This morning, I am deeply moved by the thought that JESUS CHRIST IS OUR ADVOCATE.
As I worked in my devotion time from Isaiah 53:6, "We all have wandered away like sheep, each of us has gone his own way. But the Lord has put on him the punishment for all the evil we have done" [NCV], I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the idea that in all of my "wanderings," Christ was/is/will be there--begging God for me.
The entire idea of ADVOCACY came to my mind and spirit. Christ, our advocate.
First, I looked up its definition:
What is Advocacy? Dictionary.com defines it this way: "the act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending; active espousal."
Yes, He did that for me, continues to do that for me.
How do we know?
"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." --I John 2:1 [KJV]
When I mess up, still, TODAY, tomorrow, He is there for me, the very One who paid a massive price for me, making intercession for me.
Ultimately, this ADVOCATE is also the One who paid a GREAT PRICE for me.
Shouldn't that have been enough? If it were me, or maybe even you, mightn't we be tempted to say, "Look, I paid the ultimate price for you. Isn't that enough?! That's all I had in me. You're on your own!" But, no, this Savior of ours, this Christ, CONTINUES to pay a price for us, continues to be an advocate for us!
I think, too, of Moses. He paid a great price--though not with his life--for the freedom of God's people. But once he freed them, they started griping. Instead of letting that experience make them incredibly more powerful children of the Most High God, it provoked them to become people of doubt, frustration, immaturity. And instead of leaving them all on their own in the desert, Moses pleaded with God not to smite them all. Why did he do that?!? You and I might have left them all to fend for themselves--ungrateful wretches...
Of course it's easy to forget that that's exactly where we ALL find ourselves today. Many times, by our actions, we might be described as "ungrateful wretches." Yet He continues to LOVE US, he continues to go to GOD on our behalf.
Hmm...
I don't know WHY He continues to have such love for us, such eternal patience, but this "wretch" is utterly and profoundly grateful for THE ADVOCATE.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
WE ARE ENGAGED--AGAIN!!!
I remember when Stephen and I started dating.
On our very first date, we got in my car and drove around for four solid hours, talking. We talked about EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING. Everything the magazines tell you NOT to talk about on a first date:
Why are you single?
Do you want kids?
Are you called to ministry?
How well acquainted are you with the Bible? With the Hymns?
How committed are you to missions?
What is your idea about politics?
We talked about it all. And during that date, there was a point when I wondered if he had read my Myspace (the social media site of choice back in those days!) backward and forward so he knew what I wanted to hear.
But I realized much of what he was saying was not even addressed on my Myspace page.
I know this sounds cliche, but...
We just clicked.
---------------------------------------------------
We met at the end of November. Didn't start dating seriously until Christmas. He asked me to marry him in February of the next year.
I can't express the feelings I had when he got down on one knee, center stage at the outdoor theatre at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and asked me to marry him.
Honestly, my mind was racing...I didn't hear much of what he said at all!
And then there was the pause after what I thought was, "Will you marry me?"
And I said, "Yes. Yes, of course!"
And that was that. We were engaged to be married!
---------------------------------------------------
Honestly, it was strange. I had waited in great anticipation of that moment, for him to ask me to marry him.
Even though it had only been three months, I just knew that HE WAS THE ONE. I just KNEW it was going to be him. What I didn't know was how long we would date, how long we would be engaged, when we would actually get married.
We had done all of the dating things people do: movies, coffee, late night phone calls, gifts, church visits, family visits, heart-to-heart conversations.
In February, he asked me to marry him, and I realized that we were going to be married soon--within the year.
---------------------------------------------------
I think I actually spent 10 or so minutes relishing the moment when he asked me to marry him.
Looking back, I think it's so odd how my mind went into overdrive. It was like IMMEDIATELY, I felt the need to plan the wedding, to get everything right! I don't know if that's a "woman thing to do," but it was really an overpowering instinct!
So I started preparing. Planning. Budgeting. Figuring. I could think of nothing else. Seriously.
-----------------------------------------------------
Why am I including this story in my "Beyond Project Gideon" blog?
Because when we learned where God was calling us in the next few years, when we were given DIRECTION for our dreams, our mission, our calling, it felt like I was getting engaged again.
We went from just thinking and day-dreaming about the dream and THAT LEVEL OF SERVICE to actually receiving direction for it, confirmation for the call. We went from phone calls and gifts and long conversations to the moment when the proposition is made and received and welcomed.
