To all the Naomis out there...

"...whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God." Ruth 1:16

Good morning, dear friends,

It was déjà vu all over again...

Monday evening I had the blessing to sit down in front of my computer screen, and there on the other side, was my adopted family.  Mom, Dad, sister and their children, and instantly I was transported back to when I was 13 years old, lost, confused, and in need of encouragement.  Or 18 years old, making an important life decision.  Or 22 years old, the year I lost my mom to cancer.  Or 24 years old, waiting for the next day so I could get married.

There were a lot of moments, just like Monday, sitting on the couch with my adopted family, laughing, loving, crying, and being cried over. Hearing my adopted dad pray over me.  Being reassured of their love for me, despite the miles and life changes.

It"s a different couch, in a different place, but it's still home for me...

This week I have been reading in the book of Ruth, and as a hopeless romantic, I have always treasured the love story between Ruth and Boaz.  The beautiful imagery of Boaz putting his coat of protection over her reminds me of my Lord's salvation, and also my loving husband who puts his coat of protection and faithfulness over me as well.

But today, I am moved by Naomi.

I have a wonderful Mother-in-love, and you can read about her here, but today I just want to take some time and be thankful for all the Naomis that God has placed in my life.  Pastor's wives, youth pastor's wives, adopted moms, special sisters a little bit older in the faith.  Those women were not afraid to take a neighborhood child into their home, and love her to Christ, and keep loving her through growing up years, life decisions, and eventually the mission field.  So many women along the way, so many years of loving and caring and faithful prayers, have been poured into my life.

Could I ask you just to take a few minutes to think about the Naomis in your life?

Naomi took a heathen into her home.  Yes, there's no other way to describe Ruth.  As far as the law was concerned, we should never had even heard about Ruth.  The people of Israel were commanded to have NO dealings with the Moabites, much less to have their children marry together.  Naomi had left the land of blessing with her family, with the thought to save her life, only to be a stranger in a strange place, and ultimately alone, except for the heathen daughters her sons had married.

And yet, there was something in Naomi that left her daughters hungering for more.  Ruth especially could not be dissuaded to return to her people.  She was willing to give up everything that was familiar--her country, her place of upbringing, her gods--to be with Naomi and stay with her loving example:

"...whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God." Ruth 1:16

I wonder, if my testimony for the Lord, creates that kind of hunger in the people around me.  Especially the ladies with whom I am in contact.  I am so thankful for the ladies that God brought along my path on so many occasions, who strengthened my desire to love the Lord and be faithful to Him.

Did Naomi realize, when she left Moab and returned to her people "empty-handed," that she was bringing with her an amazing blessing?  Here was Ruth, a young lady eager to be taught, and to help, and would ultimately be the one that God used to provide for her needs, as well as the needs of all humanity?  Because of Ruth, her life was changed for the better, and one day, through her children, Christ would be born!

I wonder, do we realize the impact that comes from loving and caring for other ladies, to bring them up in the faith, and encourage new believers in their spiritual journeys?  We have no idea the far-flung influence that our loving and caring today can have on others tomorrow!

I'm sure if you asked those that took me in almost 30 years ago, if they ever dreamed that one day I would be a missionary here in France, they would probably deny it.  I was a hot mess!  And yet, here I am.  (This is not for my boasting but for God's glory--I can't even believe it myself some days!)

How different our homes and churches and youth groups and our Bible colleges and our Christian homes and yes even the mission fields could be, if we would invest in the young ladies that God puts in our paths today.

I wish I could take time here to thank every lady personally who has been a Naomi to me, but I know I would miss many along the way.  Chances are good, if our paths have crossed, the Lord has used you to encourage me to be stronger in my faith.  Thank you for your investments in my life.

And may God give me the courage and patience and all the rest, to be a Naomi to someone today.

One of my Naomis, with her husband and my sister in every way but blood...

From the Outside, Looking in...

"...for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." I Samuel 16:7

Good morning, dear friends!

My daughter was saying the other day that she could never write a blog, because she could never find good ideas of things to write about.  I told her, that many times I don't have to look for things to write about, they find me.  I would be going about my routine, and look up and see something and my mind would start to make connections.

