Two Big and Really Important Things

Two Big and Really Important Things that I needed to confront head-on today:

#1) I will let people down. No matter what you think of me, or how much you love me (or don't). I have before, and I will again. Too many times to count.

My temper will be short at a time when you need encouragement.
I will break a promise.
My words will shatter your day.
A decision I make, no matter how much prayer and thought I put into it, will leave you baffled or bewildered.
I will forget about plans I made with you.
My bad day will spill over into your world and dampen it.

Why? '...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.' [Romans 3:23]. I am included in that 'all'.

A corollary to Big and Really Important Thing #1: People will let me down sometimes. For some or all of the above reasons.

#2) God will not let you down. No matter what you think of Him, or how much you love Him (or don't). He has never, nor will He. His record is impeccable.

He is patient and ready with a loving word. {Psalm 145:8, Zephaniah 3:17}
He never breaks His promises. Not one. {Deuteronomy 7:9, Daniel 9:4}
His Words are meant to help you grow in truth & grace. Sometimes they sting a bit, but it's always for your good. {John 17:17, 2 Peter 3:18, Proverbs 27:6}
His decision will also sometimes leave you baffled and bewildered, but because He is totally trustworthy, you can stand fast on the fact that it's the best decision. {Isaiah 55:8-9}
He never forgets His plans for you. And His plans are perfect. {Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 139:13-16}
He doesn't ask you to bear the brunt of all of the sorrow He carries. {Matthew 11:28-30}

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There has been an overwhelming sense of relief in remembering those two truths today. The people-pleaser in me cringes at the thought that I have disappointed others so; and sometimes I wallow in bitterness when others let me down; the reality I need to cling to is that I do disappoint, and so do those I love. But God never fails nor forsakes! And that is why it is SO crucial that I place my trust in God alone, and invite others to do the same by the way I live.

When you let me down - know that my job is not to judge or condemn, it's to forgive liberally and point you to Jesus. Don't let fear keep you away from me.
When I let you down - please, please pray that God would move my heart to confess any sin and seek forgiveness. And please, with grace & mercy, let me know. You are not letting me down when you encourage me to be more like Jesus.
And when all the letting down is done, we can rejoice together that God has not let either of us down. Nor will He. Ever.

Rejoicing that God never fails,
even when I do,
for His glory!
~Lisha

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Praying for God's Will

I have to admit right away that the title of this post is a play on words. Technically, my husband is God's Will! This post is really about...

The bookmark I had in my notes from Life Action
which convicted me to be more specific
as I prayed for Will.

As a wife, the greatest ministry opportunity I have is to pour out my life, my energies, my heart, and my time for my husband. I have let him down in this area over and over and over and over again through the years. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've almost never lived up to my vows to love, respect, and serve him the way I promised. But one thing that I have grown in is praying for him consistently.

About 8 years ago, a revival ministry (Life Action) visited and inspired us as a church to seek the Lord wholeheartedly. One of the lasting changes in me that came from that visit was that I began praying specifically for Will and for our children (we were not even pregnant with E at the time, if I remember correctly), almost daily.

Moved by an idea I heard in one of the sessions, I began praying for specific areas of Will's life each day. Here is my list. Please know that it's largely based on notes and a handout from Life Action, with a couple additional verses of my own...I did not come up with this idea! I wanted to share it, though, in case someone was looking for a way to focus during prayer time for her husband, too.

Sunday = Seeing God's Sovereignty
1 Timothy 6:15-16: ...He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

Also - Romans 8:28, Proverbs 16:9, and Proverbs 16:33.

Monday = Mind
2 Corinthians 10:4-6: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Also - Philippians 4:8 and Romans 8:6-7.

Tuesday = Trust & Faith
Psalm 62:7-8: In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

Also - Proverbs 3:5-6, Hebrews 11:6, and Psalm 56:3-4.

Wednesday = Wisdom
James 1:5-8: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Also - Proverbs 9 and James 3:17.

Thursday = Truth
Psalm 119:9-16:
How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You;
oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Your word I have hidden in my heart,
that I might not sin against You.
Blessed are You, O Lord!
Teach me Your statutes.
With my lips I have declared
all the judgments of Your mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on Your precepts,
and contemplate Your ways.
I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

Also - Colossians 2:2-3, Proverbs 4:5, and Romans 10:17.

Friday = Faithful
Proverbs 5:15-18:
Drink water from your own cistern,
and running water from your own well.
Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
streams of water in the streets?
Let them be only your own,
and not for strangers with you.
Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice with the wife of your youth.

Also - Matthew 25:23, Luke 16:10, and Psalm 101.

