Is this fasting???

Thoughts, Prayers and Words of Encouragement: What a wonderful AM. today the new Bay St Louis team met to pray and seek the Lord for direction. As the Lord directs they are committing themselves to 40 days of fasting. The passage the Lord has challenged them with is Isaiah 58. A passage so dear to my heart as my own personal ministry seems rooted in those words.

However today we took it to a new level. Decisions were made to abstain and to add things to our lives...to truly deny self to dedicate ourselves to God. No Cable, right eating, daily time in the word...getting up early to spend time with Him...so many of those distractions that seem minimal until you really get down to the nitty gritty. As we pondered the scriptures I was so impressed by this from the Message, God has clearly been speaking to them about real fasting...devoting ourselves to the needs of others, watching our tongues, being generous...then this "Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places-"

A full life in the emptiest of places....so often over the past couple of years emptiness is something I have dealt with....the loss of marriage, home etc...and sometimes I have felt so full in these places it hasn't made sense...then at other times....I have not had the full life....so today I am reminded again and again....all about others...not about me!!

Lord I pray to seek you,, to be working with You, serving others, being totally generous with my time, talent and treasures....Father I am so thankful that YOU will ALWAYS SHOW ME WHERE TO GO and that You give me a FULL LIFE...no matter where the place is...thanks for this wonderful transition and this new season in Bay St Louis...love ya di

Dew on Roses

Thoughts, Prayers and Words of Encouragement: Well today I went to see the Eye Dr. again...this has been a very long haul from blind to see :) I have not been able to read my Bible now since August 21st.....It has been a challenging, frustrating and growing experience.

So today I find out that my eyes are not MOIST enough...which is affecting my vision....so as I sit before the Lord, I hear my grandmother singing...while the dew is still on the roses...He walks with me and talks with me....that has been the last month....I am so conditioned to my routine of reading, journaling, praying etc etc....with great revelation today that all my routine can dry me out...making it more difficult to see.

I have been so dependent on HIM to speak to me this month, through music, others, solitude...I have an acute awareness of how life will be when we face severe persecution...our dependence on Him to guide and lead us...to recall to our hearts and mind the word of God that has been placed there...His very presence is the DEW of LIFE...back to the life thing again.....

Lord I just want to be like Enoch, walking with you daily, strolling through the gardens of life, hearing your heart and knowing you more.....thanks for spending time with me and bringing your DEW to my life. love di

Real Community

While in the hospital I was privileged to receive a copy of "Eight Habits of the Heart" by Clifton Taulbert. Mr. Taulbert grew up in the segregated South and in this handbook lays out eight basic principles he learned from his elders. As I read the book, I began to contemplate the need for real community in today's church. During a time when the tyranny of the urgent strangles out vested interest in another or their family, this book brings me back to the reality of how important our heart habits are to healthy community.

Our Celebration Group has grown in their sense of God and community over the past 9 months. They have tackled difficult situations with members of the community without resulting in a separation of community. Their care and concern for one another is truly the reflection of Christ among them. I am challenged as I witness Christ moving among them. Although they may not have achieved all the Bible knowledge, memorization or skills exalted by many churches, they have embraced the concepts of loving unconditionally, serving, and encouraging one another.

Their deep sense of connectedness (for lack of a better word) has brought them to trust and care for each other. As Mr. Taulbert shares these basic principles :
a nuturing attitude, dependability, responsibility, friendship, brotherhood, high expectations, courage and hope...I can see how essential they are to real community. I also realize how absent many of these principles are from todays church. I am reminded of my desperate need for community a few years ago...I had surgery and needed to make an emergency trip to the Dr. After calling a few members of my church, each one said, "If you can't find anyone else, let me know". I wrestled with how many people did I need to call before I could call someone back.

Today I am so thankful for these past 2 years in Bay St Louis. I have had the EXTREME privilege to experience community with residents and volunteers. Being part of a nuturing and caring community has imbedded in my soul the desire to share with others how precious this gift is. Jesus was the great community builder...He took people from different walks of life, occupations and backgrounds and brought them all together....I believe that is what the future of the church looks like...as we face persecution and difficulties it will be essential to have a deep sense of community with one another so that Christ LOVE will be shared with all.

Jesus thank you for teaching us about Love and community. You are such a wonderful example of one who is nuturing, dependable, responsible, a friend, a brother, having high expectations for us, your courage and the hope that is in You alone.....teach me dear Lord, direct my path, open my lips to give you praise and share life giving community with all I meet...love ya d

The LIFE in the PIT

Thoughts, Prayers and Words of Encouragement: The past month has been so interesting. My reading time is very limited since my eye surgery...hahaha which was to help me see...that is another blog!! Anyhow this theme of choosing life, where is life, what is life..appears to be a theme that God is deepening in the roots of my life. Although not a new concept....the roots seem to be digging down to new waters....

