Coming Home

Cameron called this summer. “Mom, we’re moving back home! Jay has accepted a position with a church in Madison Alabama!”

It has been almost eight years since we hugged our daughter and son-in law and their baby girl good-bye. I remember standing at the airport hardly able to breathe as we watched our treasures roll down the runway and take off for Poland….and in many ways the unknown. I wanted to run after them, drag them back home and never let them even think about missions again but …well…you can’t easily do that with grown children. Ok, then why couldn’t they just leave the baby? That would help.

The unknown ended up being a year in Poland and then seven years of ministry (and three more babies) in L’Viv Ukraine. But now their work was completed. They were coming HOME. And we anxiously awaited their arrival, just to see their faces cross the threshold of home.

There have been many times in my life that I have waited with great anticipation the arrival of a family member: my husband from business trips, the kids from college, from other parts of the country and then from overseas. And every time there is a flurry of preparation. I cook. I clean. I prepare. And I am excited. And then I wait, frequently looking out the window until the car drives up the drive way. Home, My loved one has arrived and all is well.

Scripture states plainly that Jesus left His heavenly home and ventured to our world on a mission. He left everything behind and “making Himself of no reputation taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8) And so this Christmas we celebrate His arrival on earth. But thirty three years later there was another “arrival” and he returned HOME to His home and our REAL home where we will arrive someday.

There are three arrivals I want to celebrate this Christmas. First, that our Savior “left to come” to our home so that He could teach us the way to live.

Secondly He conquered death and left our home to go back to His home with the promise that His blood covered our sin giving us access to Heaven, to God. And there now He is preparing a home for us..

Thirdly He will come back to our home for the last battle and then we all will be home together with our Savior. Something to celebrate this Christmas Season!

John 14:2

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself;

that where I am there you may be also.

HOME

I was amused recently when I read an article stating that radical feminist were intrigued by some of the Mommy-Blogs because they painted pictures of home life that was beautiful, creative, happy, fulfilling all run by intelligent women who had made the decision that HOME was important. They were intrigued because they had never felt such a thing was possible, they had never experienced it themselves and so considered it only fantasy.

And yet now some bloggers are saying it really is possible and it is worth it! It simply requires a vision for a higher good, very hard work, unselfish ambition, skill development, unwavering commitment and the ability to stand firm before the massive artillery of the culture. And that is where the rub comes in. Did you read those words? VISION! WORK! UNSELFISHNESS! SKILLS! COMMITMENT! ARMOR of STEEL!

So as we look at the home, lets for just the rest of this article put aside the worldly agenda that screams that married women with children deserve to be in the work force, developing their career and that doing so is the highest good, Let’s instead for just a few paragraphs pretend that HOME IS the highest calling and can indeed produce the greatest good for humans, society and a nation.

Statistics prove that a large percentage of criminals had terrible home lives. The same holds true for drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, and kids who drop out of school. Most all of the ills of our society can be traced back to the home life as a child. Divorce, once touted as being “benign” as far as children are concerned, is now showing up as a great cancer that humans who have suffered from have to endure in silence. Homes are frazzled with the constant racing from one place to another and the one word that describes two income homes is “overworked”. And probably one of the main things that has been lost with all this rushing and grabbing for significance is that true healthy significance can be found right at home with the family.

Devi Titus wrote an excellent book called The Home Experience. In it she builds a solid argument for dinner around the table. In fact she even goes so far as to say that there is a spiritual environment that is established when people eat a meal around a table together. Indeed I agree. In fact recent statistics prove that children who eat with the family around the table regularly are far less likely to get involved in addictions. But few families take the time, nor do many mothers have the skills to put a good meal on the table in the evening.

The flip side is that the home has the power to affect others for great goodness. It truly boggles the mind to think that the home can be a nursery for heaven. The Bible says a home can be filled with kindness and wisdom. It can be and should be well organized and secure, warm and inviting. And the Bible gives the responsibility of the home to the woman. In fact in Timothy she is referred to as the “OIKA DESPOTA”, the “CEO” of the corporation, the corporation of HOME.

So what can a home do? And by the way I am not talking about the home as simply a house that one stops by on their way to other things, one that is “lifeless”, full of stuff that is in total disarray, cereal for supper, clothes that have been abused and contention that pervades. I am talking about HOME as in well organized, comfortable, good food, clean beds and clothes, happy inhabitants, art and literature, culture and intellect, which displays calmness and beauty. In other words HOME is a refuge, a place of spiritual, emotional and physical restoration. Simply put, it can be and is the foundation of a nation. Home-working is not for the faint of heart if done right. It is certainly not for the lazy. It is the work of building a healthy family, a healthy society, indeed a healthy nation.

There are many people who have provided examples for me to follow and those examples have made a huge an impact on my life. My mom was certainly one of those homemakers. As I got older Betty Cannon served as another example. I remember the first time I went to her home. She truly introduced me to the concept of “comfortable beauty”. Scented candles that once seemed frivolous to my practical side, became a warm welcome in her home. A pile of magazines in a basket by an easy chair that was draped with an afghan would not have excited my intellectual mentality (small as it is) until I experienced it in her home. Then I was able to see it added to a sense of well being and comfort. A pot of homemade soup served up on a well set table filled my soul with calmness and good cheer and provided an environment for deeper conversation.

But Mrs. Cannon had something else. She LOVED home and LOVED those who entered. I loved every part of my time in her house. It always was wrapped around good simple food and a listening ear. She made a home. She was home and so much of that was built on the environment she created because she chose to make the effort.

So what did she gain? Well for starters she raised four fabulous kids who have now raised fabulous children of their own. Her husband loved and adored her until his last breath and a gazillion people had the privilege of knowing her and being refreshed and restored in the refuge she created. She left a legacy that could never have been created in the competition of career. She did it through those words we started with; VISION, WORK, UNSELFISHNESS, SKILLS, COMMITMENT, ARMOUR OF STEEL.

As I look around at the flailing culture that struggles for peace it makes me think that maybe there is an answer that perhaps we as women should give some consideration. Perhaps we might consider that it lies under our own roofs. Perhaps we should just go home …. and create a society changing environment, indeed a nursery for heaven.

Titus 2:4-5

Encourage the young women to love their husbands, love their children, to be sensible pure WORKERS AT HOME, kind being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored.

Threads of Life

Donna picked me up from the airport in Chicago last week and continued to be my “chauffer” for the next 24 hours. She was lovely, bright, dressed impeccably and obviously loved the Lord. After meeting her I was now looking forward with great anticipation to my speaking engagement at her church, Oak Community Church!

As we were driving to my hotel she asked me where I was from and I told her, Roswell, Georgia. She was surprised and said she had actually lived there herself for almost a year many years ago.

Then she went on to tell me about her time there. She had a wonderful neighbor who had invested greatly in her life. The neighbor had also taken her to a large Bible study at a church nearby where she had made a recommitment to Jesus Christ.

She then told me the neighbor’s name. Barb E-. I was blown away. I know Barb well and in fact had lived not too far from her at the same time Donna lived there. We had almost been neighbors! And the Bible Study? It was the very one I directed for almost twenty years.

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In September I taught a retreat in Dallas for Grace Community Church. The church was doing the Amazing Collection and was obviously enjoying it very much and “learning for life” about every book in God’s Word. One of the attendees told me that she had been so surprised and delighted when she was watching the First Thessalonians DVD. The testimony was Gaye-Lynn Smith; Gaye-Lynn had given her story literally from her death bed and had passed away shortly after filming. What makes this so remarkable is that Gaye-Lynn had been a missionary in Papua, New Guinea with her years before. After she left the mission field she had lost track of Gaye-Lynn and was so ministered to when she saw the testimony.

Gaye-Lynn’s was probably one of our most miraculous testimonies. We had actually come across Gaye-Lynn’s story through Discipleship Journal Magazine and had been able to contact the church who had filmed her. We then contacted her husband who was living in New Guinea to get permission to include it in our study. And now God was using it to encourage a woman who had served along side Gaye-Lynn in New Guinea years before! Amazing!

