HE will supply all your needs from HIS riches in glory, because of what CHRIST JESUS has done for us." Phil. 4:13
Dear Praying Friends and Family,
We were so blessed to have my Mom and Dad come up and eat Sunday dinner with us today. As they get older, and i get older, i realize how very short these times may be with my folks. In fact my Mother mentioned today something about they may just have a year or so more to have health to go and do like they do now. I wish that i could stop time from marching on but i can't. GOD has a design and HE gives us the grace to go on and be more than Conquerors as HE brings life out of death to us in all of its facets and circumstances. I am so thankful for my Mom and Dad and all the grace GOD has poured forth from them to love and help my three brothers and one sister and our families for all these years. Truly GOD has poured out HIS grace upon grace to us in thousands and thousands of ways through their precious lives.
I was just about to begin this email, when i realized i had forgotten to respond to a couple of people who had emailed me about the last Friday email, "Jesus and Jack Daniels." I really appreciate your emails and i try to respond to each of them. Please forgive me, if i don't. One of the emails i was reading back over was from a new friend i met in Lowe's the other day when i purchased the barrels to plant my tomatoes in. The new friend i met was working at the check out when i bought the barrels. I didn't really meet her, i just remembered her friendly smiling face when i checked out. The next time i was in there, this past Friday or Saturday, she checked me out again, and i mentioned to her i had written a devotion about the barrels i bought last week. She asked me about it, and i told her i would send it to her if she would like to read it, and so i did. She wrote me back a couple of days later, and i forgot about writing her back until i saw her yesterday at Lowe's again. I apologized for not writing her back, making an excuse about we've been working a lot in the dirt around here, or something like that. She was and busy, but we managed to talk a little and i asked her if she had a church home. She was very kind but honest, as she shook her head no, and said that she and GOD were kind of at odds right now. She was checking out customers and I told her i understood, and told her i would be seeing her later. I didn't understand what she was at odds about with GOD, but i do know that i sure get at odds when HIM too and i am so glad HE loves me and is patient with me when i get mad at HIM when i don't like and understand HIS ways.
Today as i was about to email you, i read back over her email, and she had included the site for her own blog if i wanted to read it. I hadn't taken time to do that before and didn't really feel like it, but today i clicked on it and began to read. The last post was January 2011, and the name of her blog was "A Broken Heart." I started reading it, and it wasn't long before i realized that her son was a Marine and was killed in Iraq serving our country in 2007. Her blog shared her journey, and her struggles with loosing her son, and all of the sudden, my understanding of her struggles with GOD greatly increased.
I have never lost a child, and i can't began to understand what my new friend has gone through these past 6 years since her son's death. I read another article about him written by his Daddy. What a special young man from a special family, that GOD chose to take home by a sniper's bullet. I didn't really know what to say back to my new friend when i wrote her back, that wouldn't sound callous and canned, but what i thought about almost immediatly, was GOD knows how this mother feels, as HE gave HIS own SON for us. This dear Mother gave her son, to help maintain our freedoms here in America and GOD gave HIS SON that we might be freed from sin's bondage and redeem us to be HIS children forever and ever. I'm sure she has thought about that...but i know there are a lot of questions and things that she has wrestled with GOD about these past 6 years. I found out tonight that this new friend not only lost her son, but her husband to through divorce after her son was killed. I can't imagine how devastating that must be, but i know that GOD's grace is there in her life to help her...not just to get by, but to be More than a Conqueror through HIS grace upon grace in her life that HE daily supplies. Please pray for her as GOD mends her broken heart, and for me that i would be HIS grace to her as a friend.
