A Decade of Celebrating Jim

Today marks the 10th birthday I have celebrated with Jim...and while at first realization of that this morning made me feel a little "old" it made me feel more priveleged that anything else. I am so thankful to be celebrating my man's 29th birthday today! Or, as one of our students put it this morning...the 9th celebration of his 20th birthday! There is so much I could say about him...but he is truly a phenomenal person. He is not perfect & has his flaws, but that makes him real & I can relate to that! But I sure think the world of him! On his birthdays, I am always exceptionally grateful that I have gotten to spend another year with him...I have felt this way since he got cancer a couple months before his 25th birthday. To me, it's a 'miracle' he's alive...life is short. It can be taken like that. By the Lord's provision though, I get to celebrate him today! He is such a blessing to me & to those around him. It has been quite the year for Jim, but I have no doubt in my mind that he is right in the middle of God's will for his life--he is ministering & working with the gifts God gave him & that is an exciting thing for me to watch & be a part of.

SO...Happy Birthday Jim! Here's to a great last year as a

20-Something! So blessed to be beside you!

See it My Way...the Faith Way

One of my favorite stories in the Bible was taught on a couple weeks ago & brought me to a new understanding of what God is trying to get me to understand. It’s the story of Joshua & when the walls of Jericho come down (Joshua 6). How the wall comes down seems so “silly” from human eyes. Marching around the city a bunch of times for a week, then the wall is going to come down because a bunch of people start shouting?!? God was telling Joshua that this battle was not going to be won with muscle, oh mighty warrior…but by faith. God even tells Joshua BEFORE the wall comes down that He is HAS ALREADY delivered Jericho into his hands. There could have been so many other battle plans…but those would have been done in human strength & wisdom. God was asking Joshua to have faith that the victory was already in his hands…not coming, but already there. Joshua had a huge choice to make. Was he going to trust God with faith with the unknown? Our insecurity tends to overwhelm us on the brink of something big. “Imagine the outstretched arm of God before Joshua as He pointed to a city already defeated is His eyes (not Joshua’s). ‘See Joshua! Look closer, My son!’ Picture Joshua squinting but nothing looks different. He rubs his eyes, still nothing. ‘No, Joshua…not with the eyes of man. Look with eyes of faith! See? See it My way! It’s already accomplished. Just go get it, Son.’ And as Joshua looked with eyes of faith, he saw. Then conquered.”
I wonder if God is trying to get me to see what He sees about something in particular...actually I know He is. Or many things. I imagine the Lord leaning in close to me so that I can see all the way down His outstretched arm until I gaze on the place where His index finger is pointing. What is God pointing out to me? I want to hear Him say, ‘ See child, would you please see this the way I do? No, not through your eyes. Through eyes of faith.’
Here is the word picture that immediately came to mind. And of course, I have pictures I took to prove it!

This is Jim, with our dog, Hunter. He is Jim's bird dog. His pride & joy. In these shots, Jim has thrown a 'bumper' for Hunter to retrieve...each time the dog didn't know exactly where it landed. So Jim leans down right next to his dog's head & points to the target. The goal is for Hunter to look down his master's arm to see where his index finger is aiming. Then he is sent, to retrieve, or 'conquer' the bumper. I realize I am biased, but this a perfect picture to me of what God asked Joshua to do & what He is asking me to do too.

I really want to "get" what God is trying to point out to me. I REALLY want to see situations through eyes of faith, especially those circumstances that leave me confused & doubtful.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

So, as Joshua finally saw through eyes of faith, although the wall hadn't come down yet, that it was down in God's eyes...and as Hunter is sent out on the retrieve even though he doesn't know exactly where the bumper is, he is still trusting where his trainer is sending him, because he has faith in his master. Even though 'I' can't see it...I'm choosing to look down the outstretched arm of my Master in hope, convinced I will see in faith how He wants me to see.