Saturday = Spiritual Leadership
1 Timothy 3:1-3: This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Each day = Love the Lord & Resist Pride
Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

James 4:6: But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

I hope that this is an encouragement for anyone reading it to begin right now to pray more often for your spouse! Whether you use these suggestions, or you find another way to focus your prayer time, remember that it is one of the biggest blessings that you can give your beloved. And since I learned the hard way, I'll add this: pray that the Spirit would use these verses to change you, too!! Focusing too much on how you want God to work in your husband without asking Him to work in you is a recipe for pride, strife, and a hurting marriage.

Which resources would you recommend for learning how to pray for your husband?

Praying for God's Will,
for His glory!
~Lisha

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have I not commanded you?

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." [Joshua 1:9]

The next few weeks are going to be very full around here.

Dartmouth rescheduled E's surgery (see I did not sign up for this part! for more details), which turned out to be a blessing because that means Will can come without having to miss work. So that's happening soon. And last Monday we were offered a chance to move - and we took it. So we're moving 2 days after E comes home from the hospital.

For those of you who pray, and those who have been faithful to pray for us in the recent weeks: please continue. As God brings us to your mind, please pray. And if He lays a verse on your heart and you happen to think of us, please share it. It feels kind of selfish to beg but my heart can get easily overwhelmed at times when I'm packing up a home we've lived in since E was 3 months old and trying to mentally prepare for all of the changes in the upcoming weeks. Our home surrounding will be new, and we'll be adjusting to E's new needs too.

My sights are on Jesus and my heart yearns to be more like Him, but I'm too much like Peter to not stumble. "Get out of the boat - I'm doing some great and miraculous things here!" Christ says to me, but I look around at the storm that is coming at me from multiple fronts and sometimes I just start sinking!

I'm thankful for this season of life because it is a daily (hourly! momentary!) reminder that apart from Jesus and His sovereign plans, we cannot do anything. I am not strong, nor wise, nor sufficiently organized to do these things. I do not have the fortitude to hook my daughter up to an IV every night. or to purge & pack our home with 3 small ones around. or to make a house into a new home. But God's grace is sufficient for right here and right now!

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on Thee,
because he trusteth Thee.
[Isaiah 26:3]

not afraid, nor dismayed,
for His glory!
~Lisha :)

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I don't know!

We closed up the Bible House storefront a month ago.

and there is still no employment for Will as of right now. He has an interview on Monday...but he's had other interviews in the last four weeks that came to nothing.

I don't know. I don't know where the money for the rent, or the past due rent, or the increasingly past due electricity, or the hot water are going to come from. By all accounts, we should have been evicted by now. Or at least we deserve to be without the luxuries of electricity and hot water!

But God, who has more than covered us with a miraculous grace in those areas, is the same God who moves in the hearts of people to leave cases of diapers on our doorstep. Who compels anonymous people to send gift cards in the mail with the note "Love, Jesus". He is the same God who, for His glory and delight, moves people to stop by with treats for the girls that wouldn't be possible for us right now, and who answers their tiny heartfelt prayers for things like new shoes or new construction paper. He's the same God who, miraculously, keeps the needle on our gas tank at least 3/4 full, all of the time. Even when I know it should be empty, and I try to "fill the tank", it never takes more than $25-30 before it stops.

And what in the whole wide world am I supposed to make of this?!?!? I don't know!

These days I spend a lot of time crying - crying out to God, and crying tears. The causes range from confusion ('why us, why now? Haven't we learned our lesson about what it's like not to have money? Won't You just help a family out and pay the bills today?'), to disgust with the deepest parts of my depraved nature, to sheer thankfulness that He is in control of it all, because clearly I am not.

And I am SO THANKFUL that I don't have to know all the answers to my questions. I will repeat that: I am thankful. Abundantly grateful that I do not need to sit and overanalyze what God is doing right at this moment in our lives. That my response just needs to be to praise Him and obey Him, no matter where He directs us. Because while I don't know what He's doing, or where we'll end up, I know because of His Word and His character that His plan is perfect. That none of this has been a coincidence, or a waste, or a hoax, or a crutch. That because we have been allowed to go through these trials, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a God, and He alone is God, and that we have seen His mighty, sovereign hands at work.

So, I don't know what the near future is going to look like. I don't know how we're going to possibly pay the rent. I don't know what's going to happen when we run out of diapers or toilet paper or gas. I don't know specifically how God is going to finish the good works that He has started in Will, the girls, & I. But my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness, and because of that hope, I don't have to know anything else!

