A Mom like Jochebed

I want to be a mother like Jochebed. Your first thought might be Joche who? Let me tell you.

1 Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid
him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus
basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Exodus 2:1-4

Her Heritage
Jochebed was a woman of faith, married to a Levite man named Amram. Through Levi, she learned of the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Her faith would be both tested and rewarded. What kind of heritage do you have? What kind of heritage are you leaving for your children and grandchildren?

Her Situation
Mother of a newborn in a very tumultuous time. Was it any more tumultuous than our times? Pharaoh, the ruler of the land had given the order that every Jewish born son would be cast into the Nile to their certain death. What? You've got to be kidding me! The son they prayed for, a gift from the Lord. How could she allow this to happen? She couldn't just let him die.

Her Faith
Motivated by her faith in God and her love for this child, she took a giant leap of faith by hiding little Moses in a papyrus basket made from the reeds of the Nile. Hebrews 11:23 tells us

By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they
saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

Don't you love that where faith is exercised there is no fear!

Her Decision
Her faith in God gave her courage to disobey Pharaoh and not to fear him. Jochebed's faith was in her God. His will be done. Her precious baby was given to her through birth and she lovingly gave him back to God in faith. God had great things in store for her Moses. He was no ordinary child. Have you given your children back to God in faith believing? Do you trust them into His care?

What I love about this story is that after giving Moses into the care of the Lord, we find that Moses was given back to Jochebed for her to nurse until he was older. God reunited this family so that God's purpose could be fulfilled Moses' life. He needed to learn about his Jewish heritage and the faith of his family. It was critical to God's plan for Moses the man to be the deliverer of His people.

When Moses was older, once again Jochebed would be called upon to give over her son to the Egyptian Princess, Pharaoh's daughter. Once again, she trusted her child into God's care.

What faith! What love! I want to be a mom like Jochebed. One who leaves a strong Christian heritage. One of faith that has stood the test of time. One who meets here fears with faith. One whose answer to God is YES before He even asked; no matter how difficult the request. As Beth Moore says,

Our part is to believe God.
His part is to be God and to do
what is ultimately and eternally best.

God make me that kind of mom. May I walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Thank you for Jonathan. May he be a young man who loves you with all of his heart, a young man after your own heart. Teach me to teach him the way he should go. May he honor you with his life.

Saturday Steps of Faith #8

Welcome back to Saturday Steps of faith. This is the time, this is the place where believers can come together believing God for things great and small.

I believe God hears me when I pray!
I believe God answers every prayer.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no, and sometimes wait....

This week I am believing God to lead us to a church with a Youth Group for my son. During the time that we have been looking for a church, Jonathan has not been involved regularly in a Youth Group. I know how important this is for a young man. He has tried a couple, but it is just so hard to be the new kid. This Sunday we are going back to a church that our dear friends attend. I have recently become acquainted with the Youth Pastor's wife and they truly have a passion for young people.

Will you pray with me about this?

Do you believe God answers prayer? If so, what are you believing Him for?

If you'd like to participate, just copy the button on my sidebar and paste it into your post. Next write a post about something you are believing God for. In doing so, we can read and join with you in prayer. Finally, come back here and link up with Mr. Linky. It's that easy!

If you don't want to write a post, please leave a comment and so that we can join together in prayer.

Legacy of an Adopted Child

There are several times a year that I think about a young woman I have never met. One who changed my life forever. This young lady, now an adult woman gave birth to my son. Through the selfless gift of adoption, she gave me the most precious gift; one that brings me joy each and every day of my life. His name is Jonathan.

Legacy of An Adopted Child
Author Unknown

Once there were two women,
Who barely knew each other.
One is in your heart forever,
The other you’ll call mother.

Two different lives,
Shaped to make yours one.
One became your guiding star,
The other became your sun.

The first gave you life,
And the second taught you how to live it.
The first gave you a need for love,
And the second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality,
The other gave you a name.
One gave you the seed of talent,
The other gave you an aim.

One gave you emotions,
The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile,
The other dried your tears.

One gave you a family,
It was what God intended for her to do.
The other prayed for a child,
And God led her straight to you.

And now you ask me
Through your tears,
The age old question
through the years.

Heredity or environment…
Which are you a product of?
Neither, my darling… neither,
Just two different kinds of love.

This Mothers Day I would like to pay tribute to the courageous, young women who give the precious gift of life first to a child, and then a family. Your sacrifice of love has changed the course of each of our lives. May God give you a special blessing this Mothers Day!

Thankful Thursday #11

I'm so grateful to be joining Sonya once again for Thankful Thursday. I have plenty to be thankful for this week (like all weeks).

1. Thank You God for speaking my heart at the ladies retreat last weekend. What a blessing for my heart to be moved, challenged, encouraged, blessed and refreshed. The ladies of White Rock Fellowship truly ministered to my soul. They were a reflection of You!
2. Thank You God that my friend Debbie did GREAT with her surgery yesterday. The Dr. is pretty confident that they got all of the cancer. She was up and sounded really good this morning with the praise of God on her lips.
3. Thank You God that we as a nation have a day set aside for prayer. A day where we can come together and humble ourselves in prayer, seeking the face of God and turning from our wicked ways. I know that He heard our prayers today and I am watching for the healing of our land.
4. Thank You God for challenging me to memorize scripture this year. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to put into practice - wielding my sword - the Word of God. What a weapon you gave us to defeat the enemy when he tries to attack. Thank You for building up my faith.
5. Thank You God for being true to your Word and for meeting all of my needs. You are so trustworthy! Faithful is your name!

