Jehovah Jireh

I don't post much any more about my health. I still live with deep-rooted issues that no one can figure out. I've worked with 9 different practitioners, both conventional and natural, and there are very few answers. I get up 3-8 times a night to go to the bathroom. I have to take meds and supplements; I struggle with hormone imbalance and chronic fatigue. I go through phases of wanting desperately to find answers and/or have the Lord fully heal. At the same time, I am surrendered to His perfect will and timeline.

17 months ago I was at a place of great suffering with my health. It was then that I was going to start my job at the church. I didn't have a clue how I was going to be able to do this job but I knew God had told me to take it.

He clearly said, "Trust Me." And then I believe He told me what I needed to do for that sustenance.

I have experienced sustaining from the Lord throughout these 17 months. I have not missed one day of work because of my ongoing health issues. My root issues are not gone; I suffer from flares and have ups and downs in my health on a regular basis. However, He sustains. He is faithful and trustworthy.

I have continued to pray for His help with my physical issues. I have recently been asking for specific things. And He provides.

Just this week I was thrown a curve ball when I unexpectedly had to "lose" my entire Monday off. I ended up taking The Prairie Kid to school and spending most of the day at work. I thought, "Oh no! This is not good! I will crash by Thursday." My days of rest have been vital for me to get through the long, demanding duties of both my job and my role as a mom and wife. My schedule is a roller coaster, one day I run hard and the next I take time to rest. Up and down, up and down. And when I have to give up the rest it is really hard and sometimes I feel like I hit bottom.

I figured that would be the case this week. I prayed about it and asked the Lord to provide the energy, sustenance and balance I needed so that I wouldn't crash hard.

It is Thursday. I haven't crashed. : ) I am experiencing Jehovah Jireh, "The Lord will provide" in a very tangible way this week.

Thank You, Father. Thank You.

One Of My Favorite Nights

This was the 3rd year that I was a part of the mid-week program at our church. Before I became a staff member I was a volunteer leader for this program. It is a ministry that requires much time, commitment, perseverance, and creativity. The program is offered Wednesday evenings from September until sometime in April to 2 year olds through 5th graders. It takes a team of 10-15 people to pull off, not including the dinner crew.

We began at 5:40 every Wednesday with our team meeting. Dinner was at 6 with up to 70 people eating in our church lobby and from 6:30 to 8:00 we offered programs that included music, drama, crafts, games, and much more.

This team becomes close; we go through many experiences together that create a tight bond. And at the end of the year we come together to celebrate what God has done.

The team dinner is one of my favorite nights of the year. It is a time for me to get to bless, pamper, and show love and appreciation to a team that has worked their tails off, faithfully served, and finished well. I know God is saying "well done my good and faithful servant" to each one of these treasured people.

I had a lot of fun getting the meal ready and as I did so was able to treasure up in my heart the blessing each of these team members is.

I wanted to make it a special evening and so I tried to set a very pretty table for them...


The menu was:

Caesar Salad
Ribeye Steak
Baked Potato
Broccoli Blasted
Iced Tea, Coffee, Water

And for dessert...

Amaretto Cheesecake Berry Trifle

garnished with a white chocolate cross and fanned strawberry

It was so neat to think about each of these wonderful people as I put together their dessert!

One of the small groups in our church volunteers to serve our dinner so that I can enjoy the meal with the team and not be running to and from the kitchen. They are a fun group and the men get really into it and put a white towel over their arm when they come to serve. We joked around and laughed. I had a little bit of steak left that I wanted to wrap up and take home. I teased that it'd better be packaged up in a foil swan.

They returned to the table with this...

What a hoot!

These are the times when I sit back and think "this is what the Body of Christ is supposed to be. Together we serve, love, grow, celebrate and give God the glory." Amen.