Not knowing anything except Christ Jesus and Him crucified,
for His glory,
Lisha :)

Delight and Desire!

Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the LORD,

and He shall give you the desires of your heart. 

Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.
He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;

do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.
For evildoers shall be cut off;

but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.
But the meek shall inherit the earth,

and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth.
The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming.
The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow,
to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct.
Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,

but the LORD upholds the righteous.
The LORD knows the days of the upright,

and their inheritance shall be forever.
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,

and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
But the wicked shall perish; and the enemies of the LORD,
like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
The wicked borrows and does not repay,

but the righteous shows mercy and gives.
For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,

but those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;

for the LORD upholds him with His hand.
I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his descendants begging bread.
He is ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed.
Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell forevermore.
For the LORD loves justice, and does not forsake His saints; 

they are preserved forever,

but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever.
The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice.
The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him.
The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
Wait on the LORD, and keep His way,
and He shall exalt you to inherit the land;

when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
I have seen the wicked in great power,

and spreading himself like a native green tree.
Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; 

indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;

for the future of that man is peace.
But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;

the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;

He is their strength in the time of trouble.
And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;

He shall deliver them from the wicked,
and save them, because they trust in Him.

Psalm 37 [NKJV] - www.biblegateway.com

I was meditating on this Psalm for a good part of the evening, and what a balm to my soul! With only 8 days to go until we know for sure whether or not the Lord is going to have us close up the Bible House (see my post Come and hear... for more details about this), it has been so easy to:

1) get angry and bitter and blame people for not shopping at the store;

2) pray incessantly that God gives us a better/different opportunity to serve Him right now; and

3) despair because we have fallen so far behind our bills while we know that there are ungodly people who are making more money than we are and spending it on ungodly and selfish pursuits & hobbies.

[God has broken my heart and His lovingkindness has led me to repentance for these things - for taking my gaze off of God and for having such ugly heart attitudes!]

And yet!! God has been pleading with me over the last few days (through His Word and through a dear friend who is not ashamed to speak truth into my heart) to just delight in Him and trust in Him!! Not to worry about His plan, for it is perfect and He already knows it. Not to delight in His plan, but to delight myself in Him!! And after I have made the choice to trust and delight in Him - He will give me the desires of my heart, because my desires will be in line with His heart for me. 

Oh, my Lord, show me what it means to just delight in You and all that You are, and to trust You (for You have never failed us!) - I only want to know You more!

By His grace, and

for His glory!

~Lisha :)

A Very Hunter Update

...And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen! [John 21:25]


I feel like this verse is more than adequate to sum up what has been going on in our home and hearts over the past year. If I listed all that Jesus has done, you'd be reading this for a long, long time! And though I want to share all He's done, I know you have other things to do and other blogs to be reading and Facebooks to be checking, and I have a home that needs cleaning and a puzzle that needs putting together - so I'll cover the highlights.


Highlight #1: The Bible House is still open. Oh, friends, that the Bible House has not closed again is purely by the staying hand of the Lord and His blessing!! The inventory is still small, because we find that certain companies and indivduals (like our landlord) would appreciate that we continue to pay them what we owe - thus, no splurging on massive amounts of Bibles, books, music, etc for the store yet. We pray and hope that some day the Lord will provide for those things, but for now about 80-85% of the business we do is still from special orders and church groups, so having a large inventory isn't necessary. I cannot explain to you how thrilling it is to be used of God in this way - to be running a Bible bookstore right smack in the middle of downtown Jaffrey - when really Will and I have no business running a business. We have no business degrees, financial training, or anything that would qualify us to do this, except that God has asked us to do it. It may not be a success the way you define success, but we know that God is being glorified because we are walking in obedience to His calling on our lives!! And that is 'success' enough for us!


Highlight #2: Elizabeth is doing much better. As many of you remember, Elizabeth was hospitalized for about a week up at the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD), because of some lifelong digestive troubles that got grossly out of control. I'll spare you the details if you haven't already heard them, but since we came home we have been so thankful that the Lord has been healing her slowly and surely. We've been taking her to see Dr. Josh at Jaffrey Chiropractic and we have been very pleased with the results that we've seen from good chiropractic care! So good, in fact, that Hannah has also started seeing Dr. Josh - she loves being adjusted, and we've seen major progress in her movement since she started going. This ties into...