When I look at the many times threads of lives have woven together it really is something only God could do. Several years ago, Donna had lived in this area for only a few months, but was saved through a woman who brought her to our Bible Study. Twenty years later she was able to tell me, the speaker she had brought in to minister to the womens’ ministry she was now directing!

Gaye-Lynn passed away years ago but was still touching the life of a friend long after she had gone home to be with the Lord.

God is writing a story. We seldom see all that He is doing with the threads but when occasions like these arrive I am reminded that He is weaving something beautiful.

Corrie Ten Boom wrote the following

My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me,
I cannot choose the colors He worketh steadily.
Oftimes He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.
Not til the loom is silent, and the shuttles cease to fly,
Shall God unroll the canvas, and explain the reasons why.
The dark threads are as needful, in the Weavers skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.

Job 7:6
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle

Apple of His Eye

It had been a packed week of meetings and work and house guests so there had been little time to prepare for the talk I was to give to the women of the First Presbyterian Church in Orlando. As I drove to the airport I prayed fervently that God would somehow give me the time I needed to put the finishing touches on the speech.

When I got to the airport the Delta official announced that there was a full plane so we were to board as quickly as possible in order to stay on time. As I handed him my boarding pass he said, “Mrs. Harley we have upgraded you to first class.” I couldn’t believe my ears but sure enough, there was “my seat”, large and comfortable with the amenities that go with First Class!

The man next to me was quiet, engrossed in his own work and so for nearly two hours I had all the time I needed to fully prepare. No other passenger was as thankful as I was! I praised God all the way down to Orlando for His great kindness to me.

Two days later I was returning to Atlanta. As I again boarded the plane I realized that this time my seat was in the VERY back and I was squeezed between two rather large men. As I fastened my seat belt I had to laugh! “Lord, I see that when I am going to do your work, you give me the best seat but when I am all done, here I am in the very back!”

A few minutes later the stewardess came to the back of the plane and announced that there was a seat up front and wanted someone to move up there. No one raised their hand and she left.

“That is weird”, I thought. I would have assumed that EVERYONE would have wanted to move to first class.

Again she returned and asked the same question. No one moved and again I wondered why no one raised their hand. This was all so strange!

The third time she returned and with firmness stated that the plane could not take off until SOMEONE took that seat! I raised my hand and was ushered to First Class and there had not only had ONE seat but TWO large seats to spread out in!

As I slid my body into those wonderful leather, comfortable seats I started laughing out loud! “Lord, you are just beyond WONDERFUL and I now can see that you can do and will do ANYTHING for your children! I am spoiled beyond belief!”

Does our God have a sense of humor? I think so, in fact I think that day proved not only His sense of humor but His omnipresence, omnipotence and above al His personal love for and delight in His children. And in those moments I think He is calling from heaven, “I know YOU and I love YOU! You really are the apple of My eye!”

I have flown many times since then and never again have I received an upgrade. But on that day I received a special gift, a personal love gift from a personal God.

We have experienced this often in Big Dream Ministries. There have been many times that we have heard a shout from Heaven as God does something BIG for the ministry such as a large financial gift from one of our generous donors. But there are other times when He does small things that take our breath away such as providing a copier at no cost from a company who doesn’t even know much about the ministry. These overwhelm us because He shows Himself so very personal, so intimate in His love, so aware of even our smallest needs. And in both times we are thankful.

Psalm 17:8
Keep me as the apple of Your eye.

Not So Cheap

It was the picture by the recipe in the cookbook that caught my eye! It showed a lovely rustic pottery bowl filled with the most delicious looking pasta and vegetables. The recipe called for pasta, fresh vegetables and two different kinds of cheeses.

Pasta! A cheap meal! It would fit right into the steam-lined budget Beloved and I had come up with the night before after finding that our budget for two months had been maligned. So we went over every penny we had spent and found the culprit and not surprisingly it was “groceries”. July had been a particularly celebratory month with much company at the cottage and many meals enjoyed with friends and family. And it was there that the budget went out the window and our food allowance went through the roof.

But once the problem had been identified I felt confident that I could quickly get it under control and we would be back in great financial shape within a month or two. After all, I KNOW HOW TO COOK CHEAP! So the pasta with vegetables looked like the perfect recipe…cheap and delicious! So off to Kroger I went with my small grocery list in hand.

Every few weeks I buy a gift card and pay for groceries with that. It makes checking out fast and also saves me from writing twenty checks to Kroger every month! So at check out I swiped my card, never looking at the price and went my merry way.

The pasta was boiling in the pot when I glanced at the receipt. $21.95! I had just spent $21.95 for a pot of “cheap” pasta! In fact it was not cheap because the specialty cheeses and pasta had cost a fortune! I was shocked…and mad at myself for not paying close attention. And the verse came to mind .. “For which one of you when he wants to build a tower (or cook dinner!) does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?”

Considering the costs….Christ was not talking about dinner but far more important things. He basically asks us to see nothing as important, nothing that can even begin to compare with the great joy of following Him. But that is not a cheap decision just as it is not cheap grace. . It is very costly. It literally costs everything.

But like me and the pasta dish we all want something cheap. Instead of fellowship with God we will substitute just about anything else yet in the long run the cheap costs us far more than we were ever wanted to spend. It catches us off guard, deceives us into believing we really are getting a deal. But Christ offers us the greatest treasure of all and then turns around and reminds us that it comes with a cost.
Consider…consider…consider.

It is all worth it. In the end it is worth everything.

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
John 14: 27

In the Garden

The beauty of the garden caught me off guard. After all this was a small town in the Midwest North Country where the growing season is short and the opportunities for prosperity limited. I had lunched with my friend Betsy in a small café right on the main street and then she gave me a tour of the town, all of which could be accomplished in less than five minutes. That was when “the garden” caught my eye. It was so beautiful and in many ways a bit out of place as it stood in a residential area and took up one lot….a lot where a home should be.

In the center of the garden was a lovely stone pavilion, circular in shape and held up by four stone pillars. Pathways entered from three sides and around the park were six benches. These were not your average park benches, but ones made by a true craftsman, unique in design and sturdy in form.

And then there were the flowers and shrubs, all planted with an eye for peace and serenity and there were occasional large boulders also expertly placed for design and beauty. Truly it looked a little bit like heaven on earth.

Betsy parked the car and we began to walk around. On each bench was a plaque dedicated to a different young person whose name, date of birth and death were solemnly engraved. When I entered the pavilion the whole story came into focus as there on the wall was the story of the event that happened on that very spot.

Four years earlier a house stood right where I was standing. It was graduation night and seven kids gathered there to celebrate with pizza and fun. One of the girls had broken up with her boyfriend just days before and on this night, filled with jealous anger, he arrived at the party with an assault rifle. Moments later six young people lay dead, the seventh critically injured. Days later he himself would be hunted down and shot dead.

In the twinkling of an eye, daily life in this small town was changed forever. Everyone knew all of the victims, in fact most everyone was related to at least one of them. In that small town probably the biggest crime ever committed was kids throwing eggs at passing cars. But on this night hell and all its evil made a visit and seven young promising lives were gone forever. What was left was shock, disbelief, sorrow and despair.

So what does one do with such devastation? Build a garden. The house was torn down and with it the constant reminder of the horror that took place that night. And in its place, a Garden. New birth. Beauty. Peace. Comfort. Hope.

I was reminded once again of the deep longing within us to return to the Garden…to that safe place where sin is not allowed to enter, that place where there are no tears or sorrow. That place where God is. But this earth is not heaven, for the present it belongs to Satan and will until Christ comes back. That Garden is a reminder of both…the battle on earth with pure evil and the hope of heaven and pure joy. In the meantime God occasionally gives us small glimpses …a garden….a reminder…this is not our home.

And the Lord sent him out from the Garden of Eden…
Genesis 3:23

The World of Idiots

When I was a child I was never allowed to call anyone an idiot. Webster says the word means a “mentally deficient person who is permanently incapable of rational conduct or a very stupid person.” It seems to me there are a growing number of such people. In fact a couple of years ago I was involved in an incident that convinced me the world is full of them.

