We too need to be replenished…restored…revived. 
To fill our dry wells of our souls with the life giving nourishment that we need. 
Just like the weather, we can experience dry cycles that alternate with the cycles that replenish.

What causes this drought in our lives?
Isolation
Greed
Stubbornness
Illness
Selfishness
Death
Betrayal

The list could go on and on…

Is your tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth? So much so that you feel you cannot even utter a cry for help? 
Guess what…here is the good news! 
Refreshment is here the weather has changed in your favor.

Let your soul send your roots down deep and drink up the love and strength that is waiting for you

Lamentations 3:19-24 
“The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison.
I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed.
Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing:
The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue,
Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.
The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.”
(GNT)

Be restored…

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
 I need you to fill me back up…I know that you are just a prayer away 
so I call upon your Holy Name for you to answer…
not how I want…
but what you know I need. 
Thank you for your faithfulness. 
Amen.

Some of you may say, “But I do not believe in God”. 
Here is a fact that you may have over looked…

He believes in YOU!

John 3:16, 
“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, 
so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” 
(CEV)



Caprice <><

Remember the Peanuts cartoons by Charles Schultz? 
I heard a sermon that opened with the following…

Lucy is in her psychology booth and 
Charlie had stopped in for some advice…

“Life is like a deck chair Charlie, on the cruise ship of life,
some people place their deck chair at the rear of the ship
so they can see where they’ve been.

 Others place their chair at the front of the ship so they can see where they are going.” Lucy then asks,

“Which way is your deck chair facing?”
Charlie responds without hesitation,

 “I can’t even get my deck chair unfolded.”

Some days I can really relate to the difficulty of
getting my deck chair opened.

And usually this difficulty comes from uncertainty about
where I am going or where I have been.

First step…start by getting that chair open… 
take it one step at a time you can do it!

Then proceed to the rear of the ship and the past..

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is united with the Anointed One,
that person is a new creation.
The old life is gone—and see—a new life has begun!”
(Voice)

Did you catch that?

If I believe God gave us Jesus…
the One chosen by God to provide us with a future…
a new start…
those things of my past…
my old way of doing things are gone…
no more do I need to linger in my former approach to life…
because I have been made new.

Reflection is good…

"Live thoughtfully today
and you won't have to live regretfully tomorrow."
-  Woodrow Kroll

So when you look to where you have been…remember who holds you up as you go.

Joshua 1:9
“This is my command—be strong and courageous!
Do not be afraid or discouraged.
For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 
(NLT)

As you gather perspective…
be determine to have the capacity to view things in their true 
relations or relative importance

This will help you to set your goals for the future and then
To function in the present

So as far as 2015 is concerned

1 Corinthians 15:58
My dear brothers and sisters,
stay firmly planted--
be unshakable--
do many good works in the name of God,
and know that all your labor is not for nothing when it is for God.” 
(VOICE)

Set your course for a worthy future!

Life is definitely worth the living!
Life is precious...not what is convenient for the moment.

Psalm 139:13-16, You created every part of me;
    you put me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because you are to be feared;
    all you do is strange and wonderful.
    I know it with all my heart.
 When my bones were being formed,
    carefully put together in my mother's womb,
when I was growing there in secret,
    you knew that I was there--
you saw me before I was born.
The days allotted to me
    had all been recorded in your book,
    before any of them ever began." (GNT)

Although sometimes...
how we view our world can greatly influence
the decisions we make or how we go about the daily process of living. 

Psalm 90:12, Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." (NLT)

The things that happen to you...around you...all can pivot your world one way or the other.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9, We often suffer, but we are never crushed. 
Even when we don’t know what to do,
 we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, 
and when we are knocked down, 
we get up again. (CEV)


The following is the first part of an interview that I did last summer on the 
"The Barb Marshall Show" with Love your Life Ministries.
I hope you enjoy a snap shot of my heart and how I have been carefully shaped and molded by the Lord. 
If for some reason you are unable to view this video you will need to go to the web site   
 http://www.crossroads-ukiah.org/womens-blog

When Libby and I had finished our tour of the school grounds we went and sat on a bench in the back of the crowd. But then…unbeknown to us…we were escorted to the stage and were to become part of the honored guests. I cannot tell you how uncomfortable I felt. Here we sat in a place of honor for nothing we had done! Unprepared and not dressed properly. They gave us decorated medallions, sang songs to us and mentioned CSB-Dr and BGR in their speeches, thanking God for us.