I felt ENGAGED--again.
So now, my head is spinning, not unlike after Stephen asked me to marry him.
What God has directed us to do will most certainly require a level of COMMITMENT not unlike that between Stephen and me.
So I begin preparing. Planning. Budgeting. Figuring.
It's coming, you know. It's on its way now.
On our very first date, we got in my car and drove around for four solid hours, talking. We talked about EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING. Everything the magazines tell you NOT to talk about on a first date:
Why are you single?
Do you want kids?
Are you called to ministry?
How well acquainted are you with the Bible? With the Hymns?
How committed are you to missions?
What is your idea about politics?
We talked about it all. And during that date, there was a point when I wondered if he had read my Myspace (the social media site of choice back in those days!) backward and forward so he knew what I wanted to hear.
But I realized much of what he was saying was not even addressed on my Myspace page.
I know this sounds cliche, but...
We just clicked.
---------------------------------------------------
We met at the end of November. Didn't start dating seriously until Christmas. He asked me to marry him in February of the next year.
I can't express the feelings I had when he got down on one knee, center stage at the outdoor theatre at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and asked me to marry him.
Honestly, my mind was racing...I didn't hear much of what he said at all!
And then there was the pause after what I thought was, "Will you marry me?"
And I said, "Yes. Yes, of course!"
And that was that. We were engaged to be married!
---------------------------------------------------
Honestly, it was strange. I had waited in great anticipation of that moment, for him to ask me to marry him.
Even though it had only been three months, I just knew that HE WAS THE ONE. I just KNEW it was going to be him. What I didn't know was how long we would date, how long we would be engaged, when we would actually get married.
We had done all of the dating things people do: movies, coffee, late night phone calls, gifts, church visits, family visits, heart-to-heart conversations.
In February, he asked me to marry him, and I realized that we were going to be married soon--within the year.
---------------------------------------------------
I think I actually spent 10 or so minutes relishing the moment when he asked me to marry him.
Looking back, I think it's so odd how my mind went into overdrive. It was like IMMEDIATELY, I felt the need to plan the wedding, to get everything right! I don't know if that's a "woman thing to do," but it was really an overpowering instinct!
So I started preparing. Planning. Budgeting. Figuring. I could think of nothing else. Seriously.
-----------------------------------------------------
Why am I including this story in my "Beyond Project Gideon" blog?
Because when we learned where God was calling us in the next few years, when we were given DIRECTION for our dreams, our mission, our calling, it felt like I was getting engaged again.
We went from just thinking and day-dreaming about the dream and THAT LEVEL OF SERVICE to actually receiving direction for it, confirmation for the call. We went from phone calls and gifts and long conversations to the moment when the proposition is made and received and welcomed.
I felt ENGAGED--again.
So now, my head is spinning, not unlike after Stephen asked me to marry him.
What God has directed us to do will most certainly require a level of COMMITMENT not unlike that between Stephen and me.
So I begin preparing. Planning. Budgeting. Figuring.
It's coming, you know. It's on its way now.
Ireland, It Is...
It's a long story. It really is.
But suffice it to say, for now, at least, that we have gotten direction for our Mission Trip 2013: We are heading to Ireland.
Yes, "WE." All three of us: Stephen, myself, and Psalm.
It' a miracle, really. Nothing short of a miracle.
----------------------------------------------------
There's so much more to say, but when I think about going back to Ireland next year, I can't help but think about those days this summer when we went to Ft. Smith and applied for our passports. And the day we received all three of them in the mail. Those days, for me, were days of "those moments": when you KNOW something BIG has just happened, but you don't know how to respond, exactly, because you know that this has LIFE-ALTERING IMPACT.
Yes, that's how this is.
But when I think of those days this summer, and realize, now, that we are really going, I think back to July 2011, when I was IN Ireland, working with the children at a church there, enjoying the services there, thinking how "at home" I felt there. I think of our travels around the beautiful hills and mountains in Ireland, the sea, the beaches, the beautiful GREEN LAND there, and how I longed--even back then--to return with Stephen and Psalm.
It was only a hope then. A dim hope.
Now, it is becoming reality. I can sense it, feel it. I know it is coming.
And though I do not know all that God has in store for us as a family, I am excited that we are going together, to this wonderful place, to serve Him.
It is, I must admit, overwhelming at times. Difficult to comprehend. Because the DREAM is within sight. This part of the DREAM is actually coming to fruition.
