AWE

Thoughts, Prayers and Words of Encouragement: WOW it is hard to believe how long it has been since I sat and chatted ....today as I woke, finally somewhat refreshed I realized that I needed to write here....over the past couple of months I have been writing in my journal..but somehow here, where others join with me there is a much more cathartic release.

The past few months have resembled a roller coaster ride. Filled with excitement, terrifying plunges and moments that quite honestly just took my breath away, during the entire ride, I was securely strapped in my seat with my Daddy....at times He held my hand, for the really scary plunges He wrapped His arms around me and whispered "peace I give you". So today before we board another ride...I sit and ponder the wonder and reality of the past couple of months.

In November a new member joined my family. Her name is Yadah, she is a beautiful champagne toy poodle who was a gift from a friend. The name comes from the ancient Hebrew meaning "to extend oneself in praise". Her life is a daily reminder to me to embrace the purpose I was created....to extend...what a lovely word...seems so elegant...however I have felt like a telescopic mop handle...twisted in the middle, pulled out until I think I will fall apart in the middle, then twisted the opposite direction in order to be secure...dunked in a bucket thinking I am going to drown then pushed and pulled all over the circumstances and events of the day and finally washed and washed with running water to make sure I don't keep any of the dirt I was cleaning up...placed upright to dry in the sun....and REST.

Hahaha...it is so fun to just let stuff flow out of my soul....so anyhow, Yadah has been a delight..bringing unconditional love and joy to my life. Again a reminder of how I am to live my life...constantly being the source of God's love and joy to others.

Bringing me to one of the most wonderful miracles of Christmas....Mel and Andrew Mitchell received a HOUSE FULL of furniture on December 22nd. It was totally amazing, we had worked so hard trying to get done and ready...God incredibly answered prayer by keeping the rain away for over 40 days, so the work could be completed. Actually today, the heat should be done, the electric is on and they will be moving in this week....GO GOD. It has truly been a faith builder for me....one miracle after another...and the beauty of it being the entire community watched as God displayed His splendor..as a result neighbors have returned to church, the Mitchells have gone back to church with a commitment to attend more frequently...even cooler is that going to church is wonderful but the transformation of lives is so AMAZING...men who have found themselves more patient in situations where they previously would have exploded with anger, women able to relax and enjoy the time spent with families instead of anxious about personal circumstances...over all it has been such a delight to witness the display of God's glory.

Of course speaking about transformation brings me to the changes in my own life. Over the past couple of years I have attended St Rose de Lima catholic church. Each week I have encountered Christ deeper and deeper. When asked about leaving Bay St Louis, I have repeatedly said the challenge would be leaving the church, so difficult to explain in words, but this is the first church that I have strongly encountered the presence of God each and every week. It does not matter who preaches or sings, there is this supernatural encounter with God....I have traveled and moved so much, that changing churches sometimes is sad as you will miss the people you worship with, this time I would miss HE whom I worship.

On the first Sunday of Advent I had an amazing encounter with God, in the morning before church I had written in my journal that I would deny Him NOTHING. YEP sure learned that in my walk with the Lord I have "given and surrendered" everything...the tables turn when I desire to deny Him nothing...cause now He is in charge of what He wants...not me in charge of what I am giving....this was the loop de loop on the roller coaster!!!!



I strongly felt His presence and direction that I was to make a home in the church and Bay St Louis....A WHAT???? Well I was all over the place...Lord what in the world are you talking about....A HOME....my move to the Bay was 44 in 48 years.....never wanted a home...always said my only home was in heaven...(which is true) however I have accepted the fact that God has placed this purpose in my heart. As I reflect back to the 3 homes that Jerry and I owned, each of them we remolded with the intentions of what value we could add to them for when we sold them....here is so different..the homeowners decorate, paint and plan to live there forever...the house is what pleases THEM....what a different perspective...so I have asked the Lord to give me a HOME here in the Bay...not sure where or what it will be ...but one thing I know the kitchen will be ORANGE AND PINK....not worried about someone else buying it...hahahaha