She replied, "So, it's a good thing when your mind wanders off..."

Um, yes.  Sometimes, it is a good thing....

One of the aspects I love about living here in France is that so many of the buildings from time gone by, have the same exterieurs now as they did when they were built.  We have seen in town an entire building demolished except for the façade--which was an historical landmark--only to have the new building constructed behind it.  The French are very insistent to protect as much as possible what is old, even when something takes a new purpose.

Yesterday as we were walking with my son to school, we ventured past a demolition site, where an abandoned factory in our village is being torn down for new housing.  I looked up, and my eyes caught the scene from the picture at the top of the blog.  

On the left of the building you can still see the aluminum siding that had not yet been removed, which is all I had ever seen of the building before.  I thought it was just another industrial building that had been built for that purpose.  On the right of the picture, as they had stripped off the siding, was the original façade of the factory:  in writing you can see "pâtes alimentaires" and the name of the company.

Just under the metallic exterieur of this structure, was a brick monument to a much earlier time in the company's history.  It was a surprise to me to see what looked like a building at least a hundred years old. 

Looking from the outside, you would have never guessed what lay just under the surface...

So much of our lives are like that building.  People that know me now, only see the "me" that I am now.  The "outside" that is so prominently on display now is so different from the one I wore some 30 years ago, when the Lord found me and gave my life a permanent "make over."  I became His child, and the "old me" got swallowed up in the "new me."

That doesn't mean that the "old me" isn't still there, just under the surface, waiting to rear up its ugly head from time to time.  Oh, how it wants to come to the surface.  In an impatient attitude toward my family.  In a lazy attitude toward my responsabilities.  In an unkind word spoken in response to an unkind word.  In times of anger.  In times of  frustration.  In times of discouragement.

The verse at the top of this blog has always been an encouragement to me, knowing that God does not judge man from what He sees on the outside.  It has always whispered to me that no matter what kind of image I project to others, God knows the real me, and He loves me just the same:

"...for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." I Samuel 16:7

May these words encourage us today to look past what we see on the outside of others today, and have a heart for what's happening on the inside.  All of us who know the Lord struggle with our "old me", and may God help us to be praying for our family in Christ all around us.  

For others that we may meet, who have yet to come to Christ, may the Lord help us to pray faithfully for their "old me" to be swallowed up in a "new me."

The Other Side of Missions

"Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep..." Romans 13:15

Hello, dear faithful praying friends,

I am always encouraged by the letters I get from family, friends (and even complete strangers) who have read our latest prayer letters, send us a line in the mail, and tell us that they are praying for us!  What a tremendous encouragement that is to us on the field!

For my husband, writing those prayer letters is tricky.  It is always a balancing act to know the right words of encouragement and burden to share with everyone.  What to say, what to leave out, our entire lives of two months, written in an interesting and understandable format that must fit on one page, with headers, and pictures, and...well, you get the point.

Sometimes, though, what doesn't make it into the prayer letters, is the part that we as missionaries wish we could share the most.

We all like to read about the success stories:  people saved, churches started, nationals taking over leadership, and missionaries moving on to the next work that God has placed on their hearts.

What about the stories, with the less-than-happy endings?

For five years now we have been visiting with an elderly friend here in Amiens.  Nearly every week we have been in her home, and more recently her nursing home room, drinking her coffee and eating her cookies and sharing love and God's Word with her.

There have been good days, when her mind was clear and we would laugh and reminisce over her life with her husband and her family.  There were days when she was crying from pain from aching joints, nights of sleeplessness, or worry over a family member or friend.  There were days when her face would light up in a huge smile just seeing us there.  Other times her eyes would mist over as she confided about her solitude and loneliness (even though we know people checked up on her regularly.)

And then, she was gone.

It happened earlier this month.  We had stopped by her room at the nursing home, the day after she passed away.  We knocked on her door and no one answered, but that was not unusual.  Some days were so bad for her that she didn't get out of bed, and couldn't hear us.  We went back the following week, and the same thing happened, only to find out yesterday that her funeral had been held just the day before our last visit.  I had to call the nursing home and finally found someone who would let us know what had happened.