Last Saturday morning, i attended the funeral of someone who was GOD's marvelous grace to the Evans family since before my husband was born, almost 55 years ago. Louise Lane Barbee was the dear, dear friend and housekeeper to my in laws, and her friends, and later to our family and my sis in laws family when our children were little. Louise was GOD's grace to us...as she laid down her life each week to come and clean and wash and iron, and do whatever the Evan's, or anyone else asked of her. She was always so gracious, so kind, so submissive, so willing, and so loving to us and to all those who knew her. She never had an unkind word for anyone, and her "offtime" was usually spent at church where she served faithfully for 64 years, or the nursing home where she loved to visit loved ones, or with her family. Louise didn't have much money, but she was RICH in the things that mattered most in this world...she gave her heart to JESUS as a young girl, and she faithfully served HIM, and pointed others to HIM through her loving example. She wasn't one to "preach" to you about JESUS, but she sure did live HIS life before you. I used to often say about her, when Louise goes to heaven, she is going to be right up there with Billy Graham. At the end of her funeral, which was packed out, and chairs had to be pulled into the aisles, her preacher exhorted her children, that their Mama had left them with "The Pattern," and indeed she had. She has raised her children to love JESUS, to walk humbly with their GOD, and to love others as she so abundantly did in everything she did. As many folks as she had to keep up with she wrote birthday cards to all of us when it was time for our birthdays and always wrote us a CHRISTmas card. Louise didn't drive, but somehow she managed to keep cards and was always being thoughtful and showing the love of CHRIST to those around her. It was nothing for her to work extra on Saturday and help "MeMa" my husband's grandmother fix one of her fine lunches, and help clean up, before going home to take care of her own family. GOD reminded me of HIS wonderful grace to our family and to all who knew Louise Lane Barbee and the pattern of humility and good works and love and laughter that she brought to all who knew her. Louise was a remarkable woman because her remarkable GOD reached down and saved her at an early age, and fashioned a life that would bear much fruit for HIM, and bring GOD much glory. Her husband died several years ago, and Louise raised four children who also bear much fruit in the place GOD has them. One son is a preacher in Nashville, who had many, many people come down for the funeral, along with several preacher friends, one son lives in Texas and helps children who are in trouble. Marion, her daughter works in a health care field helping others, and took such good care of her Mother as Louise suffered from Parkinson's and had to move to a nursing home a few years ago. Her youngest son is Wayne, and i'm not sure what he does, but i know he wrote this beautiful poem about his Mama that was her the folder for her Homegoing Celebration, entitled, "To Mother With All My Love"
To the Mother Who We All Love, There is No Doubt She Flew Off Like a Dove,
I know She is Gone to Heaven Above. Like Sands Through the Hourglass,
Is the Days of our Lives, Momma Thinking of You We Don't Have to Cry,
You Would Have Wanted Us to Keep Our Heads Up,
And No One Said That The Road to Heaven Wouldn't Be Tough
It's Hard to Imagine Life Without You, Our Love for Momma Will Always Be True.
I saw her big ole son, crying like a baby when he walked out of the church that day...grieving for his Mama.
Louise was such a dear blessing, and her godly influence reached into all of our families and all across the south through her children, and the people she served so freely with CHRIST's love. She never had a chip on her shoulder, and when other's wronged her, or slighted her, she turned the other cheek and raised her children that way too. In a day and time when there could have been racial tensions, there was none with Louise...she loved and loved and poured out her life to help others and she was "colorblind," and she was definitely left "The Pattern," for her kids, and all who knew her...not her own pattern, but "The Pattern" of JESUS CHRIST...who laid down HIS life for HIS friends, and calls us to do the same.
"Greater love hath no one than this, that He lay down HIS life for us." John 15:13
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." I John 3:16
My brother Ralph, spent his week laying down his life for his little sister. You know those barrels i got from Lowe's a couple of week's ago? Well, i needed some dirt in those barrels and my husband wanted some dirt to fill up some ruts in beside our driveway. My brother told me about a man who hauls top soil and the next thing i know, GOD supplied us a dump load truck full of dirt this past Wednesday morning.
My sweet brother, offered...i didn't ask him, to bring his tractor and help spread that dirt around our yard in areas it needed to be spread to fill in holes where the dogs had dug craters to keep cool, and the storm shelter needed some more dirt on top of it, and our driveway had huge ruts that kept getting deeper. Last but not least, those barrels i bought needed
some dirt....i almost forgot that after giving away much of the dirt, but we still have plenty! GOD supplied "exceeding abundantly beyond all that i ask or thought." Not only did He supply me with MORE than enough dirt for my barrel's, way, way more, but for my whole yard, my Daddy, some of my neighbors, my brother, my friend Wanda, and last but not least, something i really wanted he supplied enough dirt to make me a little bigger garden in my back yard which i have desired for a long time. My dear sweet brother used his tractor and his time and energy, to work, and spread, and load, and unload dirt these past three days, and didn't charge us anything to help us.
He told me that a dump load of dirt was a lot of dirt, but it cost only $10.00 more for the whole dump truck load so we decided to get it and share it. He said it was really heavy, and i believe him after shoveling some it myself. GOD sure has taught me a lot about HIS love and HIS grace as i thought about i just wanted to fill my barrel's with dirt, and GOD supplied my needs "exceeding abundantly beyond all that i ask or thought." Once again i was reminded that "Little is much when GOD is in it..." and GOD says if we have faith the size of a mustard seed that we can move mountains." "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matt. 17:20. Those barrels were like the mustard seed, and GOD did for more than i ask or thought. Once again i saw GOD's marvelous love, HIS marvelous grace to supply our needs as i remembered how HE supplied our needs so abundantly through Louise when our children were little and i was so sick. I looked forward to Louise coming each week, not just to clean and iron, and help out, but for her presence, her comfort, her encouragement to me spiritually. I wanted her to move in with us, but GOD strengthened me instead. Louise didn't talk about JESUS that much that i remembered but you knew that HE lived inside her and HE empowered her to be a mighty vessel of HIS grace to others. During our recent campaign efforts when my husband ran for Circuit Court Clerk, GOD supplied our needs so abundantly through our family in friends in so many ways.
