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Hope and a future! 2013 – I will bring you back!

It’s mine.

It’s yours.

Hope and a future in 2013.

God says He will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5b)

2012 was the most difficult year of my life. But He never left me through it all nor did He ever forsake me. The pain was nearly unbearable at times, but His grace was even greater.

In February, our youngest daughter and her husband were arrested. The four days that followed were a blur. So devastating that I don’t remember all the details. Ron and I held each other and dropped to our knees, crying out to God for help. He helped us. I learned to pray unlike I had ever known before. The pleas and praises came from a depth within me that I hadn’t known existed. I prayed without ceasing – quietly, silently, or aloud while walking through the grocery store! Communion with my Lord unintentionally encompassed my every moment during those days. Later, communion with my Lord became intentional.

In March, my daddy died. Yes, he was old. Yes, he had dementia. Yes, it was a blessing. But he was my daddy, and the pain was real and continues to rouse from time to time. I miss snuggling his neck and face. I miss hearing him say, “I love you. Be careful now, honey.”

In April, my mama died. If you’ve lost both parents, you realize how final the passing of the last one is. I’m 10 years old again, and I’m an orphan. The last months, weeks, and days were terrible – she suffered so. Through it all, God was faithful. His grace was so real. But the night after her funeral, after all the family was gone, including the grandchildren who had been my comfort — after the beautiful words were spoken and the songs were sung, I suddenly couldn’t find that grace. I honestly thought I couldn’t go on. I’ve never felt so empty in my entire life. I had no peace. I had no joy. But I remembered that there was a love there that I could feel, if I could just reach it – if I could just find it. So I spoke the only words I could: “I love you, Lord. I love you, Lord.” Over and over I said those words. The peace came. It filled me. The grief remained, but His peace surpassed the grief. I found Him to be faithful in the midst of my greatest grief.

Court dates, pleas, recovery programs, caregiving, taking classes, teaching courses, 50-mile round trips to and from school, doctor and dental appointments, baths and bedtimes, overseeing homework, laundry, cooking, and finally, the sentencing, filled my 2012 days and drained my natural energy, but the Lord was my strength. When I felt I couldn’t go on, I remembered those dear people who were praying for me – I remembered them by name and thanked God for them and prayed for them, in return. I trusted that God would give me the strength He promised, and I told myself that if I did not believe it, it would be an insult to Him, so I believed in that strength.

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” (Psalm 94:19)

~~   ~~   ~~   ~~

Because of the Lord’s work, my prayers have been answered. My daughter and her husband embraced the Savior. Their lives are totally transformed. They now walk with and honor the Lord with their lives. I thank God for answered prayer.

I also thank God for the heritage left me by my daddy and mama. I cherish every memory and envision them together in their “big yellow house” in heaven.

~~   ~~   ~~   ~~

As the year 2012 came to an end, our tenth grandchild was born – Luke Ryan Greene, our Bringer of Light. God blessed us with him. He was born with heart defects. We trust God for his complete healing. We began to see miracles. His platelets had lowered to 60,000 – then to 54,000. The levels were becoming dangerous. The next day, his platelets were over 100,000! He required oxygen for days. Then suddenly, his oxygen levels became normal, and the oxygen was removed. He went home! He relishes in the environment of his home, with the commotion of his active brother and sisters. He flourishes in the nourishment of his mother’s milk. He gains weight! 1 lb. 3 oz within 2 1/2 weeks! The next cardiologist visit and tests revealed that two defects were healed! We trust and await the continued healing of his heart, for we know that he is fearfully and wonderfully made and God loves little Luke.

This is the first of the miracles I am looking for in 2013 – the complete healing of our precious little Luke!

“Nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

Next, I am looking for the miracle of the birth of our eleventh grandchild – healthy little baby boy Waligora, to be born in March!

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you . . .” Jeremiah 1:5

And, in 2013, we will rejoice when our dear three grandchildren who now live with us are reunited with their parents!

 “All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children’s peace.” Isaiah 54:13

What does the Lord have planned in 2013?

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. . . I will be found by you . . . I will bring you back . . ” (Jeremiah 29:11-14a)

The Lord said “Call to me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

We have called!

He will show us!

He will bring us back in 2013!