"I'm sorry to tell you this over the phone, but Madame Lemarchand died earlier this month..."

There was no closure, no final goodbye, no sharing our condolences with her family and friends.  There wasn't even a courtesy phone call from the nursing home, even though we were on the "to call" list.  Just silence, and, hearts aching, we try to put the past five years of visits and calls and cards and flowers, into our ministry box and shut the lid.

Today is Tuesday morning, her morning, our weekly visit time, and my eyes are just misting over at the thought.

There are always regrets at times like this, aren't there?  Could we have done more?  Probably.  Should we have done more?  Always.

Was it enough?

Was it worth it?

Yes.

Ministry in missions is more than can ever be tallied in a monthly report.  It's always more costly than our monthly budget, and the profits are always worth more than any amount any church or individual could ever give.  In times like this, when all of the efforts are expended and the page on this opportunity is turned, I am always confronted with the question:

Did it make a difference, in the end? Or was it all in vain?

Only God can comfort in times like these:

"Then the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  Matthew 25:40

 "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

"But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Hebrews 13:16 

As you read the next prayer letter from your missionary, especially those letters in which there seems not to be much "going on" in their report, please remember that not everything makes it in those letters, and not every "result" can be quantified in human terms.  Only one day, when we are standing in heaven and God's records are opened, will all be revealed.

Until then, let's keep on encouraging others, and staying faithful, and busy doing all that we can to reach those around us.  I'm sure that God will be honored in those efforts, even when they do not always have the "happy endings" that we would hope for.

I'm so thankful for all of you who hold the ropes with us, and have for many years, in the ministry here in France!  Days like today are hard, but they do not last forever, and there are many more people around us that still need us to show God's love to them today...

The Gift, and my Reaction to it...

"Every good gift  and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning..." James 1:17

Good morning, dear friends,

I went to my husband's office to get a book, and there it was.

Folded on the shelf, unassuming, just waiting to be noticed.

Was that what I thought it was?  I took it down from the shelf.

Yes, there it was.  I unfolded it, and examined it closer.

A cane.  A folding cane that could easily fit into a purse or backpack.

I could not believe my eyes.  My husband had bought me a CANE?  Did he think I was a cripple, or unable to take care of myself, or someone who NEEDED, much less wanted one of those?

I quickly stopped myself.  Wait, I wasn't a cripple, but my knee hurts something awful walking in the cold.  It wasn't that I couldn't take care of myself, but sometimes I did need a steadying hand.

Maybe the cane wasn't something that I WANTED, but maybe it was something I NEEDED.  At least, for days when my knee goes wonky and doesn't want to work correctly.  Which, in the winter time, is quite often.

It was my pride and my selfishness that didn't want the gift.

But that got me thinking...

There have probably been many gifts, that God has given me, that I didn't necessarily want to receive.  For example, God has at times "gifted" me with loneliness on the mission field.  I didn't want that gift, and could have been tempted to rail at God and say, "I don't want this!" But God knew I needed it, to make me a stronger Christian by depending on Him more, and others less.  To help me empathize with others who feel isolated.  To appreciate friendships more.

"...for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me..." Psalm 23:4

God has "gifted" me with trials of faith, trusting Him to provide for a financial need, or a health need, or a family need.  I certainly would have avoided these gifts if I could have, and yet, God has grown me as a Christian to trust Him more, time and time again.  Just when I think my faith has been stretched to its limits, along comes another "gift" of a trial, and it stretches again.

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice..." I Peter 4:12-13

God has "gifted" me with the strangeness of living in a foreign country, constantly adapting to the customs around me, doing mental gymnastics of learning how to communicate love and Christ in words that do not always come easily, or come out correctly.  This may not have been something that I want everyday, but how I need to empty myself of my "foreignness," and go to others, and speak His words, and trust Him for the results.

