From Prison to Praise

He went to Prison. It's a sad story, but just one of many. Danny is half white and half black. He grew up in an all white school, suffered alot of racial abuse, however he still exceled. He achieved a football scholarship, was going to college when he was drafted into the Vietnam war.

Danny got hooked on drugs in Vietnam. He said they were just kids and they took drugs to block out the things they did there. He received a Purple Heart while there and later stepped on a land mine and was sent home. Fortunately he still has both legs but he has alot of pain from the injuries that have healed, as well as the pain in his heart.

He went to prison four times, the last time, he said when he walked into the area where all the inmates were, he saw a light way back in the corner. He said it was like there was no one else in the room, but in the corner was an old friend, a preacher's kid. He walked over to this guy and the guy looked up at him and said, "Danny, you look like you are tired." He replied, "yes I am tired." The friend then replied, "I mean tired of life, tired of living the way you've been living." Danny said, "yes I am." They got on their knees that day back in the corner of that prison and Danny cried and prayed as he asked God to forgive him. The next day he got a visit from a daughter he had not seen in fourteen years. It was the first time he had ever gotten a visit while in prison. Since then, God has brought people into Danny's life to tell him about Christ's love and plan for him. He said always before the people who came in his life wanted to talk about drugs or armed robbery.

Danny has struggled with drugs throughout his life, but when he got out, he fell again into the trap. This time, God continued to bring people to tell him He loved him. So he checked himself into a rehab. When he completed the program, he found another program, both were Christian based and he went through that program too. He is clean now and says you can live legit for awhile, but you can't make it living legit without Christ. Now Danny cries everytime you talk to him. He says he could never let his emotions out before, now he doesn't hold them back.

God is such an awesome God. I thank him for saving Danny, he encourages me to stay in the Inner City Ministry! Hugs to all of you! Please! Pray for Danny that God will continue to strengthen him and use him for his glory!!

Christmas in Heaven

I came across this poem I have never read before and it made me think of my eight day old nephew who died in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. This poem made me smile as I thought of him spending Christmas in heaven. He would be about 13 years old now.

I see the countless Christmas trees around the world below
with tiny lights like heaven's stars reflecting on the snow.

The sight is so spectacular please wipe away that tear
for I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear
but the sounds of music can't compare with the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you of the joy their voices bring
for it is beyond description to hear the angels sing.

I can't tell you of the splendor or the peace here in this place
Can you just imagine spending Christmas with our Savior face to face?

I'll ask him to lift your spirit as I tell you of His love
so please pray for one another as you lift your eyes above.

Please let your hearts be joyful and let your spirit sing
for I am spending Christmas in heaven and I'm walking with the King.

Update!

I'm back!!! I have been soooooooooo busy!!! My daughter had a little boy, his name is Aiden Skylar Thompson and he is the cutest baby I have ever seen in my whole life. I had a dream about him last night that he was talking away to me and he was only two days old! I kept telling everyone, "He's a genius, He's a genius!!" They kept looking at me like I had flipped out, but I said, "You don't understand, babies don't talk at two days old!!" lol!

Five hours after Aiden was born, my husband's sister died. She found out she had cancer of the liver and lungs about two weeks ago. We knew it was bad, we just didn't know we would be losing her so soon. So tomorrow we will be going to her funeral.

Not only that, but two weeks ago, my husband fell on the ice and hurt himself and hasn't been able to work in two weeks. He will probably be off another two.

So it has been busy around our house, things have been bittersweet, some ups and downs, but God is still on the Throne and still in control. I have almost got the fifty two gifts wrapped for the boys, I am late getting things ready for the party at work and gifts for family, but hopefully after tomorrow things will slow down a bit.

Hugs to all of you and a very Merry Christmas!!!

It's Been A Wonderful Week!

