Father Knows Best

2010 has started with numerous full circle moments because they seem to be popping up everywhere I turn these days.

Childhood pictures of my two older brothers and myself are hard to come by. We do have a few black and white photos, but color photographs are almost obsolete. Our mother tells us most of our treasured pictures were destroyed by flood waters. God always seems to know when I need a little "wink" from Heaven and He sent me one today.

A few years ago, my grandmother's brother passed away and sometime later his daughter was rummaging through some old photos. She discovered a few photos she thought we might be interested in. You can imagine how thrilled we were when we opened the thick envelope and colored pictures of us as kids dropped out. In the picture above I am the little girl dangling Bongo, a children's picture book, from my hand. I'm clenching another unknown book in my other hand.

Of all the pictures she could have sent, she sends one of me holding a children's book. Somehow that spoke to me. It seemed it was already in God's plan for me to write for little ones. I pray my words will help shape small souls for Jesus!

After examining the picture for a few minutes, I brushed a tear or two from my eyes, and took another sentimental journey. I was probably around eight and visiting my paternal grandma. She had cut and stapled a few sheets of white paper together and told me to write a book about anything I wanted to. I began to write about an oriental woman, who worshipped idols. I remember titling my story Mae Sue's God.

Fast forward forty years later, I was hired by a precious Vietnamese woman named Mai Spencer to ghostwrite her life's story. Mai had been a Buddhist for most of her life, but when she lost her third child she called out to Jesus and her life was forever changed. I didn't write about Mae Sue's God, but I did write about Mai Spencer's God. ;-)

I don't believe in coincidence. I know this was Divine providence.

2010 is the year of full circle moments. Be on the lookout for them. ;-) They will build your faith in a Father who always knows best.

Full Circle Moments

Defining moments - we all have them. A place and time when you reflect on incidences that changed your perspective forever. You realized your purpose and marched to the beat of a heavenly drum.

This week our church called for a week of prayer. Every morning and every evening we meet for an hour and seek the Lord. Tonight as we prayed the Lord's presence was so near. In stillness and quietness, you could sense the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of the prayer warriors. My soul was overcome with an attitude of gratitude for the way God had led our family. As I was thanking the Lord for His faithfulness, my husband led out in a familiar chorus.

Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name.
He has done great things! He has done great things! He has done great things!
Bless His holy name.

As we sang, I reflected on past answers to prayer and those memories boosted my faith for the future. I knew the same God who had taken us through in the past was going to walk beside me in the future. And at that moment I was reminded of a story I had heard from my grandfather about a tragedy that happened to my great-uncle years before I was born.

Uncle Ernie was my paternal grandfather's baby brother. Right after he married and had two children, he bought a house in Floyd, Iowa. In January in the 1930s, he lost his house to a house fire. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but they lost everything. They decided to not rebuild, but moved to Oklahoma, where they lived until Uncle Ernie passed away.

Fifty years later, my husband Paul accepted a pastoral position at a little church in Floyd, Iowa. This church was built on the very lot where my Great-Uncle's house had burned to the ground. As God blessed the congregation, a building project for a new sanctuary was started. As the construction workers started to dig, they hit the foundation from my great-uncle's old home. A chipped ceramic coffee cup was salvaged and brought to me for inspection.

"I bet it was Uncle Ernie's coffee mug." I said staring at the old cup.

It was a full circle moment for me. My husband and I have now served the congregation of the Gospel Lighthouse Church in Floyd, Iowa, for nearly 30 years. A few years ago, Uncle Ernie's son Eldon built the cabinets and book shelves for my husband's new office. Even though Eldon was only five years old when the tragedy occured, he still remembers watching the flames devour his home. God has restored in ways above and beyond our wildest dreams. Eighty years ago my family suffered over the loss of their home, but now in that very spot stands a church. The fire that once destroyed the hopes and dreams of a young family has now been replaced by an eternal fire, which offers hope to whosoever will may come.