"Though I speak with the tongue of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal." I Corinthians 13:1

I looked again at the gift that my husband had not yet even presented to me, and I stopped my ranting.  After all, this cane was a gift of love.  My husband knows how much I love to walk, and how frustrating it is on the days when my knee doesn't want to cooperate, to be excluded from family outings, or even walking my youngest son to school.

I decided to ask him about it.  When I showed him my discovery, he sheepishly admitted that he had been thinking those exact same thoughts.

I told him how much I loved him, and thanked him profusely for the "unwanted" gift.

So many times, I think that God is just waiting for us to acknowledge Him in thankfulness, for the difficult things in our lives, as well as the more apparent blessings.  How much different my outlook would be, if I would just remember that both come from the hands of the same loving Father.

Think I'll take the cane out for a spin this morning, as I walk Joshua to school...

Blessed, abundantly

"And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians." Exodus 12: 35-36

Good morning, dear friends!

My basement is calling me, calling me, and not in a good way.  What a mess!  A new year is here, and all my thoughts of, "I'll get to it next year!" are no longer valid.  It IS next year, and so to the basement I go, with one question on my lips:

Where did I GET all of this stuff?

I realize again, how blessed I am, not only in having my needs met, but being overwhelmed by abundant blessings.  So much so, that I must take myself down to the basement, and sort out all my blessings again.  What to keep?  What to recycle?  What to give away?  What to throw away?

I'm sure I'm not the only one.  It was almost nice when we moved more often, because I accumulated so much less "stuff." Now it's just sitting around in my basement, awaiting future usefulness.

Or a future collection day.

This week I was rereading in Exodus, about the children of Israel building the Tabernacle.  I think (again) that my mind has been too long clouded over by Sunday school drawings of the Exodus.  So often I tend to imagine this great mass of people leaving, with literally just the clothes on their backs, and the unleavened bread that they carried with them.  

Nothing could be further from the truth. 

"And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians." Exodus 12: 35-36

The Bible records that over 600,000 men left Egypt, not including the women and the children. (Exodus 12:37).  That in itself is a HUGE number, but some have estimated the entire nation of Israel between one and two MILLION people!   For the children of Israel to have been so many, "borrowing from" the Egyptians, is staggering indeed.  The Egyptians were so glad to see the children of Israel leave, that they gave everything they had, and then some.

This was not a poor, wayfaring people that left Egypt!  This was a formidable nation, a rich nation, abundantly blessed by God!

Here are some thought that struck me as I was reading this passage:

Blessed, by the hand of God:  The children of Israel  had to say honestly that everything that they had received was a gift from God.  As slaves, all they had possessed were their lives and their meager possessions in Egypt.  The spoils they received, were the result of their obedience to God's command, and directed by His foreknowledge of the coming judgment of the people of Egypt.  Not one of the Israelites could say, "I made myself rich."  Everything they possessed was truly a gift from the Lord.

"Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these I delight, saith the LORD." Jeremiah 9:23-24

Blessed, abundantly:  When I read the passage at the top of the blog, that speaks of the children of Israel receiving things from the Egyptians, I don't really take into account the amount of material blessings they received.  OK, so they took some jewellry, some clothes, some pots and miscellaneous trinkets with them.

It was only when I started to read the accounts of the furnishings of the Tabernacle, that it began to take shape in my mind.

Almost everything in the Tabernacle was covered BY GOLD, even the floorboards.  Some of the pieces were made of SOLID gold.  Even if the gold plating was a thin layer, that is still a LOT of gold.   This is not counting the silver, the brass, the cloth for the structure of the Tabernacle, the oil for the lamps, the perfumes, the spices, the jewels for Aaron's priestly garments.

The children of Israel had been blessed, abundantly.

Blessed, to offer to the Lord:  What is sobering for me, is what the children of Israel did with their blessings:

"And the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Exodus 32:3-4

How much better is was for them, when, instead of worshipping their blessings, they offered them back up in sacrifice to the Lord:

"And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.  So the people were restrained from bringing.  For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much." Exodus 36:6-7

When I choose to take the blessings of the Lord, and worship the blessings instead of the Blessor, I will always be found lacking.  There will never be enough to satisfy my sin-craving.  When I return the gifts that God has supplied to me, I will be satisfied in the giving, and the Lord's work will be blessed for it.