Its been a wonderful week. I just feel so peaceful, happy, warm and cuddly right now. I am not sure if its the weather or the season, but I love this feeling. When I get off work, I jump into my Silver Mazda 626 and head straight to the lake. There is something to be said about taking a brisk walk around the Marina and just feeling the peace that comes from the water. I so love the water, sometimes I wonder if I were supposed to be a Mermaid. It doesn't matter to me if it is cold, hot, raining, snowing or whatever. I could sit all day on the end of the slip after a nice long walk and look out over the water and have this peace come over me that I cannot describe.

When I walk in the mornings, I feel God's presence, so we talk and I get some things off my mind and I examine my motives, my thoughts, my attitudes and then apply and make adjustments to my life. It is in those times at the lake or when I am alone and looking up to the sky at night that I see the things He wants me to change. I have always loved those times of being still and quiet. I guess you can say I love to laugh and have fun, but I also love to be quiet and just listen too.

Hope you all have a wonderful day in the Lord today! Thanks for all the recipes!!

Chicken and Dumplings!

Yall are not going to believe it, but until today I have never made Chicken and Dumplings!!! That's right, I am probably not a real American or something, but to tell you the truth, I never could stand that doughy stuff in there with the Chicken. Everyone else in the family loves them, so today I said I would stop the Dumpling Boycott and give it a try, and guess what happened!!??? They ate them all! I didn't eat them, although I thought they were delicious except for the doughy stuff!!

I have this thing right now of trying to make some one dish meals. A fellow officer at work was telling me about something called Shrimp Boil, have yall ever heard of that? He was telling me he would bring me a recipe to make it, so it will be my next new thing to try on my family.
I am just bored with making the same old traditional things. I love to cook but at this time of the season I don't have alot of time, but I got three males to feed at home and they come in the door famished!!! Somebody help me!!!!

Update!

I didn't get to go see the movie. Instead I have spent the past few days trying to get my Christmas lights up on the house. Everytime I would get one set up, then the other set would go out and I would have to research and find the problem. This has gone on for three days and I have wanted to pull my hair out.

I got a call from the couple from North Carolina who donate guitars to us every year. I really wasn't expecting to hear from them but God is always on time. So they are sending ten more Takemine Guitars for the boys Ranch, along with Christmas cards for the boys.

I have been very busy with so many things I haven't had time to blog, but I will be on top of it for a few days now.

Chronicles of Narnia

Are you going to see the Chronicles of Narnia? I have met so many people lately who are so interested in seeing this film. I plan to go see it tomorrow night, so I will let you know if I like it! My children read the book in Christian school and love C.S. Lewis.

Here's a small bit of info on the book and author......
Christian allusions can be found throughout the best-selling fantasy novel, which follows the adventures of four young siblings during World War II who discover a world of fauns, centaurs, unicorns and talking animals inside an armoire.

The heroic lion Aslan, a symbol of Jesus Christ, battles the White Witch, who is seen by some to represent a servant of Satan if not the devil himself. The residents of Narnia refer to a human boy as "a Son of Adam" and to a girl as "a Daughter of Eve."

An atheist in his youth, Lewis, a professor at Oxford, became an Anglican convert as he grew older. Aside from his Narnia books, he is best known for such spiritual works as "A Grief Observed," in which he reflects on God and life following the death of his wife, Joy Gresham, from cancer, and "Mere Christianity," in which he uses logical arguments to make a case for orthodox Christianity.

"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" was first published in 1950 and has remained a favorite among generations of young readers. Nearly 100 million Narnia books have been sold. "The core target audience is in the 5-12 range, but the audience for `The Chronicles of Narnia' is of all ages..

I DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS!

My recent outreaches have uncovered some things that I wasn't expecting. The boy I have been ministering to, just informed me he has gotten a girl pregnant that he doesn't love and doesn't want to marry. Then he told me they went to an abortion clinic and when they got there, people were outside whom he knew were Christians and they were saying don't go through with it, help is next door.

