Jehovah's Strength

 "Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength."
                                         Isaiah 26:4


Hello.....
    It has been a Monday!  I am overwhelmed with many tasks at work and at home preparing for my trip to Latvia.  I have lists everywhere and I have been fending off the fiery darts for weeks!  Tonight after getting everyone to bed and finally finding sometime for myself....I pick up God's word to read.  I am always amazed at God's timing.  I read the verse written above tonight after reading several different passages and those words are still ringing in my ears. JEHOVAH...everlasting strength.  I love when I read the names of our precious Lord..., but one of my favorites is JEHOVAH.  As I stated before, the fiery darts are being thrown. The author of lies and destruction often throws a pebble in the way.  We feel like it is a boulder....a mountain that cannot be overcome, but JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.  He is the master, the prince of peace, the great physician, the calm of all fears, the counselor and peacemaker.  He is the one that has protected my sons for the last 15 years.  He has fed them, clothed them and brought them to me.  He has provided the finances, the perseverance through the paperwork and the patience through the long wait.  He has comforted me through many nights of worry.  He is the one with all of the answers and He will be the one that will see us through the months ahead.  He is the one and the only one who can calm the fear that is developing in my heart.  His way is perfect.....the buckler to all of those who trust in him ...Psalm 18:30.  My friend, I place my fears at His alter.  I lift up my soul to him and I wait patiently as He prepares our home and family for the journey that awaits.  
    I am always overcome by music.  I find great peace and my heart is at worship when I am listening to praise music.  I love Michael W. Smith and the song "Let it Rain" reminds me of God's pure love.  He is faithful and true and His righteousness is amazing.  Jehovah...the strength of my life.  
    I cannot wait to see those two faces and to run and grab those boys with big hugs.  Praise God for his mighty power and His faithfulness.  I will seek him for my strength and I will not grow weary.  I will put on the full armor of His power and trust in His strength.




Love,
Penny

I will Sing of the mercies of the Lord

Hello Friends!!


    I have been so very busy with work and family.  I have been reading my friend's blogs and enjoying the blessings of fellow adoptive families as they journey to bring their children home. In the meantime, God has answered our prayers and we have official travel dates.  God is good all of the time!  I will sing of His mercies and worship Him with all of my heart. 
    I have posted a play list with some of my favorite songs.  I will add more over time.  Today is the day that they Lord has given us and we should rejoice and be glad!  I have been very tired lately and sickness has run its course through my home.  It was during the night when my son was very sick with a stomach virus.....and we had to visit the ER for fluids that I began to think about this post.  He is all we need.....He is always there......He is never too busy.....He is listening and waiting just for us and He will never let you down.  The night that we visited the ER....was a quiet night and the waiting room was empty (AMAZING!!).  It was sitting in that hospital room in the quiet while my son was receiving his IV fluids....that I began to think about these two boys. My boys...who have not had a mother or father to grab them up in the middle of night and take them to be treated.  Tears rolled down my face as I thought about the years that have passed and no one was there to sit through a fever, wipe away a tear, pray through a hard time and cheer them on through success.  I rubbed my sweet little blond headed son and I thanked God for the blessing of being a mother even during the hard times of sickness.  I love that God is never far away...always open and ready to hear the cries of his children.   So my friend, tonight I sing of His mercies!

I Pray You Enough

This post was sent to me by an email and is too beautiful not to paste onto my blog.  I have been very busy with a sick child the last few days.  Anyway, please read and enjoy.  Author unknown.......

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged, and the mother said, 'I love you, and I pray you enough.' The daughter replied, 'Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I pray you enough, too, Mom.' They kissed, and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?' Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?' 'Well...I'm not as young as I once was, she lives so far away & has her own busy life. I have some challenges ahead, and the reality is - her next trip back will be for my funeral,' she said. 'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I pray you enough.' May I ask what that means?' She began to smile. 'That's a prayer that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.' She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and she smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I pray you enough,' we wanted the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then, turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory. I pray you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear. I pray you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more. I pray you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting. I pray you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger. I pray you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I pray you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I pray you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye. Then, she began to cry, and walked away. They say, it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget them. *Only if you pray,send this to the people you will never forget.  If you don't send it to anyone, it may mean that you are in such a hurry that you have forgotten your friends. TAKE TIME TO LIVE...... To all my friends and loved ones, I PRAY YOU ENOUGH......

Draw Me Close.....

                        Draw me close, Lord!


