Sometimes I find that this journey we are on while we are in this human form takes us into difficult places. I saw and met a lot of nice people yesterday and I will again today. The work being done is nice but it is not completing the goal of teaching which is having all students learn well what they are being taught. There are five of us on the team and tomorrow we need to report to them all that we have seen in a fashion which enlightens them and doesn’t chastise them.

I read in my devotional this morning that God’s nature is loving and kind and in His kindness he allows us to choose to follow His lead rather than to follow our own emotions. Sometimes these two will collide. I listened to my team talk last night about our observations and we were all stymied at the time. I’m going to trust that God will give us the message we are to deliver as the time comes. I know I’m doing what I do for a reason and sometimes the reason is tougher than other times. However, it is the same Voice I want to be listening to no matter what the case is.

I’m trusting God to be fully in charge of this day and the results of it. To God be all Glory for Great Things He Hath Done–and will continue do so so as we are obedient to Him.

Today was my mom’s 110th birthday. She has been gone 21 years which is hard for me to believe. She was the stalwart one in our family able to handle any problem given to her. I never in all my life saw her crumble. She remained strong no matter how big the battle and there were sure some big ones being married to my dad for 73 years and being mom to a dozen kids! How much I love and respect the gifts of being raised by such a mom.

Today I start in a hotel room in Eastern Idaho doing what’s called a federal review for a school district here. Part of this work is done ahead of time where you examine documents the district submits electronically to the state dept of education supporting the use of the federal dollars they receive. I’ve looked at them as have the others on this team. When we met last night there was a good deal of conversation regarding the absence of this and that. When I was praying this morning I was reminded to look for what they are doing rather than what they aren’t doing. This we will get to do because we spend today and tomorrow in all of their schools interviewing and observing.

I love mornings when God is crystal clear and my mind is not filled with what the day had in it. I only want God before me but I too often allow the issues of the day to cloud the sweet voice of God’s Spirit. His voice is always here and I still need work on hearing it throughout my day and not just the start of it. I love how patient God is!

Today’s physical journey has me going to my typical Monday school district and then later this afternoon I go to Eastern Idaho for 3 days to work with another district there. This work is something I’ve done since I “retired” almost 13 years ago. However, I’m thinking this will be my last year to do it. It pulls me away from the work I do with local districts and it doesn’t have the same impact one would want. I do sense God’s leading in this decision. I have one other district to do in Northern Idaho and that will be the last. Somehow it seems right to stay closer to home with the districts here.

Yesterday was a busy day, but it was one filled with God’s blessings. The highlight for me was the quartet’s singing for the two widows. Both of these ladies have played important roles in my life’s journey. The one had been my secretary for many years in my younger days. She taught me much about being a servant-leader. The other is my prayer warrior of today. She has taught me how to live and believe as a new creation which is one of God’s promises to those who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. My heart still this morning feels so grateful for the honor of giving them a blessing in song and prayer.

This morning God is reminding me to look only to Him and not to myself as I step into today. No other gods before me–only The One True God!

I am always amazed when God reveals Himself and His work. Yesterday afternoon I received a text from my prayer warrior. She knew I had told her we were starting a new Step Study for men in our Celebrate Recovery ministry but couldn’t recall the starting date of it. She wanted me to know she was praying God’s Word over me and each of the men in the group (sharing several verses she used). What is amazing to me is God’s timing. Today we start lesson one. Last week when we met we talked through the structure of each week’s meeting, the lessons we’d be addressing and closed the time having each one who came tell why God had prompted them to attend. This past week I’ve had two of the attendees let me know how difficult their week had been trying to address the first lesson. I’m always touched how much God cares for us kids. Showing His care by having someone tell you they are specifically praying God’s Word over you brings me to tears.

This prayer warrior is one of the widows our quartet is singing for this afternoon. I pray we will bring a blessing from God for her as well as for the other widow we will be singing for. God is such a tender, loving Father as well as the CREATOR of all things. What an intimate God He is. Someday I will better understand all of this about Him, for today I simply am grateful!

This morning’s Bible reading had me reading the last chapter of Mark. In it Jesus has arisen and shows himself to Mary, the people on the road in the country and later to the 11 disciples. Towards the end of the chapter He tells the disciples in vs 15 to “Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news to every creature of the human race.” In vs 17 & 18 He tells them , ” these attesting signs will accompany those who believe in My name they will drive out demons; speak in new languages, ….”