They continue to go inside and when she went to be checked, she found out she is carrying twins. So he couldn't go through with it. I was astounded. I knew he was struggling to tell me something and I said to him, "Just say it, whatever it is, it is killing you, so just tell me." When he did, I went blank. I just wasn't expecting that. Right now with all that is going on, he sure doesn't need this and the babies!!!??? The girl already has three children and is unmarried.

Finally, I just said, "why abortion?, have you thought about adoption?" I told him abortion is not the answer, there are many couples who would want the babies who can't have any. He said the girl didn't want to give them up for adoption. I explained to him the church will help him, they will pay all the costs and help to put the children in a christian home, so there are other options.

Earlier he was telling me he was thinking about getting back in college in January. I advised him he was putting the cart before the horse. I said first you need to look at your drug and alcohol addiction, your financial situation, and getting on your feet. College is the last thing you should be concerned with. Now this.....!!

He did tell me he thought this was a wake up call, that his life has gone from bad to worse and he didn't know what to do. I of course said, "yes, you know what to do. You know what is right, you have support, people who love you and you know the right thing to do, just do it."

So tell me do you have any words of encouragement or an answer for this kid, for some reason I was so astounded I was almost speechless. Pray he makes the right decision, I don't get too involved any more, I let him know I love him and I am there, but, I have made the mistake in the past of doing too much, it didn't help. I think I just prolonged his education, so now I am praying for him to listen to God and do what is right, for the babies, for the girl.

He Came to Church!

In my last post, I had invited this young man to come to church and guess what? He did. He showed up! Thank you Jesus.

As our service was starting, I recognized some new boys who had just gotten to the facility, then I introduced this young man, he asked if I wanted him to say anything, I replied if you feel God is leading you to, go ahead, so he comes to the front of the service and begans to tell the boys how long he had stayed in the facility, how he went home, got back into drugs, called us and asked if he could come to live with us.

He spoke of how he had accepted Christ there at the facility and how did end up living with us for a year, what his life was like then, how he went to Russia on a Mission trip and on several Habitat for Humanity trips, and how his life was so good, that when problems came, he always knew God was there and everything was going to be okay.

He then shared how after he moved out of our home, he slowly went back to the old life and he is now on four years probation, and his life is full of problems, that things have went from bad to worse. He stumbled along and would look to me to help out, so I prompted him and he would continue. He encouraged the boys to give their heart to God and to stay away from drugs and alcohol. Later I hugged him and told him I was proud of him for being transparent and allowing God to use him. I reminded him that God loves him and it is never too late to turn and run back to him.

We had a guest speaker for church that day and he taught on Grace. I thought how appropriate. He explained how... Grace is a gift, we can't earn it, we have to accept it and when we do accept this free gift, He paid the price and the penalty for our mistakes. He redeemed us from the curse of the law, and in doing so, he adopted us, so now we are His children and it is eternal. He will never let us go and as His children we are to practice a life of repentance. He explained how much God loves us and when we understand that, we will want the free gift He is offering to us. It was an incredible message.

G- Gift
R - Redemption,
A- Adoption
C - Children
E - Eternal

So now I continue to trust God to work out His plan in my life, in your life and in this young man's life. I pray each of you have the opportunity to share the Good News of Christ's love with someone this week. God bless all of you.

I Thought You Were Mad At Me!

Today I made a phone call. I was trying to go to sleep and this person was on my mind, so finally I give up and I give in. I don't always feel like I have a lot of patience anymore for this person. I love them, however, I don't understand them. The only thing I do know is God loves them and it is never too late. So I made the call, no answer. I thought, wow! guess I got out of that, but then again, Lord if you want me to talk to them, have them call me. Guess what? The phone rings.

I answer and it is this young man I just called. He said to me, "I thought you were mad at me." I said, "why would I be? I don't understand you, but I am not mad at you." I said, "I love you and I know you know that, I just don't know how to help you and I can't help you until you decide to help yourself, but I love you no matter what."