-----------------------------------------------------
Praise be to God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. Always and forever, Amen.
But suffice it to say, for now, at least, that we have gotten direction for our Mission Trip 2013: We are heading to Ireland.
Yes, "WE." All three of us: Stephen, myself, and Psalm.
It' a miracle, really. Nothing short of a miracle.
----------------------------------------------------
There's so much more to say, but when I think about going back to Ireland next year, I can't help but think about those days this summer when we went to Ft. Smith and applied for our passports. And the day we received all three of them in the mail. Those days, for me, were days of "those moments": when you KNOW something BIG has just happened, but you don't know how to respond, exactly, because you know that this has LIFE-ALTERING IMPACT.
Yes, that's how this is.
But when I think of those days this summer, and realize, now, that we are really going, I think back to July 2011, when I was IN Ireland, working with the children at a church there, enjoying the services there, thinking how "at home" I felt there. I think of our travels around the beautiful hills and mountains in Ireland, the sea, the beaches, the beautiful GREEN LAND there, and how I longed--even back then--to return with Stephen and Psalm.
It was only a hope then. A dim hope.
Now, it is becoming reality. I can sense it, feel it. I know it is coming.
And though I do not know all that God has in store for us as a family, I am excited that we are going together, to this wonderful place, to serve Him.
It is, I must admit, overwhelming at times. Difficult to comprehend. Because the DREAM is within sight. This part of the DREAM is actually coming to fruition.
-----------------------------------------------------
Praise be to God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. Always and forever, Amen.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Thoughts on Psalm 23:4
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." --Psalm 23:4
This was the verse God instructed me to read this morning during prayer time at my church.
YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY...
Sometimes we find ourselves walking through valleys: sometimes we wake up in one, not knowing how on earth we got there, and sometimes we are led to walk there, knowing from the start that God has brought us to the valley with a specific task or objective in mind.
Yes, we all walk here--in the valley.
The valley is a place of decision. It's tough walking there, and with every difficult step, we must make the decision to keep going or to stop. To stop or to lay down and die. Many people give up in the valley. Many people just aren't prepared for its hardship. The valley is a place of proving. It's a character-building place of opportunity.
Any kind of opportunity the valley affords will be costly.
One might lose their friends in the valley. There are too many "unknowns." Where will my next meal come from? Will I live to see tomorrow?
You've got to be strong just to survive walking in the valley. You may have to go toe-to-toe with some scary opponents--wild creatures or wild mankind. People come after you here. You've got to have backbone. You've got to be made of steel.
I remember, recently, hearing someone being described as a person of steel. That they had it in their eyes. Something about them was piercing, strong, unbendable. That's the kind of person that makes it through the valley.
It's important, when in the valley, to have the mindset going in that you are "going through" it. That this isn't the final resting place. That you will not be stranded here. It's important to get THROUGH the valley. On the other side, is the testimony of God's protection, provision, and blessing. It is the PROOF that if we walk with Him, we will make it through.
If you are going through a valley--and I don't care how LONG you have been going through it--I just want to encourage you to HOLD ON TO HIS HAND, to realize that the trials are TEMPORARY, that He is WITH YOU!!!
Just take one step at a time. Hold to His hand. He's there with you.
YEA,THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL...
No matter how frightening the valley looks or how intimidating, remember that as a CHILD OF THE MOST HIGH GOD, you DO NOT HAVE TO FEAR. Fear is a tool the enemy uses to get us to fall down, stop walking, stop attacking. The enemy of our souls wants us to give up, give in, be controlled by crazy fear.
But as children of the Most High God, we don't have to be afraid. NO MATTER HOW DARK THIS ROAD GETS, HOW MANY ENEMIES SURROUND YOU, YOUR LIFE IS IN GOD'S HANDS. WE CAN TRUST EVERY MOMENT TO HIM.
(I don't know why I'm addressing people directly right now, but I felt compelled to say that to "someone out there in cyberland" directly.)
...FOR THOU ART WITH ME; THY ROD AND THY STAFF THEY COMFORT ME.
He is with us. No matter what. He loves us, always, and walks with us each and every step of the way.
No matter how dark it gets, no matter how close to death, He walks with us. In every situation. He hears our heart's cry. He loves loves loves us. (He loves loves loves you.)
Forever, Amen.
This was the verse God instructed me to read this morning during prayer time at my church.
YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY...
Sometimes we find ourselves walking through valleys: sometimes we wake up in one, not knowing how on earth we got there, and sometimes we are led to walk there, knowing from the start that God has brought us to the valley with a specific task or objective in mind.
Yes, we all walk here--in the valley.
The valley is a place of decision. It's tough walking there, and with every difficult step, we must make the decision to keep going or to stop. To stop or to lay down and die. Many people give up in the valley. Many people just aren't prepared for its hardship. The valley is a place of proving. It's a character-building place of opportunity.
Any kind of opportunity the valley affords will be costly.
One might lose their friends in the valley. There are too many "unknowns." Where will my next meal come from? Will I live to see tomorrow?
You've got to be strong just to survive walking in the valley. You may have to go toe-to-toe with some scary opponents--wild creatures or wild mankind. People come after you here. You've got to have backbone. You've got to be made of steel.
I remember, recently, hearing someone being described as a person of steel. That they had it in their eyes. Something about them was piercing, strong, unbendable. That's the kind of person that makes it through the valley.
It's important, when in the valley, to have the mindset going in that you are "going through" it. That this isn't the final resting place. That you will not be stranded here. It's important to get THROUGH the valley. On the other side, is the testimony of God's protection, provision, and blessing. It is the PROOF that if we walk with Him, we will make it through.
If you are going through a valley--and I don't care how LONG you have been going through it--I just want to encourage you to HOLD ON TO HIS HAND, to realize that the trials are TEMPORARY, that He is WITH YOU!!!
Just take one step at a time. Hold to His hand. He's there with you.
YEA,THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL...
No matter how frightening the valley looks or how intimidating, remember that as a CHILD OF THE MOST HIGH GOD, you DO NOT HAVE TO FEAR. Fear is a tool the enemy uses to get us to fall down, stop walking, stop attacking. The enemy of our souls wants us to give up, give in, be controlled by crazy fear.
But as children of the Most High God, we don't have to be afraid. NO MATTER HOW DARK THIS ROAD GETS, HOW MANY ENEMIES SURROUND YOU, YOUR LIFE IS IN GOD'S HANDS. WE CAN TRUST EVERY MOMENT TO HIM.
(I don't know why I'm addressing people directly right now, but I felt compelled to say that to "someone out there in cyberland" directly.)
...FOR THOU ART WITH ME; THY ROD AND THY STAFF THEY COMFORT ME.
He is with us. No matter what. He loves us, always, and walks with us each and every step of the way.
No matter how dark it gets, no matter how close to death, He walks with us. In every situation. He hears our heart's cry. He loves loves loves us. (He loves loves loves you.)
Forever, Amen.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Project 68
"32% of the world's population is considered to be Christian."
--Mary Fairchild, "Christianity Today-General Statistics and Facts of Christianity"
So, nearly a third of the world is Christian, and this includes Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox Christians.
What of the other 68%?
I am interested in this statistic today, because it tells us that 2/3 of the world is NOT Christian, something other than Christian. This also tells me that Christians are a GLOBAL MINORITY.
Is anyone else alarmed by these numbers?!?
Project 68/Objectives:
1. To pray for the 68% of the global population that does not claim to know Christ.
2. To evangelize the 68% in whatever way God allows, by whatever means necessary.
3. To raise awareness amongst the 32% of those people claiming to be Christians on this planet.
4. To encourage cooperation and unity amongst the 32% of those people claiming to be Christians because we can accomplish so much more if we work together.
Project 68/Need Statement:
There is a need to pray.
There is a need to evangelize.
There is a need to raise awareness.
There is a need to cooperate in unity.
----------------------------------------------
I don't know if this "project" will ever become a reality, like a Movement, but if it does, I think it would wonderful if, each year, the theme matched the need. God willing, Project 50 2015, Project 33 2050, Project 15 2060, Project Completed 2100.
Sure, it seems a little bit crazy, even to me. Absolutely. On our own? Certainly, impossible.
But...
"With God, all things are possible." Matthew 19:26
So, who knows?
Shall we engage in a Movement then?
--Mary Fairchild, "Christianity Today-General Statistics and Facts of Christianity"
So, nearly a third of the world is Christian, and this includes Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox Christians.
What of the other 68%?
I am interested in this statistic today, because it tells us that 2/3 of the world is NOT Christian, something other than Christian. This also tells me that Christians are a GLOBAL MINORITY.
