A Lesson from the Daffodils


So yeah, I’m late on my Wise Woman Wednesday post… Life happened.

A month ago I asked her to guest post for the blog and she agreed and it’s too good not to post. Better late then never right?

Plus, she is one of my favorite people. In part because she doesn’t hate me even though when she was still using training wheels I took her bike riding, and as we crossed a busy street I told her to, “pedal FAST FAST FAST!” She did, and ended up head first in a ditch full of water with only one training wheel sticking above water level. AND even though I teasingly pushed her and she wasn’t balanced well… Yep, I shoved a 3-year-old down. Oops.

I am clumsy and she still grew up lovely in spite of me.

As if all those reasons she is great isn’t enough; can we talk about how pretty, graceful, talented and wise beyond her years she is? Asking my niece Charli Newsom to guest post really was a no-brainer. So without further ado…

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Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll run across a patch of daffodils while wandering in the woods. And oft-times if you’ve run onto these, even though there may not be any evidence left other than these flowers, you’ve run across an old homestead.
At one time the homesteaders planted daffodils around their houses, and today… whether it be 50 or 150 years later, they are still there. These beautiful, seemingly frail, little flowers have lived there, even though the house and out buildings have burned or fell down around them, and the people who had once took care of them no longer live there. Those daffodils have lived through every windstorm, ice storm, snow, flood, and drought the years have brought. And every spring they thrive to be one of the first to bud, as if to say, “Look! I have lived yet another year!”… as if they are still determined to show their best to express thanks to their planter.
Daffodils are just one of the many little blessings God has given us to enjoy, but if we would look closer, they are not just something to enjoy… they are a wonderful example for us to follow. We need to be more like the daffodils… God has planted us here to be a blessing to other people and evidence of a house they cannot see, because it is not a physical house, but a spiritual house. A house that, if they would choose to become a part of, they will see one day.
When everything is falling down around us and through all the storms and droughts life brings us, we can still wake up every morning and think “Look! God has given me another day!” We should thrive to be the best we can be for our Creator, to express our thanks to the one that “planted” you where you are.
After all, we ought to at least be as strong and determined as a flower.

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It Is Happening


I know a vast majority of you will stop reading soon. I get it. Life’s short and the World Wide Web is vast. Before you hit the back button or click the little x, would you please do me the favor of scrolling through the pictures and pausing for a few seconds to look into the eyes of each. Then you can go on your way if you like.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

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On April 25 at 11:45 a.m., I was at the church, about to finish the prayer; we were sharing our prayer requests with each other. Suddenly, a horrific sound appeared and the church began jumping and shaking. At the same time it was dark, windy and a thunderstorm appeared. We were in panic and trembled.

I went to the Sunday school class where our children were praying to grab them and take them out of the church. I fell down and was not able to take them. I thought within a short time this would stop. But NO, It continued. It was almost like the whole building would collapse. Many believers started to pray loudly, screaming and crying.

We ran outside to the open space, there was huge panic and we saw with our own eyes many collapsed buildings, people were running here and there screaming. After 4 hours we prayed and departed. Some stayed, others went home.

Still we were unaware that this was one of the biggest and deadliest earthquakes in the history of this nation.

There was no electricity for four days. No phone calls, no internet connection, but from the evening of Tuesday April 28th, the situation started to change for the better.

The vibrating still continues. For the past three days, everyone has slept outside under plastic tents because of the fear from strong aftershocks. In fact, more than 106 aftershocks have been felt after the quake. It also rained, which made us more fearful and many people were saying we would sink.

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More than 7,040 people are known to have died, and there are fears that this number could double as officials dig through the debris. Over 8,000 were injured. More than 70,000 houses were destroyed.

98 hours after the earthquake, we all returned to our homes, because children started to get sick due to the cold, rain and mosquito bites.

Still hundreds of thousands of people are afraid to return to their houses and some are forced to live and spend these cold nights outside the tent because they have lost everything. They are living under plastic shelters.

World leaders and global charities have offered emergency aid to Nepal, as the government grapples with the scale of the disaster. But this help is never going to be enough. Thousands of survivors are desperately in need of food, water and shelter. “We are scared of the sickness and diseases that may spread because of the dead bodies everywhere.”

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Your prayers and generosity make a powerful impact, now more than ever before! What a privilege we have to bring the HOPE and LOVE in Jesus name to those who have been affected by this horrific earthquake. That is why I am not ashamed to tell you that we need your support urgently because it is an emergency.

Whatever help would be appreciated much. Please pray, share, and give as the Lord leads.

Any amount will help!!! you can give at http://www.reachhimalaya.org/donate.php

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Hope for the Hopeless
http://www.reachhimalaya.org

Stop Trying to Be What You Already Are


When your girl nuzzles into you on the couch and asks you, “Do you think she’s better than me? She has blond shiny hair like the pretty girls. She does gymnastics and horseback riding. What am I good at?” And she can’t look at you because she’s squirming around in a big ugly cauldron of insecurities Lucifer is stirring her up in. I just squeeze her tighter and feel how we have more than genetics in common.

Aunt Wilma says, “Every black crow thinks her’s is the blackest.” Amen?

“The truth is baby girl, what the world thinks of you, what I think of you, it doesn’t compare to what God thinks of you. I think you’re the prettiest thing my eyes have ever seen. I think you’re smart, funny, kind-hearted, loyal, a good secret keeper, and you’re only two classes into tak-won-do and you’re already earning high praises and stripes from your instructor.”

But God.

•God calls you friend. John 15:15
•God says you are His heir. Romans 8:17
•You are wise, and You. Are. Redeemed. 1 Corinthians 1:30

“Bird, maybe we should spend time highlighting Gods’ love notes to you because there is a world full of people who get confused about what makes someone matter and all my reasons you are great are a bit tainted by that world. But God, all his reasons you are enough, they are holy and good.”

Let me say this to you dear reader; stop trying to become what you already are. All my reasons you’re great are a bit tainted by the world, but God! …And You. Are. Redeemed.image