I'm beginning to hear God's laughter!

When I padded to my kitchen rocker this morning, I sat talking to the Lord about the latest real estate investment crisis and He stopped me short with his laughter. Yes, I heard God laughing. . . in my mind and heart anyway, but it couldn't have been more real. He came up to me, threw His arms around me, tossed His head back, and with eyes twinkling, full of merriment, released a warm current of laughter. Comforting, not cynical.

Later, in my office, I couldn't journal the experience fast enough. My main point to ponder:

"And then God laughed, not to minimize my pain, but to bring perspective to it, in light of eternity."

He reminded me of the Genesis 17 account of Sarah's cynical laughter over the possibility of a pregnancy in her old age. I wonder now if there wasn't a hint of a giggle under God's breath even then. He knew the hilarious, joyful laughter that was to come in Isaac (literally meaning, "He will laugh"). In Genesis 21:6, after Isaac's birth, Sarah says for all posterity, "God has made laughter for me, everyone who hears will laugh with me."

The question the Lord posed to my heart in the early hours of the morn was, "Can you laugh even before you see the provision concerning the properties?"

And then I noted the ways He has already provided:

1. All our needs met today, and so much more!
2. Grace for the moment in this roller-coaster ride of "now we have a buyer, now we don't."
3. A greater dependence on the Lord as my Husband (Isaiah 54:5).
4. A closer relationship with Chuck.
5. Liberty modules

Then I turned to an Oswald Chamber devotional entry in My Utmost for His Highest, and the last line read: "The saint is hilarious when he is crushed with difficulties because the thing is so ludicrously impossible to anyone but God."

Okay, Lord, I'm smiling.

A few months before Rachel left for India as a single missionary gal in 2004, I had a dream. My little red-headed toddler was running across the lawn straight for the busy road. Cars were zooming this way and that. I ran after her, arms stretched out, reaching, grabbing desperately, but as is often the case in a dream, I could never quite get to her. At last, she plunged into the street. I knew for sure my precious baby would be hit and killed, but when the traffic cleared, I saw a lovely Indian woman clad in colorful sari on the other side of the road stooping and holding my little Rachel. She was safe.

As God would have it, there have been many Indian "mamas" over the last few years who have taken Rachel under their wings. In addition, the Lord provided my girl with a godly husband only two months after arriving in India. Nathan, a third generation missionary kid who had returned to the States, sensed God leading him back to India to serve. While there he met Rachel and they were married in June, 2005. Their love story inspired Book One, JOURNEY TO JUDAH, in my Born for India trilogy.

Through this account, God has affirmed Psalm 84:11 in my heart: "The Lord God is a sun and a shield; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly."

Yet often, it is a daily challenge to embrace those words and live on them. One moment at a time, that's all He asks as the journey continues . . .

The Plot Thickens . . .

"The silence between them was nibbling away at Maggie's nerves as she and Gavin lay in the darkness staring at the ceiling. They shared a bed, but not their hearts, at least not over the last three days since Tim revealed he wasn't going back to Boston."

Excerpt from RESTORED HEARTS, Book Two in the Born for India trilogy
www.christianbook.com
www.amazon.com

Aloha Ke Akula

Polynesian morning. Tropical paradise. God's love rising in the morning sun. Gentle breezes. No fog or heavy winds this peaceful daybreak. Hawaiian winds normally blow from the northeast and bring fair weather. When the winds shift to blow from the south, however, they are called KONA winds and often bring storms in the winter. But on this gorgeous Maui morning, God's love floats in on a subtle breeze, reminding me that He is ruler of the water (wai) and the heaven (lanai). He is Master of all--of the elements, of the animals, of all creation, of me.

Teaser from TRANQUIL MOMENTS, SPIRITUAL REFRESHMENT FROM THE ISLAND OF MAUI
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Happy Father's Day!

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it Dad.

-anon

The Ants Came Marching Two by Two . . .

After a busy day of grading student papers, I trudged to the kitchen, weary and worn, to fix supper. Upon opening the cabinet above the stove, a host of creepy, crawly LARGE black ants scurried hither and yon--some leaping madly onto the counter, others wiggling to break free from the honey jar.

Enter crazed woman on a mission . . .

With hands balled into fists, I chased the critters all over the kitchen, smashing them and pulverizing them into itty, bitty black specks which littered my floor like carnage at Gettysburg. I felt like Ernie on Mouse Hunt who's fateful falling out with a gigantic roach left him more determined than ever to never let another vermin get him down.

By the time Chuck walked up the steps to supper, I was giggling hysterically. I could envision an enormous ant pinned against the wall, my fists clobbering his face like a punching bag.

Call it hunger, heat, tiredness, or just an extra helping of testosterone . . .

But somehow, it felt mighty nice to punch the lights out of those suckers! No self-respecting ant dare stick an antenna in my kitchen, or anywhere else in my house, for that matter.

That was yesterday. Anyone who drops by for a visit will be happy to know I'm feeling much calmer today with no ants on the horizon.

By the way, TIP FOR ELIMINATING ANTS if you don't want to use your fists:

Sprinkle grits around the threshold of doors. Place a small bowl of water nearby. The ants eat the grits, drink some water, and you got--BLOW UP!

Hey, it works.

Word of Hope

No matter how I feel; no matter how the world, the flesh, and the devil torment, my God has never changed and never will!

He STILL loves me.
His blood STILL covers me.
He STILL produces fruit through me.
He's STILL coming for me.
He STILL rescues me.
He STILL calms the storm in me.
He STILL provides encouraging friends.
He STILL speaks through my family.
He STILL holds my hand.
He STILL gives me rest.
He STILL walks with me.

You and You alone, Oh LORD, are my life, my survival, my hope, and my future.