Is anyone else alarmed by these numbers?!?
Project 68/Objectives:
1. To pray for the 68% of the global population that does not claim to know Christ.
2. To evangelize the 68% in whatever way God allows, by whatever means necessary.
3. To raise awareness amongst the 32% of those people claiming to be Christians on this planet.
4. To encourage cooperation and unity amongst the 32% of those people claiming to be Christians because we can accomplish so much more if we work together.
Project 68/Need Statement:
There is a need to pray.
There is a need to evangelize.
There is a need to raise awareness.
There is a need to cooperate in unity.
----------------------------------------------
I don't know if this "project" will ever become a reality, like a Movement, but if it does, I think it would wonderful if, each year, the theme matched the need. God willing, Project 50 2015, Project 33 2050, Project 15 2060, Project Completed 2100.
Sure, it seems a little bit crazy, even to me. Absolutely. On our own? Certainly, impossible.
But...
"With God, all things are possible." Matthew 19:26
So, who knows?
Shall we engage in a Movement then?
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The Three I's
I have really been praying about where God is leading us to travel in the coming year. Now that Stephen, Psalm, and I have our passports, the reality of next year's travel is dawning upon us.
It's not just a far-off dream or plan anymore. This is reality. It's time to make sure I do my part in putting this plan into action!
Right now, we have received no direct leading in where we need to go together on a missions trip. But we have decided, if we do not hear something otherwise from the Lord, to choose from the following destinations: Israel, Ireland, or Italy.
We are interested in going to Israel because it is where our Lord spent his time and ministry on this earth. We believe it is VERY IMPORTANT to go to Israel, if God leads and allows, in the coming years. We just aren't sure WHICH year we are supposed to go.
We are interested in Ireland because I went there last year and felt a REAL drawing to go back, to return, to invest in the lives of people there, to pray for the Christian churches there. And it's beautiful. I want Stephen and Psalm to get to see Ireland, feel it, experience the warmth of its beautiful people and culture. I cannot wait to return!
We want to go to Italy to see the Vatican, the artwork, the culture of the world's largest Christian church. We want to meet its people, get a feel for the culture. It is a great hope of mine to get to attend a mass at the Vatican, perhaps even with the Pope presiding. What a great honor and experience that would be. I have a GROWING & INTENSIFYING burden for the GLOBAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH, and the CATHOLIC CHURCH is a part of that burden. I want to go and PRAY for the Catholic Church and its people, that we all will be UNITED in our efforts to spread the Gospel on this planet before Christ comes again to get us!
Sunday after church, I gave Stephen and myself a paper and we wrote our Top 3 List of where we think we need to go next year, as a family.
Stephen's reply;
1. Israel
2. Italy
3. Ireland
My reply:
1. Ireland
2. Italy
3. Israel
All three responses started with the letter I, so I've been calling our next destination, "One of the three I's."
Because our lists were EXACTLY the opposite, we said we are leaning toward Italy, since we both chose it as our second option.
Ultimately, though, we will go where God leads us. If we do not hear specifically from him to go elsewhere or serve in another capacity, we will most likely be journeying to ONE OF THE THREE I'S.
AMEN.
It's not just a far-off dream or plan anymore. This is reality. It's time to make sure I do my part in putting this plan into action!
Right now, we have received no direct leading in where we need to go together on a missions trip. But we have decided, if we do not hear something otherwise from the Lord, to choose from the following destinations: Israel, Ireland, or Italy.
We are interested in going to Israel because it is where our Lord spent his time and ministry on this earth. We believe it is VERY IMPORTANT to go to Israel, if God leads and allows, in the coming years. We just aren't sure WHICH year we are supposed to go.
We are interested in Ireland because I went there last year and felt a REAL drawing to go back, to return, to invest in the lives of people there, to pray for the Christian churches there. And it's beautiful. I want Stephen and Psalm to get to see Ireland, feel it, experience the warmth of its beautiful people and culture. I cannot wait to return!
We want to go to Italy to see the Vatican, the artwork, the culture of the world's largest Christian church. We want to meet its people, get a feel for the culture. It is a great hope of mine to get to attend a mass at the Vatican, perhaps even with the Pope presiding. What a great honor and experience that would be. I have a GROWING & INTENSIFYING burden for the GLOBAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH, and the CATHOLIC CHURCH is a part of that burden. I want to go and PRAY for the Catholic Church and its people, that we all will be UNITED in our efforts to spread the Gospel on this planet before Christ comes again to get us!