some dirt....i almost forgot that after giving away much of the dirt, but we still have plenty! GOD supplied "exceeding abundantly beyond all that i ask or thought." Not only did He supply me with MORE than enough dirt for my barrel's, way, way more, but for my whole yard, my Daddy, some of my neighbors, my brother, my friend Wanda, and last but not least, something i really wanted he supplied enough dirt to make me a little bigger garden in my back yard which i have desired for a long time. My dear sweet brother used his tractor and his time and energy, to work, and spread, and load, and unload dirt these past three days, and didn't charge us anything to help us.
My brother, Ralph, has a servant's heart, and like my Daddy, he uses his hands, and his tractor, and his house construction skills to share GOD's grace and help. My brother was helping to build me a little garden and he volunteered to bring some old railroad ties for the border. Because his tractor was already here at the
house, he hand loaded those railroad ties on his trailer and brought them up here. I felt really badly because i decided not to use those railroad ties because of the creasol in them, and the potential for it to leach into the dirt. I hated to tell my brother because he had gone to so much work, but he didn't get mad. Instead he helped me with the stones i bought to build a wall for the border. He was going to do the cement himself on the stones, but he twisted his back lifting the stones, so he called a crew that works for him, and they came and had the wall laid in 30 minutes and only charged a small fee....grace upon grace upon grace...a dumptruck load full of GOD's grace.
There was so much in my heart to write about this week, and a bunch I left out, like the trip to the vet in Pulaski Tuesday that turned into an all day trip, and the beautiful little park the LORD led me and my dog to to enjoy while we were waiting for Dixie to get through at the vet...grace upon grace upon grace GOD lavishing HIS love in unexpected ways at unexpected times, because HE loves you and me so much.
Last week i used the song, "How He Love Us," http://www.youtube.com/watch? "GOD always has enough ready and waiting to meet our needs, no matter what they may be, and no matter how impossible the circumstances look."
-Hannah Hurnard, Hearing Heart
GOD has placed people all around us, such as my new friend I wrote about above who are hurting, and need to be reminded how very much JESUS loves them and cares for them where they are walking. HE has provided a dumpload truck of HIS love and grace and more to help them walk through the dark places that we all walk. "If we have faith the size of a mustard seed...HE can move mountains of dirt, sin, and mountains of despair and discouragement, and hopelessness in our lives. GOD can do the impossible and bring "beauty to our ashes," and "life through our deaths as HE did through the Cross. HE is the GOD of the impossible, and "because HE lives, I can face tomorrow."
"The hope we have is a living hope. We wait for it, in faith and patience. CHRIST is the resurrection and the life. No wonder Easter is the greatest of CHRISTian feast days! No wonder CHRISTians sing! "
Elisabeth Elliot, All That Was Ever Ours
The hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even JESUS." Hebrews 6:19,20.
May the LORD help you realize how much HE loves you and transforms our sorrows into joy through the Cross of Calvary, "Where Joy and Sorrows Meet." Our choir is singing this beautiful song this Sunday morning...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnNG3pJoExs. I hope you will take time to listen to this powerful song that tells of the message of the Cross "where there is healing for the wounded, strength is given to the weak, and broken hearts find love redeeming." Do we not all need a SAVIOR like this to save us from our sins, heal our wounds, strengthen us and heal our broken hearts? HE is there for all who ask HIM and receive HIM as LORD and SAVIOR.
"The hope we have is a living hope. We wait for it, in faith and patience. CHRIST is the resurrection and the life. No wonder Easter is the greatest of CHRISTian feast days! No wonder CHRISTians sing! "
Elisabeth Elliot, All That Was Ever Ours
The hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even JESUS." Hebrews 6:19,20.
May the LORD help you realize how much HE loves you and transforms our sorrows into joy through the Cross of Calvary, "Where Joy and Sorrows Meet." Our choir is singing this beautiful song this Sunday morning...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnNG3pJoExs. I hope you will take time to listen to this powerful song that tells of the message of the Cross "where there is healing for the wounded, strength is given to the weak, and broken hearts find love redeeming." Do we not all need a SAVIOR like this to save us from our sins, heal our wounds, strengthen us and heal our broken hearts? HE is there for all who ask HIM and receive HIM as LORD and SAVIOR.