If you have not yet called on the Lord Jesus Christ, accept Him as your Savior! “Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Read about it in the Word. See Romans 10:8-13. the Bible says that if you confess with your mouth (speak it) that Jesus is the Lord and you believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Call, email, or message me. I’d love to hear from you. God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life! Plans for hope and a future! A bright future!

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This Christmas Eve . . .

This Christmas Eve, I am thinking of Mary, mother of the Lord Jesus. She listens to the angel Gabriel who says: “You have found favor with God. You will  . . . give birth to a son . . . He will be great . . . the Son of the Most High . . . his kingdom will never end.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” she answers.

She visits her cousin Elizabeth; she goes with Joseph to Bethlehem; she births the Son of God; she observes the shepherds’ amazing faith; and she treasures all these things and ponders them in her heart.

And this Christmas Eve, I am pondering my love for my precious little Luke, the bringer of light.

And as I do, I am thinking of my Kristen, mother of my precious little Luke, the bringer of light. She reads God’s Word and listens to His Holy Spirit, and as she meditates upon it, He speaks to her, and He says: “I send forth my word and heal little Luke; I rescue Him.” (Psalm 107:20) He also says, “Before Luke was born, I called him; from his birth I made mention of his name . . . in the shadow of my hands I hid Luke; And now I say, I who formed Luke in the womb to be my servant; I will also make Luke a light for the Gentiles.”  (Isaiah 49)

“I am the Lord’s servant,” she answers. She treasures all these things and ponders them in her heart —  little Luke, and all God has done, all God is doing, and all God is going to do.

And we praise Him together, my Kristen and I, for our precious little Luke, the bringer of light.

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Christmas is joy!

Joy to the world! The Lord has come!

When I was a little girl,

      Christmas was fun! Sleigh bells rang in the dark. Santa’s sleigh tracks were found in the middle of the yard. Early Christmas morning, we three kids woke early, wrapped ourselves in warm bathrobes, and quietly stepped down the big stairway to the living room where we were welcomed by the brightly lit tree enveloped with big, cone-shaped electric bulbs of red, blue, green, orange, and white. Sleepy Mommy and Daddy met us by the tree and then made our day so special! The true meaning of Christmas was imbedded in each fun tradition.

Christmas was fun! And Christmas was joy!

When I was the young mother of little children,

     Christmas was fun! Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk the children had set out. On Christmas Eve, Daddy read the Christmas story from his Bible. Matt, Kristen, and Amber slept in their warm flannels and fleece, on the floor, their heads on pillows under the tree lights. They never heard Santa place the Detroit Lions football helmet, Cabbage Patch dolls, 4-wheeler Big Foot, or Care Bears under the tree, just inches from their sweet, sleeping bodies. One Christmas, when Daddy was out of work and the money was scarce, he made a 4-wheeler track for Matt and a horse stable for the girls.

Christmas was fun! And Christmas was joy!

After the children were grown,

      Christmas was not as much fun any more. And Christmas was not filled with as much joy.

Family gatherings, once a vital part of the season, now had  empty spots, once held by special grandpas, grandmas, aunts, or uncles.

Songs and carols, once heard on the old, blonde 78-rpm player or later on the cassette tape, now brought a lump to my throat and an emptiness to my heart.

Now Christmas was only as fun as I made it for the brief time the children came home. And Christmas was joy only when I forced myself to find joy during those times.

 

But today,nearing the end of the most difficult year of my life, I am reminded through my devotions that Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord always!

 (Philippians 4:4)

 He prayed for the Colossians to be strengthened with all might, according to God’s glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness!

(Colossians 1:11)

Paul, a man who had suffered terribly, knew the link between joy and strength. We are strengthened with all might and joyfulness.

I need to be strengthened. And I want joy! The new covenant (testament) continues the same promise as the old covenant (testament) — the joy of the Lord is our strength!

(Nehemiah 8:10)

So this Christmas season, I will find the joy that the Lord promises,

and I will let it strengthen me!

I will find joy in remembering my Daddy and Mama and the legacy they left me.

I will find joy in the arms of my faithful husband.

I will find joy in my grown children who love and honor God.

I will find joy in eleven beautiful grandchildren–one wrapped in the healing hands of God and one still in his mama’s protective care, awaiting his March delivery.