Highlight #3: Hannah has the same struggles as Elizabeth did when she was younger. Low, low muscle tone and hyperflexibility mean that Hannah (at 10 months) has not rolled over yet, nor can she bear any weight on her legs. We praise the Lord that we have already walked this road with Elizabeth. The doctors at Dartmouth had prepared us to expect that Elizabeth might never walk or speak - and look at the work the Lord has done in her! So, whatever the outcome with our sweet Hannah - we know that the God who created her did it perfectly [see Psalm 139:13-14] and His purposes will be accomplished through her whether she ever walks or not [see Romans 8:28]. But we are very hopeful that Hannah, like her sister, will be fully mobile and talkative in a relatively short period of time!


Highlight #4: We have been without a van since April. The week before Elizabeth's trip to the ER that ended up in her being transferred to CHaD, our van sputtered out completely after a few months' time of almost-being-dead. And since we didn't have the money to a)have it towed, b)have it fixed, or c)fill the tank with gas anyway, it's been sitting there for the last five months. The Lord has been mighty and gracious to provide transportation to and from the grocery store and to do laundry about once every two weeks. Running errands, play dates, and other side trips have not been able to happen. And, if I may be so bold - spiritually speaking this is one of the best things that has ever happened to me (and consquently, my family). God has taught me how to love being home - really BEING home instead of being a 'stay at home mom' who is outside of her home more often than not. [Read my post Busy, busy, busy to get a glimpse into the work the Lord's been doing in my heart over the past 5 months!] I've gotten used to not having a way to get around whenever I want, and now that I've adapted, the Lord has seen fit to send the money and resources to fix our van. We received an amount of money recently equivalent to the garage's estimate of what it's going to take to fix the van. The garage called tonight, and as long as I can pay to register the van (pray with me! We don't have the money!) soon, the van is done and just waiting for us to pick it up! 


Highlight #5: Elizabeth and Abby start kindergarten very soon! At home! Yay! The theme for this year's curriculum for History/Geography/Reading is Intro to the World: Cultures. Science is an experiment-based introduction to biology, earth science, & physics. Bible stories, Memory Verses and the Firm Foundations weekly study make up the faith curriculum! Sonlight's Language Arts focuses on learning to read, and we use Alpha Omega's LIFEPAC Math program - which you can order through the Bible House!


There are many, many more great things which He has done. Our marriage, which has been rocky over these past many months, is being renewed and restored by a God who is about the business of binding up broken hearts. We are seeing the fruit of His Holy Spirit grow in our sweet children as they come to terms with their own sin and process the message of the gospel. He brings people into our home who need the love and hope of Jesus Christ poured into their hearts - and He has been pleased to let us be the hands, feet, and words of a Savior who rescues to the uttermost they that come to Him in faith!! He has miraculously provided for each of our needs in our most desperate hours (like when we can't afford toilet paper - toilet paper! Have you ever taken that for granted!? - and a friend shows up with a bag full of the stuff on your doorstep when you're down to the last roll!!). God has supplied toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, paper towels, soap, diapers, wipes, and iced coffees [ok. That last one isn't a necessity...] in direct answer to prayer when we lacked the money for them. And although He has not provided all of the money to pay off all of our bills yet, we know it's because He doesn't recognize "cell phones" and "car insurance" as needs. But He has not once left us without food or clothing or shelter. He has not ever failed us. And we are so thankful to be His and to be daily dying to self to see Jesus Christ magnified as the Lord of our hearts and home!


Friend - oh, friend! Trust Him in all things. Following Him to the ruin of life as you know it is exciting and beautiful. And it is of eternal worth. 


All for His glory and honor!
Lisha :)

Psalm 148

Praise the LORD!

Praise Him, all His angels;

praise Him, all His hosts!

Praise Him, sun and moon;

praise Him, all you stars of light!

Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,

and you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for He commanded and they were created!

He also established them forever and ever;

He made a decree which shall not pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth,

you great sea creatures and all the depths;

fire and hail, snow and clouds;

stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

mountains and all hills;

fruitful trees and all cedars;

beasts and all cattle;

creeping things and flying fowl;

kings of the earth and all peoples;

princes and all judges of the earth;

both young men and maidens;

old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for His name alone is exalted;

His glory is above the earth and heaven!

And He has exalted the horn of His people,

the praise of all His saints—

of the children of Israel,

a people near to Him.

Praise the LORD!

[Psalm 148]

This is the psalm I was reading early this morning and meditating on throughout the day...even the weather points to His glory and His majesty and it "fulfills His word". The storms are intense - but He is infinitely more amazing, more powerful, more breathtaking, more consuming than any storm could ever be!

I may be sharing this post at these uplifting Link-up parties!

