Merry Christmas

Hi!

I know I have not been good at keeping by blog updated for awhile. I have been working through a personal issue and haven't had the time nor energy to put into writing anything.

A couple of Sunday's ago, Jon arrived at the Breakfast table proclaiming that 2009 had been one of the best years for him in ministry. As his enthusiasm ran over, I began to think about how hard the year 2009 had been for me. Lots of changes, Lots of new adjustments being made and Lots of energy being needed to do all the things that I had committed to do. All that being said I came into this time of Christmas feeling drained and empty.

That same weekend Jon and I saw the movie "The Christmas Carol" It was a cute version of the old Dickens Classic but what drew my heart in that movie was the Christmas Carols being played. At the very end of the movie they played "Joy to the World" As I sat there singing along in my head these words just spoke to me. "Let every heart, prepare Him room." As the tears began to flow down my cheeks, the Lord began a healing within my soul. He knew that the circumstances around me would not change, I would still be grieving, tired and drained in my physical body, but that my spirit would go through a transformation to prepare my heart for Him.

I have felt like Mary as of late, pondering things is my heart, knowing that the Lord is still on the throne and still is in charge of everything that happens in my life. The simplicity of the birth of Jesus could have been and probably was ignored by so many. But Mary saw God's plan come to life that cold winter's night in Bethlehem so many years ago. She saw my savior be born.

Now as I have been preparing my heart for Him, I also see how the Lord has been totally involved in each and every thing that I have experienced. He see's the total plan and like Mary, I need to be watching and waiting for that plan to come to life!

It is my prayer that the Lord will continue to work within me to complete His plan and that I would be a willing servant, spent out for Him, knowing that He is in control and He will complete everything He has promised!

I do not share this with you, for you to feel sorry for me, but that you might take a look at what Christ is doing in your life, and prepare your heart for Him this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Deb

Computer Give Away

This is a great give away. You can view the computer at http://mckgiveaways.blogspot.com/2009/12/hp-touchsmart-giveaway.html?spref=fb

We are heading to Chicago on Friday to attend our spiritual son Steven's graduation from Moody Bible Institute. Hannah is flying from Denver to meet us for the weekend. It will be a fun time for our family and we are so excited to be a part of this mile stone in Steven's life.

Blessings,

Deb

The Top Ten Things I am Thankful For!

I have been doing a lot of pondering this week. If I were asked what the top ten things I am thankful for, the list would read like this:

1. I am thankful for Jesus Christ who came to this world and took my sin upon the cross so that I can have a life eternal with him.

2. I am thankful for a faithful pastor who taught the Bible when I was a child

and who shared the gospel with me at Vacation Bible School in June of 1971,

the day I accepted Jesus to be my Savior.

3. I am thankful for parents who took me to church every time the church doors were open.

4. I am thankful the Lord gave me a godly man for my husband, Jon.

These past 20 years have been some of the best years of my life.

5. I am thankful for my beautiful daughter Hannah Faith who came our lives

in August of 1991 and is now attending Frontier School of the Bible.

6. After many years of prayer that our family would be enlarged,

I am thankful for how the Lord answered my prayer with the

editions of our adult kids: Esther Grace, Damaris Joy,

Steven Timothy and our newest edition by marriage

Dietrich Paul (Damaris's husband)

7. I am thankful to be called into full time ministry along side of my

pastor husband Jon, and to be a missionary serving with

Village Missions as We preach the Word and Love the people.

8. I am thankful for all of our faithful prayer and financial supporters

who are responsible for us being able to minister to others.

Their sacrifice is a blessed gift to us.

9. I am thankful for a church family who love one another

and are growing spiritually with each passing day.

10. I am thankful to still live in a country where I am free to worship

the King of Kings and Lord Lords.

As I enter this week of Thanksgiving with all its preparations and craziness,

I want to remember just how much I have to be thankful for.

The list could go on and on ...

As you gather around your Thanksgiving Meal this week,

take the time to remember all the Lord has done for you!

Blessings,

Deb

Being Content

Hi!

I normally don't post more than one a week, but today I have a heavy heart for a dear fellow pastor's family in Red Cloud whos home was on fire yesterday. The damage was to one area of the house, but the smoke and water damage was bad throughout the house.

As I stood there helpless watching these dear people try to control their emotions for their kids sake and make decisions of what to do, I saw the Lord's peace in their lives. It really got me thinking about how I would have reacted to the situation.

In our devotions today, Jon and I read about what true contentment truly is and where we can find that source of contentment. We find that contentment in Jesus Christ Alone. He is truly all we need and he desires to give us all He has. He wants our obedient hearts to see Him with passion and He wants us to be satisfied with all he gives whether it be alot or alittle, He knows just what we need.

If you could keep this dear precious family in your prayers that would be great! I know they would appreciate it as it could be up to six months before they can return to their own home.

Praying that you will also find your total contentment in Jesus.

Blessings,

Deb

The Joy of Obedience

Hi!

I am currently reading a book called The Christians Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith. It is truly changing my view of what a Christians life should be like. This book was written in 1870 and still holds great truth for today, so I want to share her thoughts in the chapter entitled The Joy of Obedience.

Long ago I met somewhere with this sentence, "Perfect obedience would be perfect happiness, if only we had perfect confidence in the power we were obeying." I remember being struck with the saying, as the revelation of a possible, although hitherto undreamed of, way of happiness; and often afterwards, even when full of inward rebellion, did that saying recur to me as a vision of rest, and yet of a possible development, that would soothe, and at the same time satisfy all my yearnings.

Need I say that this rest has been revealed to me now, not as a vision, but as a reality; and that I have seen the Lord Jesus the Master to whom we may yield up our implicit obedience, and, taking His yoke upon us, may find our perfect rest?