I was on an entrance ramp coming onto an eight lane highway. As I neared the top, the traffic came to a complete stop. I waited and nothing happened. Soon I heard a police car roaring down the shoulder of the highway, turned onto the left lane and came to a stop behind a cranberry colored Ford Explorer. And there I waited for many minutes as the car refused to move and the police lights kept flashing.

“Idiot”, I said under my breath. This guy would not budge even though those lights kept going. I waited a bit longer growing more and more frustrated with this guy in the Explorer reviewing in my mind the sin of man and how this guy was the worst of the worst. He had no compassion. Perhaps there were people lying wounded and dying in the road just ahead desperately needing an officer and yet Mr. Explorer refused to move his car.

I was ready to jump out and drag him out of his car myself, so enraged at the gall, the inconsiderateness, the unwillingness to consider there was a CRISIS up ahead, when all of a sudden I heard the policeman take serious steps to get him to move.

A loudspeaker bellowed. “Please move to the right!” “There…that should get him!” I thought, but still he didn’t budge. Again the loudspeaker came on, with greater firmness and urgency. “Please move to the right! Please move your car to the right!!” Everyone within hearing distance would have moved to the right but our IDIOT would not!

“Please move your Four Runner to the right!” The voice came again. I thought the policeman must not know his cars very well because THAT car was an Explorer.

Again, and this time the color of the car was added to the command. “PLEASE MOVE YOUR TAN FOUR RUNNER TO THE RIGHT!!!!” Tan Forerunner? The idiot was driving a cranberry Explorer. How could the police make such a horrible mistake. And then I glanced in the rear view mirror only to see an ambulance right behind me and my tan Four Runner directing ME to MOVE my car to the right!!!

As it turns out, there was only ONE idiot on the scene and that was me. The police was stopped behind the guy in the Explorer because that car and several others had been involved in an accident. I was the person incapable of rational behavior .

I moved my car to the right.

And I looked in the mirror. And there I saw a profound truth.

Do not judge others who might have a splinter in their eye until you have taken the huge jumbo log out of your own eye. Those words are Jesus’ idea because He created us and knows full well that at any given moment we are all capable of being idiots… totally incapable of rational thought

Just In Time

Jerry is a friend of ours who manages The Athens’s Boat Club, a small private lake community. He wears a hundred hats, taking care of all the tens of acres of lawns, the pavilion, the streets and water supply, the downed trees, the gas dock, the administrative work and about everything else that takes place there. There is nothing he can’t handle.

A couple weeks ago he was weed-eating, while a short distance away, Manuel, Jerry’s right hand man, was cutting wood with a chain saw. Jerry disturbed a bee hive and was stung by a couple of angry bees. He had been stung many times before but this time was different and he immediately began to experience serious affects. His body weakened and he fell to the ground into a red ant bed. He tried to call to Manuel but his voice was not loud enough over the sound of the chain saw. One last time his forced himself to make a sound, knowing he was loosing consciousness and perhaps his life. And then a miracle happened. At that very moment just in time, the chain saw broke and Manuel was able to hear Jerry’s weak call as he slipped into a coma.

The paramedics arrived in record time and after a short hospital stay Jerry was back at work. He says it was a miracle, a TRUE miracle that the chain saw broke at the very second he need help. He shutters to think what would have happened if God had not intervened just- in- time.

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There have been many times in ministry that we have experienced our Just In Time God. Though none are quite as dramatic as Jerry’s incident still they are always reminders that God is in our business and He is the great provider.

This past spring was one of those times. Women’s Ministry Leaders were making decisions for the fall programs and we wanted them to know that The Amazing Collection was a viable option. We knew we had a small window in which to send promotional material to churches across the country who have never heard of the ministry or the studies we have produced, but we didn’t have a list of those churches nor did we know where to get one.

But our Just- In- Time God had already gone before us. Becca Shriver had graduated from college and was waiting to begin graduate school. AND she LOVED doing research! She literally fell into our ministry and began working immediately. I would have to laugh whenever I would pass her desk because she would have two computer screens going at once and could find anything and everything with lightening speed. Day after day she would do searches for the various denominations we knew would gain the most from the studies. So in a few days she had found all of the Presbyterian churches and also had contact names, emails and addresses. Then she would begin work on the Baptists, then Methodists followed by Independent churches and on and on until she had added thousands of contacts to our data base. She was with us just four months. She was invaluable. She was a God-send and she was just in time.

Habakkuk 2:3
The vision is set for an appointed time
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.

Scooters and Sages

When I was in college my friend Rocky Driver had a Honda motor scooter. It was red and gold and easy to drive and went 50 miles an hour. I went to school year around but Rocky did not, choosing instead to take a break from the demands of student life during the summer months. While he was away I was allowed to use the scooter as I needed it. I loved it. I loved everything about it…the speed, the fun, the wind blowing through my hair (that was long before helmets took that thrill away!)

So for years following that time I have wanted a motor scooter. However, raising a family never allowed for extra funds to provide such a luxury. And quite truthfully my family never seemed to take me seriously.

I get up early most mornings, like 4:00 AM and my sixtieth birthday was no exception. As I crossed the living room I noticed a beautifully wrapped box sitting on the table and when I did, there was a motorcycle helmet!

I was not expecting a motor cycle helmet and had never asked for one. But Beloved appeared grinning from ear to ear and pointed to the garage. AND THERE IT WAS! My lifelong dream! It was dark green and white and beautiful and it was MINE!

And so dressed in pajamas I donned helmet and drove my new scooter out into the dark! It was thrilling to say the least. I drove down the drive way, up through the side woods, around the back, through the fruit trees and up the hill back to the garage! And then again and again laughing hysterically all the way!

Two days later Eleanor rode it around our property. She hit a rock and ended up on the ground with scrapes and bruises. Then I took it on the city streets. A car, impatient with my forty miles an hour, whizzed by me at sixty and the wind nearly knocked me off the road. Days later I tried quiet lanes and there I hit asphalt and sand and the scooter knocked me over scrapping my arms and legs. It was Beloved’s turn and he suffered the same fate. And at that point we had to admit that which we had refused to do. We were getting OLDER. Our balance was not as sharp. The scooter had to go.

And so on October 24, 2007 I GAVE UP and a “For Sale” sign was posted and days later my scooter and dream were gone.

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Two months ago a group of women including Eleanor and Linda, Board member Robin Rosebrough along with our production guru Kelle Ortiz and speaker Michelle Helms met to discuss Big Dream’s next venture. We are concerned about women in America. We are concerned about young women in America. We are troubled by the lies they are buying into and the choices they are making that have life long consequences. And we want to help.

We have studied and observed and interviewed and surveyed and there is one thing we know. We think differently. We are OLDER.

The younger generation can be intimidating to say the least. They are technologically savvy. They have a confidence that often prohibits them from accepting advice. They do not see things such as home and marriage and family in the same light. And so we have struggled to figure out just what to teach and how to teach it in a way that could be received.

Recently we revisited a Biblical truth. Older women (that’s us) ARE suppose to teach the younger women out of their wisdom and knowledge of God and His Word. There it is. True direction in an often untrue world.

So we are older. And no, we do not think the same. But we have lived longer and in doing so have gained something of value. Wisdom. Trust. Love. All from Jesus Christ.

And so we are pressing on with renewed excitement. We do have a message and it has nothing to do with the generations because it transcends time. God’s Word is TRUE and we can teach with great confidence from that platform. How we do it will be fresh and exciting because we know the message and we know the Messenger.

Yes we are older and though our balance isn’t as great, our passion for Christ and the women He brings us has not changed. In fact it has only grown with each passing year. So we won’t give up. There will be no letting the dream go….but simply a cry to God to help us, show us, give us all we need to find a way to reach women with the life-giving message that God has for them.

Titus 2:3-5
Older women likewise ….encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands that the Word of God may not be dishonored.

Prayer and the Plan

Prayer is an interesting thing. We pray with our own great plan in mind. I had prayed for years that our daughters would be used mightily by God. When they married, that prayer expanded to include the new son – in – laws. I asked that our children would be warriors for Christ. In my mind I knew exactly how that would be played out AND of course; they would all live next door! The prayer and the plan were good ones for sure.

