A Guided Life

"I am your Lord. Lord of your lives, Controller of your days, your present and your future. Leave all plans to ME. Only act as I bid you. You have entered now, both of you, upon the God-guided life. Think what that means. God-taught, God-guided. Is anything too wonderful for such a life? Do you begin to see how wonderful life with Me can be? Do you see that no evil can befall you?" --God Calling

Still in the midst of packing, but receiving encouragement in the most wonderful of ways!!


Blessings to you all!

Pictures of a recent sunset here...

Seeking Peace

Well for starters we have great news...Mary, my mother-in-law has been told that she is in REMISSION!!!!! Shouts of joy!! She finished all 6 rounds of chemo, surgery (twice) and an infection during the last 7 months...it has been a long hard road, but God has been faithful and souls have been changed!! She will not need to have blood work done now for three months and then six months and so on...


My father's health issue is clearing itself up nicely as well...all tests came back negative and no further testing was required! More shouts of joy!!


Which leads me to my journey here in Minnesota and my year of ACTION...

As I posted earlier, we are moving again in August. We found a house to lease last week and will be moving in three weeks time. I am going to become quite busy and wanted to put down in words what God has been showing me...

Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Jeremiah 29:7

I know most of you will catch the last part and wonder if I feel like I am in exile...let me assure that is not the case, a little lost at times but not in exile.. : )

God did however carry us here and to the house we are moving to...He mostly wants me to seek peace here while He is refining us....

This is what I am struggling with...I long for what was, the past, my Egypt so to speak..

Just like the Israelites wandering in the desert...all of sudden Egypt didn't seem so bad..it was more "comfortable", more familiar...even if they were slaves!

And that is what my husband and I had become, slaves to a world view...and let me tell you it is not fun, but learning the TRUTH is not easy either...however there is so much more promise in the TRUTH then there is in the world.

So I am learning to seek peace and prosperity in this land...and it is not the world view of peace and prosperity!!



Peace comes in the form of laughter, sunsets, sunrises and good doctor reports. Prosperity is seen in birthday celebrations, sitting down for dinner, and seeing God's provision in all things!!





With each stop in the 40yr travels of the Israelites, a lesson was taught and a test given..So many lessons have been learned and I believe the testing has begun...so stay tune, God has amazing things planned for us!!

Team Jesus

Okay, so I will admit that I have read the Twilight series and am keeping up to date on the movie releases..however this is NOT about Twilight...it is about finding out someone has a CRUSH on you!!!

I am one of the girls who has always dreamed of "the man" who sweeps you off your feet, will fight to the death for you...you know exactly what I am talking about if you are a hopeless romantic too!! (The fact is I think all women are looking for this, even if they don't want to admit it!!)

The problem is that Hollywood has never failed at making us drool over some character to the point we think the actor playing the character is one in the same {insert any and all male actors who play a romantic hero} ...not only that but they start targeting us at such an early age, when we are just starting to fantasize about Mr. Right!!

I know... I fell young and hard to the lie that there was a man that could match all expectations, even if some of those expectations where as lofty as the clouds.

I came from a loving family. I KNEW that I was loved, that God loved me and I had a great Daddy who not only loved all of us kids, but adores my Mom! Still, by the time I was 16, I so wanted to BE loved...what I really wanted (hindsight is great by the way)was to be the object of some one's desire..what made them want to get up in the morning, to lay down their life for me...anyone know what I am talking about??

So at 18, I was naively honest with someone about my romantic self and I started in a relationship that was not the best for me...I soon got married and then divorced shortly after that...the WHOLE relationship lasted less than 6 years!!

The funny thing, I still wanted to find that person who could/would fit into MY vision!!

Do you remember the movie BRAVEHEART? Well, I was in the movies, with the person I was currently in a relationship with, and made the comment that I wanted the love and commitment that was displayed in that movie, (searching for and hoping for the answer I wanted...) he proceeds to say, in a "matter of fact" way, "you won't be getting that from me"...I left that movie totally crushed.