So this was not just about a physical home....St Rose is to be my home church...now that was the terrifying plunge...being protestant my entire life....an ordained protestant minister...hearing so much about the catholic church from those who "found their way out"....well I prayed and talked over and over to the Lord...surely this was not what He was saying...yet I kept hearing..."you said you would deny Me nothing"...I realized that I needed to honor what I believed to be His direction....to trust Him completely. I have come to the conclusion that I would rather risk stepping out in obedience and be wrong than sit and give all kinds of excuses that in the end would bring Him heartache because I did not trust Him. So I have started the process of becoming a catholic. God has already opened so many doors...and as always, sometimes the best way to be an agent of change is from the inside...so I have asked Him that I would be an instrument in His hands.

Which brings me to the final BIG change....I have resigned from CityTeam as of Jan. 5th....I will forever be grateful to God that He connected me to them. The opportunity to serve the residents and volunteers through CityTeam has brought so much transformation of lives, But to everything there is a season....so this is the COOL part....when Jerry and I separated, wise counsel had advised me to just let Door of Hope rest and see what God wanted to do...well over the summer just like a kernel of wheat coming forth from the ground...God brought new life and now PNEUMA Winds of Hope has been birthed. God has provided a new board and Kathy Wise, (my sweet friend and intercessor for years) has also came along...it truly is wonderful. During the years of Door of Hope I constantly struggled with knowing that my primary responsibility is to be His vessel of LOVE and feeling like that was never enough. The intangible nature of love always collided with the need to validate my time and energies with the tangible. My ministry over the past 2 years has shown me that the tangible of Love is the change in lives.....so PNEUMA...meaning breath and life takes off this year...taking the LOVE of JESUS, prayers for revival, random acts of kindness and compassion to the nation and the world...BIG DREAMS for a BIG GOD who DREAMS them....I will keep a base here in the Bay and be connected to the ongoing recovery of community primarily working with St Rose.



Thank you Jesus for this AM...it was so wonderful to just talk out all the stuff....Lord you have been so faithful and I ask you to continue to give me the courage to deny You nothing...to seek You...to keep my ear on Your heart and to be obedient. Please give me courage and more belief and faith.....love you much, di

Taste and See the Lord is good.

Thoughts, Prayers and Words of Encouragement: So as I reflect on the past month,,,I can hardly believe that I have not written for a month.....but looking back it has all been about "taste and see the Lord is good."

Over the past month we have been working diligently on Mel and Andrew Mitchells house...it is amazing....how God provides people a taste of Him....for instance....all the contractors and mechanical guys worked together on the house to finish the work needed in a week....usually a month process. Then we needed NO RAIN and the Lord held back and the showers for 26 days, and is holding it again since we have roofers to complete the roof....

I have often pondered over the taste and see...but today I get it....all the delightful appetizers He uses like rain and unity, then the entrees...of volunteers and donations of goods, then the desserts of more Love than your heart can hold and all at once WE SEE IT>>>>HE is GOOD.

So often when I am challenged with a situation with family, ministry or life...I have the tendency to forget the wonderful taste of the Lord...without that taste it is hard for me to see....lately as I still struggle after my eye surgery to read....I realize that the See part and the Taste part are working together...

Lord let my senses be always tuned to you...to be sharp, watchful and desiring to taste MORE AND MORE....love you di

Walking in Miracles

Thoughts, Prayers and Words of Encouragement: What a wonderful day the Lord has made.....it was such a cool day...we are in the process of building Mel and Andrew Mitchell's house.....the journey has been so eventful :)

I feel like I am on third base, trying to steal home...I take a few steps, run back to base then try again....it has been so wonderful to watch the power of prayer....when the week started we were a LONG way from a rough in inspection..needed to put 100 volunteers to work this weekend....everyone told me NO WAY...well I talked with the Lord, admittedly my mustard seed is somewhat hollow...but still asking Him to remove all the obstacles to that He could get some BIG glory from all fo this.

It was AMAZING as He moved all the obstacles...we kept gathering and praying....then within hours....BLING..JESUS shows us the direction and answers ....Andrew who has suffered from severe Post Traumatic Stress for over a year....has a big SMILE...and laughing...and saying he cant believe what is happening...the whole street is buzzing and people are driving by just to see what is happening...