 Most of us will agree, that we have been blessed like no other people before us, in this world's riches.  Do we recognize them as God's gifts, or as gods?

As I have heard many times, "Do I possess my things, or do they possess me?"

Time to clean house...

 

Happy New Bonne Année

"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness..." Colossians 1:9-11

Good morning, dear friends,

There are so many aspects of French culture that are a lot of fun, especially when you observe them through the eyes of a foreigner.

For example, in case you missed it, we started a New Year a few days ago.

(OK, now even I'm not THAT clueless, but you would think I am, since I keep writing 2015 on everything. And probably will, until March.)

A fun French custom, is that the first time you see someone after the New Year, you wish them a "bonne année." To forget is to seem weird, or clumsy, or forgetful ("Didn't you notice that we just had a New Year?")

Which brings some funny situations.  For example, if I remember to say, "Bonne année," and the other person doesn't, they get kind of flustered.

And then, what happens when I don't see someone until about January 12th, do I still greet them with a "Bonne année?" What about in March?

The spoken formula is also a little comical as well.  "Bonne année, bonne santé, surtout la santé..." "Happy New Year, good health to you, especially good health..." This is usually accompanied by a recitation of all that has gone wrong with the person (and especially their health) in the past year.

I have a hard time not cracking a smile.  I usually reply something like, "Well, it's a new year.  Hopefully this one will be better..."

I had been thinking about this way of greeting each other after the holidays, and during our prayer meeting last night, my husband read the following verses before our praying time:

"For this cause also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding: That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness..." Colossians 1:9-11

Now, there's a New Year's greeting for you.

What if I greeted my friends in Christ that way?  More specifically, what if I prayed that way for each and every one of you today? And you prayed for me in the same way?

What a difference that would make in our families, our children, our churches, and our ministry!

There is so much more in store this year than wishes (another popular New Year's greeting, Meilleurs Voeux) and hopes for good health.  There is the knowledge of a relationship with my gracious Heavenly Father, who supplies all my needs, many of my desires, and knows better than I do, which are which!

May Paul's greeting be on my lips today, as I think of each one of you, and of those that are around me.

What does Your Smartphone say about you?

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Ephesians 4:29

Good morning, dear friends,

So, you have my permission to go ahead and laugh.  

I just got my first Smartphone a little while back in November.

I know this probably makes me technophobe and everything else laughable about us forty-year-olds.  Truth be told, though I never really considered myself afraid of technology, I must admit that I was a little bit lost with cellphones around me.

I guess, like many things in my life, I had to see the reason first before I launched out and tried something new.  After all, I only have a limited number of brain cells, and if I'm going to use them on learning new technology, well, maybe I won't remember that really important tidbit of useless trivia.

Before we go any further, I refuse to open the Apple vs Android debate.  Really, aren't there more important things in life to debate?  Like favorite flavors of ice cream, or which movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is better? 

(BBC.  Definitely BBC.)

While owning the latest and greatest smartphone is a status symbol for up-and-comers, today I was thinking not about what kind of Smartphone I have, but literally, what my Smartphone says about me.

Simply put, what does my Smartphone use reveal about me?

I'm still getting used to constant texting.  I still prefer to pick up a phone and call someone, even if it's just a "quick question." Texting is good and all, but emojis are not real faces and cannot give a real interpretation of my love, my desires, or my sarcasm.  One of the best (and worst) features of the Smart phone is autocorrect.

Oh, how we all have a love/hate relationship with autocorrect.

I live in Boves.  Not love or bovine.  Just Boves.  With an S.  Please stop trying to correct it.

However, if I type Boves enough into my phone, it types it automatically for me.  The lazy person in me thinks this is great.  And very revealing.

What words automatically pop up, as soon as I start typing?

More importantly, what do these words say about my thoughts in general?

It can be very intimidating to pick up your phone, and have your written dialogues on display.  After all, our phones, are only as "smart" as the people who use them.  So, if my communication is filled with ugly thoughts, empty thoughts, or wrong thoughts, my phone records them, and make them a part of my "vocabulary" when I send texts.  And the more I use them, the more my phone records and reveals them.

