Meeting A Friend

After the hurricane, and clean up, we still did not have power. So, my son and d-i-l that live in San Antonio invited us to come stay with them a couple of days. Brian had to work to Joseph and I took off on Thursday afternoon. One of my blogger friends also lives there, so I sent her a message that I would be in town and would love to meet her. After a crossed wire, and the aid of another blogger(thank you Shonda) we finally met up at Chacho's Mexican restaurant on Friday afternoon. It was like meeting up with an old friend that you just hadn't seen in awhile. Kindred Spirits - another friend of mine called it. We sat and talked liked we'd been best friends for a long time. I really enjoyed our visit and she picked a great place to eat. I hope to meet more blogger friends - Shonda, that means you. And I know with Jesus as our link, we will pick up our friendship as though we have known each other all our lives. Thanks to Marina for being a bright light for us on Friday. You really shine girl! I loved being around you!


Thanks goes to Brian and Ashlynn for giving us a place to get away from all the storm stuff for awhile. It was nice not being reminded every minute. Although, they really need a coffee pot!!



And a big thanks to the power company for finally getting our lights back on Sunday morning. They had and have a HUGE job to do and everybody wants to be first on the list. I know they have their priorities of who gets power first...Hospitals, fire houses, nursing homes, utility companies, etc... and homes are at the bottom of the priority list. But two weeks and a couple days was enough time for me to be without power. We were blessed though to have a generator for more than a week of that time.(Thanks to Roger & Cindy) And God was good to give us cool weather. We opened our windows and let the cool air in and it was not bad at all. Other friends were there to welcome us over for BBQ more than once. We spent an evening eating and watching a movie together when they got power. All-in-all we all made it through just fine and maybe even got a little closer. Without the power, we stopped all the busyness of life and slowed down and talked to each other. It almost makes you not want those things that held your attention, not to come back. But what it should do instead, is now that we have realized this, we can make an effort to not let things or busyness take over what's really important. Family and Friends - and spending time together. Those of you who read this, who were not affected by the storm, my suggestion to you would be this: Make dinner, turn off the lights,TV,etc... light some candles, and have a powerless night with your family. It can be quite fun! We even played games by candlelight. Just my thoughts...

Hurricane Photos

Here are some photos of our house, the neighborhood and around my mom's house 70 miles from our house. Thankfully, our house only had minimal damage. Others in my neighborhood did not fare as well.
Our House

The tree that hit the house

Lone lily in what's left of the garden

Backyard photos


Neighborhood photos




My friend, Tricia's house

My Mom's neighbor's patio area

The tree lifted the picnic table up, but didn't damage it.

Experiencing God

Since I'm unable to go to Houston for the Beth Moore Semester (she's taking a group of young ladies b/c of the renovations at FBH)I am with a group of ladies here and we have begun a study series called Experiencing God. It's been two weeks so far. During the first week, that Sunday, our teacher at church spoke on the Voice of God. It was kind of funny to me how the lessons from Experiencing God and his lesson for the week were tied together. The book and our teacher both used I Kings, the story of the prophet Elijah. In chapter 18 Elijah (the only remaining prophet) challenged the baals. Each was to make an offering to their god and the one true God will be the one who responds with fire. Elijah allows them to go first. After hours of chanting, prayers, slashing their bodies, etc... the finally stopped and it was Elijah's turn. He had his sacrifice dowsed with water many times till it was soaked. Elijah prayed that God reveal himself, to let it be known that He is the one true God.
1 Kings 18:36-39 (New International Version)

36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.
37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD -he is God! The LORD -he is God!"

Elijah was on the mountain top of spiritual experience. However, when you're on the mountain top, satan is sure to try and find away to bring you down. And he succeeds with Elijah, through Jezebel. In Chapter 19 she threatens Elijah's life. She was not impressed by what he'd accomplished on Mt. Carmel. Ahab, the current king of Israel has shown either an unwillingness or an inability to reign Jezebel in. Elijah stumbled into the "pit" of fear. He ran for his life and after 40 days & nights, he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. He found a cave and spent the night. Elijah's fear drove him into a cave, a place of hiding. His "fear" was not unjustified. All the prophets before him had been executed. Jezebels threat was real. But, instead of trusting in God, whom he had just proven was all powerful, he gave into the fear and fled. How often have we had a mountain top experience,(retreats, camp, conferences) only to come home and be driven into a "cave" or "pit" of fear, worry, doubt, or even depression. Elijah was there! Fear and depression had gripped him.
1 Kings 19:9-11a

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.

The LORD Appears to Elijah
And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."

11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."

God doesn't want us to stay in the darkness. He's calling us out into the light, and truth.
1 Peter 2:9 (New International Version)
9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
God called to Elijah..
I Kings 19:11b-13
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
God had been preparing Elijah to hear him. All the noise of the wind, earthquake, and fire had been his preparations. Then in the stillness, Elijah heard God whisper.
Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
Why is it important to be still in order to recognize God's voice? If you have all the noise and distractions (tv, games, homework, dinner to fix) going on all around you, it's hard to hear just one of your own kids, let alone trying to hear from God. He wants our undivided attention. Find yourself a quiet place, a quiet time, and be still. Meditate on the word, you will hear God's voice. You will Experience God.