Sunday after church, I gave Stephen and myself a paper and we wrote our Top 3 List of where we think we need to go next year, as a family.
Stephen's reply;
1. Israel
2. Italy
3. Ireland
My reply:
1. Ireland
2. Italy
3. Israel
All three responses started with the letter I, so I've been calling our next destination, "One of the three I's."
Because our lists were EXACTLY the opposite, we said we are leaning toward Italy, since we both chose it as our second option.
Ultimately, though, we will go where God leads us. If we do not hear specifically from him to go elsewhere or serve in another capacity, we will most likely be journeying to ONE OF THE THREE I'S.
AMEN.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Our Priority Mail
WE GOT OUR PASSPORTS IN THE MAIL TODAY!!!!!!!
When I got home and checked the mail, I saw three Priority Mail envelopes from the United States Postal Service.
At first, I didn't realize...
I looked at the return address: "U.S. Government Official Mail." Still, I wasn't processing...
And then I noticed, in the bulk of mail that we had received, that we had THREE OF THE SAME ENVELOPES.
"PASSPORTS!!! IT'S GOTTA BE OUR PASSPORTS!!!"
I screamed out loud at the mailbox, so loudly that Stephen and Allie came out, thinking that I had seen a snake.
"OUR PROMISE IS HERE!" I yelled. "OUR PASSPORTS CAME IN THE MAIL!!!"
Psalm was excited, as excited as I, it seemed, "excited about being excited."
Stephen shrugged.
------------------------------------------------------------
Again, today, something happened in my spirit. A spiritual marker just went down.
I can feel my heart soaring. Literally. I KNOW that something has just happened. Something BIG.
Maybe no one feels it like I do. Maybe no one else is as excited as I....
But this is a DREAM COME TRUE!!! One more PROMISE that has been fulfilled!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Prayer:
"Lord, O Wonderful Lord! I am sooooo overwhelmed with joy right now, so taken aback by the promises coming to pass! I feel one more step closer to whatever it is You have in store, the next step, the next Puzzle Piece. THANK YOU for having mercy on me. THANK YOU for loving me enough to put this dream in my heart, and for letting me see part of the dream come to pass today.
"I don't know what You have designed for me, for my family, but I pray that You will revive us, renew us, prepare us for what lies ahead. Please, O Lord, help my family to SHARE THE VISION and THE HEART you have given me for Your Global Church. And help me to have the COURAGE to go forward and do what You have called me to do.
"In Jesus' Name, I pray,
Shirley Harrod Yandell."
When I got home and checked the mail, I saw three Priority Mail envelopes from the United States Postal Service.
At first, I didn't realize...
I looked at the return address: "U.S. Government Official Mail." Still, I wasn't processing...
And then I noticed, in the bulk of mail that we had received, that we had THREE OF THE SAME ENVELOPES.
"PASSPORTS!!! IT'S GOTTA BE OUR PASSPORTS!!!"
I screamed out loud at the mailbox, so loudly that Stephen and Allie came out, thinking that I had seen a snake.
"OUR PROMISE IS HERE!" I yelled. "OUR PASSPORTS CAME IN THE MAIL!!!"
Psalm was excited, as excited as I, it seemed, "excited about being excited."
Stephen shrugged.
------------------------------------------------------------
Again, today, something happened in my spirit. A spiritual marker just went down.
I can feel my heart soaring. Literally. I KNOW that something has just happened. Something BIG.
Maybe no one feels it like I do. Maybe no one else is as excited as I....
But this is a DREAM COME TRUE!!! One more PROMISE that has been fulfilled!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Prayer:
"Lord, O Wonderful Lord! I am sooooo overwhelmed with joy right now, so taken aback by the promises coming to pass! I feel one more step closer to whatever it is You have in store, the next step, the next Puzzle Piece. THANK YOU for having mercy on me. THANK YOU for loving me enough to put this dream in my heart, and for letting me see part of the dream come to pass today.
"I don't know what You have designed for me, for my family, but I pray that You will revive us, renew us, prepare us for what lies ahead. Please, O Lord, help my family to SHARE THE VISION and THE HEART you have given me for Your Global Church. And help me to have the COURAGE to go forward and do what You have called me to do.
"In Jesus' Name, I pray,
Shirley Harrod Yandell."
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