Following these scriptures Joyce Meyers writes something which challenges me for this weekend. She says, “I always believed those signs and wonders to be miraculous healings until God began showing me to believe not only for miraculous healings to confirm the Word preached, but also to believe for and expect miraculous breakthroughs and abundant fruit in whatever area I was ministering.” Our quartet is singing tomorrow for a couple of widows we know well who cannot get out any longer on their own. In my mind I wanted to simply give them a blessing tomorrow. However, this morning I sense God nudging to not only give them a blessing of music for their soul, but to also pray over them for the “miraculous healing” they may be praying for which we know nothing about unless we ask.

This message of this morning reminds me that our own neighborhood is part of the world we are to go into taking this blessed Jesus we serve. How much I do love HIM!

Yesterday was a remarkably good day. The school work turned into a real blessing meeting with a teacher who is also a youth pastor on the side along with another who use to be a student of mine when she was a girl. Last night at Celebrate Recovery we had chip night. It turned into almost 30 minutes of real testimony of what God is doing. Everyone was so touched. I taught the lesson following all of this which then led to a couple talking to me following small group. This lasted an hour. God was very present throughout the evening and He was praised! To God be all GLORY!

Today’s scripture reading was Mark 14. In it Christ is preparing the disciples for his crucifixion. Peter’s response to this has always made me realize how human he was and I am. Even though I wouldn’t be the one who boldly said first, as Peter did, the words that even if all others deny you, I would never do that. I would be right behind him acknowledging that I’m with Peter.

For years I measured man’s response to God’s leading from the lens of my dad’s behaviors. He would say things which were never followed through and I would use him as my measuring stick for obedience to God’s leading in my life. These past couple years of addressing boldly the effects of abuse in my past has taught me to let go of all those old habits. Today, reading Mark 14 I see me and how many times I’ve denied God–Jesus. I see and know I haven’t measured up just as Peter hadn’t. I truly want to surrender these behaviors and have Jesus replace them with the fortitude to follow Him forthrightly into each and every day He gives me. He is worthy to be Praised and Followed!

The power of God’s characteristics is boundless. However, as I look back on my life I find that I so often limited this boundless power by my beliefs. I truly think this is one of Satan’s biggest areas of attack (at least it was for me). If we are willing to believe the lies he plants in our minds, God waits for us to see Him as He truly is. This class we do on Tuesday night’s is bringing this truth out into the open. From last year to this year I see so many shackles now removed from the chains for which I had been bound by false beliefs. It has always been easy to believe God’s truths for someone else, but for myself, I couldn’t see them. Now, however, God is taking these lies and replacing them with His glorious Light of Truth. How much I love Him for this!

Freedom to operate in God’s Kingdom is no small thing. The privilege to freely come to God and to be welcomed by Him is so awesome! I love this Father of ours!

Learning to lean into God’s Strength through faith in Him is something He is pressing into my reality of late. It is so easy for us to hear the problems of others and quickly give advice which comes from us. It is such a natural instinct to do this. However, of late, God has been wanting me to realize how this is of man and not of Him. Responding to our instincts may be OK, but people need to know the response is from our initial thinking rather than from God’s Wisdom. God’s Wisdom comes from His Word and from His Spirit within. He wants us leaning into His Spirit’s voice and trusting as we do.

In my devotions this morning I am challenged to take the weight of each hurt, hang-up, habit brought to the table Sunday morning in class and in faith, give it to God trusting that His Will is the Power greater than any of these issues. I in no way want to hinder God’s Power by my own limitations and pride. I want only to be a torch carrier of God’s Light, Wisdom and Power so others see Him and can begin to trust Him with the bondage for which they came. How I love this Father of ours!

Yesterday morning during the 2nd worship hour at our church I led a new step study for men. This is a class taking the 24 lessons of Celebrate Recovery and puts them into 4 booklets which are the meat and potatoes of this ministry. In the class one is confronted with all the hurts, hang-ups and any habits one faces. He is challenged to step out of the denial they exist and have bondage over him. There were 7 men who came for this first class. It was the first time I’ve led a class where two of the men were present to face hurts rather than habits.

I have found over the years that men especially will face a habit (addiction), but when it comes to facing a hurt, they stuff that away because we have to be stronger than that or else we’re just a baby, sissy, etc. We men will eventually get to hurts, but it usually takes a few years of Celebrate Recovery’s journey to get us to open up about them. So, when two men showed up for the class and this was stated as their reason, I felt like we’d jumped a major hurdle. It took me several years of Celebrate Recovery to finally get to the root of the hurts which dominated a habit. I’m so proud of men who come with the hurt at the top of their list. God is working! This is a journey I look forward to being part of in these next several months.