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Ephesians 4:29

The Bible verse at the top of this blog reminds me that, like my phone, God is keeping a record of the communication that comes out of my mouth.  Are my words...

...corrupt? This word literally means worthless or rotten.  Is my communication with others stale, useless, or worse, decaying and dying?  Or is it...

...to the use of edifying? This term refers to building or confirming another.  Do I use my words to build up, or tear down?

...ministering grace to the hearers?  Am I seeking to stir up problems, or extending God's gracious balm of healing to others?

What does my smartphone say about me?  Hopefully, words that are pleasing and helpful to others.

By the way, according to my Smartphone, I say, "Woo hoo!" a lot.  Hopefully that is an encouraging, gracious form of communication.

So...woo hoo to you today!

A New Walk

"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:10

Good morning, dear friends,

Of course, it's easy this time of year to get caught up in New Year's Resolutions.  I have read many comments and lists of ways to make my life better and more exciting in the coming New Year.  As we know that many New Year's Resolutions never make it past January 10th, I feel it safe to say that I can post a list of resolutions for the New Year that I am SURE I will stil have intact at the end of 2016:

• I will not abandon my family and run away to Puerto Rico.
• I will not eat more than five salads a day, for my health's sake.
• I will read at least 50 books in the coming year (or probably by February).
• I will tell my husband and children that I love them at least once a day.
• I will adult at least 200 days out of this year.

There.  Now check back with me in December and we'll see how we all did this year.

Last year, during my January musings, I came across an article about choosing a word for the year.  Last year, my word for the year was, "day."  I was surprised at how many times the Lord brought the word, "day, "daily," "today" across my path during my readings in His Word and in the circumstances He allowed for each day. 

(Just a side note:  On my Facebook feed, at the end of the year, I could put together a compilation of my most-used words in my posts.  Can you guess what words appeared the most?  Day and today.  Wow.)

Choosing a word for the year gave me a new perspective on my daily reading, and on the priorities that I fixed for each day.  So, I decided to repeat the process for this year.  And the Lord laid on my heart the word...

Walk.

There are so many amazing passages in God's Word that refer to our relationship with Him as a walk.  I'm sure during the coming months, I will be sharing some gleanings from my studies on this word.  However, one thought stood out to me, as I was thinking about the word walk:

Walking should be a natural, normal thing for just about everyone.

I know that there are people who cannot walk, and I am certainly not belittling them.  (I was one of them last year, when walking for me was very painful.) But when we see someone who is physically unable to walk, we wonder, What's wrong? because walking is a normal part of our lives.  It's one of the first major developmental milestones for a baby.  We cannot run before we can walk.  And, in the process of walking--moving ourselves physically from one place to another--we discover many things about the world around us, and ourselves.

Some of my favorite Bible verses about walking:

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Romans 6:4

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." Galatians 5:16

"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:10

I am very excited to begin this new walk with the Lord this year, and hope that this will challenge me to be more faithful in my daily journey with the Lord.

And you, do you have a "word" for the year? Feel free to share in the comments below!

Happy walking in 2016, everyone!

New project for 2016: More Precious than Gold

"Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do." I Thessalonians 5:11

Good morning, dear friends!

I read a quote this morning which said, "What you do on January 1st is what you'll be doing all year."  Oh, my!  I was not very productive yesterday!  I hope that I have a little more get-up-and-go in the year to come.  All bets are off until Monday...

I would like to share with each of you a new project for the coming year.  Last year I attempted to get a blog written in French off the ground.  Finding good Bible materials in French and not needing translation is very difficult, and for French ladies, next to impossible.  My desire for this coming year is to help French ladies have conservative ressources at their convenient disposal, and also for French pastors' wives and missionaries in French speaking countries to have access to new material.  That desire has translated into the creation of the blog, Plus Précieux que L'Or--More Precious than Gold--, which has been up and running since last year, however sporadically.

