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Peace with God

In 1990 my husband left for the United States to set up a ‘new’ life for us. In order for us to save some money for the new home, I had moved back in with my parents. My dad had been sick for years with cancer. He was always in good spirits, no matter how he felt or how sick the chemotherapy made him.

I remember the day Daniel and I left Germany. My dad and I sat down in the waiting room of the airport to have a heart-to-heart talk. Looking into my dad’s sad eyes, I knew it would be the last time I see him this side of heaven.

He died a month after we had left.

After receiving the call at 4am on March 23rd 1991, I was angry at God, the world and myself. I cried for 3 days. How could a loving and just God take a man who loved and served Him at a age of 52? How could I, his daughter, leave Germany knowing that 6,000 miles would be between us? Why was I not allowed to leave the US to attend my dad’s funeral? I was heartbroken for years.

It took 6 years and a Sunday sermon to get over the death of my dad. That particular Sunday morning, God spoke peace to my heart; that one day I shall see my dad again, celebrating new life in heaven.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” ~ Romans 8:28 (ESV)

Word count: 259

This short memoir is my submission to Mary DeMuth’s 259-WORD MEMOIR KINDLE CONTEST in honor of her new book “Thin Places“. The contest runs until tomorrow night, February 12th, 2010 – still time for you to enter :). To find out more about Mary’s new book and the contest, please visit “Thin Places Blog Tour“.

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Thankful Thursday ~ Help

In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. ~ Psalm 18:6 (ESV ~ emphasis mine)

This month we are meeting up at my friend Lynn’s place, Spiritually Unequal Marriage for Thankful Thursday’s. Head on over to link up, sharing your grateful heart.

Oh my — how often have I been speechless only uttering the words “help”! When my days go south, I stop what I am doing (and even if it is for just a second), praying for help. Even though it might not change the situation I am in, it keeps me calm. It also refocuses my mind so that I don’t get totally flustered. I am so thankful that He gives me help when I call on His name…

This week I had to work on a huge project to get completed. I wasn’t sure how to go about it (although I had instruction — they confused me though 😆 ). I asked one of my co-workers to show me how she works this particular part of the job. She was very helpful and I have the project almost finished. Sometimes we just need to ask for help — forgetting about pride.

So this week I am thankful for HELP!!!

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: Forget about pride and ask for help if you find yourself in an impossible situation.

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12 Pearls of Christmas: Just God

A Tangible Reminder
by Mary Byers

Last year I read Me, Myself, & Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God, and Talking Vegetables by Phil Vischer, creator of the Veggie Tales video series. I was interested because my children grew up on Veggie Tales. But I was also interested because somewhere along the way I noticed Phil Vischer was no longer with Big Idea, the company he founded. I knew there must be a story there, so I picked up the book.

Though millions of children can sing the Veggie Tales theme song, Big Idea no longer exists. After expanding too quickly, the company was forced into bankruptcy. Vischer writes about the experience in his book, which is part memoir and part business tutorial. And it’s a touching example of how one man encountered grit and allowed it to be turned into grace.

At the end of the book, Vischer outlines the lessons he learned from the rise and fall of Big Idea. In part, he shares, “I was ready to be done, if that’s what God wanted. To just rest in him and let everything else fall away. At long last, after a lifetime of striving, God was enough. Not God and impact or God and ministry. Just God.”

His words convicted me. As an author and speaker, I realized that I’m often more focused on my deadlines or my next speaking engagement than I am on God. I have it backwards. God first, then everything else will fall into place.

It’s a powerful message for us as women, too. When we focus on God first, we’ll have everything we need to handle whatever is happening in our families and our lives. As Vischer reminds us, God is enough. As we approach Christmas, I’m reminded that this is the time when God shared his Son with us-a tangible reminder of his love for us. And a reminder that when we have him, we have everything we need.

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Mary Byers is the author of Making Work at Home Work: Successfully Growing a Business and a Family Under One Roof. She offers advice and encouragement for moms work from home for profit at www.makingworkathomework.com.

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A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year’s Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is leave a comment here. Come back on New Year’s Day to see if you won!
12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit www.pearlgirls.info

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Thankful Thursday ~ Prayer

“And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
~ Mark 11:22-24 (ESV)

I know I am a day late on posting my thankful post for this week, but none the less, I am thankful from the bottom of my heart…for prayers.

I am always thrilled when some of my friends ask me if I could pray for them. You know, it is such a privilege. I mean, I do have a list of friends I pray for daily, but if I know specifics, it is very humbling. Not only do I pray for my family and friends, but also when my day goes not so well; I break away to pray.

Jesus is telling us in Mark 11 that we need to believe the prayers we are praying and we can move mountains. You know what? It is true. My sweet friend Lynn is a great example of not giving up on prayers; God is faithful and will answer prayers in HIS time (note: in HIS time)…I too have learned to be patient to wait on His answer (although it is hard at times)…

Yes, I am thankful for prayer – for others and myself. I can come directly to the throne of grace because my Lord has a made a way for me. And if I don’t have all the words, or be eloquent in my prayers, His Spirit will intercede (Romans 8:26-27)…

What are you thankful for this week? This week, my sweet friend, Laurie at Women Taking a Stand is hosting Thankful Thursday; please visit her to link up.

Thanks for still stopping by this week…Remember: God does hear your prayers – be patient waiting for an answer – even if takes until eternity…

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