Psalm 139:5

"You have beset me and shut me in—behind and before, and You have laid Your hand upon me."

I never read this verse without thinking of the story Sherryl Stone told us years ago.  We served on staff with Charles & Sherryl Stone and it was during one of our weekly staff wives meetings (I loved those meetings!) that Sherryl shared this story in her beautiful Mississippi drawl.  It's been a long time, so I hope I have the details correct.

I believe it was Christmas and Sherryl's daddy was going to go up into the attic to bring down Christmas decorations.  Sherryl had never been in the attic and begged to go up and see what it was like!  Either Sherryl was an only child or maybe the only daughter...at least much-loved and protected. Her father tried to tell her it was too dangerous, but that only made her more intent on wanting to see what was up there.  So after much discussion, her parents came up with a plan.  Her father would go up the ladder first, Sherryl would follow, and her mother would come up behind both of them.  At no time was Sherryl alone--one of her parents had their hands on her at all times.  She was beset and shut in behind and before.

Isn't that just like our Father?  He never leaves us alone and He always has a hand on us--even when we aren't aware or when we may feel all alone.  Faith knows He's there and has a firm grip on us.

I've loved Sherryl's story all these years.  I just wish you could hear it in her beautiful southern drawl.

Psalm 136 according to Becky

If Psalm 136 had been written about my life:

 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.

O give thanks to the God of gods, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.

O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever—

To Him Who alone does great wonders, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who by wisdom and understanding made the heavens, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who gave Becky life, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who heard a 7-year-old's prayer and gave her a sister, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who gave these girls the best brothers a girl could have, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who brought Andy into her life, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who led Becky into a wilderness while her husband traveled and she had two babies to care for, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who gave them four beautiful children, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who blessed with them with a ministry where they made deep friendships, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who led this family into the wilderness and into a very hard situation with many enemies, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who opened doors into a broad place, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who allowed this family to be planted in a fruitful place for 25 years, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who who spent years killing enemies in Becky's own heart, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

To Him Who continues to lead Becky out, not allowing her to be comfortable, but creating a passion for more fruitful ministry, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

O give thanks to the God of heaven, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!

Featuring Lindsey

Lindsey Dietz is a guest contributor to GNOWFGLINS (God's natural, organic, whole foods, grown locally, in season) website today!  Be sure and check it out:  GNOWFGLINS.  And then...go make some cookies!

Break My Fall

First...watch Zach Dietz singing Break My Fall



Then watch his son, Dax, sing Break My Fall

God texted me this morning...

 Stand at the crossroads and look;

 ask for the ancient paths,

ask where the good way is, and walk in it,

    and you will find rest for your souls.

    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Jeremiah 6:16

I got up and read my Bible this morning and began thinking about where Andy & I are in our life journey.  I began asking God for direction....and He texted me the verse above!  Well, technically, Jodina texted me, but I'm positive God used her--so it was the same as a text from God.

What are the ancient paths?  Is it the Baptist pathway I've been on?  Maybe the Episcoplalian?  Aren't they older?  Take a look at this chart:

BAPTIST began in 1611  (That's pretty old!)

PRESBYTERIAN--1536

EPISCOPAL--1609

LUTHERAN--1550

ROMAN CATHOLIC--367???

Those are all old pathways.  Is that what this verse is talking about?  I mean it was written in Jeremiah's day--which is older than any denomination named above.  So I don't think I'm to follow the old pathway of any denomination.  When I looked at another version of the Bible, this is what that verse says:  "Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is..."

And when I put it in perspective of what Jesus said, it all makes sense:  "Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life..."  Jesus is our ancient, eternal pathway.  He knows which direction to go, because He is our Way.  All we have to do is follow Him.

A denomination?  Didn't Jesus come to tear down walls?  Didn't He rebuke religious leaders of His day for their religiosity?  Didn't he do away with tradition?

There's only ONE Ancient Pathway...and His name is Jesus.  (And I love getting texts from Him!)