How about you? What are you thankful for this week?

Sand Dollars and Rough Seas

Growing up in California, the one thing I always wanted to find when walking on the beach was a sand dollar. Dozens upon dozens of trips and I never found a single one.

Years later as an adult I remember walking down the beach and praying, "God, if I could only find one sand dollar..." Again, nothing.

On a subsequent trip to Pismo Beach I finally hit the mother load. I began to find sand dollar after sand dollar every couple of steps I took. In light of my find, it's funny how my prayer suddenly changed. "God, if I could only find a sand dollar that isn't broken..."


You see, I was no longer satisfied with just any old sand dollar. In a matter of moments, broken sand dollars were no longer good enough. I had to have whole sand dollars. If I stumbled upon a sand dollar that was broken or cracked, it was tossed right back to the ground. I didn't want it any more.

In my life there have been times when I have been like that broken or cracked sand dollar. Carried by the waves of life and at times even bashed upon the rocks. Battered and scarred, bruised and broken, unattractive to those passing by; not worthy of even their time.

And yet Jesus loves me. He calls me His own. Battered and bruised He draws me close and speaks words of healing to my soul.

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
Psalm 34:17-19

Jesus always hears me when I call to Him. He will never leave me. He will never walk away from me. He will never toss me back.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 188:29

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore. Psalm 125:2

Lord, I thank you for picking me up and placing my feet upon the firm foundation of You. I thank you that I am no longer being tossed by the seas of life, but am instead clinging to You. You are my Rock, my Shield, my Fortress. You are my ever-present help in my time of need. I am so deep in love with You! You overwhelm me with your love and grace. May I never forget the price that you paid so that I could be called your child. In Jesus name - Amen.

25 Years Today

Twenty five years ago today I made one of the biggest commitments of my life in the presence of God and in the company of our family and friends. It was then that I spoke these word,

"I, Lisa, take you Randy, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."

I remember that day looking into your eyes and saying those words with a trembling voice, trying to contain all of the emotions that were bubbling up from deep within my heart.

So much has changed in 25 years. We definitely no longer look like the wide-eyed couple who thought they were ready to take on the world. So much in love, a little bit naive, but ready to begin building a life together.

Today we have served together, side-by-side in 6 churches in California and Indiana. We've traveled across this country and in parts of the world we never thought we would see. Like the Apostle Paul we can say, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty". We've seen and lived both first hand.

Our son Jonathan to this day remains one of the greatest miracles we have seen - straight from the hand of God. What a gift in such a miraculous way. I look forward to seeing the man of God he will one day be.

Our life together has definitely not been easy..., but it has been worth the hard work. Looking back today I can tell you one thing for sure, I would do it all over again. I am still proud to be called your wife and I look forward to seeing what God is going to do in the next 25 years of our marriage.

I love you Randy! Thank you for always seeing more in me than I sometimes see in myself. You have been my greatest encourager, my closest friend and my faithful companion as we've journeyed through this thing called life. I have learned so much from you - how to love with abandon, how to give beyond what you thought you were capable of, how to share Jesus with anyone who will listen. You have taught me how to laugh at myself and to love people even when they hurt you. You have helped me to become a woman of deep faith and love for God.

Thank You Randy for loving me all of these years! May God grant us many, many more years to come.

Deep in Love

I am so deep in love today that my heart is overflowing. Yes I am in love with my husband of 25 years tomorrow and my son..., but nothing compares to how deep in love I am today with my Lord.

After taking several days off from blogging I ended my week by attending a retreat with the Ladies of White Rock Fellowship from Noblesville IN. These ladies not only love Jesus, they proved themselves to be in love with Jesus.

The ladies who led in Worship were incredibly talented, amazing, and passionate about Worship. There was one song in particular that really grabbed hold of my heart and to this moment will not let go.

I hope that you will listen to it, thinking about the words. I promise you, your heart will be drawn right into the throne room of God where Worship is at it's best!

Deep In Love With You
(lyrics are written by Michael W. Smith, Debbie Smith, Christa Black)

Sitting at Your feet is where I want to be
I'm home when I am here with You
Ruined by Your grace, enamored by Your gaze
I can't resist the tenderness in You

I'm deep in love with You, Abba Father
I'm deep in love with You, Lord
My heart, it beats for You, precious Jesus
I'm deep in love with You Lord

Humbled and amazed that You would call my name
I never have to search again
There's a deep desire that's burning like a fire
To know You as my closest friend

Lord, my redeemer, Your blood runs through my veins
My love for You is deeper than it was yesterday
I enter through the curtain, parted by Your grace
Oh, Your the lover of my soul

If you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, if you don't know this kind of love, what are you waiting for? He is deep in love with you! Say yes to Him today. I would be glad to tell you how.