So when Cameron, daughter number two, called with the news that they were leaving the youth pastorate and moving to L’Viv, Ukraine to minister there, it was not in my plan.
It is a tearing away of the flesh in many ways to send those you love off to foreign fields, knowing that you cannot just drive an hour and be in their presence. And Ukraine sounded like a strange culture only because it is different from ours. I was on this side of the ocean….and they were on the other many countries away. Though I hate to admit it, often fear would take over; fear for my children’s safety and fear for our grandchildren’s development.

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There is a great kindness in God that often catches us off guard. It is so very personal, so completely designed for us that we are shocked and reminded that yes, He does really KNOW us and as a good Father, shapes gifts that are full of the surprise of tender love.

One of those gifts arrived in the spring of 2007. I received a call from Eleanor Lewis. Marsha Crowe, the Women’s Ministry Director at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church had asked Eleanor and me to teach a Women’s Conference in Ludzk, Ukraine. We would fly into L’Viv, spend a day there and then drive the three hours to the conference.

Marsha had no idea my daughter lived in L’Viv but God did and He handed me the gift of an all-expense-paid visit complete with ministry opportunities and a shared experience with some great and wonderful women who accompanied us.

And so we landed in L’Viv and my family was waiting at the airport to meet us! We dined at their apartment and shared stories. Then Cameron became not only our hostess but also one of our drivers escorting us for the next several days to the conference and back again and her Ukrainian team mate served as my translator.

But God was not done giving. While at the conference I received another gift, one that was probably the most important one. I began to see clearly WHY God had sent them to Ukraine. They were doing a good work…warriors for Jesus Christ. They were seeing God open doors that seemed shut. They brought the hope of the gospel to those who were hopeless. They saw the Spirit of God move and change lives. They had become totally dependent on His leading. They had witnessed His provision and they were well aware of His great protection.

And I began to see that God was in the process of answering my prayer, not my plan.

So for one week, every moment with my daughter and her family was a treasure. And the opportunity to minister to the gracious women who attended the conference was wonderful. But by far the greatest gift was knowing God had heard, God had answered, God was working and God understood the mother’s heart.

Answered prayer and God’s plan: the winning combination.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Eyes Are Watching

Several years ago I had the privilege of meeting a Christian celebrity. He was a giant in my eyes as he had written many books that I had devoured and also had produced several teaching videos that I had watched over and over again. I was expecting someone who radiated love and kindness, warmth and perhaps some humor, certainly a touch or more of joy.

And yet the man I met was cold, self engrossed, distant from those who were his host and sour - nothing what I expected. I did not see Christ. I simply saw an ego-elevated man who believed he was to be served and admired for his work. It was not attractive. I wonder if he had any idea that eyes were watching and so disappointed in what they saw

A few years later I was honored by being in the presence of a woman who was a well know author and speaker. She was one of my heroes. I was sure I would meet an earthly angel, a woman of quiet dignity and charm, a woman who would embrace those she met and display the very radiance of Christ. Instead she was haughty, demanding, critical toward her husband and …well.. you get the picture. Did she have any idea that eyes were watching?

I have often thought it would be a great idea if I could first spend some time with those whose works I admire. I want to see above all else if they really believe what they write about and if they are willing to LIVE it. So much of the New Testament is a call to a lifestyle and a character that simply reflects the love, kindness, mercy and OTHER-CENTEREDNESS of Jesus Christ. I so want to see the REAL DEAL and I expect it from those celebrities who represent our faith and our God.

A few months ago I had the privilege to go to Israel for ten days with eighty seven other travelers. It was a fabulous trip and there were a few people in full time ministry who came along. In many ways they were celebrities in my eyes as they had achieved national prominence, some through music and some through preaching and writing. But this time I was not disappointed. The openness, loving kindness, genuine warmth and servant’s hearts was shown day after day. And joy was abundant. It was encouraging. It was heart warming. It was a beautiful example for everyone on the trip to follow. Eyes were watching and because of that we all were encouraged to be more like Christ.

I was in the airport with my Beloved having returned from an over seas flight. It was 5:30 AM and I had not slept in 24 hours. My hair was a mess, my clothes were wrinkled and we were in a slow line waiting to get through customs.

From out of the blue two young women made their way over to us and very excitedly asked if I was Pat Harley. They had done almost all of the Amazing Collection in their home church in Louisville, Kentucky and they had recognized me from the DVDs. Now truthfully I was shocked that they recognized me because not only am I ten years older but also because I am not at my best at 5:00 AM! But they were excited to meet me, as cute as could be and had so many good things to say about the Amazing Collection.

When they left it occurred to me that eyes are always upon us. No matter if we are a great celebrity or someone like me who simply professes Christ openly, eyes are upon us. Our neighbors, the grocery clerk, the hairdresser, all who we come in contact with every day are watching. Are they encouraged to be more like our Savior or are the disheartened by what they see?

But even more sobering are another set of eyes….the eyes of heaven. It is something worth remembering. After all it is Him we represent.

Psalm 11:4
The Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men

An Unexpected Gift

She was Russian and had married a good friend’s son. They had met overseas and had continued the relationship via email and now they were married and she was looking for a job. She had experience in bookkeeping and we needed a bookkeeper and so we hired her for one day a week. It was a good fit. She was detail oriented, a quiet and conscientious worker and lifted some of the burden from our office manager’s shoulders. And she spoke fluent Russian which didn’t seem to be a plus at first but later proved invaluable.

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Charlotte Reeves had adopted a Russian child and through that had become involved in Russian ministries. One day she sent me an email. CNLTV, a Russian Christian broadcasting company was looking for fresh programming. She thought they might be interested in The Amazing Collection and so I made the call to their US office and Mark Patterson, International Director of CNLTV. He was going to be at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in two weeks and so we agreed to meet there.

CNLTV had a booth close to ours and so the meeting took place quickly. The cost would be $250 a program plus another $250 per program to cover translation costs. Being a mathematical genius, I figured it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and so told him we were not interested.

Several months later I was in my office and Yulia, our Russian bookkeeper came in and asked me if I had ever considered getting The Amazing Collection on a Russian broadcasting company. I told her of my experience with CNLTV and her eyes lit up. “Did you know I was the secretary to the president of CNLTV when I lived in Kazakhstan?” Of course that was new information!

“I think you should call them back and ask them to reconsider the price. And besides”, she added, “the translation would only cost a little over $16,000!”

That was a far cry from my imagined “hundreds of thousands of dollars”!

So I made the call. Once again I talked to Mark Patterson. He was kind and pleasant and seemed to be glad I had called. He said they were going to be choosing programming the very next day for the fall season and would be glad to consider The Amazing Collection! I asked if he wanted me to overnight some of the DVDs and he said he had some sitting on his desk! He had kept them from our meeting at the NRBC!!

Two days later he called back. They REALLY wanted our program and would also waive the program fee if we could please pay for the translation! I was shocked, dismayed and delighted all once…and so grateful to a God who works in the most creative ways!

The next day we received a call from a man who wanted to pay for all of those fees, and so we began a warm partnership with CNLTV. Through them The Amazing Collection has been shown to well over 100 nations in the Russian language over three different satellites.

As for Yulia, she ended up translating four of our workbooks into the Russian language. She has now followed her husband to Norway for extra schooling but she was a great gift to us. And who would have guessed that of all of her many gifts, it would be her Russian contacts and language that proved to be so abundantly helpful!

I Corinthians 2:9
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor has entered the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

Here Comes Da Judge

February 2007
Four of us were in Orlando, Florida for yet another National Religious Broadcasters Convention. While having dinner the first evening one of the ladies suggested that we offer to pray for our waiter when he brought us our food. She and her husband did that regularly and it was such a privilege to include the server in the blessing for the food so we decided that was a good idea. And I must admit it did make us feel more spiritual. After all we were at THE NATIONAL RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS CONVENTION and so what better time to be more RELIGIOUS! Our waiter was a cute young man and so after the food was delivered we asked if we could pray for him. His eyes lit up and at once he came up with a prayer need. He had just graduated from Bible College and wanted to be a youth pastor so he needed a job. We were delighted to fill that request and did so with fervency. As the week went on we had more opportunities take prayer requests and it was always heart warming.