Quiver full of arrows

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.  As arrows are in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.   Happy, blessed, and fortunate is the man whose quiver is filled with them!    They will not be put to shame when they speak with their adversaries [in gatherings] at the [city’s] gate."  Psalm 127:3-5

I want to preface what I'm going to say with I know many people can't have children and grieve over that fact.  And I haven't walked in your shoes.  I can't imagine how heartbreaking it is.  Can I encourage you to fill your quiver with other people's children?  I have a brother and sister-in-law who have invested in nieces and nephews and children of their friends to the point that these kids are as loyal to them as their own parents!  I have "children" I didn't give birth to.  Believe me...I know it's not exactly the same.  But I'd ask you to get out of the box with God and see that there are children waiting for extra investment.  As a mom to four kids, I consistently prayed that God would send other godly adults to invest in my kids.  And a big thanks to those who did!

Having said that, what a gift children are!!  I always cringe when I hear people demeaningly ask an expectant parent if they "know what causes that?"  And I'm so happy to see many families having more than the 1.5 children which was encouraged 25 years ago.  God bless the Duggar family and what they've done to encourage couples to have more children.  How big is your quiver?  Probably not 19 kids and counting--but it may be more than you think. It's certainly something in which we all need to come in agreement with God.  But the quiver isn't the object of this passage...it's the arrows.

Years ago, I heard Pastor James Ryle teach about shaping arrows.  It was extraordinary.  He talked about the hard work of creating a "true" arrow.  It takes lots of whittling, soaking, shaping and shooting to make sure the arrow can actually hit the target.  And then it may take some more of the same if it doesn't. ( I wish it was on Youtube, because it's something I wish everyone could hear!)  There's certainly lots that goes into the 18 years of training a child before they leave home.  And it can be exhausting and frustrating for everyone involved.

One thing God taught me early was to point those arrows to the target of God's will.  Not to the target of popularity.  Not to the target of being a great sports player.  Not to the target of being a beauty queen.  Not to the target of pleasing me.  But to the target of God's will for their lives.  And in order to do that, you have to know the "bend" of that arrow.  What did God create it for?  Praise?  Accounting?  Teaching?  Auto Mechanics? To know the bend of the arrow, you have to spend time getting to know that child.  Know their strengths and help make them stronger.  Know their weaknesses and help whittle that down in their lives.

But oh, the joy, when that arrow hits the target!  It may not come when they turn 18.  But as God so wisely pointed out to me when I was panicking when my first two kids left home at the same time, "When did you grow the most?  (Age 35)  Then trust Me to take over now.  Your job is done and I'm their Father who will finish the training and shaping."  But when you see those arrows standing up to their enemies, it is the most satisfying thing you can imagine.  I stand in awe when I watch.  It's not because I was such a great molder of arrows...it's seeing what God has done.  It's knowing that even my fallible attempts at shaping an arrow becomes mighty in God's hands.

For those of you shaping your little arrows right now, I want to encourage you to keep whittling, keep stripping, keep soaking, keep shaping.  It's so worth it.  It may be exhausting, but ask God to send others alongside you to invest in the work.  And make sure you point those arrows at the right target--the target of God's will.

And when you release those arrows, expect them to go further than you ever have.  They will.

Jennifer by Dee Henderson

One of my all-time favorite series is The O'Malley Series by Dee Henderson.  If you haven't read the series, you need to!  The series is the telling of the story of seven siblings--but not the normal kind of siblings.  These seven were orphans who met at Trevor House and adopted one another.  They even went to the extent to change their last names to O'Malley to become their own little family.  And they were fiercely loyal to one another.  They were each professionals in different fields--you will love their interaction with one another.  It's the kind of love, unity and loyalty we all dream of for our families.

After writing the entire series, Dee Henderson went back and wrote a prequel called Danger in the Shadows.  And it still wasn't enough.  You fall in love with this family and want more and more--you feel like you know them.  So now Dee has written a prequel to the prequel called Jennifer.  You will love it.  If you haven't read the series, then start here, then the prequel...and then the series.

Jennifer is the youngest of the O'Malley's and her older siblings are very protective of her.  Jennifer is a doctor of the best kind.  She loves kids and helps them in their path to wellness.  While at the hospital, she meets a new doctor named Tom Peterson.  He's such a gentle spirit and they begin a sweet relationship.  And Tom introduces Jennifer to Jesus.  She's the first O'Malley to come to Christ and a passion is in her to introduce the others to Him.  She's eager for them to meet Jesus...but not so eager to introduce Tom.  She keeps telling him he has no idea what he's in for.

I promise you will love this little 154 paged book.  I hope you'll read the entire series!  I definitely give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to BethanyHouse for providing this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255