Scheduling

So, when you think of scheduling what do you think of? A Doctor's appointment, dentist appointment, an important meeting, etc.
How would you schedule your life? What things do you think of in doing that?? Who's schedule are we really on? What is the purpose for having a schedule for our life? Isn't it to help us keep track of where we are going and what our agenda is?
But what if life throws a couple curve balls your way and it throws you off of YOUR schedule? Then, who's schedule are you really on? Who's life is this and where is it really going??
I often ask myself these things in the recent months that I have been in my situation. As most of you know, I am in a situation that I have absolutely NO control over. I don't know when I am going to get the call, I don't if I am going to get better; I don't even know if I will be well enough to get out of bed tomorrow to face another day of uncertainty.
I have come to the realization that I am not on my self-made schedule. Since I have given myself, my life, my schedule to Christ, it belongs to Him. He gets to do with it what He pleases. I may not know exactly what's going to happen, but I do know that He is in absolute control and will NEVER fail me.
I have never been more alive, more peaceful, more joyful and loved life more than I have than being in the situation I am in now. And it's all because I finally gave it up to Christ. I have let Him deal with my "stuff" and it has freed me up to live.
So about my schedule......for me I would have liked to have my new lungs by now; but look at the things I would have missed in the meantime.....
1. Awesome friends
2.Awesome church
3. Never felt the presence of God more in my life!
4.Complete and absolute TRUE Joy.
5. Appreciate life so much more.
6. Don't take people or things for granite anymore.
7. Realized SOO much stuff about myself.....
8. Have found the TRUE me.
9. I know now that life is not about the physical and how far we get materialistically, but how far we get spiritually.
10.I have found the true people that will stick by my side and just love me unconditionally.
11. I just can't say enough about the people that I have met here!! Unbelieveably awesome!!
12. GORGEOUS scenery!!
Ok, well I think that's the jist of it for now. I could really go on....but it's late.
The times i do feel tired and feel that I can't go on, I rely on my God to give me strength......just like the verse says:
"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those whose hope is in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:29-31
And when you are on God's schedule He gives us the strength and energy to make it through. We just have to make that choice to do so.
I did. And I am living according to God's schedule for me.

The above was written by Robin in 2007 when she was waiting for her double lung transplant.. Just thought I would share some of her writings.

Blessings!
Gayle

Thoughts and Attitudes

As I have just completed the series "Be Ye transformed, Renewing your mind" by Nancy Missler. I am reminded once again of how much I am NOT in control of my life. It is a constant battle, but a rewarding one. I learned some steps that may help you in your battle. By renewing our minds, we are to capture each thought, (we are not responsible for our thoughts, it is what we do with them once they come into our minds!)
2 Corinthians 10:5-6. I've learned over the past couple years that "His ways are not my ways, neither are His thoughts my thoughts.."Isaiah 55:8-9. He refreshes my memory everyday regarding that verse! I continue to struggle with my thoughts and "my own ways." He gently reminds me to be willing to present my body as a living sacrifice, Hebrews 11:11; To be willing to deny myself or lay myself down. Phil 3:8-15, to obey His will no matter what, 2 Corinthians 8:11, and to "take every thought captive" 2 Cor 10:5-6. As a Christian, I realize that if I struggle with those very things, then other Christians must have the same struggle. My prayer for you is that you can learn to capture each negative thought and give it up to Him.

I have had people ask me lately how the one year anniversary of Robins' departure to Heaven is going to affect me, and how I am doing with it.
I have faced many battles of my mind this year with losing Robin. The battles have been with the memories of her suffering and death which have been very painful for me. Even though I realize that she is in a better place, the question is am I in a better place! I never have missed anyone so much in my entire life as I have missed my precious daughter. There are no words to describe the pain. By giving those painful thoughts to the Lord, He is giving me His comfort in mighty ways. In answer to the question of "how am I going to handle it?" The same way I have handled it all along, I will probably cry, get mad, stomp my feet - "it's not fair" etc. etc. But! Along with that will be rivers of refreshing comfort from my Heavenly Father, peace that passes all understanding & a renewal of Hope from Him

Here are some steps by Nancy Missler that may help you:
1. Recognize, acknowlege and experience the thought; ask God to show you the truth.
2. Confess and repent 1 John 1:9 Unconditionally forgiving others.
3. Give everything not of faith over to Him.
4. Read His Word daily!

I hope my rambling has not confused you! Hey, this is just a blog! I trust God will be your comfort, healer, redeemer, and best friend as He has been to me.. By the way, November 4th is one year of Robin's death. Pray for little Christopher and Jason if you think of them. They have been real troopers this year and have kept the faith!

Blessings!

Gayle
P.S. Don't forget to hug your daughter!

Taking Every thought captive, give it to Him...