This year, the site will be designed around chronological readings through the entire Bible.  There is a Bible reading schedule on the site (thanks to missionary friend Suzy Crocket) and then during the week, devotions highlighting the reading passages from the week.  Already there have been some good responses from several ladies as they have committed to reading and following the plan for the coming year.  As always, the desire is to offer meat for growing Christian ladies, as well as for ladies who are just curious about the Bible and are discovering it for the very first time.

I am asking my faithful friends to pray with me for this new ministry opportunity:

• Pray for a team!  It is a BIG job to do alone.  My coworker helps me by re-reading the posts and correcting my French mistakes, but I would love to have other French speaking ladies join in the writing and editing.  I have a lot more I would like to do with the site, but there are so many hours in the day.
• Pray for faithfulness!  It's hard when everything is pressing in all the time to commit to a project like this in the long term.  And I am hoping that this wil be a LONG term project.  
• Pray for readers!  The blog can be helpful to others, but only as ladies take time to read the posts!  Pray for this ministry to spread to others in France.  There are plans being made to "get the word out," but for now, pray that God will grow this ministry for the ladies who already have access to it.

The blog can be translated into English, or other languages as well.  You can access the site here, then use the tranlate button on the site.  There is a redirect to an external source, where you copy the name of the blog again (plusprecieuxquelor.wordpress.com) and choose the language.  Once you have done this once, you should be able to bookmark the translated site, and it will remain in English or the language you have chosen.  

Thanks for all your prayer support in getting this new project up and running!  May we all labour together this year to "Get the Word out" to those around us...

Startup 2016

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11

Happy New Year, faithful reading friends!

I almost made it last night to midnight!  I'm sure that I went to bed after midnight...somewhere in the world!

Whether you are starting off this New Year in familiar surroundings, or out of your comfort zone, may God grant each one of you His richest blessings and grace for this coming year.  I'm sure that this year will be full of opportunities and surprises, and I pray that God will help me to be ready for them all!

I'm not quite ready to leave behind 2015 just yet.  This week I have been going through my prayer journals, examining my requests and my "thank yous," and rereading the truths that God allowed me to see in His Word.  And while I'm not one for being overly sentimental when it comes to "out with the old, in with the new," I can't help but be amazed at the challenges God has led me through this past year.  If I had known then, what I know now, how different my perspective on life would have been.  May that be a reminder to me this year.

I don't want God to have to say to me at the end of 2016, "Ha! I told you so!"

Here are some highlights from my journey last year:

This blog!  Later this month will be my one year blogaversary!  God has allowed this blog to be a way to connect with so many of our faithful prayer partners around this world.  I'm so thankful for the blessings of many aspects of technology, and this is one of them.  I didn't make my "blog-a-day" challenge as I had originally hoped, but the discipline helped me to grow stronger in my personal time with the Lord. One of the most shared posts for this year, with over 700 reposts, was in relation to How to Pray for Paris, a "call-to-arms" for France after the November attacks.  How thankful I am for the possibility to share the needs of my "home" country with so many, so quickly.

My health! God targeted an area of my life in great need of repair:  my health and fitness.  With the help of my wonderfully supportive husband (who took the journey with me and is looking great!) and the encouragement of many of you, I am a shadow of my former self!  With the discipline of new habits came renewed strength for daily living.  Here's to a continuation in the coming year!

Encouragement!  One of the hardest aspects for me on the mission field is the feelings of isolation and loneliness that I encounter living thousands of miles from home, in unfamiliar territory!  While I love my host country, I am conscious that I will never be truly considered "at home" here.  What a consolation I have found in connecting and reconnecting with missionary wives all over the world, serving in areas much more difficult than this one.  I'm also thankful for the support and feedback of you, my faithful partners in the ministry here.  Thank you for "holding the ropes" so that we can continue in the work here.

At the beginning of this year, I always take the time to evaluate my priorities, ask God to guide my steps for the coming year, and help me to be more faithful to Him.  In the coming days I am sure that I will be sharing some of those ideas for the year, but one thing remains constant:  the desire to grow closer to the Lord.  May this year 2016 be just the beginning of a renewed walk and desire for the things of God.

Happy new beginnings to all!