ebenezers

The following is taken from Beth Moore's Believing God:
      "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the Lord helped us'" (1 Sam. 7:12)
       Ebenezer means "stone of help."  As we walk out the remainder of our time line of faith, let's keep memorializing God's obvious interventions and spiritual markers through stones of remembrance.  In the meantime, by faith let's walk with a (figurative) stone in our hand as an "Ebenezer" until we see the next astonishing evidence or spiritual marker and lay it on our line. You see, the "Ebenezer" stone constantly reminds us, "Thus far has the Lord helped us." In other words, with God's help we're making is so far, and we'll make it some more.

You probably noticed the title of the blog has changed.

I've been back from Texas for just about a week and a half, and have had plenty of time to digest the things I experienced while back home.

It's still hard for me to believe that I'm living in Falls Church, VA - and as much as I find it hard to believe, I also find that I don't deserve it, by any means.  The Lord has grown me an awful lot since bringing me up here - mostly in areas I didn't aware I needed growth in.

I was in Texas for the week before Labor Day weekend and flew back up here on Labor Day.

For 22 years we've been having a "family reunion" at my parents house in Frankston on this weekend. This was our 22nd year. So practically, all of my life.

For 22 years it's been mostly the same people, with a few dropping off and adding a few.

For 22 years it's been the "fat camp" weekend (meaning, all we do is eat, play cards and shoot guns)

For 22 years it's been one of my favorite weekends.

But this year, it came in a whole new light.  For awhile now, since around my last semester at college, I've been praying that on my trips back to Frankston, that I would love and serve - just like I do 99% time.  Only, when I go back home - it seems so easy to fall back into the way "thing always were."

I hated that. I didn't realize how much I couldn't do it on my own, to not act in the way I grew up acting, fighting for a place and doing whatever it took to get it.

But this year - was different.  I found the most joy when I was serving and helping. Whether cooking, bathing children, feeding the 14 dogs, or just doing something I really didn't care to do (there are a number of those things).  I'm thankful for that, I'm thankful that this year - it didn't all fall on my mom to do everything.  That for maybe the first time, it seemed like she wasn't doing it all.

I mean, really, 20ish people at your home for an entire weekend? It's like an army invasion. Especially with all the kiddos.  And the older the kids get, the more of an army it will become. But an army I wouldn't trade for anything.

So back to the title change.

I spent some time just thinking while back home, about how many things I could look back on, in my life - and clearly see that the Lord had His hand over me.  When in most of the situations, let's be honest - all of them... He probably should have just let me go for how wretched I was being - but instead, because of His sovereignty and grace, He chose to dust off my trail and call me back home.

I'm thankful for His grace.

I'm thankful He's in control.

and most importantly, for His unwavering, unconditional love.
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I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!

He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary,
And suffered and died alone.

When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
Will be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me.