Beth Moore Live!

It was everything I hoped it would be and more...or should I say Moore! I have spent the last few years being taught by this extraordinary woman on the big screen at my church. Laughing at her unique sense of humor, being stretched by her challenges, and brought to tears by the piercing truth taught from God's Word.

I was tired when I arrived at the conference in Stockton, it had been a busy week for me and I felt emotionally spent, but what I lacked physically and emotionally God compensated for spiritually. The praise and worship led by Travis Cottrell was amazing and energizing. We sang until I know God heard us and answered back with His presence.

Beth spoke on the bride of Christ. Well, the name was actually, "Bridezilla to Bride." You can imagine from the name what might have been said. A lot was covered, mostly from the book of Revelations chapter 19. As we began to read the chapter together we came across a verse that was very familiar to me. It was familiar in that it had been floating around in my head for the past week and a half and actually came out my mouth a time or two. This is what we read, "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True..." (Rev. 19:11) It wasn't the whole verse that I had been thinking of but just these words, "His name is Faithful and True." (speaking of Jesus)

When God brings sections of His Word across my mind or path repeatedly, I have learned to pay attention. He is weaving a theme into my days and my thoughts. I'm not sure why these particular words are so important to me at this particular time but I embrace them. What a wonderful thing to know, that He is Faithful and True. Do you need Him to be Faithful and True in your life today? I know I do.

Whatever comes into my day, or whatever darts are shot at me, I know there is One who sits on a white horse, whose name is Faithful and True, and He is Lord over everything in my life. Beth Moore is a gifted and anointed teacher and I thank God for women like her. I learned a lot this weekend about the return of Christ for His church, the wedding supper of the Lamb, and being a prepared bride; the beautiful threads that tied it all together for me are those words He weaved into my heart - His name is Faithful and True!

"Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Rev. 19: 6-8)

Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God." (Rev. 19:9)

Time To Let Go!

Letting Them Go
By Charlotte

I raised them to adulthood,
Kissed them on the cheek,
Watched them go into the world,
Their own lives now they seek.

All the years of planting,
God’s truth within their heart,
To be a compass guiding them,
A godly course to chart.

It’s time to walk without me,
My eyes tear as they go,
Their steps at times seem shaky,
Testing all they know.

I’m sure they know the Savior,
They accepted Him back when,
They were little children,
Did they understand it then?

At times they don’t act like it,
They choose to disobey,
The truths that I have taught them,
And go the other way.

Those times my heart feels broken,
And I can hardly stand,
Did I teach them all they needed,
When I still held their hand?

I poured my days into them,
I hope that time’s not lost,
I’d do it all again right now,
No matter what the cost.

When they feel the storms of life,
Toss and blow them down,
Will their foundation hold them?
Will they stand on solid ground?

The seeds that I had planted,
God moistens with His dew,
He placed a hope within me,
To trust His work’s not through.

He’s been there all the time,
Helping them to choose,
It’s me He wants to step aside,
Now circumstance to use.

He’s teaching them to listen,
To the Holy Spirits voice,
His words of conviction,
When they make the wrong choice.

What He’s doing in their lives,
He’s doing in mine too.
Strengthening my trust in Him,
And all that He can do.

Do I believe He’s holding them,
Within His arms of grace?
Lovingly teaching them,
Do I trust Him in my place?

Can I believe my weaknesses,
Were there to show His strength?
And things I tried to measure,
In Him there is no length?

He knew before He chose me,
I couldn’t do it all.
At times I’d have no answers,
And many times I’d fall.

It’s not so much my standing firm,
He made sure that they knew,
But when I stumbled and I fell,
Who did I hold on to?

Did I cling to my savior,
When times were getting rough?
Did I run into His shelter,
Or did I reach for other stuff?

This is the greatest lesson,
A Mom can ever teach -
Our God is right beside us,
He’s there within our reach.

This one thing I’ll remember,
When they walk out of that door,
Is Christ still walks beside them,
As He always did before.




I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that You are able to keep that which I have committed unto You against that day.
(2 Timothy 1: 12)

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
(Philippians 1: 6)

If I should say, “My foot has slipped,” thy loving-kindness, O Lord, will hold me up.
(Psalm 94:18 NAS)

Life without the Fair

This will be my family's first official year not being involved in the county fair. No more white 4-H uniforms to “spray and wash,” and “spray and wash,” again. No more green crumpled hat balls found in the pockets after being permanently dried into that position.

No more goats to hoax into the back of our minivan filled with bedding and alfalfa, just moments after bathing them on the front lawn as their loud, “Maaaa’s” are heard throughout the neighborhood. No more drivers laughing at us as we pass by with goats staring at them out the windows. No more holding our noses all the way to the fairgrounds because of a gassy goat.

No more second trips to pick up rabbits and guinea pigs timidly waiting on the driveway by the barn. No more scolding boys for forgetting their show leads or water buckets or a dozen other things left behind in the past. Nope, no more fair for us.

It really was quite a bother; lots of work. Every year I vowed I would never do it again as I packed lunches into ice chests and loaded up the folding chairs. Getting home late every night and up early every morning wore on us, until around day three when the melt down would occur and someone would start crying. OK, it was me. My boys never cried, just me. By the last day I was exhausted!

Tomorrow the fair will start on time as usual. It will go on without us and probably not even notice that we aren’t there. You would think with all the work and crying I’ll be missing that I would be glad to be done with it. You would think. But what you don’t know is that today, as I moved our last very old bunny out of the barn, I was flooded with memories of little boys holding their show rabbits. They were so cute dressed in their white uniforms; big smiles across their faces. And I remembered them in the ring with their cleaned up goats, proudly accepting their ribbons from the judge and turning to see if I was watching.

I will not miss the work or the goats in the van, but what I will miss is the time spent with four little boys who are now too old for such things as showing rabbits, washing goats, and wearing white uniforms. I am thankful for the time God gave me with them at the fair and those wonderful memories, as I find myself once again in tears at fair time.

A Different View

It has been a few weeks since I wrote the poem about the flowers growing in a hard place. Today in my bible study, I read about God being our eternal bedrock and I was asked to draw a picture of an image that I viewed as representing faithfulness. Immediately the picture of those flowers growing in the rocks came to mind and caused me to see them from a brand new perspective.

Instead of a hard place, I saw the rocks as an anchor and stable foundation. Everything the flower needed to grow was provided there. It was also protected from the wind, and something not seen in the picture was the beautiful river that flowed just left of where it grew in the rocks. Could it be that I mistook God’s very presence and faithfulness for what I considered to be a hard place to grow? Or perhaps there is a spiritual lesson for me to learn from both perspectives.


He is our bedrock, where ever we are planted. His mercy and grace are steadfast and make what seems an impossible place to grow, bud forth with life!