    I have been listening to my praise music this evening and again the Lord has shown me in song and word of His mighty power and mercy.  I love Michael W. Smith and each time that I listen to "Let it Rain", I am overtaken with a sense of God's desire for Christians to worship His mightiness.  I am a very passionate person and music truly effects me and when I hear a song that inspires me....I feel like I should bow on my knees and praise Him for His righteousness.
     Psalm 119:2 "Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart." I am so thankful that He would entrust me with the opportunity to be a mother.  I cannot think of a greater honor than to be a wife and a mother.  I hold this position with great respect.  I also know that beyond the "Forever Family" lies a greater calling and that is for my children....all 5 of them to know Christ as their Savior.  It is the greatest gift....treasure that anyone could ever receive.  My precious King who allows me to wake up each day, puts the breath in my lungs, causes my heart to beat, is the reason that I can continue this Christian walk.  He is the reason for my existence.  
  My prayer tonight is that God will draw me close to him.  It is through him and his precious word that I will climb this mountain and survive this wait and hopefully bring my boys to have a personal relationship with the Lord.  


          ABOVE ALL....He took the fall and thought of me!
      To God be the glory for the great things He hath done!




Listen to Michael W. Smith "Let it Rain" it will inspire you to a place of worship.  I recommend the book of Psalms as a place in the word to bring out the heart of worship.  God is worthy...so very worthy.  My sweet friends.....let us give him the praise that He deserves.  


Love,
Penny
    

It is All About the Climb!

Hello Friends!


    This morning during my devotion time, I found a note in my Bible that I had written to myself about 2 years ago.  It was written on a napkin from a restaurant near the Grand Canyon.  Two summers ago, My husband and I took our family on a 3 week camping trip out west.  We had been saving and planning for this trip for years.  We had every detail, camping site and tourist spot mapped out on the road atlas.  I had spent six months planning every detail.  It was a trip of of a lifetime....camping across our great nation.  I will never forget the morning that we left and how excited we all were at the adventure that lay ahead for our family.  I never dreamed that God would change my heart and prepare our lives for the journey our family would eventually take. My note read "Never forget how grand and mighty the Lord is and how vast his love can be......never forget the sight of this canyon and how with one stroke of his precious hand he created this beautiful valley."  I stood at the rim of the canyon and I will never forget the first thought that came to my mind.....How could anyone deny our Creator!  The beauty of that sight is amazing...breathtaking. We visited many different national parks and monuments including Four Corners!  My children laid down on the squares and put a bodily limb in each of the four states.  If you are not from America, we have a monument in the west called Four Corners National Park.  It is the area in which four of the 50 states meet at one point. During this trip, we spent long hours traveling in the car.  We played games, sang songs, viewed beautiful scenery and grew closer as a family.  I believe that was the best vacation that I have ever been able to experience.  God showed his mighty power through His creations to me.  We traveled through the mountains, over hills, through the Painted Desert and the along the plains.  It was a journey.  It was during the long rides that we all took turns listening to our favorite music.  Each one of us was able to play a CD of our choice.  Of course having preteen daughters we had to listen to Miley Cyrus.  It was funny because one of her songs after many replays began to be my favorite.  I think it was driving through the Painted Forest on our way to Flagstaff, Arizona that the words of her song, "The Climb" began to be our travel theme song. I had been thinking about the turns in the road and the winding of each curve in relation to life.  Life has many curves and quick turns.  The song talks about the journey being the adventure.  Its not always about what is at the end of the road, but the road traveled. The bumps in the road, the long wait for something we desire, the hurts and disappointments and the unanswered prayers that truly are answered.  These moments my sweet friend are the journey.  It is what we gain from these experiences that leave the imprint and mark on our lives.  The "climb"....the journey......keep the faith and enjoy the ride.
    I look forward to this new journey that God has given us and I cannot wait to take my boys on their first family camping adventure.  


Love, 
Penny

The Healer Listens

Hello


    Have you ever felt like no one was listening to you?  I mean really listening to what you were saying.  As a parent of teenagers and a high school teacher.....I always feel like no one is listening.  Between the ipods, text messages, busy schedules and the crazy moments of teenage drama.....I feel like no one is listening.  This my friend is also part of being a parent.  Parenthood with all the ups and the downs is still a gift from God.    It is in these moments, that I seek my prayer closet for the sweet ear of the great counselor.  It is in these moments when I know my heart, my soul, my needs and my desires are all heard by the healer.  The one who never is too busy.....the one who takes every petition to heart.  
    Today has been a day when I need to climb into the arms of my precious Savior and cry to him.  The road of adoption is full of hurry and wait.  It is through patience that we learn that God truly reveals his love.  My desire is to honor my precious King.  Lord, I give you my heart and I will wait on your time.  In the mean while, I will pour out my soul to you..........who listens!