Yes!

We're in the significant business of collecting treasures for eternity. What we do and say for Christ, no matter how insignificant it seems in this world, will last forever.

Neil Anderson in Victory Over the Darkness-realizing the power of your identity in Christ

Now That Is What I Call Obedience

I got this story in an e-mail from Christy Faron. It is a great story!
HAIRBRUSH EXPERIENCE: BETH MOORE AT THE AIRPORTFor those of you who do not know Beth Moore, she is an outstanding Bible teacher, writer of Bible studies, and is a married mother of two daughters.This is one of her experiences:April 20, 2005, at the Airport in Knoxville , waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd Had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you. You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is your ego. I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight.Humped over in a wheelchair, he was ski n and bones, dressed in clothes That obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and is shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones. The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man.I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport... an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere? There I sat; trying to concentrate on the W ord to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served on a wheelchair only a few seats from me. All the while, my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him.L et 's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, And suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man.I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, som et hing so contrary to my natural feelings, som et hing dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing.I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my Spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh, no, God, please, no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, "Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me g et up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!"There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, "Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane." Then I heard it... "I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair." The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, "God, as I live and breathe, I want you to now I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man." Again as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. "That is not what I said, B et h. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair."I looked up at God and quipped, "I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?" God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: "I will thoroughlyfurnish you unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:17)I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even As I r et ell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, "Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?" May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?" To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to hearyou; you're going to have to talk louder than that." At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?"At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Longlocks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, "If you really want to." Are you kidding? Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, "Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush." "I have one in my bag," he responded.I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull.A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair. I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes -felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while. The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's.I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him. I go t back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees and said, "Sir, do you know my Jesus?" He said, "Yes, I do." Well, that figures, I thought. He explained, "I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't Marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride."Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're compl et ely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in d et ails only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forg et it. Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft.I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess r et urned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, "That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?"I said, "Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!" And we got to share.I learned som et h ing about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted, you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way. . . all because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me.John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections!
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prayer Time

Everybody in the family needs to pray!

Thursday~Yellow

I was stuck in traffic while on my way to the airport today. Here is a yellow spot I had to stare at.

This Spring basket with yellow flowers on my yellow house....has become a home for a nest...right on the handle. This was not there two days ago!

Wednesday~Pink

These were bags girls had in my seventh hour class today.


I took this book to school today. I wanted to read it on my free time. I showed it to some of my colleagues. They reminded me how lucky I am to have a mom who would actually fill(and I mean fill) in every page of the book. I have decided that her answers deserve to be put on a blog! So, little by little I will add her pages to a blog I have made for this book!

MOM

Tuesday~Green

I was determined that I would not do plants for my green!This is one of my favorite afghans. I think I have only made one other one with this pattern. The green painting is one that Sandy did. The bookshelf with a green top...designed and made by my Gary! I use this bookshelf for only children's books.
Green in the gift I was supposed to take to a wedding shower last Sunday. We went to a birthday party first and stayed longer than we intended to.
Green shutters on my house! But look at the white trim over the window. Gary cut out each of those little houses!

And I hope I am not promoting a bad movie here in that I cannot get the trailer to work! It just seems like this should go for green day!

http://www.myspace.com/everythingsgonegreen_film

Monday~Turquoise

Since I got my tooth pulled today I am not going to go out and look for my turquoise. I will use stuff from my house! This fun container was given to me by Tricia!
I hope Jeremy is not reading this post because I don't want him to remember he has this book here at my house. He got this from his grandparents for Christmas 1987. The lessons in it are wonderful! It is not in print anymore. I used some of the lessons in this book when I was teaching the college age class!

Now That Is Love!

The Following is From the Forerunner Meditations

Before the beginning of time, before the foundations of the world were laid, the eternal Godhead deeply enjoyed the communion and fellowship that existed within Themselves. Within their intimate fellowship with each other, each part of the Godhead felt and experienced the eternal longings of the others. It became the purpose of each member of the Godhead to , in love, serve and fulfill the desires of each other's heart. Thus the eternal purpose of God was born. Whatever the cost, love would pay any price to fulfill these eternal longings.

As the Son and the Holy Spirit communed with the Father, one primary longing was felt and experienced; the Father's heart burned with desire for a large family of sons and daughters upon whom He could lavish His love. He longed to forever share His heart, throne and home with these sons and daughters, surrounding them with His glory and beauty. To express this desire for sons and daughters, He issued forth an eternal call in hope, saying, "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty (2 Cor.6:18)."

Because of their immeasurable love for the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were willing to empower the human race from within to respond to that call; the Father's desire for sons and daughters would be fulfilled. God the Son would take upon human flesh revealing the Father's heart and love to mankind, and destroying that which would hinder the Father's love. The Holy Spirit would dwell within human flesh, awakening a cry within the human heart to know God intimately as Father. Their love would see to it that millions of men and women would love and honor the Father the way They Themselves loved and adored Him. Now mankind would be empowered to walk in an identity beyond that which they could ask, or think, or even imagine.
Man would now be given the ultimate right and privilege to be called the sons and daughters of the living God.

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

April 8

Today

THAT IS WHAT COFFEE WILL DO TO YOUR HAIR!

color,color,color!

Thanks to Hannah I have had a fun week looking forward to her new color each day! I decided I would do the same thing on my blog this week! I challenge some of the rest of you to join me on this endeavor! I am trying my best not to plan ahead of time what picture I will take and post for the color. I will be on the look out each day and maybe get to take lots of pictures of the color!
Monday~turqoise
Tuesday~green
Wednesday~pink
Thursday~yellow
Friday~red

Bags and Bows

Gary's mom has been in the mode of creating bags recently! I got two of them from her last week-end. This is my favorite one!