We stayed in a lovely hotel that offered breakfast in their deli. Every morning we would stand in line, give our order to the person behind the counter and wait until she dished it up onto paper plates and then we would find a table and enjoy our breakfast. And every morning we were met by the same woman behind the counter. She was cold, unsmiling, seemed slightly irritated no matter how hard we tried to be quick with our orders and just all in all unpleasant. After the first day we decided we would do everything we could to make her our “friend.” And so every morning we graciously greeted her with a cheery “good morning”. We put our order in with great speed and kindness which she did not acknowledge and we thanked her profusely and even complimented her dress and still she was as cold and hard as ice. She never became our F* much less our BFF**.

We left Orlando to drive back home early Friday morning. About the time the sun was coming up we stopped at a Cracker Barrel for breakfast. The restaurant was empty so the hostess led us to the table of our choice and we began to peruse the menu she had set before us.

About that time a tall, older, angular woman appeared as our waitress. She was abrupt, impatient and had only a few teeth. We ordered coffee and as she left to retrieve it for us we had some unkind words to say about the situation.

“Here we go again”!

“Only this one doesn’t have all of her teeth”

When do you think we will get a really NICE waitress for breakfast?”

I wish I could say that was as bad as it got but it wasn’t. More was said then should have been and none of it kind.

She came back with our coffee and took our order, never a soft word spoken. Ten minutes later she came back with a huge tray filled with food. Plates were passed around and just before she left one of the ladies asked, “Is there anything we can pray for you as we say the blessing?”

And at that moment a most incredible thing happened. Our waitress stopped, turned toward us and with tears in her eyes said, “Oh thank you! You can pray for my husband. He is home dying with Pancreatic cancer, and I need to work to pay the bills and can’t always be with him.”

And with that she stood at the head of our table, head bowed, eyes closed ready to pray with us. We all joined hands and prayed so fervently for this precious woman who we had maligned as her husband was home dying of cancer.

After she left, I struggled to eat. I struggled to keep back the massive amount of tears that wanted to come pouring out of my eyes. I wanted to fall at the feet of Jesus and beg His forgiveness.

After we had finished our breakfast (and it was a fairly silent one as we were all so ashamed of ourselves) our waitress came back with the check. Again as tears welled up in her eyes she thanked us profusely and ended by saying she felt God had sent us to her that morning to encourage her heart and that we had indeed done so.

It was more salt in the wound. Such kindness, such gratitude for us …the sinners.

We emptied all of our money onto the table leaving by far the largest tip I am sure she had ever received. Yet it wasn’t what we had done for her that mattered. It was what she had done for us.

But it does make me wonder about the woman behind the counter at the hotel. Did she have a similar story? Could we not have prayed for her even if there would be no “show” to it, even if she would not have ever known? We didn’t really need for her to like us. We just needed for her to love Jesus. I wish we would have prayed for that.

It all made me see clearly why our Lord insists that we do not judge others. Because we stink at it! We make judgments of those around us by only what we see…the exterior…and we have no idea what life they live, what sorrows they face, what burdens they bear.

It was one of the greatest lessons of my life I will never forget and to this day I am immensely grateful for it.

Matthew 7:1-5

Judge not that you be not judged.

For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged.

*Friend ** Best Friend Forever

Party!

It came into my mind a few years before. I had been asked to speak at a ladies’ Christmas Luncheon for a local church. It was held at The Metropolitan Club, a special events facility. From the moment I walked in the door I thought it would be a wonderful place to someday celebrate God’s goodness. I had no idea at the time, but that day would come and it would be beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

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All of the DVDs and workbooks were completed. It had been a monumental job to say the least. It had taken fives years and forty people working tirelessly. And yet for all of our hard work we knew that God had opened doors that were shut tight. He had provided almost two million dollars without us even telling anyone that we had a financial need. He had guided us and encouraged us. In fact I think we knew full well that in many ways He had done it all. And now we wanted to celebrate…celebrate the God who so graciously, kindly, faithfully made sixty- six DVDs and eleven workbooks possible.

At the first idea of a celebration The Metropolitan Club came to mind. It was beautiful. It was expensive. Yet as we looked for other facilities I kept coming back to that one knowing in my heart that the celebration was to take place there. And so after presenting the plan to the board and much discussion (the very gracious, wonderful, generous, faith-filled board) permission was given to spend the money and the party date was set: January 25, 2007 from 6:30-9:30.

I happen to believe that God truly does love celebrations and so He went before us. Within a short period of time we received a total of $17,000 from three different donors earmarked for a party!

Robin, who is a whiz on the computer, printed lovely invitations and we invited over two hundred people. Every single one of them had something to do with making the big dream come true. There were our production company, many donors, tech folks, musicians, vocalists, sixty-six brave women who had given their testimonies, our catering women, the back stage crew, our wardrobe consultant, makeup artists, writers, editors, proof readers, literary consultant and the list went on and on.

We had prayed that all would come full of joy and dressed in their party clothes and no one let us down! Each and every person who came through the door that night was absolutely radiant and “party dresses”, long and short abounded. Indeed, everyone came ready to P_A_R_T_Y!

The “living room” area at the Metropolitan club offered a perfect spot for appetizers and punch. It is a gracious, welcoming room and yet large enough to embrace all of us. The excitement was high and good cheer was the air we breathed. At 7:00 the big doors opened into the enormous dining room and it really was magical! The room was lit by candlelight and the champagne silk table clothes topped floor length black ones. Crystal lanterns adorned every table giving a sparkly, glittery appearance to the room…and it was just beautiful.

Jen Carozza, one of our favorite vocalists started us off with her jazzy rendition of “Come on Into the House”. Robin followed her with a heart felt welcome that immediately set the tone for the evening. And as all of our studies begin with the opener of The Amazing Collection, we thought it was appropriate to do the same for our evening and so it was shown up on a huge screen. And then the feasting began!

There was much more that night. There were brief speeches from the board members followed by Charles Billingsley who gave a concert and then led us in celebratory worship. Too soon the evening ended and all said good night. But I have to believe we went away believing that we had all had a glimpse of heaven. We had enjoyed the beauty of the surroundings. We had feasted on the finest food. We had been clothed in our very best. We had loved on one another. We had worshiped with full hearts. And through it all we had basked in something else.

Emmanuel.

The Celebrating God had been with us.

Psalm 5:11

But let all those rejoice who put their trust

in You.

Let them shout for joy…

Let those who love Your name

Be joyful in You.

What’s Next?

Eleanor’s screened porch overlooking the lake made a perfect place for the Big Dream Board to conduct important business. We had gathered together for two days to discuss, plan and evaluate our office, staff, and warehouse needs, finacial status and future projects. Each May we “retreat” to get a pulse on the ministry and see where God might lead us for the next year and we always come away with deeper faith in God Who has done far beyond anything we could have ever thought or asked.

After reviewing the present status, the question came up that I have heard over and over again from many of our loyal customers.

So what is next?

For the customer, that question is simple but for the board it is not because we are not the ones who set the path. It is God’s ministry and God’s will and God who we serve.

So the question really is “What does the Lord want us as a team to do next?

Linda didn’t seem to hesitate.

“We need to move forward with teaching women how to live THROUGH the Bible in their marriages and their homes. We have taught them the books of the Bible and have certainly encouraged them to study and know them all but there is a great need for women to know the ”HOW’ of living a godly Christian life.”

For years we have been intrigued, challenged and burdened with the Titus 2:3-5 command.

“Older women ….. encourage (train) the younger women to love their husbands and love their children, to be sensible, pure workers at home, kind being subject to their own husbands that the word of God may not be dishonored. “

Intrigued because it speaks to the older women in the church .

Challenged because there are so many facets to the command.

Burdened because we stand by and watch homes and marriages fall apart.

There was something about Linda’s confident statement that so resonated with each one of us. We have talked about such a curriculum for years but truthfully have not had clear guidance as to how the Lord would have us do such a thing.

So we left the screened porch and the lake and returned to our daily lives with conviction that we will pray fervently and ask God to help us help women who in turn will strengthen their homes and families and in the end bring further glory to God and His kingdom.