"Where Joy and Sorrow Meets"
There’s a place of quiet stillness ‘tween the light and shadows reach
Where the hurting and the hopeless seek everlasting peace
Words of men and songs of angels whisper comfort bittersweet
Mending grief and life eternal where joy and sorrow meet
There is a place where hope remains
In crowns of thorns and crimson stains
And tears that fall on Jesus’ feet
Where joy and sorrow meet
There’s a place the lost surrender and the weary will retreat
Full of grace and mercy tender in times of unbelief
For the wounded there is healing, strength is given to the weak
Broken hearts find love redeeming where joy and sorrow meet
There’s a place of thirst and hunger where the roots of faith grow deep
And there is rain and rolling thunder when the road is rough and steep
There is hope in desperation there is victory in defeat
At the cross of restoration where joy and sorrow meet
"The power of the cross is not exemption from suffering but the very transformation of suffering."
-Elisabeth Elliot, Loneliness
"But we see JESUS, WHO was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor." Hebrews 2:9
If you haven't received GOD's greatest gift of love, the salvation that is ours through JESUS CHRIST, you can do that right now, by surrendering your life to HIM and asking HIM to forgive you for your sins. HE longs to show us HIS love in all its fulness and receiving HIM as our SAVIOR is the beginning of HIS love that HE wants to pour out upon us....grace upon grace upon grace.
"If the cross is the place where the worst thing that could happen happened, it is also the place where the best thing that could happen happened. Ultimate hatred and ultimate love met on those two crosspieces of wood. Suffering and love were brought into harmony."
-Elisabeth Elliot, www.elisabethelliot.org
As i cut the grass, Tuesday evening and then again Thursday morning, and looked at those thousands of little wildflowers that bloom this time of year in our yard, i was reminded again of GOD's grace upon grace upon grace in our lives...through the hard times, HIS grace shines the brightest it seems. "My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness." II Cor. 12:9 Hannah Hurnard wrote about it in one of her books, how the little wildflowers reminded her of GOD's grace in our lives. GOD's grace is all around us and we will see it if we will be stop and be thankful and look for it in the good times and the difficult times. Sometimes it's difficult to see when our hearts are broken like my friends up above who have lost their son, and their Mother and me in my health problems. But GOD promises in HIS time to give us "beauty for ashes," and HE gives us HIS grace upon grace to help us through the difficult and dark days that come to each and everyone of us...."many are the afflictions of the righteous but the LORD delivers him from them all." I am so thankful for GOD using Louise to help us through those tough years of my sickness, and using her in all of our families lives to be such a blessing during the years my FATHER in law was a Sheriff, and serving the whole county and Louise helped to keep things going at home so my inlaws could do what they needed to outside of the home. I am so thankful for the LORD using my brother Ralph this week to do what we couldn't...in our weakness, GOD was strong through my brother's willingness to lay down his life, his schedule for us, and bless us with GOD's grace upon grace upon grace. I am so thankful for GOD using my parents, our parents, to pour out HIS love and grace upon grace upon grace to us and our families.
I'm sorry if i've kind of rambled this week....just seems like the LORD has been speaking to my heart about alot of areas...and reminding me to be thankful and see HIS grace...like the IV i got last Monday to help me go for another of couple of weeks. Yes, i suffer with my health, but GOD gives me the grace that i need to walk in the path HE has engineered for me. I don't always like it...believe me i wrestle with GOD too, and have today about circumstances in my life that i don't like. Then i am reminded to look for HIS grace to be sufficient and as i found out this week, even more than sufficient...like the two fish and five loaves of bread that JESUS used of the little boy's to feed the multitude of 5,000 and then their were several basketfuls left over in Luke 9:10-16. That's the way it's been with this dirt....we've used it and given it away and given it away and there is still some left over! Wow...talk about a dump truck load full of grace...God's grace, grace upon grace upon grace, and more besides!
If you don't have a place to worship our RISEN LORD and SAVIOR come and join us this Sunday at First Baptist Athens if you live nearby. We would love to have you come and worship and praise HIM with us at 8:00 a.m. and then again at 10:30 a.m. I love you and thank you for taking time to read the email and allowing me to share HIS love and grace with you...HE loves us so very much!
Because HE LIVES!!!
mitzi
If you don't have a place to worship our RISEN LORD and SAVIOR come and join us this Sunday at First Baptist Athens if you live nearby. We would love to have you come and worship and praise HIM with us at 8:00 a.m. and then again at 10:30 a.m. I love you and thank you for taking time to read the email and allowing me to share HIS love and grace with you...HE loves us so very much!
Because HE LIVES!!!
mitzi
"And from HIS fulness we have all received grace upon grace .." John 1:16
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