So another relationship ended and I was broken more this time than the first one in which I had actually been married!!

GOD is good! And HE sent me someone, who does not think the world revolves around me, but..loves me like no other. We have been married for over 13 years and are still acting like it is our honeymoon!

I throw that in there because the truth is I still have yearned for that "object of desire" feeling from someone about ME!! That was until Sunday...

So, my husband has been traveling..a lot, and I was in need of some time without kiddos, and the newest movie in the Twilight series has been out for two weeks...so I went all by myself to see it. All those thoughts of being that object of desire for someone surfaced again, but differently than as a naive teenager. I know now that expectations are sometimes lies told by the enemy to keep us from the great stuff God has in store for us; and I know that I am truly happily married, so what was with all the old desires surfacing???

Well, as I was driving home and hashing out my thoughts...God started playing HIS own love story in my mind...and guess what...I AM HIS OBJECT OF DESIRE!!! I almost had to pull the car over...

I am the reason Jesus was born and came to live among us
I am the reason Jesus died on the cross for sins of ALL mankind
I am the reason Jesus kicked some evil booty
I am the reason Jesus rose again on the third day
I am the reason Jesus WILL COME AGAIN!!!!

And the best part, YOU are HIS object of desire too!!!

I don't know where you are right now, today...but it has taken me all this time to 'get it' that God wants us so much more than we want him!!

And now that I have gotten that message loud and clear...I have the silliest grin on my face!!

GOD HAS A CRUSH ON ME!!!

Won't you let HIM have one on you too?

It has been a year!

Well, the year mark has past.

Officially it has been a year since we moved, however the move is not complete, there are still loose ends to tie up and offices to close...it takes a while to move a life.

And with this year mark, we have another move to make, another parent with health problems, and more opportunity to praise GOD!!

First, the move thing...when we moved last year we were renting to buy, because the house in Texas had not sold yet..still is not sold, still cannot buy and therefore another move! But the lessons that we have learned!!

1. The ideal location and perfect house are not always what is best in the long run..


2. What the world views as success is usually a trap set by the enemy and causes more stress than what one person can handle!!

3. So many lies have been revealed and the LIGHT is shining so brightly!!

4. When the sands move it is good to be standing on a ROCK!!

I have carried you since you were born; I have taken care of you from your birth. Even when you are old, I will be the same. Even when your hair has turned gray, I will take care of you. I made you and will take care of . I will carry you and save you!! --GOD.. Isaiah 46:4

So, we are looking for a different house to rent and will be moving in August..at least I am in Minnesota and not Texas for an August move...praise and thanksgiving all around!!

As for our parents, my mother-in-law has completed six rounds of chemo and will start maintenance treatments in July. Thank you all for your continued prayers for healing, she still has a long road ahead of her.

My own parents have had their share of health issues this year as well. My mom broke her wrist while waiting for my dad to have tests done...what a pair!! Anyway, my dad now has fluid in his lung cavity, not in his lungs, and we are awaiting those test results...

The kiddos are doing well, they are attending a small christian school, which means that even though we are moving again, they will not have to change schools...again, praise and thanksgiving all around!!!



All in all it has been a good year..a lot of growing, praying, trusting, waiting...but isn't that just your everyday ordinary life!!!

Finding GOD'S fingerprints is the key to finding joy in the midst of a storm!



May you find lots of fingerprints in your own journey!!

Graduation

Graduation is 1 : a mark on an instrument or vessel indicating degrees or quantity; also : these marks
2 a : the award or acceptance of an academic degree or diploma b : commencement
3 : arrangement in degrees or ranks

I like the first definition the best...a mark, a hard stop in one's life, indicating the quantity of life lived so far.

Graduation is not only for the child, but for the parents as well. Both receive marks from the journey. One might say the marks are actually scars. Scars tell a story of triumph, so either way is fine with me.

My oldest daughter graduated from high school this past week. My nephew graduated last night. Both of these wonderful young adults bare many marks.