Miracles

Oh, that I had all the time in the world to explain the wonderful things that God is doing in, for, and through the Hunter Family right now! It has been a while since I've had the time to write; for those of you desiring an update in our lives, allow me to catch you up. Prepare to be amazed by the workings of our God! :) 

Amazing thing #1) We are only 15 weeks from welcoming the tiniest Hunter into our family! Besides Abby, who is convinced that we're having a bird of some sort, we are all excited to see whether God has blessed us with a little girl...or a little boy. Either way, what a treasure the Lord has given us! 

Amazing thing #2) Back in early May, we learned that the small retail space downstairs from our apartment was opening up, and Will & I felt (after two years of prayer and waiting!) that the Lord was prompting us to begin re-opening the Jaffrey Bible House. We rented the space (although, miraculously, the landlord did not charge us for the first month of rent because we weren't in business yet), and we registered the name of the business with the state of NH. Since then, Will has been given -for free- access to all of the shelving he needs from a local business that closed a while ago. We just got word today from another friend that we have free greeting card racks as well - we just have to go pick them up! We have no opening date for the store yet, because we are trusting in God's timing for this project, and He is taking longer that we thought - however, since it has not really cost us any money yet, we're okay with however long He takes! 

The story is miraculous, not because of us, but because the Lord has chosen to do huge things with not much. We have no start-up capital; we did not take out a business or personal loan for this venture (our personal convictions about God's stance on debt kept us from going that route - we did not want the glory for this business to go to the bank, but to God alone!). So far, starting up the Bible House has cost us only $50 - to register the name. God has given us 1) a computer, complete with a point-of-sale system, scanner, credit card machine, receipt printer, and cash drawer, 2) hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars worth of free professional shelving, 3) free rent until this month, 4) a friend who has kindly agreed to help us with bookkeeping. 

We have nothing to offer this business. You must understand that even though I was a math major in college, I have no gift for accounting. Will worked in Christian retail for 4 years and has a talent and desire for helping people find what they need, but neither of us really has any sort of business sense. As previously stated, we have no funding. All we bring to God is a deep desire to serve Him, and to trust and obey Him completely. And it is a sweet place for us to be!! 

The last thing we have to wait for now is all the money for the books and other items we'll be carrying in the store. We don't know what the amount will be, but we trust absolutely that God will provide each and every dollar we need. 

Even though God has delivered most of these things to us for free, our journey has not been without cost. There are family and friends of ours who have chosen to distance themselves from us, at least for a time, because they think that what we are doing is nutso. And, from a worldly, temporal perspective, it totally is!! But God, all throughout history, has proven that He delights in using the underdog to accomplish His purposes. If we have nothing, and yet accomplish much for God, it's because it's ALL God's doing, and He gets the glory and honor that He alone and rightly deserves. We are so thankful that this looks like an impossibility to most of the people we know - because when the Bible House all comes together (and it will!), God alone will be responsible! 

Amazing thing #3) [which is directly related to Amazing thing #2] Will gave his notice at Teleflex about a month ago, because he felt that he could not keep working full time there and still give the energy needed to start up the Bible House. So we have been without a "reliable and steady" income for a few weeks now. And you know what, you who may doubt the very existence or the promises of God? We have sought first the kingdom of God and His righteousness alone, and He has been faithful to give us every single thing we need (food, enough money for bills, and clothing)! [see Matthew 6:33] A couple days after Will left Teleflex, we received an anonymous letter in the mail with a $100 gift card for groceries. Then we received another $150 in the two days after that. A few days ago we received another check in the mail. Sometimes, God chooses to provide for His people through a career; sometimes, though, He asks us to give up the "security" of a job so that He can show His provision in ways that we never would have expected!!! Our daily dependence on Him is glorious; we cannot, nor do we, trust in riches - we trust in the One who provides! 

Amazing thing #4) With the coming of this new child, comes the need for a larger vehicle - at least, if we want to be legal about it [which we do!]. The Volvo, though it has served us well for the last almost 10 years, cannot fit three car seats in the back. So we began praying for a van. Now, some people would pray that God would allow them the loan for a van, but I've already stated how we feel about debt. We prayed that God would bring us a van that we could afford to pay for with cash. Which, when you factor in the "no-income" thing, left us with not being able to afford much! 

We claim to serve and worship the same God who SPOKE the world and all of creation into existence. We claim to serve and worship the same God who parted the Red Sea for the nation of Israel, who used a small boy to slay the giant Goliath with one stone, and who -beaten and bloody and nailed to two pieces of wood- openly mocked and utterly defeated the devil and death. So, if He is the same God, and we know He is (His Word says that He NEVER changes), then He who also owns all of the vehicles on the PLANET EARTH could surely bring a van to us that didn't cost much! 