This week I have been priviledged to be in the beautiful mountains of Colorado at Vallecitos Lake. I am here for a few days alone working on my talk I will be giving in October at a Ladies Retreat. As I drove here, I was anxious on how I was to organize my talk. Thru restlessness and confusion, I realized that Satan does not want God's Word to be spoken to anyone! As I struggled as to what to say or how to say it, I read this verse "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.." 2 Cor. 10:5 I read in my devotional these words "we take every thought or project that comes to us by impulse and jump into action immediately, instead of imprisoning and disciplining ourselves to obey Christ." Wow, God really spoke to me regarding my actions - it is not what I want to say, but what does He want to say as He ministers thru me!
I just happened to have started a class on Tuesday nights at church. It is "Be Ye Transformed" by Nancy Missler. It is taken from Romans 12:1-2. Let God transform your mind and heart. All He wants us to do is obey Him, love Him,and get to know Him. He will take care of the rest! Personally, I am still healing from losing my sweet Robin. I miss her so much everyday. I know God has His reasons for taking her home, but I probably will always struggle with missing her and her sweet smile. I miss just calling her and talking to her everyday. I am practicing on giving God every thought that I have of Robin and let Him fill me with Him.
I pray your day and week will be filled with God's blessings. Just try taking every thought captive and giving it to Him, just for one day. You will be amazed how He removes all the junk from your mind!!

Blessings!
Gayle

P.S. Have a wonderful fall ya'll! (as they say in Texas!)

The Blessings of Summer 2010

Wow! Where has this summer gone? After resigning my job in June, I decided I was going to "be still before the Lord..." this summer. Yeah, right! We picked up Christopher July 4th in Pagosa Springs and our life has not been the same!
This has been the most busy and fun summer we have had in quite sometime. Every summer in years past (for the last 5 years anyway), has been STRESS! Never knowing when we were going to or coming from Denver to take care of Robin. But this summer has been totally different. I am resting, knowing my precious Robin is in Heaven breathing well.

Having Christopher with us has been such a comfort for us and I know for him too.
He enjoyed the 4th of July with fireworks and family, enjoyed having his Aunt Lavonne here for a week, enjoyed 2 weeks of swim lessons and one week of VBS, plus boating on Navajo Lake with Uncle David and Aunt Linda. Whew! This gramma needs a rest! We spent numerous times reading God's Word, working on scripture memory and talking about Robin & Heaven. Christopher has such a desire to know more about Heaven. He misses his mommy, but smiles when we talk about her.
My prayer before he came was to be able to teach him the great things of God. He has a tender heart before the Lord, and I know God will use him in a mighty way.

So it is with great sadness, he leaves to go back home tomorrow Friday to be reunited with his daddy! He will be leaving behind for us great memories, numerous funny stories and time to rest these weary bones! ha ha ha.

I thank God for the many blessings He gave us this summer thru Christopher James Stocking!!

Blessings to you!
Gayle

Still Waiting...

"These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" Habakkuk 2:3 (LB)
Since my last post I have been asking God to show me His purpose. In todays devotional from Rick Warren he uses the above scripture reference and says the following:
"The Bible is filled with examples of how God uses a long process to develop character, especially in leaders. He took eighty years to prepare Moses, including forty in the wilderness. For 14,600 days Moses kept waiting and wondering, "Is it time yet?" But God kept saying, "Not yet."
That brings me great comfort because there are many times I think I may not be doing something "right" to hear from God. I need to spend some time looking back at what He has accomplished in my life and take comfort that He has been my protector, provider, comforter, healer and Lord. Thank you Jesus that You know me better than I know myself.

If you are following in the Lords steps, I pray you will hang on, relax and continue to stay in His Word, He will reveal His purpose for you!
If you haven't read "The Purpose Driven Life" in awhile, you might want to dust it off and read it again. It's taking me alot longer this round of reading because I want to absorb all He has for me.
Blessings to You!

Gayle
P.S. Don't forget to hug your daughter!

Let's Worship

Worship

Lately I have been struggling with my purpose in life once again. What does God want me to do for Him? I decided (after talking to my dear sister Lavonne) to re-read "The Purpose Driven Life." Over the last week, the word "worship" has been in my vocabulary many times. I have been asking God "how do You want me to worship you?" In the book PDL, Rick Warren talks about how we are to worship God. Worship is more than singing and praising God "anything you do that brings pleasure to God is worship" - wow, you mean every area of my life entails worship to God? Yes! In my daily life when I rise, I meet the Lord and talk to Him; that is a form of worship. "Anything I do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship." In Psalms it says "I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth!" When I worship Him, my turmoil and sadness turns to praise.
According to Warren, even work becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of His presence!

So, have I figured out my purpose? Not yet, but as I "worship Him" in my search - I know He will show me! - I need to recognize that all areas of my life is to worship Him. He is my Saviour, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Adonai, Yaweh, Blessed Redeemer
and soon coming King! Hallelujah!

Blessings to you!

Gayle

P.S. Don't forget to hug your daughter!

Six Months!