My daughter has dealt with dual homes since she was three years old, getting the best of both her Mom and Dad (my husband)...she has overcome adversity with forgetting homework at one place or the other, missing uniform pieces, and other various things which all comes with trying to live in two places at once! She has overcome learning challenges, social challenges and the challenges of adding new members to the family, especially babies!

Just when I thought the world would get the best of her, God surprised me with all HE had planned for her...the successes, the graces, and the mercies! She has become more than I ever imagined her to be!! I cannot wait to see what the future holds for her as she leaves to begin a new chapter in her life!

My nephew has had more than his fair share of challenges as well. At the young age of 9, he was diagnoised with Type 1 Diabetes! Just when he was getting the hang of that, at age 12 he lost his mother (my sister) to cancer. He has been fighting to survive ever since. I am so proud to say that he graduated high school and will be going to college in the fall!! It has been rough for him, but again, God has plans for him that we do not know and sometimes cannot see!!

Being the one on the sidelines of both of these lives has taught me about prayer, trust, surrender and grace. Without them, I would not be the person I am today!!

You two have blessed in ways that I never thought possible! You have stretch me and strengthened me at the same time. God has used you both to refine me!! Thank you for allowing me to be apart of your lives!

For My Mom

My Mom is one of four girls, an identical twin, and a mother to nine children. She is also a wife, teacher and an artist. But mostly she is my best friend.

She has taught me how to cry, how to stand strong, how to cook, sew, and soak in all creation.



She is a living example to me on how to have a real, gut check, kind of relationship with GOD, JESUS and the HOLY SPIRIT! She knows GRACE first hand.

Four of the nine children have already gone HOME, three of these I never had the chance to meet, but I know them through my Mom, she carries all of us with her everyday.

The lessons l have learned from my mother are too numerous to count. The words spoken through her are life changing and life giving. No, she was not always perfect, but she knew GRACE and she taught GRACE and she lives GRACE.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 1Corinthians 15:10

Thank you Mom, for teaching me GRACE and how to be a momma!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

All my love, Jean

The Last Leg

The last drop from my filled cup is gone, yet not forgotten.

Funny how we painfully savor some things and others we cannot seem to devour fast enough.

That is how my last month has been. Painful and joyous and at moments almost unreal. Even now as I sit and try to write, tears are trying to fill my eyes and spill out. It has been rough and long and I am tired.

Bob's mom made it through surgery with flying colors and has started the last leg of chemo treatments. We have been informed that this leg will be harder, more intense, and at the end, she should be on her way to remission!! We just have to finish this last leg....and it is proving to be harder and more intense...prayers would be appreciated!!

At the same time, my husband and I feel like we are on that last leg too! Still have not sold the house in Texas or the cabin, and have had to make the decision to move again as we are not able to buy the current home we have been renting.

Right now I would like to give praise to all those women in the military who move for living!!! My hat goes off to you!

Why is it the last leg of any race or adventure is always the hardest, yet will be the most rewarding?? I remember doing a half-marathon with TEAM IN TRAINING with my sisters in honor of our oldest sister. The last two miles were brutal!! I am an asthmatic and my lungs were not happy at mile 11, however I refused to use my inhaler because all I could think about was the last week of my sister's life and how she fought so hard.... I could fight too! My sister, Janice, understood. She stayed right next to me with inhaler in hand, cheering me on and as my foot crossed the finish line put the inhaler in by mouth...I will never forget that!! Finishing that race is one of the highlights of my life!! (My little sister, Jennifer, finished before me, however we later learned that she had broke the top of her foot during the race because her shoes were tied to tight!)


The ending is where my focus is, not fighting through the pain...because the most rewarding part is still yet to come!




The truth is that the MOST REWARDING is yet to come!! Heaven awaits!!

But for now, the most wonderful shades of green are helping me to push forward and finish. Life is awakening again and the banner is waving in the distance...marking the finish line!!




I pray that were ever life has you on this journey, you take a moment and breathe, look around and watch for the signs of the ONE who is cheering you on to the finish line!! You might just be surprised at how loud HE is cheering!!