The following week I received a phone call from a woman I had never met. A friend of hers had encouraged her to call me. We met for lunch at a local sandwich shop. She was lovely, bright, and energetic. And she had a burning heart for women and their marriages and their families and their homes!

She had no idea that our board had just been discussing this very thing and now she had come to me with the same desire! And I began to think that perhaps God was up to something!

So what’s next for Big Dream? We do not know for sure but we do know there are signs, hints of what that direction looks like and it could be very good indeed.

Isaiah 30:21

And your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to the right or to the left.”

It’s So Simple

Frank and BeeBee got married last weekend.

No invitations were sent out but somehow word got around to all those who loved them. Two hundred of their closest friends and family showed up.

They didn’t have a budget for flowers but one of the daughters- in- law knew how much they loved vegetable gardening so had the bride’s bouquet made with an assortment of greenery and radishes and cherry tomatoes and it was beautiful as was the groom’s radish boutonniere.

Margarite volunteered music so she hauled out the old organ that is stored in the pavilion shed and the guests were welcomed with some of the much-loved hymns.

Frank arrived in his old golf cart decorated with fishing gear. He walked to the front where Pastor Joe was waiting for him and we all applauded. We couldn’t help ourselves.

The second golf cart arrived carrying BeeBee, escorted by her two sons. As soon as she stepped out of the cart I have to admit we were all taken back. She looked beautiful in her silk suit she had bought at a local consignment store for $3.50. She is petite and as a bride looked radiant with her white hair resembling a halo around her face.

Margarite began the wedding march and all of us were on our feet…well, Beloved and I were already on our feet because there was standing room only. Two grandchildren, ages about 4 and 6 came down the aisle first tossing Spring Salad Mix from little baskets, an appropriate homage to the wedding couple.

With a son on each side, BeeBee came down the down the aisle confidently to her waiting man.

Joe did a great job of conducting the ceremony and the bride and groom spoke their vows with such conviction….the conviction of two people who really knew what they what getting into and yet were willing to move forward with joy and courage.

Travis has a voice that is beautiful even in his late seventies and stood to sing “How Great Thou Art”, BeeBee and Frank’s favorite song. But emotion got the best of him and he struggled through the first verse. Then as if by some strange silent invitation, everyone joined in. It was beautiful, touching and well, holy. I cried.

The vows completed, the kiss exchanged and the wedded couple joyfully went up the aisle to wild applause.

And then before we knew it they were back in the front. Frank, tall and handsome had something to say. And he began…” I am so grateful to….and the list was a fairly long one, grateful for the friends and family who really, really loved them and had made this day so special. He spoke personally to each and every one of them, naming their contribution to the day. And then he briefly told the audience what they already knew and yet acknowledging it made it beautiful.

He was grateful for his first marriage to his beloved wife of 53 years. BeeBee was also grateful for her first husband of 46 years. And they both felt those deceased loved ones were looking on with joy. And I believe they really were.

Acknowledging God’s goodness in the past, enjoying and being so grateful for God’s goodness in the present, and looking forward to what God had for them in the future… their future together.

It was all so simple. It was all so profoundly simple and yet incredibly beautiful. It was a God-event and I will never forget it.

Simplicity. We really don’t believe it is better but it really is. I have been to many weddings and many very extravagant and expensive ones but none like this one. I walked away humbled, deeply touched and perhaps, even changed.

Maybe God doesn’t give extra credit for busier, faster, and more. Perhaps He has given us the secret but we just don’t believe Him. Maybe the secret really is simplicity. A couple of hints show up in Second Corinthians. The question is “Will I, will we, pay attention”?

For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God

and more abundantly toward you.

2 Corinthians 1:12

But I fear lest somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:5

A Chance Encounter

I wonder how many lives are totally changed by what we would consider is a ‘chance encounter’.

I had a catering business in the late seventies. We sold sandwiches and salads to a large insurance company every day. I sold a gentleman an egg and olive sandwich one day. He asked if I was a Christian. I replied I was an American therefore yes I was. He then very cheerfully asked if I was born-again. I replied no…that was only for “rednecks”. He smiled and said that in John 3 Jesus had told Nicodemas that one must be born again in order to inherit the Kingdom of God. Then he paid for his sandwich and left. That one encounter was the beginning of my journey to Christ. It was a chance encounter but really it was a “Christ” encounter.

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In December 2005, Robin and I had driven to Nashville, Tennessee for a business meeting. Because it would run late we decided to stay overnight and Robin’s husband had generously provided a balcony room overlooking the beautiful indoor gardens at the fabulous Opryland Hotel. We had spent the evening enjoying every aspect of the gorgeous resort as it was gloriously decorated for the Christmas Season.

The next morning, we rose early and walked down to the hotel dining room to order breakfast. A young man of Mexican decent waited on us. Though he spoke in halting English, he was cheerful and kind and courteous and very helpful in recommending certain dishes he thought we would enjoy. After he took our order he asked if we had big plans for the day.

I told him we were going to visit several churches and introduce them to a new Bible study we had just produced before heading back to Atlanta. With that his eyes lit up and he asked many questions about the study. Then he turned to me and asked if I had a word of encouragement for him.

Now that is a question I am not asked every day but before I knew it I had blurted out, “Be faithful!” That seemed to be a word he needed and he began telling us his story about how he came to know the Savior! It was short and exciting and we felt that the Spirit of God was simply bursting forth and filling all of us!

Soon he delivered our breakfast and his recommendations had been excellent. We simply feasted on fabulous food until not only our souls but our stomachs were full to the brim. And then a special dish arrived, a bowl of beautiful fruit with a Crème Brule dipping sauce. “A gift, he said, and with that he handed us a book, Spiritual Waiting. Robin had a set of The Amazing Collection with her and so she gave that to him. When we went to pay the bill, there was “no charge”.

In real life, two Georgia suburban women don’t have much in common with a young Mexican waiter living in Tennessee, but in God’s Kingdom we are family, brothers and sisters united by the love of Christ and we have a common Spirit and a common destiny.

I don’t know what ever happened to this “brother” of mine, but I do know he made an indelible impression on my life.

First, he made his job a place in which to bless others, bring glory to Christ and truly let his light shone.

Secondly, he gave generously. Our breakfast was not cheap. Someone had to pay for it. I feel certain he did it.

Thirdly, he was prepared. He had a significant book close by so he could share it with someone else.

And lastly but probably the most important, he had a story that he could tell in a short period of time in a way that would make an impact and not be at all offensive.

I was impressed. That was six years ago and I am still impressed!

A chance encounter…no, it was a Christ encounter and I am so grateful for each and every one of them.

1 Corinthians 2:4

And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom but

in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

Sales and Marketing

I have heard that a few seconds of advertising time on prime time TV can sell just about anything if the commercial is shaped right. But there are many ways to sell. Sometimes it is a billboard or an advertisement in a magazine, a display in a department store, or a 30 minute sales presentation. Marketing is big business for sure.

I remember a time when we were invited to enjoy a free weekend at a nearby resort if we would only spend 30 minutes listening to an informative talk by one of their sales representatives. And so, needing a little time away and thinking this was a great opportunity we took the bait. After enjoying all of the amenities of this luxury resort we gladly sat through the 30 minutes required. At the end of the sales presentation we were ready to sign on the dotted line and part with all of our saving. By the grace of God we had the good sense to ask for an hour to think about it. In that time we called a dear and wise friend who gave us ten good reasons this was a BAD idea and rescued us from a terrible mistake. But it proved that we are easily persuaded by good marketing!

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We were in a bind. We had devoted four years to developing and producing a Bible Study we were convinced would help women understand every book in God’s Word. We had begun to receive a great deal of affirmation through women who were doing the study. It was changing not only the way they looked at God’s Word but it was also changing their lives. Now we had to find a way of letting churches and small groups know the study was available. They could not do the study if they did not know about it! The problem was simply how we could we get that kind of information into their hands. And so we decided we needed a marketing person.

