Last night before crawling into bed, during the night, and again this morning I prayed for pastors. I prayed for Nazarene pastors who are leading their people in the Half Million Mobilization prayer initiative. I asked God to not allow this to be just another program but for lives to be changed through the initiative. I prayed for all pastors who will be preaching today to be ready for any 'curve balls' that come before them so God will be glorified. I prayed for myself and thanked God for all who prayed through the week for me to keep my focus. I thanked Him for all the opportunities given to me to love on people with His love this last week and the ones ahead in the new week. As I reflect on this last week I am thankful for the way He directed my path, gave me His words to share with others, and encouraged my heart in so many ways. My goal in life is to be the godly woman He desires of me to be. I strive each day to be successful in reaching this goal. I know I fall short at times but am thankful for His love, mercy, and grace that is always with me. Yesterday's Butterfly Release was an emotional time. As the lady started singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" the tears fell. That was a song my Rickey sang to me often. When he would sing it to me, he would tell me I was 'his dream come true.' That always put a smile on my face. Yesterday they talked about how our loved ones who have gone on are still with us. As I released butterflies for my Daddy, Doc, and my Rickey I thought about how each one of them impacted my life. The first butterfly released was for my Daddy and he didn't fly for a little bit. He just stayed put. My Daddy was always there for me whether in person, a phone call, a card, etc. The second butterfly released was for Doc. It was the most gorgeous of all of them. He took off right away. It made me think about how in his last days he told me I was going to be alright because I was strong in my faith. The third butterfly was for my Rickey and stuck around a long time. God gave me that time for continued healing. God is so, so good to provide exactly what we need. He is so good to speak words over us we need to hear. I am one blessed lady. I enjoy being like a butterfly that drinks sweet nectar from the flowers. Taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8) are words that encourage me to feed on God's Word and allow Him to nourish me. I love the words of I Peter 2:1-3. They read in The Passion Translation: So abandon every form of evil, deceit, hypocrisy, feelings of jealousy and slander. In the same way that nursing infants cry for milk, you must intensely crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word. For this “milk” will cause you to grow into maturity, fully nourished and strong for life— especially now that you have had a taste of the goodness of Yahweh and have experienced his kindness. Yes! I must intensely crave the pure spiritual milk of God's Word if I desire to receive all He has for me. Woo hoo! I am reminded of Jeremy Camp's song "Healing Hand of God"....
I have seen
The healing hand of God
Reaching out and mending broken hearts
Taste and see the fullness of His peace
And hold on to what's being held out
The healing hand of God
Dear Jesus, Thank You for loving me so greatly! Thank You for the day ahead where I will gather with my church family! Father, cleanse me so You can fill me with more of You. May people see/hear You instead of me today. Thank You for my Momma getting to go to a church function last night! Thank You for continuing to be with her and others going through 'tough' days. Ben; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Mike; Norma Hall; Sharon Sebolt and her Momma Shirley; Serena and her husband; Beth and her family; some young ladies with anxiety; a man in rehab for anger issues; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; a husband/father separated from his wife; Mary Lilley; Preacher Bill Watts; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; Timmy; Amber; Heather; families in turmoil; Ms Savon's friend; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments... Doug and Gay; Patty's daughter Tracy; Sharon's daughter Ashley and niece Amy; Chrissy's cousins; Shirley Jones; Debbie's husband Kelly; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; Betty's husband; my friend with mesothelioma; Judy Link; Little Ivy; my friend with upcoming radiation; and Dorothy's grandson. I pray for: Jonathan whose mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor, Russ and his family, the Long Family, and Christina and her family. Thank You for continued improvement with Pastor Sam and for Baby Henry having another successful surgery! I pray for Larry Amstutz to have open doors as he seeks new employment. Thank You for continuing to be with Anna, Michael, Matt, and myself as we miss my Rickey being with us! Thank You for being My Peace! Amen.
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