So yesterday I cut a peach for lunch. Now first of all that is unusual because I do not like or normally eat peaches. When I was in the store, this beautiful peach caught my eye..as I picked it up, the woman beside me said, "These peaches are no good, they are so hard they will never ripen." So not being "peach educated" I picked it up and brought it home....Kinda like what Jesus did with me!

So I placed the peach in the sun to make it soft...kinda like what Jesus did with me....some real HOT weather to soften me up....after a couple of days, it appeared to be ready to cut...just like JESUS did with me!! Opened my heart at just the right time :)

SO I cut the peach in half...and there it was the PIT...so here is where my lesson really began...the flesh of the peach was so appealing....very brilliant color, juicy but not mushy, firm yet not hard, smelling sweet yet not sickening, and I thought wow this is a wonderful peach...then God started the lesson....You see the flesh of the peach, no matter how wonderful could not create life...it would be satisfying but then the end of life...no procreation in the flesh...but the PIT, grooved with the pains of growth, protected and hard to crack had died to give life to the fruit, yet when buried would grow again and be a tree yeilding lots of new peaches and fruit that would multiply again and again.

There have been so many PITS in my life...events, circumstances, relationships...(I could go on and on) that I would have much rather had a beautiful sweet fleshy peach as the result...and yet it was a PIT, remained a PIT and will be a PIT....but God has used those PITS to bring life, not only to me but so many others...kinda like the tree that yeilds all the peaches...each time I share my PIT, someone else gets life and mine deepens....

So today Father, I thank you for the PITS...so often I wanted them changed into appealing fleshy peaches. I ask Your forgiveness and give you praise that You know where real life is and how to bring it forth...You are so amazing and wonderful. Life is not always where I think it is but always where You bring it forth....love you di

Got the Cat by the Tail

Thoughts, Prayers and Words of Encouragement: The past few days have been so incredible. When Bonnie left again a couple of weeks ago, we had decided it would be best for Prince (the dog) and Marshmallow (the cat) to remain together...they run, swat, hide and sleep curled up with each other all the time....so we did not want to break their great friendship. So it was decided the best choice was they stay with me in the Bay.

In addition to that, I moved from the house to the Ballfield...a wonderful transition actually with one BIG exception. Marshmallow hates the trailer...the limited space has disrupted "the boys" daily romping and exercise program of tearing up the house...hahahaha.... Most of Marshmallows opposition to the trailer would occur during the night while I was trying to sleep...You may be getting the picture.

After 2 long sleepless weeks, I was irritable, tired and exhausted....the worst I have felt in 2 years of Disaster Relief...so I called Bonnie and said the cat has got to come to you...or I will be in the SPCA asking for a kennel for ME :) So we progressed to make all the arrangements to send Marshmallow flying to Bonnie.....(hang in there the end is coming :)

As I prayed throughout the day, the Lord dropped in my spirit that the whole cat thing was spiritual warfare....the enemy was tormenting the cat in order to reach me.....and WOW had he....so I began to pray and PRAISE....now the end of this long short story...

Marshmallow has curled up in a ball and slept peacefully the past 2 nights....it has opened my eyes again to the fact that the enemy will stoop so low to try and torment and distract us from all the wonderful things that God wants for us....I think that the steal, kill and destroy thing is applicable to JOY, PEACE, LOVE, PATIENCE, GOODNESS, and the list goes on and on...if he can distract us from the all the GOD within us....then he seems greater...UCK...just like taking the cat by the tail...

Thank you Father that you are so good, so loving, so kind that You continue to teach and make me more aware of how much You are the commander and chief and You know what the enemy is up to ...help me to always be asking YOU WHAT'S UP...so I do not waste so much time on the cures that do not bring life....love you di

Following Jesus

Thoughts, Prayers and Words of Encouragement: Today was so wonderful. I had planned on a long Jammie Day with Jesus. I sure love those....however our new team wanted to go to New Orleans, long story short I cut a deal with Mel, you come to church with me, I go to New Orleans with y'all. We were both blessed!!

So Father today is preaching about following Jesus....the pick up your cross, hating mother, father, spouse childrent etc....so he talked about the hating being choosing Christ as the most important in EVERY relationship and situation. OUCH...I thought of how often I choose others then fit Him in the mix. Then Father went on about picking up your cross...not allowing the devil to form you into a complaining, whining, disgruntled cross bearer. So many times it is the picking up my cross and the details of how hard it is to carry it that overwhelmes the realization that I am squandering my suffering by not entering into Christ and His suffering in the carrying. For the JOY set before Him Christ endured the cross.

So today Lord Jesus help me to realize that it is the JOY set before YOU and that if I am truly walking as Your earth suit and carrying Your presence...help me to SEE the JOY set before all those cross situations...that I will pick them up each day, place them upon Your back where the healing occurs...(by His stripes we are healed) and carry the cross each day...with JOY set before me...You have endured so much to the point of death...let me again choose JOY and Life with EVERYTHING in my life then truly it will be More of YOU and less of me!!

Thanks for this wonderful day, so much laughter and JOY...may all the world soon KNOW YOU>>>> love di