And I will find joy in a God who loves me and has granted me unmerited grace, increasing faith, and abundant hope through this year.

 

I will sing, “Joy to the world!”

And I’ll find that joy when I remember that “The Lord is come!”

I will “receive” my “King!”

I will “prepare Him room” in my heart.

And I will fill that room with the joy He promises in His Word!

 

“Joy to the world! The Lord is come!

Let Earth receive her King!

Let every heart ~~ prepare Him room,

and heaven and nature sing,

and heaven and nature sing,

and hea~ven and hea~ven and nature sing!”

Sing with joy and be strengthened!

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He will yet deliver Luke . . .

He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

 2 Cor. 1:10-11

Indeed we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves,

but in God . . .  2 Cor. 1:9

And we do trust in God.

 

 

He’s got the whole world in His hands,

He’s got the whole wide world in His hands,

He’s got the whole world in His hands,

He’s got the whole world in His hands.

 

He’s got little tiny Luke in His hands,

He’s got the Mommy and the Daddy in His hands,

He’s got all the Greene children in His hands,

He’s got the whole world in His hands.

 

And how safe is that!! To be in the hands of God, the Father–to rest in the unmerited, undeserved favor of God! Kristen and Josh are resting in the unmerited, undeserved favor of God! Our entire family is resting in the unmerited, undeserved favor of God!

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

2 Cor. 1:20

Will you speak the “Amen” with us? Will you agree in Luke’s healing? To the glory of God. Then we will join to give thanks . . . for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

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Thankful for a Future Hope!

“There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off”
Proverbs 23:18

Thanksgiving! Turkey and stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie! Sounds wonderful! Our family usually gathers around the table, and before asking the blessing, one by one, we tell what we are thankful for. But this year was different. We didn’t gather. One family went to Decker, Michigan ; one family went to Richland, Michigan; and one family was separated by . . . well, if you have been reading my posts, you already know.

So on this Thanksgiving, Ron and I didn’t feel like sitting around the table.

But we are still thankful!

We are thankful that our children and their spouses love and honor God.

We are thankful for our nine grandchildren and for the two baby boys on the way.

We are thankful that God continues to be our refuge through our most difficult year ever.

We are thankful that we have hope and a future.

And we are thankful that next year we will once again sit around the table, and before asking the blessing, will all tell what we are thankful for.

Further Reading: Jeremiah 29: 10-14

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We have this treasure . . .

And  God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts . . .

2 Corinthians 4: 6

Friends, Tuesday morning, after a heartbreaking Monday, after telling our grandchildren that Mommy and Daddy were in jail, and after a miserable night, I opened my Bible to Joshua 5:14b, to ask the Lord the question I have been trying to remember to ask  him every day, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” (Me!) Was I expecting something new? Something dramatic? Something unusual? As I flipped through the pages of my Bible, my eyes fell upon highlighted passages, post-it notes, and ink writings, smeared by time and wear. I read His promises–the same promises I’d been given in His Word before Monday’s sentencing–were true for me on Tuesday. The same God who loved me (and Ron and Amber and Jesse and . . .) before Monday’s sentencing loved me on Tuesday. And loves me today. And will love me tomorrow . . . and . . .

Do you see?

He doesn’t change.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

Ron and I are heartbroken. But He is here with us.

Amber is hurting and lonely. But he is there with her.

Jesse is humiliated and broken. But he is there with him.

He will never leave us or forsake us. Hebrews 13:5

You see, we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God . . . We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. Why? Because we always carry around . . . Jesus!

 2 Corintians 4: 7-9

So, grab your jars of clay and go fill them with His treasures.

More to come . . .

 

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I Dig Deep

“Summon your power, O God;
show us your strength, O God,
as you have done before. . . Rebuke the beast.”
Psalm 68: 28, 30
 
Bad news is frightening. The enemy tries to make me forget the Lord’s faithfulness to me in the past and His promises of faithfulness in the present. Bad news pierces like a knife into my stomach. The enemy twists and turns the knife. I’m suddenly nauseous. Discouraged. The outlook is uncertain.  Depressing. Fears enter my tired, worn mind.
 
