Ok, as promised I’m here to tell you about how God just blew me away with His lavish love, but I have to go back a ways in order for you to understand the story completely. While you read, turn up the volume - the song is important...

For the past several months I’ve been in a WAIT ON ME season of my life. Through His word, God has given me a clear message that I am supposed to be simply waiting on Him rather than pushing my way through all of life’s situations. I’ve been told to BE STILL and let Him drive the car for now. In all situations. This is completely against my nature. I’m a fix it kind of girl. Take charge and solve the problem. Manipulate where necessary, but get the end desired response quickly and move on to the next thing.

Well, that’s not how He wants me to operate. Too many times I make the assumption that because I think something is a good idea, and am strongly certain that it’s the right path, then it must be from God and it‘s my job to push it through and make it happen. Believe it or not, it's not always turned out well when I've functioned under this method. How many of you are laughing out loud right now because you’ve done something disastrous because of this assumption?

So, being STILL and WAITING involves lots of prayer. One of my prayers for the last few months has been, "please God show me purpose, in my work especially, but also in all areas of my life." I have also been praying for several years for someone very close to me to be delivered from an addiction that was life destroying -- not that it was killing this person physically, but it was killing mentally, socially, and spiritually. My prayers for this person intensified during this BE STILL time. I am close enough to this person to be able to really boldly talk about it but nothing I had said for years had any impact. God told me to stop talking. Again…not my nature.

So, in two big areas of concern in my life, God gave me instructions to BE STILL and BE QUIET; As I tried to do this in these areas, I also tried to do this in smaller things. To let Him have control. I’ve spent a lot of time in the recent months laying it all at the cross. The big things as well as the little stuff…when I have a brilliant idea…rather than planning out how to bring it to life, I’ve been giving it over to God and letting Him bring it to life.

Now just a side note…during all of this, one of my most precious friends has been praying God’s Romance over my life. And Oh how her prayers have been answered. God has shown me His great love in ways I could never have imagined - in ways that are far greater than the simple human ideas I’ve come up with and then laid at the cross.

Ok...back to the story. Several months ago, I got a facebook message from the David Crowder Band page that they were ready to release their new CD and that the release party was going to be in Waco on the 21st of September...click here to buy tickets sort of thing. I was hugely excited! I have a special love for DCB and they had just released the cover of my favorite song, How He Loves. What a thrill it would be to hear them sing my favorite song live! However, before I could order and pay for the tickets, I lost my job. Remember, I was praying about the purpose in my job...apparently there wasn't one and He had other plans for me. Suddenly spending money on something personal and unnecessary like a DCB Concert seemed foolish. I had more important things to consider. The desire to go was still there but in my new BE STILL and BE QUIET mode, I chose to lay it at the cross and not force a way for it to happen.

I had interviewed for a new job, but I hadn't heard anything from them. As the weeks of waiting to hear rolled by, I just figured that they had hired someone else. But I wasn't stressed...I was strangely calm and knew that everything was in God's hands. I had completely surrendered the situation over to Him. David and I even made plans on how to deal if I never found another job.

During this time, Molly had a very bad wreck in Dallas. She could have been killed had God not had His hand of protection on her. It was potentially that bad and I think we all knew it. God miraculously spared my daughter as well as the driver of the other car.

Since I was not working, I had time to go to Dallas and help get Molly settled in a rent car and get hers in the shop to be fixed. This was a true blessing. Had I been working I never would have been able to go and spend the three days with my daughter. Even though I didn't understand all this, God knew exactly what He was doing.

While I was gone, I got a phone call from the addicted one I had been praying for telling me that the realization of how far from God they were as a result of the behavior had really sunk in. They said it was as if God sat down next to them and basically said everything I had been saying in the past. I guess I had been so busy talking, that they couldn't hear God's voice...the one that really mattered. Once I got QUIET, God could be heard. Absolutely amazing...a miracle. A life turned around because of God and because of Him only.

Shortly after getting home from taking care of Molly, I got the news that a company I had interviewed with four weeks earlier wanted me to come to work for them. They offered me a substantial pay increase over what I had been making and the work atmosphere is so much better than where I had been before. This was definitely a God thing.

