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Don’t Fence Me In!

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Molly was a treasure, truly she was. Our little family didn’t have the best of luck when it came to keeping a pet. We had boys, three of them to be exact, and boys just had to have puppies when they were little. I wanted the entire perfect picture: perfect husband, check, cute little house, check, three little blonde haired, blue-eyed boys, check. Time for the puppy! 546378_503126283031150_1251154269_n

The problem we had was that we were not very good with pets. The Sweetheart was terribly busy with his career and I was even busier trying to keep three boys from playing in the streets or setting the house on fire. We really didn’t have time for a pet, but the all-American pressure of the perfect family demanded one!

It wasn’t long afterward that we got the opportunity to buy the house that my husband was born in and seven beautiful wooded acres to go along with it. The boys were in heaven. What would go better with three boys, seven acres and a POND but a puppy!! Enter the cutest little bundle of joy you have ever seen, a beagle we affectionately christened Molly.

This little brown and white spotted queen knew she owned the farm. My father-in-law was a stone mason and had 120 acres for a small hobby farm and hay fields. He subdivided it and built a new house for himself and my mother-in-law and we bought the homestead; this meant the farm was now connected to the new subdivision. My husband’s two brothers and a sister also lived in the subdivision, so we were blessed to be surrounded by family. It was a great place to raise the boys. It was also heaven-on-earth for a beagle. Molly was no exception; she absolutely loved it.

The only problem here is that Molly wouldn’t stay at home. She loved to explore. Now you would think that with seven acres there would be plenty of room for adventure. She had hundreds of trees, dozens and dozens of squirrels to chase, lots of little chipmunks and way too many moles that were destroying our yard. She had plenty to keep herself busy right there but Molly liked to explore OUTSIDE of our yard. So The Sweetheart decided he was going to have to put in an invisible fence. You may have never met my Doogalas, but he is thrifty, some call him tight, some might even say he is a penny-pincher. But he is NEVER lazy.

He decides he will put in this invisible fence all by himself…naturally his boys are going to help him. Kyle and Kristopher are now old enough to be ordered around. Had Facebook  and Instagram been invented this would have made great entertainment all its own. But I digress. So the electric fence is now installed and all is well. Molly is wearing her collar and we all assume our positions. Kyle turns on the switch and we wait. Poor Molly, that first little shock is just that. It is a shock! She has no idea what has happened to her but after the training is over she just sits at her house with a dejected look on her face contemplating her next move.   

We assume she has learned her lesson and we all go about our business working in the yard but about thirty minutes later I notice her creeping up to the line and just sitting there for a few minutes and then suddenly she bolts! One little “Yelp!” and she is gone! She has decided that little shock for a brief second is worth it for an afternoon of freedom. And the chase is on! The Sweetheart has spent almost a week putting that fence in and in seconds it is over.

It wasn’t unusual for a neighbor or family member to bring her home. Everybody loved Molly and Molly loved everybody. When we took a pastorate in Cincinnati, Ohio, three hours away from our beloved home, many people offered to take her and keep her for us but the move was hard enough for the boys, we couldn’t leave Molly behind.

When we moved again to Missouri several years later, Molly was getting older and my brother asked to take her. This time I knew it was too much for her, living in the city in Cincinnati was hard for her and my brother lived in the country where she would be happy again. She died there a few years ago and he buried her under a beautiful old shade tree.  

I ran across a picture of her earlier this week and I was reminded of all the good times, walking her in the neighborhood, watching her chase squirrels, seeing her corner a groundhog one day and having no idea what she was going to do with it. Her bark was always bigger than her bite!

The time she treed a coon in the middle of the night, right outside our bedroom window, and she was not about to shut up until we came outside to see her trophy. In Cincinnati she didn’t have as big a yard but at least it had a fence around it. Unfortunately, we were also close to the Interstate and the noise really bothered her. We still took daily walks so she could get out and see the neighborhood but it wasn’t enough for Molly. Wouldn’t you know she found a way to dig a hole underneath that gate and one day we heard that familiar “Yelp!” This time it wasn’t from shock but from shear joy. She had done it again!

Don't fence me in

We are all a little like Molly I think. We like to roam, we like our freedom, we like attention, we are human. We also love life, love people, we want to be involved, we want to go and do things, be a part, and when we can’t do the things we once were able to do it hurts. Sickness and pain interfere in our lives and keep us from doing the things we once loved and we don’t understand why these things have happened to us. Why must every day be so hard? Does God even hear me? Yes, my friend He does! You can find strength in the midst of your difficulty.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:3-5.

Hope comes out of suffering. The Bible gave us a promise and it gave us proof – of whose suffering produced the greatest hope of all, Jesus Christ.

So even though we may not understand the trials we are going through, God is with us in our suffering. That is a great comfort to us! Start every day with the Word, praise and prayer and see the difference surrendering to Him makes in your life. I love the NLT version of the following scripture, I pray it blesses you today and you let it soak into your spirit and realize how much God truly loves YOU. Be determined like Molly to not be fenced in by your problems and let them overwhelm you to the point of giving in but let the Lord carry them for you.

“When I think of all of this, I fall to my knees, and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down in to God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:14-19.

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Miracles Are Funny Sometimes

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“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ~ Albert Einstein.

Thank you, Sir Albert, because I love miracles, absolutely love them. I love to hear about them, I love to go looking for them, and I especially love to tell about them. I still BELIEVE in miracles. I do not believe they were just for the “Bible days”. I guess I am one of those simple people who just believes that God doesn’t change and what He did back then He still loves to do today.