We got a call on Friday. Someone bought a van for us, and is currently paying for all of the work to be done on it. It's coming to us from Virginia. Dear friends, I do not pray to or worship or lay down my life and my wants for a false God who does not exist. I do not cry out to a vast cosmic conciousness. I do not bow down before an idol that hangs on a wall yet cannot hear me. I worship and have willingly laid down my life for the only God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who created me and knew I would be born sinful and came to earth to rescue me - the only God who has the power to hear prayer and answer it, faithfully and completely! 

Will and I have been called nuts. And so we are. But we are privileged to be nuts and be a living testimony to the power and honor and glory of the God of the universe. If you know Jesus Christ, my encouragement for you today is to remember that God is so, so much bigger and so much more powerful than you can ever imagine! If you do not know Jesus Christ, let our lives be a witness to the awesome majesty of God and the joy that comes from giving up your life for Him! 

For His glory, 
Lisha

Have mercy!

In the weeks following the miscarriage, I used the word "mercy" when I was explaining to people how I was doing.

"God has been so merciful..." 

"He has just surrounded me with His mercy." 

"In God's mercy He has...." 

After using the word about a thousand times, I was pondering what the word mercy really means. Have you ever done that before? Use a word that you are familiar with and have used before, only to realize that you really couldn't give a good definition of that word? So the words of my 7th grade Language Arts teacher rang in my head: "Look it up!" 

A Bible concordance is a wonderful resource. (For those of you unfamiliar with a concordance: it is a reference tool that lists every single word from the Bible, in alphabetical order (ours uses the King James Version), where it is found in Scripture, and shows you what Hebrew or Greek word it was translated from. 

So I cracked open the concordance and looked up "mercy", "merciful", "mercies", and "mercyseat" (they are all on the same two pages, anyway!). I found that there are 12 different words in Hebrew that are translated as "mercy" or a derivation of it in the Old Testament, 9 words translated as "mercy" or a derivation of it in the New Testament. You see, much like in our language, Hebrew & Greek words can mean similiar things but have subtle nuances that distinguish them from one another. Take "kind", "nice", "courteous", etc. All convey the same basic characteristic, but each give has a slightly different connotation.

Armed with my previous notion of what mercy is (OK, folks. Let's be honest with our Sunday School answers. "Mercy is when God doesn't give us what we deserve." Or something like that. That's what I have been told/have thought since I accepted Christ.), I looked up all of the references and Hebrew & Greek words. And...wow. 

God's mercy is more than just Him not giving us what we deserve (which is Hell. If you don't agree, we can talk about it sometime!). 

The word that is most often translated as "mercy" in the Old Testament is the Hebrew word checed (pronounced kheh-sed) It is defined as such: kindness, favor, good deed, pity. [If you want all the references where this word is located, I've got them all. Just ask.] 

For instance: my Psalm reading today was Psalm 90. Verse 14 is translated: Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! (NKJV) 

Using the "Sunday School" definition, it could be interpreted: "Oh, satisfy us early with Your not giving us what we really deserve, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days!" 

...but...what was meant was "Oh, satisfy us early with Your kindness...Your favor...Your good deeds..., that we may rejoice and be glad all our days!" 

What a richer picture of our Father in heaven! Not that He would just satisfy us by withholding due punishment for our sins, but that He would satisfy our souls with His loving kindness and favor toward us! 

Another word that is translated as "mercy" is chanan (get out your phlegmy "ch"! It's pronouned khaw-nan), and it means to bend or stoop in kindess to an inferior, to favor, bestow, beseech, implore, grant, or intreat. It is mostly found in the Psalms: Deuteronomy 7:2, Psalm 4:1, Psalm 6:2, Psalm 9:13, Psalm 25:16, Psalm 26:11, Psalm 27:7, Psalm 30:10, Psalm 31:9, Psalm 37:21,26, Psalm 41:4,10, Psalm 51:1, Psalm 56:1, Psalm 57:1, Psalm 59:5, Psalm 67:1, Psalm 86:3,16, Psalm 119:58,132, Psalm 123:2,3, Proverbs 14:21,31. 

For example, Psalm 51:1 reads, "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions." 

If you're unfamiliar with this psalm, King David of Israel wrote this after being confronted about his adultery with Bathsheba (and having her husband Uriah killed to cover up their indiscretion!). If any man had cause to beg for God not to give him what he deserved in that moment, it was King David. But if you read it with the word chanan, it is like this: "Bend down, stoop down in Your kindness towards me, even though I am not worthy of it, according to Your lovingkindness, according to Your tender mercies (which is actually another word - we'll get to that later), blot out my transgressions." It's like David is crying out, "come near me, because You love me, and take away my sin." Not this picture of a vengeful God who is again withholding just punishment, but David crying out with a broken heart to a God who will hear, respond, and wipe his slate clean. Wow. Just wow. 