I had met Nicole, a lovely young woman, at one of the National Religious Broadcasters Conventions who had impressed me greatly. She was a marketing rep for a huge Christian organization that specialized in massive events for women. We hit it off immediately. And so whenever she would come to Atlanta from Texas she would stop by my house for a cup of tea and good conversation.

Meanwhile, the Board began to pray more intensely for a marketing person. We had no idea who God might send us but we knew we needed someone with experience as we knew nothing about sales. One afternoon Nicole dropped by and brought Rachel, one of her sale associates. We were sitting on the porch sipping ice tea when I said, “Why don’t you two quit your jobs and come work with us!” I had said that to Nicole on numerous occasions and we both knew I was joking (sort of!).

But today the response nearly blew me away. Rachel answered, “I am moving to Atlanta to be closer to family. My sister lives here and I will be looking for a job. I have a degree in sales and marketing and also three years of experience in the same company Nicole is with, and I would be so happy to investigate further what you have in mind!”

A week later we had a contract for Rachel. The added bonus was that she would be living with her sister for a while until she could find a place to stay. Her sister just happened to live a very short distance from the office!

Rachel was with us for about three years. She met a man, got engaged then married and then pregnant before she decided to stay home and be a mom. But she was a gift to us right from the Throne of Grace!

But it is still amazing to me how God brought us what we needed at just the right time and in such a creative way.

Philippians 4:19

And my God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Disappointment

Sometime people can just let you down. In fact it doesn’t have to be a person. Just last week we came home after being out later than usual only to find that our good-dog Jim had taken a pound cake off the kitchen counter, unwrapped it neatly, ate half of it, and, unable to rewrap and put it back on the counter, he just left it on the floor and waited for us by the door. As soon as we came through that door he took off like a shot and hid for a half an hour. Two nights later, I couldn’t sleep so I got up to do some reading only to find good-dog Jim on my new love seat sound a sleep. He disappointed me. It happens.

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December 2005

Robin Rosebrough, who was overseeing our sales, and I had been working on trying to find the best ways to market The Amazing Collection. We had met with outstanding businessmen whose tremendous advice was so helpful and appreciated. But we really needed someone to take on the marketing and do it for us!

John Eames, our dear friend and literary agent, came into town and so we were able to meet with him at some length. He listened carefully and then said he would like to see if one of his acquaintances who he knew in Nashville would meet with us. John said Mr. X (as I will call him) was a marketing genius. He knew everything about marketing and he knew everyone in the industry. John told us he would see if he could set up a meeting. So a week later we received a call! Mr. X indeed would meet with us in Nashville on November 30!

It was decided that Robin and I would make the trip and so the two of us drove up in the morning arriving at John Eames’ house just before our scheduled appointment. We jumped in John’s car and drove to the restaurant, a quiet and lovely place perfect for the meeting.

I understand business men do this all the time but we were still seeing ourselves mainly as homemakers and wives and moms. All of this was pretty heady stuff and to say we were excited and nervous is an understatement. Had we been getting ready to meet the president I don’t think we would have been more excited and awestruck.

Mr. X proved to be all we hoped he would be and more. He was very sanguine, so warm and friendly right from the first handshake. He was gracious and kind and asked a million questions…all that we enjoyed answering! (It is always a heady experience to recount the history of Big Dream because every time we do our God gets more grand and powerful as we relive the many great and awesome miracles.)

After over an hour of answering, he seemed genuinely impressed. And then he began to talk and when he did he painted incredible pictures of all that he would do for us. He wanted us to meet with the VP of one of the largest Christian publishers in the country and he just happened to know him personally. He continued, telling us how this study was a goldmine and that if the meeting with the VP did not go well then there was a Plan B and a Plan C. He would see that we were well taken care of in the marketing arena and he wanted to do it all for free!

The meeting lasted two and a half hours. At the end, we said good-bye to our new best friend Mr. X, John drove us back to our car and Robin and I headed home. I do think we could have flown home without any help from a car or plane. We were ecstatic and overwhelmed with all of Mr. X’s good promises! We had found such favor in his eyes and he had promised us so many wonderful “gifts”! His talent and marketing passion was JUST what we needed! We felt as if all of heaven had opened up and poured such rich blessings on us. And we couldn’t wait to have the chance to meet with the very important VP and the see if we needed to go to plan B or plan C! What a meeting! What a day! What a promise!

That was the last we ever heard from Mr. X.

Sometimes people disappoint. But God never does.

The Lord is righteous in her midst

He never fails.

Zephaniah 3:5

All Things Together

Can anything good come out of death? I remember asking myself that question when, soon after my father had become critically ill and the reality of loosing him had come into sharp focus, I came across Romans 8:28. It says “all things work together for the good….” But surely nothing good could come out of the death of a loved one!
It is a serious question and I suppose it is asked at many gravesides on a daily, if not hourly basis. The pain is so great. The loss is so intense. Yet now years later I see that yes indeed, even in death, good things can come forth.

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September 2005

We needed a testimony for First Thessalonians. Several years earlier, we had all known Susan, a lovely young woman who was dying of cancer. She asked if we could film her testimony and we were delighted to do that for her….and then she asked if it could be shown to the hundreds of ladies in our weekly women’s ministry. Susan’s story testified to the goodness of God and her hope in Him for eternity. It was so profound that the response from her words was incredible and the impact dynamic. Our sweet friend died a few months later.

Years passed and her husband remarried. We were getting ready to assemble the components of the book of First Thessalonians and realized that Susan’s story would be the perfect testimony for us to use. So we contacted her husband. Would he agree to sign the release form allowing us to use the clip in The Amazing Collection?

He agreed to sign and we sent him the paper work but weeks went by and it was not returned. Genie and Colin (our two co-leaders in finding proper testimonies) called repeatedly and always received a promise to sign but that promise was never fulfilled.

Months and months went by with repeated calls and still no signed papers so we asked Art to call him. Art had been his pastor and we thought he would be able to get a definite answer for us. He graciously made the call and again received a promise to sign and send but after waiting a few more weeks we realized that for a reason we could not understand, this was not going to happen. We were all very frustrated and anxious because we were working now on a VERY tight deadline.

So we prayed asking God to give us the perfect testimony for this special book.

Colin was reading Discipleship Journal a magazine that was put out by Navpress and came across an article written by the editor, a woman whose sister, Gaye-Lynn Smith, had died of cancer. However, just before she died, her church had filmed her glorious testimony. Colin called me immediately to see if we could get it and I called a contact at Navpress in Colorado Springs, Colorado who was able to get the name of the editor who in turn gave me the name of the pastor who lived in Virginia who had the film and he called his son who owned the production company who had done the filming. The pastor gave Colin the name of the husband who now lived in New Guinea and she was able to obtain permission to include Gaye-Lynn’s testimony in the study, and then the production company sent us a copy on a DVD disc. We were good to go…and none too soon!

Can anything good come out of death? Susan spoke into the camera from her living room couch to women she knew and had enjoyed. Her message was for them and so she gave glory to God while she was days away from stepping into the presence of God. Hundreds of women were forever impacted as they listened to her message on a big screen in the church auditorium and none who were there that day will ever forget her powerful words.

Gaye-Lynn lay in a hospital knowing that she only had a few days on this earth. She spoke into a camera, not knowing who would ever see her or hear her words. Yet today, thousands of women sit in auditoriums, church classrooms, or home small groups and hear Gayle-Lynn’s story, and around the world through over seven overseas broadcasting stations in five languages millions of people can see and hear Gaye-Lynn’s message of hope and confident trust in her Savior.

Some day I know I will have the privilege of meeting Gaye-Lynn Smith and when I do it will be a great joy to tell her that her story literally was seen in almost every country in the world and God received the glory.

Behind Romans 8:28 is GOD. It is He alone who can and will work mightily to bring great good even out of death.

Romans 8:28

And we know that God causes all things to work together for the good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes.

Big Concepts – Easy Formula

Big concepts are sometimes hard to explain. For instance my husband has tried (unsuccessfully) to explain Pi-squared to me but he might as well be talking Greek. The size of the universe, eternity and infinity are also some of those pretty difficult things for the average mind to comprehend. And then of course there are those touchy conversations that we have with children when they have heard things that are too adult for their understanding and so we muddle around trying to put hard concepts into child-like terms.  

