His Grace is Sufficient: "Come Rest Your Head Upon HIS Breast"

My dear Mother in law, Bobbie Evans and friend Sherri Bassham, pastor's wife at First United Methodist
at a funeral in the City Cemetary

"Be still and know that I am GOD..." Psalm 46:10

Dear Praying Friends and Family,

Valentine's Day flowers Hannah Beth received from her Daddy

I hope you all had a very Happy Valentine's Day and you saw HIS love in the people around you and HIS grace for your lives. You all have blessed us so much with your prayers on our behalf, your encouragement, your most generous support financially, your help going door to door, putting signs out, a friend letting Johnny borrow their golf cart to help save his knees going door to door, and so many ways you have "Shared HIS Love," with us. Our hearts are full of gratitude to GOD and for you for the love that HE has poured out upon us through your generosity and kindness to us.

I did not want to start another busy week of campaigning or otherwise as the LORD leads us out to "Share HIS Love," without asking you to remember us before our FATHER each day. HE has been so faithful to bless us in every way, meet every need supernaturally, including this weekend for a time to "Be Still and Know" that HE is GOD...Johnny had to slow down and rest his knees, and yesterday afternoon, i enjoyed a time of resting and started a wonderful CHRISTian novel by Francine Rivers, called "Redeeming Love, I'm sure i will be sharing more of later. I was too sluggish to write the email yesterday afternoon, but felt refreshed after a short nap to be able to read this wonderful book based on the book of Hosea, that is a picture of CHRIST's ever faithful, pursuing, redeeming, love for unfaithful Israel, and for us. HE loves us so much. I can't wait to get back to it...

But for now, i wanted to ask you to cover us with your prayers this week as we "Share HIS Love," and campaign as we go along. Please pray for :

the HOLY SPIRIT to lead and guide in all we do and HIS fragrance will reach out to others through us
GOD's wisdom in all that we do and say
GOD's favor in the hearts of the people we meet and that see the ads and signs and hear about Johnny
A forum at the library this week on Weds at noon for the Republican candidates
Saturday is Chili Challenge -GOD's favor, volunteers to wear our T shirts,
strength and health for our family and all who are helping us
Anything else you think of to pray we appreciate it so much

Sign telling the history of our town

I also would like for you to pray for Al and Rhonda Roberts...they are the dear friends from church who graciously allowed Johnny to use his golf cart for the rest of the campaign. Al is battling cancer, and is in Houston today with his Daddy for some consulting about surgery. Thank you for remembering these dear friends.

Please also remember the Deemer family, my husband's uncle and his wife who lost their Mother and Grandmother this week...John Deemer did the fliers we are using for the campaign and did a great job with them.

Please remember my Mother in law in your prayer who lost a very close long time friend this week...she had several funerals and deaths this week, it's been a hard week for her.

The old part of the City Cemetary in Athens

This week, has been another busy week, packed with GOD's blessings, strength and health to go door to door many places, riding my bicycle campaigning has been a blast and saved my feet and knees a lot, and GOD leading and guiding our paths to so many wonderful people and places.

My Campaign "Wheels"

What a refreshing Sunday has become to me in a new way, to "Be Still and Know" that HE is GOD after a busy week of campaigning. We had a wonderful day of worship yesterday, with evangelist Scott Dawson, and were challenged to share the salvation and love of GOD wherever we go, and what a blessing this campaign has been for doing that.

I was reminded this week through a quote by Hannah Hurnard, who wrote one of my very favorite books, "Hinds Feet on High Places," an allegory of the CHRISTian life, how very gracious our loving FATHER is to use weak vessels such as Johnny and myself in HIS service...I love this quote:

"It is one of the lovely things about the Master we serve, that HE is so willing to use in HIS service dwarves as well as giants, and feeble folk as well as champions." Hannah Hurnard, Wayfarer in the Land

"Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that GOD supplies so that GOD will be glorified." 1 Peter 4:11

As i sat in my sauna one night recently, and watched our cat who had surgery a few weeks ago lay quietly outside of it, i thought about how much "grace," our cat has been shown in her weakness. She has been able to stay inside in a warm house, be doctored, loved and cared for when she couldn't care for herself. She certainly couldn't drive herself to the vet 45 minutes away and pay the bill! She is a picture of us in our weakness, our insufficiency, and how GOD empowers us with HIS grace and power and does for us what we cannot do.

