Bible was on her lap. Her hands

were in that Bible. There was a sweet smile on her

face. When Phyllis Cross went to pick up Edith's

hand, she realized Edith was dead. Her left hand

was on John 14: "In my Father's house are many

mansions. I go to prepare a place for you, I will

come again and receive you to Myself, that where I

am, there you may be also. "Her right hand was on

Revelation 21:4, "And God will wipe away every tear

from their eyes, there shall be no more death nor

sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain,

for the former things have passed away."



Phyllis Cross took one look at that dead body, and

then lifted her face toward heaven, and with tears

streaming down here cheeks, said, "Happy Easter,

Edith - Happy Easter!" Phyllis Cross left Edith's

body, walked out of the room, and over to a table

where two student nurses were sitting. She said, "My

name is Phyllis Cross. Do you believe in Easter?"







A dear "little" sister in the LORD from our church, 17 year old Sarah Cobb, also sent me an email this week and encouraged me tremendously. After the mountain top experience at the retreat, i was down in the "valley," even the next day. GOD used Sarah to encourage this older woman who had no idea what i was wrestling with through her encouraging words and she shared the video below with me. What a blessing it has been to me this week as i have watched it and listened to it over and over. Alison Kraus sings so beautifully "A Living Prayer," which is what the lady in the story above lived as she shared CHRIST's love and HIS unspeakable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15) of eternal life with those she met. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9upE_PGJVq8

Each one of the ladies I have mentioned in this email are "A Living Prayer", saved and kept by the blood and power of our LORD JESUS CHRIST who rose from the dead. It is "CHRIST in them," that empowers and motivates them to love and invest their lives in the women coming behind them. Women, like my little sister Sarah, whom GOD used to bless me this week, need the wisdom of those who have walked with CHRIST a little farther down the road than she has walked to teach her and encourage her. Women like me, who in my mid forties, have learned many lessons from those who have gone before me have been instructed in Titus 2 to take time to share those things with women walking behind me...we aren't born with the knowledge to do everything, it has to be taught, and this is GOD's plan of passing on wisdom to each other...older women teaching the younger women. I have many more things to learn from those of you who have walked with CHRIST a little farther down the road than i have walked. Thank you, for each of you who are "A Living Prayer" to me and those around you. CHRIST lives and breathes HIS life into each of us who know HIM as LORD and SAVIOR and makes our lives "A Living Prayer," as we follow HIM in obedience...obedience that means death to self, "I am crucified with CHRIST and it is no longer i who live but CHRIST who lives in me," Galatians 2:20.



Dear LORD JESUS,

Thank YOU, so much for dying on the cross for my sins and thank YOU that the tomb is empty!! I praise YOU that YOU rose from the dead, and "Because YOU live, I can face tomorrow," and look forward to living with YOU for all eternity. We celebrate YOUR life today and every day, and thank YOU for YOUR life that gives us life abundantly. Thank YOU for choosing me to be YOUR child, forgiving me each day in my failures and empowering me with YOUR Resurrection power in the victories that YOU give me...thank you that "YOUR mercies are new every morning." Thank you so much for the older and younger women YOU have brought into my life to be "A Living Prayer" to me. Help my life to be "A Living Prayer", and help me to die to self, that others may see "the JESUS in me" and be drawn closer to YOU. I love YOU, LORD. Amen.

With all HIS love and Happy Firstfruits(Easter),

mitzi

Please continue to remember my friend Ann and her family during these difficult days for them, and our friends JD and Gail Clanton. JD and Gail are longtime friends, she being another wonderful godly mentor to me and JD has been such a warrior for CHRIST in the public education arena for many years. JD has had Parkinson's for years and just found out this week he has extensive cancer in his body after falling and breaking his hip. Thank you so much for remembering these dear families in your prayers.