So, my first week of work was wonderful - an amazing atmosphere, wonderful people, a vast improvement over the last place. This was such a huge blessing. Since I was now working, I thought I'd try to see about getting those DCB tickets...but it was too late. They were sold out. I was disappointed, but everything else was so amazing...I had settled into a very comfortable place...my heart was full of love and I was beginning to see the blessings associated with letting God be in control. I just decided to be happy with knowing that on Tuesday, I could buy the cd.

Monday was just another day . . . got up, went to work, came home and sat down in the chair with my computer...a little facebook and email reading before I had to cook dinner. Then it happened...from the strangest of places. I got a fb chat note from Christopher asking me if I wanted to go to the David Crowder Band Release Party. Megan's friend had an extra ticket and she knew I loved DCB and wondered if I would like to go...How did she know? We ran into each other the day before at lunch after church and it was briefly mentioned that her mother loved them but nothing about the concert.

Now, I'm not exactly sure of the details, but somehow Sammi was given free tickets by Ted Nugent and she had one extra and she thought of me. Someone I don't know too well was given free tickets by Ted Nugent, a superstar in his own right but a total stranger to me, and she thought of me. O How He Loves Me! This was the icing on my cake - the whipped cream on the sundae. How in the world could this be anything other than God?

Needless to say, I asked the Mayor if he minded if I went, I hopped in the car and headed to UBC. Jaimee and Brent saved me a place up front with them and I got to praise God from the front row of the DCB Church Music release party. In my wildest imagination...in my rushing and pushing...with all my movement and noise, I would never have thought of this. But when I got STILL and QUIET He blew me away with His love and His amazing way!

I am passionately in love with the God of the universe. He is jealous for me, loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy! I am breathless. I am loved!

Does this mean that all of my life's problems have been solved ... not yet...someday they will be .. for now there's still going to be tough things to deal with ... but I'm learning to rely on Him completely ... to just soak in His great Love. It makes everything glorious!

I've been Missing In Action

Wow - I can't believe it has been so long since I've written a word. It's all been in my head, but it doesn't do me (or anyone else) a bit of good if it's just rattling around in my brain. I mostly do this for my own sanity but my prayer is that someone gets something from the little words I type.

The last few months have been a challenge in "BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD!". He has really challenged me to simply stop and let Him do. And OH the amazing things He has done.

In my battle to keep my two cents to myself, I have learned that it's much more satisfying to watch God work and see the glory of His hands than it is for me to show what I know and what I can do. He has blown me away with answer after answer to prayer - from little things to very big things. He graciously saved my husband's job. He has freed those close to me from addiction. He saved my daughter's life (I'm simply sure of it!). He moved me from an awful job to what appears to be an amazing opportunity. He has strengthened my marriage while many around me are falling apart. He had given me a new thirst and hunger for His word and companionship. I can't begin to list the prayers that have been answered. For some, the answer has been either NO or NOT YET. Only time will tell the difference.

Christopher and Stephen have both made it home from boot camp and are in school - we don't know exactly what the future holds for them, but we know that God is in control and there is no limit to His protection. Molly is excelling in college and loves her job. Mego has change in her life right now, but I am confident that God is right in the big middle of it and it's in His hands. Connor is growing like a weed - walking and doing his best to talk. He is such a bright light in our lives right now

Now, not everything has worked out all wonderful and rosey. My oldest son is unemployed and struggling to find a new job. There just doesn't seem to be anything out there for him. But I know that God made all of this from nothing and it is perfectly within His power to create the perfect job for Michael I know in my soul that it will come at just the right time...at God's time. He might have to move back in with us - but the silver lining is that it was my husband's idea...he made the offer to Michael. How much sweeter it is if I have nothing to do with it...if I keep my mouth closed and let God shine.

The lesson learned...I guess Solomon said it best, "to everything there is a season". There is a season for action and a season for being still. There are deep life lessons in both seasons. This has been my season of being still. I'm looking forward to the next season....I hope it involves football :-)