Peaches recovering from surgery

This campaign has sure been a picture to me of that...seeing GOD's power in our weakness...supplying all our needs through HIS grace...and many of you are HIS grace to us...thank you. "My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will gladly boast in my weaknesses that the power of CHRIST may rest upon Me." II Cor. 12:9.

Resting Upon HIS Breast for this Campaign

I read a devotion this week, that really blessed me about coming to the LORD as a little child, and resting upon HIS breast, and trusting HIM. I have shared it with you below and pray the LORD will use it to encourage you to come to HIM and rest Your Head Upon HIS Breast," as a little child in the midst of the places that GOD has you walking and resting in HIM.

"My Presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Exodus 33:14

To step out of self-life into CHRIST -life; to lie still, and let HIM lift you out of it; to fold your hands close, and hide your face on the hem of HIS garment; to let HIM lay HIS cooling, soothing, healing hands upon your soul,

and draw all the hurry and fever from its veins; to realize that you are not a mighty messenger, an important worker of HIS, full of care and responsibility, but only a little child, with a FATHER's gentle bidding to heed and fulfill; to lay your busy plans and ambitions confidently in HIS hands, as a child brings its broken toys at its mother's call; to serve HIM by waiting, to praise HIM by saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy," to cease to hurry, so you may not lose sight of HIS face; to learn to follow HIM, and not to run ahead of orders! to cease to live in self and for self, and to live in HIM and for HIM; to love HIS honor more than your own; to be a clear medium for his life-tide to shine and glow through. This is consecration, this is rest."

"Thou sweet, beloved will of GOD,

My anchor ground, my fortress hill,

My spirit's silent, fair abode,

In Thee I hide me and am still.

Thy beautiful sweet will, my GOD,

Holds fast in its sublime embrace

My captive will, a gladsome bird,

Prison'd in such a realm of grace.

Upon GOD's will I lay me down,

As child upon its mother's breast,

No silken couch, nor softest bed,

Could ever give me such deep rest.

-Tersteegen

Last week in choir we sang a beautiful song of worship to the LORD by Steven Curtis Chapman called, "Be Still and Know" from Psalm 46. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHlbnNUHQGI What a beautiful song of worship and peace inviting us to "Come rest your head upon HIS breast, listen to the rhythm of HIS unfailing heart of love, beating for HIS little ones, Calling each of us to come, Be still."

Be still and know that He is God

Be still and know that He is holy

Be still, O restless soul of mine

Bow before the Prince of peace

Let the noise and clamor cease

Be still

Be still and know that He is God

Be still and know that He is faithful

Consider all that he has done

Stand in awe and be amazed

And know that He will never change

Be still

Be still and know that he is God

Be still and know he is our Father

Come rest your head upon his breast

Listen to the rhythm of his unfailing heart of love

Beating for His little ones

Calling each of us to come

Be still

If you've never surrendered your life to our LORD JESUS who died for your sins and mine that we might be forgiven and have rest in HIM, i pray that you will do that even as you read this email. HE loves us so much HE gave HIS life for you and for me, and invites us to "come Rest Your Head Upon HIS Breast."

"For GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS only SON that whosoever believes in HIM shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Thank you for taking this time to "rest" with me this week, and I pray this email will be a refreshing to your soul, as you spend time with HIM and "Rest Your Head Upon HIS Breast." I love you and thank GOD for you...thank you so much for upholding us in your prayers to our heavenly FATHER.

With all HIS love,

mitzi