These are my Nanny's hands.  They held the hand of a godly man for almost 60 years and nursed him as he breathed his last breath.  They have raised two godly children.  They have loved on six grandchildren, nineteen great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren.  They have planted gardens and canned many fruits and veggies.  They have operated a radio at a military base during WWII spotting for enemy plans along the TX border.  They have inspired me, loved me and encouraged me many times...they've even disciplined me a time or two.  I pray my hands are this beautiful when I'm 99 and 3/4's.  I love you Nanny, you're the best!

It's Thoughtful Thursday...

I know the last Thoughtful Thursday was about was about my 10 year old son, but both my girls are out of town this week so it's about him again.  I'm glad.  He's a thoughtful boy.  This morning was an early morning in our house, but I wanted to stay in bed until the last possible moment.  (you know, hitting snooze 4 or 5 times)  Canon (our 23 month old) is now sleeping in a "Big Boy" bed in the same room with Cadence.  So, this morning when Canon woke up before my alarm went off, Cadence came to let me know, but also took Canon's juice to him and told me to stay in bed a little longer.  Loved that!

"Faith Comes By Hearing"

What an amazing outreach.

International (MNN) ― In response to hearing God's Word in their own language for the first time, millions of people are coming to Christ around the world.

Faith Comes By Hearing is making this possible by recording dramatized New Testaments on Proclaimers--digital and solar devices that make audio Scripture easily accessible to anyone, no matter how remote their village is.

Morgan Jackson, president of Faith Comes By Hearing, describes the reactions of people as the FCBH teams enter villages and share Christ for the first time: "People who have never heard God's Word in their own language are in shock when they hear it for the first time. They gather the whole community. You push the button [on the Proclaimer], and it's like ... all sound disappears."

After they have listened for a few moments, there are generally two reactions to what they hear. Besides shock, others break into tears as they hear the Words of Christ in their own language because they were convinced that God had forgotten about them or refused to speak their language.

Once the initial shock wears off, many receive Christ or are filled with questions which may eventually lead them to faith. Regardless of whether it's immediate or delayed, millions are accepting the Gospel.

In India specifically, one church-planter has seen his ministry expand from 19 villages, 11 churches, and 1500 listeners to 24 villages, 15 churches, and 1900 listeners in just one year.

So far, FCBH has recorded New Testaments in 460 languages, and translators start a new language about every two days. Also, they have around 500,000 listening groups worldwide, which offer discussions and discipleship for new believers and interested seekers.

However, FCBH does not want to stop there. "Our long-term objective by 2016 is to record every language that has a New Testament translation and to start two million Faith Comes By Hearing listening groups," said Jackson.

The number of languages with current New Testament translations is about 2,000, so Faith Comes By Hearing has a long road ahead.

FCBH and partner ministry Wycliffe Bible Translators continue cautiously, yet not discouraged. And you can help. It takes just $157 to reach a whole community with the hope of Christ in their native language, or $1.57 for one person.

Help today by visiting http://faithcomesbyhearing.com or calling (800)545-6552.

http://www.mnnonline.org/article/14345

Wisdom from a Dove wrapper...

So yesterday was Thursday...

I had a headache for most of the day and didn't find myself too thoughtful.  My son (Cadence), however, was extremely thoughtful.  He has not been feeling good for a few days, (Some yucky stomach bug that the three big kids have passed around.) but he still tried to keep Canon occupied so I could rest.  I'm thankful for that.

Thoughtful Thursdays...

So... if you've followed me at all, you know how terribly inconsistent I am at keeping up with the site.  So now I'm going to add tons of guilt induced posts by making every Thursday..."Thoughtful Thursday".  "Sandi...what is Thoughtful Thursday?", you ask.  Well, I'm so glad you did.  Every Thursday (hopefully), I'm going to post something about a thoughtful deed my family has been involved in.  Now, I also hope, that my lack of posting will NOT be an indicator of our lack of thoughtfulness, but of my inconsistency in posting.  I really do have thoughtful children and I want to make a point of catching them doing something good.


Stay tuned...this should be good.

Pain As A Teacher

Pain is a tough teacher.  It's not one to ask permission before it begins it's lesson for you.  My prayer is, and has always been, when I go through one of these episodes with my back, that I will use the time I spend immobile to really listen to God.  I'm not so sure I'm getting any better at it.  I whine and moan about the pain.  I cry and worry that "this may be the time I end up in a wheelchair for good.  I become anxious thinking about what my family will do if that happens.  How will they function?  What alterations will we have to make on our home to accommodate a wheelchair...blah, blah, blah.  I must admit, it all begin to happen again for me.  All of the "what if's" began to flood in and my mind was reeling from it all.  I started feeling sorry for myself.  I'm a pessimist by nature (did ya get that?) so it's easy for me to go to the negative place first. I was hoping the x-rays our chiropractor took would give us a clue to what is going on in there.  They weren't conclusive at all.

I had to stop myself mid-thought to regroup and change my mind.  That's not an easy practice either.  I took myself to exactly the place the enemy wanted me to go.  The place of discouragement.  When I asked the Holy Spirit to redirect me, He took me to Psalm 18.  One of my favorite places in scripture.  I love that He always comes to our rescue.


Psa 18:2-19  You are my mighty rock, my fortress, my protector, the rock where I am safe, my shield, my powerful weapon, and my place of shelter.  I praise you, LORD!  I prayed, and you rescued me from my enemies. Death had wrapped its ropes around me, and I was almost swallowed by its flooding waters. Ropes from the world of the dead had coiled around me, and death had set a trap in my path.  I was in terrible trouble when I called out to you, but from your temple you heard me and answered my prayer.  The earth shook and shivered, and the mountains trembled down to their roots. You were angry and breathed out smoke. Scorching heat and fiery flames spewed from your mouth.  You opened the heavens like curtains, and you came down with storm clouds under your feet. You rode on the backs of flying creatures and swooped down with the wind as wings. Darkness was your robe; thunderclouds filled the sky, hiding you from sight. Hailstones and fiery coals lit up the sky in front of you.  LORD Most High, your voice thundered from the heavens, as hailstones and fiery coals poured down like rain.  You scattered your enemies with arrows of lightning.  You roared at the sea, and its deepest channels could be seen. You snorted, and the earth shook to its foundations.  You reached down from heaven, and you lifted me from deep in the ocean.  You rescued me from enemies, who were hateful and too powerful for me.  On the day disaster struck, they came and attacked, but you defended me.  When I was fenced in, you freed and rescued me because you love me.