But to most of us, the Bible also can be complex and confusing. So often we have spent years studying adverbs and verbs and intricacies but never fully grasp the big picture.

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After we had completed filming all sixty-six books we decided it would be very helpful if we developed a seminar that would introduce the whole Bible to churches that were going to be doing the study. We wanted cover the Bible in a simple understandable way in a three hour seminar And so Linda, Eleanor and I went back to the “drawing board” and began meeting regularly to see if it was even possible.

We had all of the charts and notes laid out before us. We talked about the different books and how we might present them in a clear and simple way, a way that anyone could understand even if they had never even touched a Bible before. We went in one direction and then another and then something happened. It was as if God Himself revealed a very simple formula, one that we had never seen before.

There were the Old Testament History Books, seventeen in all.
Then there were the five Old Testament Poetical Books, really books of writings, definitely not history, but books that added insight and direction for Christian living.
And then there were seventeen Old Testament Prophetical Books. So the Old Testament could be simplified into HISTORY – WRITINGS – PROPHECY.

Well that seemed simple enough and all of a sudden we had described the entire Old Testament.

But then came the surprise! As we looked at the New Testament we saw the exact same pattern. HISTORY (the Gospels and Acts) WRITINGS (Paul’s letters and other letters) and PROPHECY (Revelation)

So three words could sum up the whole Bible. History Writings Prophecy and then again History, Writings, Prophecy!

It was a complete revelation to us all. We had never seen it before but there it was: the structure of both Testaments!

Hard concepts made easy.

And so we each took one of the OT sections and one from the NT section and developed six 40 minute teaching sessions. Then we added music with two of our favorite vocalist, Verna Law and Jen Carozza. Dennis Law joined the team to run the sound and video clips we had added to the program. A workbook that included notes and outlines were written and printed along with six color-coded memory cards with the names of the books and symbols for each section.

We taught the seminars for the next two years and then decided to put all of the information into a six-week Bible Study, Invincible Love / Invisible War. But to this day those three words are clued to my brain….History, Writings Prophecy….hard concepts made easy.

Psalm 19:7

The testimony of the Lord is sure

Making wise the simple.

The Fashionista

I have always thought that if there was such a thing as reincarnation (which there is not!) I would like to come back as a “fashionista”. This is a term used to define a woman with a penchant for shopping and a natural flair for combining both current and vintage fashionable trends. I have a few friends that fit that description and it seems to me that they can put together a smashing outfit with little or no effort. And when they go shopping, which they seem to have time to do often, they find the most lovely items for the best prices! Getting dressed for them is a joy and going to special occasions is simply an opportunity to display their creativity.

Then there are people like me. Shopping and root canals are in the same category. Finding an outfit for a special occasion throws me into a tail spin. I usually have no more than about five minutes to rush into Marshalls or Steinmart to find the perfect dress. As the minutes tick away to six, seven, eight, nine ... the anxiety level increases until I finally race out in frustration, only to put off choosing the perfect dress to another time when I might be able to find another five minutes to squeeze out of the day.

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God makes it pretty clear in Scripture that He dresses the lilies of the field. I am not sure I truly believed that until the day we filmed “God Will Open Up The Windows and Pour You Out a Blessing” a great song written by Babbie Mason.

We had reserved the Alpharetta Methodist Church for the filming. We had arranged for a large choir from Destiny Church to fill the choir loft and be a part of the song. Wonderful Babbie Mason and Jen Carozza had agreed to do the duet. Everything was in place AND we even had hired John and his boom camera.

But then the night of June 7, 2005 came and the weather did not cooperate. A massive rain storm covered the area and driving was hazardous. I arrived at the church only to find that Soteria and their crew were setting up but no one else was there.

About fifteen minutes later, a few of the participants from Destiny Church straggled in and then twenty minutes later a few more. Now we had about twelve members of the choir. But soon word came that the rest could not make it. We were at a standstill waiting to see if Jen and Babbie could weather the storm that raged outside.

At seven thirty they walked in carrying huge piles of clothes. They had come in separate cars and had not discussed dress with each other before arriving. Kelle and I ushered them back to the bride’s dressing room to see just which outfits would work the best. They put their mini-wardrobes down on the couches and stood back. That is when we noticed it. They HAD ON perfect -I mean perfect- outfits that coordinated so beautifully one would have thought a true “fashionista” had made all of the decisions for the clothes. And indeed, at that moment I felt HE had!

The choir of fifty never materialized. Instead the group of twelve turned out to be exactly what was needed for the type of song we had chosen. Their great enthusiasm, musical talent extraordinary patience and stage presence absolutely made the music DVD better than anything we could have ever imagined.

Three hours later as we were packing up cameras, sound equipment and unused clothes I realized the song really did fit this occasion. God really did open up the windows and He had poured out upon us all a really great blessing.

 

Matthew 6:28

So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:

they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory

was not arrayed like one of these.

Be Patient

When our kids were little we loved to sing along with tapes whenever we were traveling in the car. One of the songs went like this;

Be patient, be patient
Don’t be in such a hurry.
When you are impatient
You only start to worry!
Remember, remember that God is patient too,
And think of all the time that He has had to wait on you!

It is a catchy little verse and the truth is that even now that our children are grown with children of their own, that little song still sticks firmly in my head!

Webster’s dictionary says patience is “calm endurance of hardship or annoyance or inconvenience or delay”.

And it is this very thing, PATIENCE, that seems so important to God. We are told to bear fruit with patience. It is by our patience that we will gain life. We are to have patience in hope, and pursue it, knowing that faith produces patience. The list is fairly impressive and the bottom line is that God wants us to have it and anyone who reads the stories of His children in the Bible can attest to the fact that He even produces opportunities for us to learn patience in all kinds of creative ways!

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As Christians we are often encouraged to journal. That usually comes through various sermons or seminars or conferences. But for some reason the purpose of journaling seems elusive. I mean after all who has the time? And besides surely we will remember all God has done for us.

Well I have come up with a really, really good reason to journal: it gives us the rest of the story. Through a journal you can read about a crisis and then pages (or journals!) later find out how it got resolved. It helps us see that God can ask us to be patient because He is at work whether we realize it or not!

For instance, I have written more than a hundred times throughout the years words that shout crisis! Here are some from Big dream Ministries:

“We have no money and I don’t know where we will get any.”

“NO ONE is buying The Amazing Collection and our warehouse is full of product!”

“We have a shipment coming on Friday and no place to put everything!”

“ We need personal testimonies for the next four books and there is no “story” in sight!”

Well I could bore you, the reader, with many, many more such outcries but I will spare you. The point is that I DO have a journal and I can read forward to see how the story ends. And in every case, the great and terrifying crisis turned out to be just another opportunity to trust Christ. And in the end (never early) He brought about more than we could have ever imagined.

So for the rest of the story:
We received almost two million dollars in four years that paid completely for production…just in time.

Today hundreds of churches and small groups across the country are doing the study.
And we have had to reorder workbooks over and over again to keep up with the demand.

A warehouse came available only a mile from the office….just in time.

And of course every book ended up with a fabulous personal story as the “story teller’ showed up just in time.

Patience. When I read the end of the stories it grieves me that I EVER worried. It was a huge waste of time and energy for sure. There was so much hand wringing and sleepless nights…..instead of simple joy that all was in the Savior’s hands and He would lead the way and provide.

So that is a great reason to cultivate patience. It basically says, “I trust God and He is faithful”.

As I write the above words it surely seems easy. But sometimes the battles are huge. My nephew is battling cancer at the age of 42. My friend is struggling with a rebellious daughter. And we have many folks that we love dearly who are out of work. There is much to worry about.

UNTIL I read a few pages of my journal …. and then I remember the song,

“Be patient, be patient
Don’t be in such a hurry
If you grow impatient
you only start to worry…..”

I don’t know how God will resolve the issues at hand but some day I don’t want to look back and see that much time and emotional anxiety was wasted because I did not trust that God is good, and He is faithful and He is at work, and that He has heard my prayers.

He simply says, “Be patient”.

But let patience have its perfect work,

that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

James 1:4