So it has been six months since Robin went to Heaven. Wow, six months; that is nothing in God's timing - My life is like a fading flower in His eyes - here today and gone tomorrow! I love looking at life from God's perspective. Now, of course, I don't understand it all because I am not God. One thing I do know, is that I have never been closer to the Lord than I am at this point in my life. He is still working on me, and I have many more storms to experience before I am with Him someday. I just hope I can remain strong in Him and stay focused!! I am so easily distracted by the trials around me that I sometimes have difficulty seeing Him work.
I am excited to share this weekend to a wonderful group of women what I learned from Robin about the Lord during her life! Robin was such a strong Christian woman. I never realized it until I watched her suffer for so long - As much as it hurts to say that and look back on that; I know that her rewards must be great as she is in Heaven dancing all over the place!!
I pray your day is filled with God's blessings and promises!
Don't forget to hug your daughter!

Blessings!
Gayle

April is here already!

Today is Easter Sunday. I feel blessed that Jesus gave His life for me. The worship service at church blessed me; it gave me a closeness to Heaven! Today is 5 months since my sweet Robin went to heaven. I miss her more than I ever imagined I could. Her memories are so vivid in my mind and heart. I remain focused on Jesus; asking Him to fill me each day with His comfort. As I think of others who have lost loved ones, I pray that they will be filled with His comfort. As I think of others who are traveling down a road that is all too familiar, I pray they will hold on and cling to Him. Jesus never said this walk would be easy, but He did promise to hold our hand and show us the way.
I thank Him, praise Him, worship Him, give Him honor and glory; my Saviour and Redeemer!

Blessings!
Gayle

Life's Disciplines?

Today's devotional from Oswald Chambers "My Utmost for His Highest" spoke to me very clearly! Wow, why didn't I know this when I read this reading last February 14th? Matthew 10:27 says "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops." Chambers goes on to say "sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him." I have to admit my life had been in darkness for one year; as I look back, I can see where God was trying to teach me discipline so I would be able to recognize His voice. Nothing more, and nothing less - just listen to Me says the Lord. Chambers also states that when you are in the darkness, keep your mouth closed and your ears open. Don't try to figure God out, just "Be still and know that I am God" Psalms 46:10 I tried to figure out what God was doing in my life and the life of my family. We all suffered with worry, fatigue and stress! All along God was trying to tell me to be quiet! If you are like me and like to talk and reason with the Lord, it can be very trying on the old brain!
Chambers states that "after every time of darkness, we should experience a mixture of delight and humiliation" that is where I am right now. I am in His delight and have learned so much about humiliation for which I am so very thankful.

I pray that whatever darkness surrounds you that you will be able to rest assured He is working and wants your total attention so He can bring you "delight and humiliation"

Blessings to you and don't forget to hug your daughter!
Gayle

Is it just me?

Is it just me, or is everyone's circle of family and friends going through difficult times? The great (or he is in my eyes!) Charles Stanley said "before Jesus ever sets before us an "impossible" task, He knows what He is going to do. But He watches us and tests us to see how well we will react - either in fear, confusion, or faith!" When Jesus was getting ready to feed the 5,000, He asked Phillip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" John 6:5.. It goes on to say that Jesus said this to test Phillip (vs 6) Jesus knew He was going to feed these people with no problem. The test is do we trust Jesus when He brings an impossible situation in our lives? My first thought is fear. Wow, do I have lots of work to do to overcome fear.
I would say to those family and friends, there are going to be hard days, no doubt about it. Don't think you are exempt because you pray and read your Bible, and even go to church! God is ready to test your faith. Will you pass the test? Through Bible study and prayer is where you will grow your roots in Christ - stay grounded; and of course, go to church to worship and fellowship with other believers. Until the day Christ returns, we are going to have trials -
"Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near!" Luke 21:27-28. Hallelujah and Praise God. I can hardly wait!!

Blessings!
Gayle

P.S. Don't forget to hug your daughter!!

His Yoke is easy....

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30..
What does it mean "take my Yoke upon you and learn from Me?" According to the Life Application Study Bible, A yoke is a "heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an ox" from there, a heavy piece of equipment is then attached and the oxen pulls it." When Jesus says, "take My Yoke upon you" that doesn't mean He will take the burdens away, but He will give us the means of carrying them so that they are not too much for us. We will always have sorrows, pain and discomforts of the world, but He carries them instead of us. Why is it so hard for me to give up all those "things" that He will gladly carry for me? Why does my stubbornness prevent me from just giving it all up?

I recently had someone tell me "aren't you glad you have the Lord in your life?" I cannot even fathom living this life without Him and learning from Him.. I know there are many Christians who are just plugging along carrying all the loads (including me most days) I don't know about you, but I want to live for Him, serve Him, not compromise my beliefs for Him and rest in His Love. Plus, give Him all my burdens and struggles. I have been excited hearing the Lord speak to me these past few weeks and I look forward to see what He has in store for me next!

My prayer for you is that your load will be made easy by letting Jesus just do His thing in your life today!!

Blessings to you & don't forget to hug your daughter!
Gayle