How many times, when we screw up (royally, or just a little bit) do we get this notion in our finite brains that God is rolling His eyes, wondering "WHAT in the world was she thinking?" while we, on earth, are down on our knees begging God not to chastise us, when in fact, like David, we could be crying out "have mercy on me Lord! Come down and hold my hand, and please take away my sin, as only You can." [Note: sometimes, God chooses to chastise us when we sin. Not because He enjoys it, but because He loves us and wants us to learn from our mistakes.] 

(I'll pick one more Hebrew word to write about. I just realized how long this note is getting. Let me tell you, I have pages of notes, and it is all fascinating. I'll probably write more later, about the Greek words. Only God could handpick and plan the words He chose for mercy!) 

The last word I'll talk about (for now! There's 9 more!) is the Hebrew word racham (pronounced: rakh-am), and it means "compassion (of the womb), tender love, mercy, pity, cherishing. The connotation is that it is like the tender compassion a woman has toward her child. 

Let's go to Daniel 9:9. Daniel is praying for the people of Israel, who are in the captivity in Babylon. "...To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him." 

Can you see it!? Not, "To the Lord our God belong an ability not to punish us and to forgive us even though we have rebelled against Him" BUT "To the Lord our God belong a tender compassion and love and mercy for His people and He cherishes us and forgives us, even though we have rebelled against Him." Wow! Wow! Wow! 

Are you in awe yet? I am, completely. That the God who would be totally right to punish us for our sin, has chosen to lavish us with tender compassion, love, kindness, favor, and to pursue and implore our hearts to turn our wicked hearts back to Him. 

What a merciful God! Truly!

Thankful for His mercy,

for His glory!
~Lisha

I may be sharing this post at these lovely link-up parties!

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wonderful weakness

But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; 
For You have been my defense 
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense, 
My God of mercy.
[Psalm 59:16-17]

I am so weak right now: physically weak because of the blood loss that I experienced and everything associated with that and emotionally weak from a heart that is still broken and trying to process and understand what has happened in the wake of the miscarriage. It has been a wonder to me that my friends have mentioned my strength this week. I need to tell you, friends, that my strength does not come from a strong heart, a strong body, or even a strong faith; my strength comes from God alone.

If I was strong enough to carry myself in any capacity through this trial, why then would I need to cry out to God at all? There is none stronger than God; and for all of the Mr. Universes and Mrs. Strongwoman competitions, there is none who even comes remotely close to Him in strength and power. The Bible makes it clear that He spoke everything you see and feel (and everything you don't see and feel!) into existence. Spoke. As in, He said, "Let there be light!" and light just appeared. "Let there be trees! Mountains! The Marianas Trench! All of dry land! Fish! Duck-billed platypusses! Bacteria! Diplodocuses!" ...and they existed. He has more strength in His voice than you or I could ever hope to have in our bodies. He fashioned man out of some dust and woman out of one of the man's ribs. He is the same God who was strong enough to bear the weight of all of the sin ever on His shoulders and carried it to Calvary and He is the same God who was strong enough to overcome Death. And He is the same God who will rend the clouds and return to destroy Satan.

Why would I want my strength to come from myself, when I could find my strength in Him??? I am not strong in any means of the word. Any faith I have, He has given to me, so it's not my strong faith to begin with. It's His. 

I thank you all for the encouragement. Please, please don't mistake me; I have appreciated and been encouraged in my faith by your comments and I am so blessed to know that you realize that my God is all that I have and everything that I have. But I don't want to take the credit for being strong, when truly my strength comes from God Almighty! And I am so grateful for that. I don't have to be strong; I just need to be willing to rely fully on the strength of the God with whom all things are possible!!

Here I go.

It's hard to believe, but it's already been about a week since we realized that God had called our youngest one home to Himself. It is a weird feeling to have been pregnant, and not be pregnant anymore, with nothing physical (ie...our baby) to show for it. 

We have been completely overwhelmed by you (yes, you!!), dear friends, as so many of you have come alongside us this week to help us bear this sorrow. There have been four nights of meals, three iced coffees, surprise visits, lots of phone calls, probably about a hundred or so text and facebook messages, offers to take the girls for a couple of hours, hugs aplenty, chores and errands run for us, and many thoughts and prayers lifted up for us. How then could we remain sorrowful? 