While we were serving in Riga, Latvia last year, we were hosting one of our weekly House Church meetings on a Tuesday night in our apartment. One of our contacts that we had met on the street, Agnis, called us and said that he had a homeless couple with him that he wanted to bring over right then for prayer. Agnis was such a funny guy, you just never knew what he might do, but yet he would give you the shirt off his back. He was always working the streets trying to help his friends in need. Of course we said bring them!

In a few minutes Agnis arrives with a young couple, Janis and Laura. Janis is a common name in Latvia, similar to John here, the J is pronounced like a Y. Neither one of them spoke English, although most Latvians under the age of 30 do speak it, and they speak it very well, since it is the business language of the world, and it is taught in the schools.

So Agnis says, “Doogalas!” (This is how they pronounce my husband’s name in Latvian and I have affectionately adopted it too!) “Laura is seven months pregnant and Laura have HEEVE. Laura is to go for test and doctor is afraid that baby will have HEEVE.”  So Doug is thinking….Laura have HEEVE…what is HEEVE? (Left to right in the picture below is Agnis, Janis, Laura, our wonderful friend Egita, who also interpreted for us, and my Doogalas.)

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Now in Latvia they do not use acronyms like we do very often, so if you are talking about the NFL some might say, “NUFFLE”. Are you following me? So it finally dawns on Doogalas that Laura has HIV! Ok, now we can pray! So our small house group gathers around Laura and Janis and starts to pray. Laura is very quiet and reserved but Janis is really reaching out. They stay for our refreshments and we show kindness to them and tell them we will help them in any way we can.

Two days later Agnis calls Doogalas on the phone: “Doogalas! It is Agnis! Laura go to doctor and Laura no have HEEVE!!” Doug says, “That is great Agnis! I didn’t know they were going to test Laura again for HIV!” Agnis says, “Yes, they have paper that say, first Laura do have HEEVE, now Laura do NOT have HEEVE!” Doug says, “That is a miracle Agnis!!” Agnis is so excited he says, “But wait Doogalas, there is more! They test for baby too and baby no have HEEVE!! Doctor is excited too!”

Both Laura and the baby were documented as being clear of HIV!

Janis and Laura were so happy that they show up at our church that Sunday night and we baptized Janis in Jesus’ name and He received the gift of the Holy Ghost! After the service he shares with us that he and Laura are not married but he realizes that they need to be so that the baby can have a name. This is right before Christmas and Doogalas and I are getting ready to come back to the States for the holidays. We told Janis that the church would be happy to marry them and others there on our team would help them but we would be gone. He said, “No, no, I had a dream last night and in the dream you were marrying me and Laura in this church.” He had never even been in the church building before, only in our apartment for house group.

So we explained we only had a week to pull a wedding together! Seeing how they were practically homeless anything would be wonderful to them so our little group worked and put together a beautiful wedding on a budget and the next Sunday night we married them BEFORE our evening service and many of their friends were in attendance! And because of the wedding, two of their friends that attended came back to house group the next week and were baptized!

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So miracles are funny sometimes.  Do you need one today? God is still in the miracle working business! Whatever your need, He is standing close by. Call on that name that is above every name! I would be happy to pray with you if you want to contact me here either by commenting or privately through the contact me button above.

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” Romans 11:33.

Hope in Your Circumstance!

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They say attitude is half the battle and I really believe it is true. First Lady Martha Washington stated it so eloquently when she said, “The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.”

Determining to press on in painful circumstances is the discipline of keeping our faith when everything is falling apart around us. Our burdens and trials not only make us stronger but can develop qualities in us that will prepare us for the future. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying! Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Your situation is no obstacle for God! I heard a minister preach recently that the Voice of the wind is produced through an obstacle! I want to hear His voice! Did we also ever stop to think that maybe the world needs to hear the wind blowing through our circumstance? We touch so many people when they see God work in our lives. Not that we ever wish things like this on our ,or that God brings them upon us, but He can turn something tragic or difficult into something triumphant.

We cannot be overcomers if we have no troubles to overcome, so how would we know that God could heal if we were never sick? How would we know He could provide if we never had a need? I am reminded of the old song, “Through It All” and my favorite verse said this;

I thank God for the mountains, and I thank Him for the valleys, I thank Him for the storms He brought me through. For if I’d never had a problem, I wouldn’t know God could solve them, I’d never know what faith in God could do.

And that is so very true in our lives! Think of the blessings we would be missing! I have seen many wonderful Christians go through the terrible trial of cancer and I would wonder why they had to suffer so. And maybe you are fighting such a battle today. I do not have that answer except that we live in a real world with real problems. There is sickness, there is heartache, and we are not necessarily exempt. But what we DO have is a Savior! We have One who walks with us, He never forsakes us, He will always be near and comfort and protect us. And through your circumstance you will be a light to someone else that may not know this wonderful Jesus and they will see your attitude in your trial and that may cause them to come to know Christ.

Remember that His power is not diminished by any turn of events. Nothing happens without His knowledge or permission! So look at your circumstance in the light of God’s power instead of looking at God in the shadow of your problems. Start trusting Him, He is our only Hope!

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.” Romans 4:20-21. Remember Abraham’s circumstance! He kept hoping and believing he would become the father of many nation’s because God had given him a promise. And his faith did not weaken, he was “fully convinced” despite his circumstance, meaning he was 100 years old! God kept His promise when He gave him his son, Isaac.

“God often comforts us, not by changing the circumstances of our lives, but by changing our attitude towards them.” ~S. H.B. Masterman

The most glorious comfort about a trial is that the God of the universe is walking right beside you every step of the way. It might not change your circumstance but it will certainly give you the strength to get through it knowing He is in control, the God of Angel Armies is always on your side!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiBn6mPjvG0