Does Everybody Lie?

I do not recall exactly what brought this up in class on Monday but I was accused of lieing by one of the students. I told him, "You know better! I don't lie!" A girl in the class piped up, "Oh, come on! Everybody lies!" I told her, "I used to, but I don't anymore!" Her response was, "Then you are a very unusual lady!"
Later on in the hour I pulled out my trusty palm pilot that has five different versions of the Bible loaded by Gary! I found this verse to share from The Message.

God can't stomach liars: He loves the company of those who keep their word.Proverbs 12:22

I showed it to her. I don't know if it meant anything to her or not but it left me bursting! I so wanted to burst out in the song that plays on my MySpace profile.
"I'M IN LOVE WITH GOD, GOD'S IN LOVE WITH ME!"

Just realizing that I don't lie because I do so want Him to delight in me as I delight in Him.

Sometimes I feel so stiffled! :?) Too bad I can't burst out in any song I want to when I am sitting in a Learning Lab (study hall like atmosphere) in a public school!

Prodigy

Well, that is what Jeremy calls this picture~ Zion is in front of a painting Jeremy recently sold at Leopolds Gallery.

http://leopoldgallery.com/collins_j.htm

Grandma at Easter Time!

Glad I Got these before Last Night's hard freeze!

They sure did look droopy this morning!

My God, My God, Why Have You Abandoned Me?

My God, My God, why have you rejected me?


Lord?
Yes.
I may be stepping out of line by saying this, but I need to tell you something that's been on my mind.
Go ahead.
I don't like this verse: "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" It doesn't sound like you; it doesn't sound like something you would say. Usually I love it when you speak. I listen when you speak. I imagine the power of your voice, the thunder of your commands, the dynamism in your dictates.
That's what I like to hear.
Remember the creation song you sang into the soundless eternity? Ah, now that's you. That was the act of a God!
And when you ordained the waves to splash and they roared, when you declared that the stars be flung and they flew, when you proclaimed that life be alive and it all began?....or the whisper of breath into the clay-caked Adam? That was you at your best. That's the way I like to hear you. That's the voice I love to hear.
That's why I don't like this verse....
Look at the sentence. There is a "why" at the beginning and a question mark at the end. You don't ask questions...
And as long as I'm shooting straight with you-I don't like to see the word abandon, either. The source of life...abandoned? The giver of love...alone? The father of it all...isolated?
Come on. Surely you don't mean it. Could deity feel abandoned?
Could we change the sentence a bit? Not much. Just the verb.
What would you suggest?
How about challenge? "My God, my God, why did you challenge me?" Isn't that better? Now we can applaud. Now we can lift banners for your dedication. Now we can explain it to our children. It makes sense now. You see, that makes you a hero. A hero. History is full of heroes.
And who is a hero but someone who survives a challenge.
Or, if that's not acceptable, I have another one. Why not afflict? "My God, my God, why did you afflict me?: Yes, that's it . Now you are a martyr, taking a stand for truth. A patriot, pierced by evil. A noble soldier who took the sword all the way to the hilt; bloody and beaten, but victorious.
Afflicted is much better than abandoned. You are a martyr. Right up there with Patrick Henry and Abraham Lincoln.
You are God, Jesus! You couldn't be abandoned. You couldn't be left alone. You couldn't be deserted in your most painful moment.
Abandonment. That is the punishment for a criminal. Abandonment. That is the suffering borne by the most evil. Abandonment. That's for the vile-not for you. Not you, the King of kings. Not you, the Beginning and the End. Not you, the One Unborn. After all, didn't John call you the Lamb of God?...
"Who has come to take away the sins of the world." Wait a minute. "To take away the sins..." I'd never thought about those words.
I'd read them but never thought about them. I thought you just, I don't know, sent sin away. Banished it. I thought you'd just stood in front of the mountains of our sins and told them to begone. Just like you did to the demons. Just like you did to the hypocrites in the temple.
I just thought you commanded the evil out. I never noticed that you took it out. It never occurred to me that you actually touched it-or worse still, that it touched you.
That must have been a horrible moment. I know what it's like to be touched by sin. I know what it's like to smell the stench of that stuff. Remember what I used to be like? Before I knew you, I wallowed in that mire. I didn't just touch sin, I loved it. I drank it. I danced with it. I was in the middle of it.
But why am I telling you? You remember. You were the one who saw me. You were the one who found me. I was lonely. I was afraid. Remember? "Why? Why me? Why has all this hurt happened?"
I know it wasn't much of a question. It wasn't the right question. But it was all I knew to ask. You see, God, I felt so confused. So desolate. Sin will do that to you. Sin leaves you shipwrecked, orphaned, adrift. Sin leaves you aban...
Oh! Oh my!
My, goodness, God. Is that what happened? You mean sin did the same to you that it did to me?
Oh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I didn't understand. You really were alone, weren't you?
Your question was real, wasn't it, Jesus? You really were afraid. You really were alone. Just like I was. Only, I deserved it. You didn't
Forgive me. I spoke out of turn.
(From And the Angels Were Silent by Max Lucado)

Jeremy in the Kansas City Star

This was in the Kansas City Star today!That's my Jeremy!

Since I am drawing attention to Jeremy I might as well send you to this site that shows the art he had at a gallery opening this past Friday.

http://leopoldgallery.com/collins_j.htm

Happy Birthday Jonathan

I find it hard to believe that my baby...you know...what you always call the youngest...is a quarter of a century old today!!!!!