Today Mels brother who will live in the house with them and her father, came to see...it was so cool..he got out of the car and said "I see the hand of the Lord over this house"....there are no words to capture all the excitement...the team is witnessing the hand of God..the neighbors, and today Mel said...I cant wait to have the womens luncheon in MY HOUSE>...

Truly transformation has captured another part of Bay St Louis...Dear Father...THANK YOU THANK YOU....I am so in AWE OF YOU....thanks for letting me be a part of Your great work..please continue to miraculously make Yourself KNOWN...that ALL men will know that YOU are GOD the ONLY GOD....my heart is so full of JOY and Laughter and AWE....YOU ARE SO GOOD>...I love you di

Green Leaves

Thoughts, Prayers and Words of Encouragement: Saturday afternoon, walking through the woods, birds singing, fish jumping and the leaves a dull shade of red and orange. I have never been a real lover of fall. Seems to be just to be a flash then the long dark winter comes. Sunday AM as I was reading and preparing to preach at Pastor Manyama's I read Isaiah 58 and Psalm 1......Well watered gardens and trees planted by streams whose leaves never wither....

WELL..it is hard to be a GREEN LEAF....think about it....never allowing circumstances, people, comments, rejections, abuse, abandonments, financial struggles, betrayal....to change who I am and who I represent. There have been many times in my life when I was the RED Rage of fall, or the BROWN complacency of fall, or the Orange of discontent....and yet over and over God continues to talk about the well watered, leaves not withering....

Then I think of how hard it really is to be a green leaf tree..pushing the roots of my relationship with Christ through all the rocks of life to get to the deep water...sometimes it is easier to change colors and fall off the tree.

Finally again it all comes back to choosing LIFE....the garden of LIFE always gives me two choices, knowledge of the situation and circumstances whether good or bad...or CHOOSING HIM>..LIFE....so today Lord, I ask forgiveness for all the times I have chosen to be a falling leaf instead of green.....please give me the grace, love and mercy to CHOOSE LIFE>>>CHOOSE YOU always and above ALL...love you di

Least of These

Thoughts, Prayers and Words of Encouragement: Yesterday the Women's Luncheon sponsored a food drive for the Hancock County Food Pantry. They had made all the arrangements and planned everything. Our role was to support them. However as we arrived at Walmart the women who were going to volunteer were not able to make it...so it became a CityTeam event. Along with Mel Mitchell and Mary Kay Deen we began passing out flyers and asking people going into WalMart to bring out a can for someone else.

The results were overwhelming...both emotionally and physically. During the five hours we collected over 2 1/2 pallets of food for the pantry. Well over 1000 cans, plus cases of paper products and cleaning supplies. For me personally, that was not near as impressive as the response of the people.

The outpouring of support and gratitude kept my eyes leaking all day. One young couple who had been married 1 month before the storm and lost everything....took the flyer, smiled and walked in the store. Thirty minutes later they came out with a cart full of groceries. They had come to Walmart for milk....as they came out of the store beaming they stopped beside me and said "when we were hungry you fed us, when we needed clothes you gave us clothes, when we needed ice and water you gave us ice and water"....now we are so happy to give back !!!

I am still not sure what to do with all the emotions....tears flood my face as I write this...when I worked the streets in NYC...it was easy for me to see "the least of these" according the world by di.....but with Katrina...I did not view them as the least...only as hurting and needy and wanting desperately to show them God's love in the midst of their pain!

Today I have a bit more revelation of His heart....we NEVER know who the least are....the big thing is "ordianary things with extra ordinary love"...'small things with Big love"...and all that love has to be FOR HIM....because each one is created in His image and when I find and reach out to HIM....the result is His pleasure....

The Christian walk is not "normal"...or maybe I have finally found NORMAL CHRISTIANITY...Father I am again awed and overwhelmed...I heard those verses in my soul all day yesterday and saw scripture leap from the page with each testimony of the people bringing their sacrifices to YOU.....Help me Jesus to never miss YOU no matter what disguise you are wearing....I love you so much...di