Starting Again and Remembering

It’s a new day! I have not posted to this blog in a very long time and a huge amount of things have gone on in our lives. Seems like August 21, 2008 was a million years ago. A trip to Hawaii, medical issues, a Hurricane, Thanksgiving, Christmas, a New Year 2009…… I guess the reason I am writing today is that we are starting a new part of our lives and the 24/7 dream. I need something to keep me praying and focused. Our church was hit by Hurricane Ike. It did a lot of damage but in the wake of damages there was a link to new hope and new life at Lakewood. It’s been on my heart for such a long time as I see other churches just crumble and die. I prayed don’t let it be our faith. I knew there was something to be done. After our trip to India, I knew that my service for the rest of my life would be into God’s work. There are so many open doors for me. I could be working……. I had proven to myself I could handle a high profile job if I wanted one. That’s not what the Lord has in mind for me. We have enough money and enough joy and enough of everything that is truly needed. I had looked into doing some work to start up a business that would help supply funding for a church build in Mont Belvieu. It was something that is totally possible but it was not in God’s timing. He sent me a clear message; you’re not ready yet but start getting ready because your day will come. I think the direction I received was work hard with what you have…. prove to yourself you can withstand, teach yourself the basics then move to more task. Create a base of people that know your heart and you know theirs and know your dedication then go forward. There was ground work to be laid. As I work and study the methods open to non-profits and funding efforts I knew there was immediate work to be done. The seminars, study groups, clinics, workshops, all of it I can do on the side. Most import was to work with Roland. We were tested by our trip to India. I did not know that we would withstand the problems that trip created but God honored my prayers in every way and we all came out for the better because of that venture. I didn’t know what would happen with my lap band surgery. After a long struggle of getting ready, backing out, doing it again, and then finally getting the surgery done. I could have died on that table because I had told a lie. I was not honest about something in the past and it could have cost me my life. I prayed God if it be your will let this go well and continue my life. The last words from my doctor before going into surgery were this: Miss Sims, I have put you last on the surgery line up even though you were here early this morning. I want you to know that I will go slowly and I will do everything in my power but I do hope you had time to get your affairs in order. It’s not always up to the doctor. My surgery did take a longer time, it was difficult and when I woke up I felt as it a truck had run me over. But I lived and I did recover. All in all this tell me my life is to the service of God’s work. I am not one who can relay things well or recap details but I do have something that stirs within me that can not be harnessed. I have often wondered why. I know a lot of it stems from being raised in a dysfunctional home with an alcoholic father and a mother who suffered from awful depression that led her to attempts of suicide. Not successful attempts but attempts. When we face battles with Robbie and went to counselors I found I was blessed with a condition called stress related memory loss. If put under stress I simple check out of the situation! Things that are unpleasant I just refuse to deal with them and can shut them out totally to the point of forgetting all of it. What a blessing!!! I live only in the present moment. If some of us could only know the peace in that. It doesn’t make telling stories or events easy but there is a gift in having this problem. Angry leaves you, no remembering of wrongs; events that scar and ruin some people just go right over the top of my head. I am blessed.

David has asked that we take 2 weeks to spend some quite time with God. Review our prayers and listen for answers to our prayers. No radio or TV is on today. Only the hum of the ceiling fan. It’s an experiment I am going to fall in love with I am sure. For the next two weeks it’s going to be my total focus for at least an hour a day to listen for God’s direction in my life. Not to pray but to listen. The time is perfect for this. With the rebuild of the church going on there is no better time to listen for direction. I have my bible CD’s to play in the truck. It’s a 30 min. drive to the church and then 30 min. back home. I will be making that drive daily until we are finished. It’s going to give me a huge bank of time to devote to this effort. As anyone knows that knows me time is not my friend!

Enough for today. Exciting things have happened today and we have some working capital today. Things are looking up.

God, Thank you for blessing us with a hurricane, insurance money, and good people to do Your good work. Thank you for all the men and woman that are partnering with Your will and Your work into Your service for this world. Keep all of our heart pure to You and Your will. Keep us transparent so that the glory of this can be seen only for You. Work with us Lord hand in hand in every effort that goes forth to further Your presence in this world. Let the choice made in the spending of Your money be the things that will bless our church and make You ever present in our lives. Let ones that have not seen the beauty of giving everything into You see the good work that will come from rendering a first fruits effort unto You. Bless us Father because we pray it all into the sacrifices of Your son Jesus. So until You come or take us home let it all be prayed and done to Your glory. Amen.