You little know, dear hesitating soul of the joy you are missing. The Master has revealed Himself to you, and is calling for your complete surrender, and you shrink and hesitate. A measure of surrender you are willing to make, and think indeed it is fit and proper that you should. But an utter abandonment, without any reserves, seems to you too much to be asked for. You are afraid of it. It involves too much, you think, and is too great a risk. To be measurably obedient you desire; to be perfectly obedient appalls you.

Remember that He loves you more than the love of friendship. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so does He rejoice over you, and nothing but the brides surrender will satisfy Him. He has given you all, and He asks for all in return. The slightest reserve will grieve Him to the heart. He spared not Himself, and how can you spare yourself? For your sake He poured out in a lavish abandonment all that He had, and for His sake you must pour out all that you have without stint or measure.

Oh be generous in your self-surrender! Meet His measureless devotion for you with a measureless devotion to Him. Be glad and eager to throw yourself unreservedly into His loving arms, and to hand over the reins of government to Him.Whatever there is of you, let Him have it all. Give up forever everything that is separate from Him. Whatever there is of you, let Him have it all. Consent to resign, from this time forward, all liberty of choice, and glory in the blessed nearness of union which makes this enthusiasm of devotedness not only possible , but necessary. Then the perfect happiness of perfect obedience will dawn upon your soul and you will know something of what Jesus meant when He said, "I delight to do thy will, O my God."

In a thousand ways He makes this offer of union with Himself to every believer. But all do not say "Yes" to Him. Other loves and other interests seem to them too precious to be cast aside. They do not miss the joy of Heaven because of this, but they miss a unspeakable present joy.

Christ himself when he was on the earth, declared the truth that there was no blessedness equal to the blessedness of obedience when he said "Blessed are those who hear the Word and keep it." We are more blessed when we hear the Word of God and obey His will.

May our surrendered hearts reach out with an eager delight to discover and embrace the lovely will of our loving God!

I was taken back about where my happiness should be focused on. Not me, Not the things of this world, but Hearing the Word of God and then obeying it out of love for my heavenly father. How many times I have thought that something wasn't fair, wasn't right... But by being surrendered only to Christ none of that matters. He is only satisfied when I am in full surrender to him. This really makes me think. I know as I pounder through this chapter over the next few days I will draw more and more out of what finding true happiness is all about.

Blessings,

Deb

Trials of various kinds!

Hi!

Does it ever seem like in life everything you encounter are trails.

Well I have had many of those lately! Including yesterday when I was carefully driving down a lane at WalMart in the right direction trying to park my car so I could go pick up a prescription for Jon who has been pretty sick. Suddenly out of now where comes a car driving way to fast who was not in a lane and was whipping around cars in the parking lot who would have hit me head on if I hadn't hit my breaks and the other car swerve. As I sat in my car shaking thinking about what could have happen, my only response was Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord.

Things like that have been happening over and over lately. Side swiping me to the point that the only thing I can do is Thank my Lord for the trial myself and others around me are encountering.

This past week we found out that our board chairman at our church, Jack has Colon Cancer. After having all the round of test run, his prognosis at this point isn't good. Had the Lord been preparing our church flock for this trail? Yes He has! He started this summer by two men in our church reconciling their relationship with one another. Jon and I had prayed a lot that this would happen and then were just amazed by the Lord's answer. Another gal we had been praying for accepted Christ. She had been looking all over for a peace that would settle her and she finally found it in Jesus. These are just a few of the ways that the Lord has been drawing our little flock nearer to Him. Now with Jack's illness it has been amazing to see how our flock has reached out to him and his family. We know they won't have to go through this trial alone because the church family will be right there beside them.

Today I was reading in Romans 5

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

These verses were a reminder to me of how the Lord wants me to react to the trials that come along in this journey of faith as a Christian. The Lord doesn't want us to react as the world does but wants us to show the world how to react to Christ.

I am once again reminded that these trials are just temporal. In a short while my Lord will return for his bride the church!

Until then lets respond to the trails that are set before us like Christ responded in Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out before us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Will you join me in this trail of faith that produces godly character? I pray that you will!

Blessings,

Deb

Home again!

Hi!

I have been so busy as of late I haven't had the time to just sit down and write anything.

Jon and I took two weeks of vacation beginning October 1st. We had an enjoyable time as we visited my folks for a weekend and then went to see Hannah for her fall break. While we were out west we saw our first snow of the season. So our plans changed and we didn't get up to Mt. Rushmore, but we did enjoy our time with the McGinnis Family, Hannah and her friend Kenzie.

Last week we visited two more of the VM fields that we are overseeing before driving home. What a blessing to visit with our fellow servants as they Preach the Word and Love the People.

We arrived home in time to help in the Team Kids Ministry at our church. Thursday was full with MOPS and appointments. I spent Friday doing laundry and packing up my mom in laws apartment, Yesterday I enjoyed a day of scrapbooking with some gals from our community. I finally put my Christmas Pics from 2008 in my album. Today we had a great morning of worship and then had a farewell party for Harriet at the nursing home. We pack up her truck on Thursday and leave Friday morning for Kansas City where we will meet Jon's brother and he will take her and the truck onto Iowa.

With all that has happened these past few weeks and all that is going to happen in the weeks ahead, I continue to just look to my Savior for His strength. That is what I have been learning lately in my time alone with the Lord. He wants me to depend on Him and not try to do it in my own strength. I have been a believer since I was seven, but I still struggle with control. Lately everything seems to be out of control as I see it, but to my Lord he has everything under control. I pray that as I continue to grow in this area and submit myself more to the Lords leading, that leaning on the Lord's strength will come more naturally for me.

I'm glad my Lord continues to work with me and doesn't just give up and leave me where I am.

I pray that each of you will allow the Lord to be your strength too!

Blessings,

Deb