I dig deep into my heart. Dig deep to remember my heritage–to remember the heritage of my family–the heritage that belongs to my children. I dig deep and I find the Word – the Word, which is near me. It is in my heart. It was placed there when the righteousness came by faith.
“‘The Word is near you.; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is the word of faith we are proclaiming.”
Romans 10:8
 
And once again, I know the strength He gives – the strength not to fear. I remember the strength He has given me before, I remember His faithfulness, and I remember His promise of my heritage and that of my children:
 
 “All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children’s peace.
In righteousness you will be established. Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear.
Terror will be far removed;
it will not come near you.
If anyone does attack you,
it will not be my doing;
whoever attacks you will surrender to you.
See it is I who created the blacksmith . . . who . . . forges a weapon. . .
And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc;
no weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD.”
Isaiah 54: 13-17
 
The Word reminds me that because my children have been established in righteousness, they will not experience tyranny and terror, nor will I. The attack is not from God; in fact, any who attacks will have to surrender to us. God created the one who forges the weapon. Their weapons will not prevail. Only what God wants will prevail. There is peace in His Word – in His promises. I am desperate for Him at this time. And as I have done a thousand times before, I pray His Word, trusting Him to complete it:
“Summon your power, O God;
show us your strength, O God,
as you have done before. . . Rebuke the beast.”
 
 
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What’s greater?

“He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes” (Psalm 112:7,8).

What’s greater – my fears or God’s promises?
My fears or His Word?
My fears or my God?

Six days until the sentencing. My daughter. My son in law. My family.

I face my fears. I bring them to the light. The Word tells me to trust in the Lord, to keep my heart steadfast, immovable, firm in belief. The Word tells me to keep my heart secure, safe from the enemy. And so I list my fears. And I list His promises–to see which is greater. I know the answer before my pen touches the paper. My fears are many, but they don’t compare to His many promises!

“My foes are many; they rise against me, but I will hold my ground!

I will not fear the war; I will not fear the storm. My help is on the way; my help is on the way.

Oh, my God; He will not delay- my refuge and strength always.

I will not fear; His promise is true; my God will come through – always – always.

Trouble surrounds me – chaos abounding – my soul will rest in you.

I will not fear the war; I will not fear the storm. My help is on the way; my help is on the way.

I lift my eyes up; my help comes from the Lord.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb4VvNq8WEM
(Kristian Stanfill – “Always” – From Psalm 121, Psalm 46, and other passages from God’s Holy Word!)

Now I ask again,
What’s greater – my fears or God’s promises?
My fears or His Word?
My fears or my God?

The answer is, of course, found in the Word. “My dear child, you are from God. Your fears are not from God. You have overcome your fears because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (I John 4:4)

Six days until the sentencing. My daughter. My son in law. My family.

And so, I will have no fear of bad news; my heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. My heart is secure, I will have no fear; in the end I will look in triumph on his foes.

Why? Because my God is greater.

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A Glorious Day

Day Four am – April 4, 2012
Even in darkness, light dawns for the upright (Ps. 112). Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassion never fails. It is new every morning. His faithfulness is great. (Lam. 3:22, 23) Today, the sun is shining – it is a new day – and it will be a glorious new day for my mama.
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Closer to the arms of Jesus

Day 2 – April 2, 2012

 

7 am. Watching my mama getting closer to the arms of Jesus. I’ve told her I think she and daddy will have a big yellow house together like the one they loved here for so many years.

Can you just imagine what it will be like?

I think when she steps through the door, she’ll see a large picture window overlooking a garden (like the Garden of Eden) filled with red poppies, birds and deer.

I think she’ll have that summer kitchen she wanted – with the cookstove (vintage green and creamy white).

I think the stairway will be open with a beautiful railing. 

And I think she’ll find Daddy sitting at the table. He won’t be reading his Bible as he was in his earthly big house because The Word Himself will be indwelling the entire space. But instead, Daddy will jump up and run to meet her at the door. They’ll hug and dance while the angels sing and rejoice – and then they’ll see their Savior and drop to their knees and raise their hands in praise. Suddenly they’ll recognize all who’ve gone before them who are in the presence of the Lord, and they’ll celebrate until we join them.

 

It’s so very obvious that God made us for eternity. This lifetime is way too short. I’m so thankful for eternal life.