I explained, "God put you in my life and He knows why you are doing what you are doing, He knows where you are at and He is knocking on the door of your heart and saying, "let me in." I said, "do you know the only place in the bible where God ever ran is?" He replied, "no." I said it's in the story of the prodigal son. I led him thru the story, then said, "all God wants you to do is recognize where you are and where your life at this moment is taking you, then to turn and surrender to Him. He loves you and when you decide to go home to Him, He will look up, and drop what he is doing and He will run to you, He will wrap His arms around you, hold your head to His chest and tears will stream down His face as he says, My son has come home!"

I then told him I wanted to pray with him, so I said, "will you bow your head right now?" He said "I have it bowed," I began to pray for Him and I could hear him weeping. I closed the prayer and said, "will you come to church tomorrow?" He asked "what time?" I told him and he said "I will be there." So now I wait on God.

I love this kid, and it is difficult to watch someone take their own life in their own hands and destroy it with drugs and alcohol, yet I have never walked in his mocassins, I don't know what it is he is running from. He has a huge thick wall he has put up that only God can tear down. I can't climb over it, I can't chisel through it, I can't tear it down, but one thing I do know is I plan to Pray it down! So now I wait on God to do what He does best!

Who Is Kyle?

I haven't said much about Kyle in my posts, so today I am going to tell you a little about this young man who moved in with us four months ago.

Kyle is about 5 ft. 9 in tall, weighs about 165 lbs, has blond hair and blue eyes. He's sort of quiet but at times that is not so. I have known him since he was a small child probably around six or seven years old. He has lived quite a ways from us so we haven't seen much of him.

His story is much like the other boys in the Inner City Ministry we serve in. He got in trouble for Drug Possession. He was picked up. The judge was going to send him to prison. He's been in and out of trouble since he was about ten years old. He called his father whom he had never lived with and he stepped in and vouched for him, so Kyle went to live with him. The judge gave him four years probation, community service, he has to pay restitution, attend intensive drug counseling classes. He has completed two years of his four year probation.

Kyle shared with me this week that he had a manipulative personality and it was never his fault. He was living under bridges for a year, he's lost his car, his apartment, his job and knew he was either going to die of a drug overdose or go to prison when he got caught. He was alone and scared, but knew he had to change. He went to live with his father when his sister sent him a book called "the Purpose Driven Life." As he read the book, he came across the sinner's prayer and prayed to accept Christ. That was one year and two months ago. He started coming to our house to attend Bible Study on Wednesday nights the week he accepted Christ.

I have seen him grow in Christ and take care of responsiblity. He said the day he accepted Christ he no longer had a desire to drink or do drugs again and he has never called any of his old friends since that day. God has given him a desire to start a ministry with Joseph and the two of them are holding a Bible Study on Thursday nights at the Ranch where we minister. Joseph was incarcerated there for two years and both boys want to give back. All I can say is Praise God and Thank You Jesus. He does performs miracles!

It's All About Him!

It has been cold here in Texas and I am lovin it! I love all the seasons and the more extreme they are the more I enjoy them. I often think of God's purposes in each of them.

I have been getting ready for Christmas, getting the lights on the house, the tree put up, the Cross on the end of the house and getting ready to package fifty two gifts for the boys at the Ranch. I am so busy, but it is the time of year when it is so easy to share Christ and remind others of the Greatest Gift of all and the reason we give gifts to each other.

I have started the 31 Day Challenge of reading one chapter a day of Proverbs for every day in December. I have read it many times, but for some reason as I was reading, I was so impressed about why I have chosen to serve God, to obey Him and to share Him with others. I love Him, that's why. I love Jesus Christ! He changed me, He changed my life, He's been there when no one else was. Every day I just want to make sure I share His love with somebody, anybody who will listen.

My greatest joys of the week are when I get to attend church and go to the Ranch to share Christ with the boys who are incarcerated there, to sit and teach them to play the guitar and to see their faces light up when they accomplish learning a chord or playing a song.

Every day I try to always be open, listening for God's voice, looking for opportunities to share at work or wherever I am, I have slowed down so when He speaks to me about sharing, I listen and obey and it sure has been fun!!!