My heart was and is broken for the death of my baby. When I saw him (I'm going to refer to Baby H as a him, not because we knew, but because "it" sounds so wretched to me) on Monday morning, it was the end of a dream. And that completely ripped my heart out! We already had picked out names and had fun guessing if it was going to be a boy or girl and dreaming about life would be like with 3 girls (aaah!) or 2 sisters with a younger brother (...aaaah!), and Monday morning the finality of it was, this time, that dream would be unfulfilled. I was crushed. And I kind of still am. 

But... 

My life is built on the truth of God's Word - the Bible. He has spoken and written it into our lives that we would be encouraged, forewarned, and taught directly by the One who spoke the universe into existence and who fashioned man in His own image. And in those pages I have found great comfort and God is using this experience to teach me many lessons. It has been such a huge week for spiritual growth in my heart. At some point in time, maybe I'll expound on these; I don't feel led to right now. In the meantime, if you want to discuss them with me...feel free. 

Lesson #1: God is completely sovereign. In all details. Always. 

Lesson #2: God is merciful. Always. 

Lesson #3: Our children are not ours; they are God's, and He gives them to us for so short a time to love and cherish and take care of. 

Lesson #4: God sometimes does give us more than we can handle so that we are reminded that we need to completely rely on His strength. (1 Corinthians 10:13 deals with God not giving us more temptation than we can bear - it doesn't promise that God will not lead us into trials that we cannot handle. [note: if you find verses that prove this lesson wrong, send me a message, please!]) 

Lesson #5: God does not waste our pain (see Lesson #1), but uses it for His glory and our good. 

Lesson #6: Painful circumstances help us to grow spiritually (see Lesson #5). 

Lesson #7: It's okay to cry and to ask for help! 

Lesson #8: My husband is an amazing man, and is just the perfect one for me. 

Lesson #9: What it truly means to lean on Jesus when I come to the end of my strength. 

Lesson #10: God is an awesome God and He deserves praise in the middle of our trials as well as in the good times! 

...so even though I am sad for my little one, I cannot help but overflow with joy. The Lord has flooded us with love this week and He has allowed me to see how He is using our pain to reach out and encourage and comfort others. My child is being taken care of by Jesus Christ, the Lord of all; he has skipped the pain and agony of mortal life, missed out on the consequences of sin, and slipped right into eternal life - so my sorrow cannot be long-lived. In fact, I realized the other day that I was even sort of envious. 

I am open to talking about the events of the past week, and about the faith and hope I have in Jesus. Please, please don't feel awkward about calling me or sending me a message to ask questions or to share what is on your heart and mind. And if you want to say something but don't know what...that's okay. Tell us that. It touches us just to know that you are thinking of us. You don't have to come up with something profound to make us feel better. 

Many thanks to each of you. We love you all!! 

In the unfailing love of God!
Will & Lisha 

Photo copyright 2006: Photography by Downing

Why should I fear?

[This was posted the evening before we miscarried our third baby. God is sovereign!]


Hear this, all peoples; 
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 
Both low and high, 
Rich and poor together. 
My mouth shall speak wisdom, 
And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding. 
I will incline my ear to a proverb; 
I will disclose my dark saying on the harp. 

Why should I fear in the days of evil, 
When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? 
Those who trust in their wealth 
And boast in the multitude of their riches, 
None of them can by any means redeem his brother, 
Nor give to God a ransom for him— 
For the redemption of their souls is costly, 
And it shall cease forever— 
That he should continue to live eternally, 
And not see the Pit. 

For he sees wise men die; 
Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, 
And leave their wealth to others. 
Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, 
Their dwelling places to all generations; 
They call their lands after their own names. 
Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; 
He is like the beasts that perish. 

This is the way of those who are foolish, 
And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah 
Like sheep they are laid in the grave; 
Death shall feed on them; 
The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; 
And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling. 
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, 
For He shall receive me. Selah 

Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, 
When the glory of his house is increased; 
For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; 
His glory shall not descend after him. 
Though while he lives he blesses himself 
(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself), 
He shall go to the generation of his fathers; 
They shall never see light. 
A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, 
Is like the beasts that perish. 

[Psalm 49] 

This was part of my reading tonight, and I just wanted to share it with you because it encouraged me. We have no reason to fear man nor his riches nor his earthly power, for God is the only one who can and has redeemed us. Regardless of what the coming days and years bring...God has the victory already! We know what we have to look forward to! Praise the Lord!

These photos were taken shortly before
Baby H went on to glory~