Philippians 2:2, “I urge you, then, to make me completely happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and being one in soul and mind.” (GNT)

As the ceremonies began, music crackled on a loud speaker powered by a generator loaned to them by our team, the crowd stilled, the parents then walked together with their child in the commencement; I began to see something so different than the schools in California. Honor, respect, and a love of family and God; was everywhere to be seen. These public schools were centered in the Lord. They opened in prayer, closed in prayer, gave out awards for honesty, trustworthy behavior, and outstanding pupils in kindness to others and on and on it went. The parents stood by their children pinning on ribbons and placing medallions around their necks…because schooling is a family effort entrusted to them by God.

These children at the first school sat in the morning sun for 2 1/2 hours without complaint as sweat poured down their hot precious faces. The girls wore their best dresses and stockings with heels. The boys had long sleeve shirts and slacks with shoes too big so there was room for growth. They presented speeches of gratitude to God and family praising Him for getting them through the trying year and thanking him for his faithfulness. Songs were sung of pursuing through the storm of Typhoon Yolanda and how it had made them stronger. I was amazed at the standard of respect, honor and integrity that I had the privilege to experience.

Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (NIV)

Libby and I were humbled beyond words that I cannot express due to the honors that were bestowed on us…but here is the reality we… did not do anything to complete these projects. We were there to represent those who had gone before us. The sweat, determination, skill and love they gave to the teachers and students of the two school graduations we attended.

James 2:24, ”You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe.” (CEV)
Then came the most unexpected surprise…2 hours in they had us get up and we were then escorted to a classroom that was laid out with food. We sat down and visited with the teachers and then in walked two young men carrying a 4 foot long item that was dripping and wrapped in cardboard. They placed it on the center of the food table, unwrapped it and there before us…laid a whole roasted pig!! There was no way that we could leave or refuse this honor…we sat and as I choked back my tears of awe, I was struck by a scripture

1 Corinthians 9:25, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (NIV)

1 Peter 5:2-4, “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.” (NLT)

But then another verse came to me, and I know the type of team members that served before me…they would have thrown back their crowns too… and I wanted to throw back the crowns that I was receiving at the feet of those who had gone before us…

Revelation 4:9-11, “The four living creatures sing songs of glory and honor and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. When they do so, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the one who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever. They throw their crowns down in front of the throne and say,

“Our Lord and God! You are worthy
 to receive glory, honor, and power. For you created all things, and by your will they were given existence and life.” (GNT)

"We Fall Down" by Chris Tomlin

We fall down

We lay our crowns

At the feet of Jesus

The greatness of

Mercy and love

At the feet of Jesus

And we cry holy, holy, holy

We cry holy, holy, holy

We cry holy, holy, holy

Is the lamb

When we do anything for those who are in need…no matter what part of the comfort or restoration we provide…we do it as one…all part of the mission serving as one body.

So thank you team’s 2&3 for the hearts of service; the Pork was great!

Pack and re-pack…shop for what you have heard you may need, but have not experienced…pray for a heart that is willing and the strength to serve. Prepare for possible opportunities. All these mixed together and just maybe you will be ready. Ready for what you may ask…basically the unknown. You see…

Proverbs 16:9, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” (NLT)

How can anyone go and help those who have loss so much…experienced great fear…and endured such hardship? We can only do this because we have the love of the Lord wrapped around our hearts…a supernatural love…a love that does not come from our human comforts, but is hyper-charged to love by the Holy Spirit in us. It is when we snuff-out what we want, then in turn do for others what they can not do for themselves and come along side them…that we grow.

John 15:13, “No one can have greater love than to give his life for his friends.” New Life Version (NLV)

My life is what I want…do…have. And when you or I give up those things to serve others we are putting someone else’s needs before our own.

Hebrews 13:16,  “Do not forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God.” (GNT)

Lesson learned…The Lord holds us all in His hands and loves it when we trust Him…In and out of the storms that come.

Caprice <><

Libby with a group of women and children on our first Sunday morning. The children were very interested in her light hair and height.

Team #4 builds a temporary class room. Note what looks like tree branches in the upper left hand corner is actually a root ball of a huge tree that went over.

This is why electrical power comes and goes

Temporary Church made from a torn tarps and giant bamboo poles.

I love to collect crosses and I have them from all over the world. But this cross…well this cross is very dear to my heart. On our last day of serving in Disaster Relief I was sitting under a scraggy oak tree at the work site of Mr.”T”, when my eye caught this cross from the branches of the oak. “Thank you Lord” was whispered from my lips as I picked it up. Out of the ashes comes hope because of His love for us…

1 Corinthians 13:4-7, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. (ESV)

It continues…

1 Corinthians 13:12-13, “In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face-to-face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart right now. There are three things that remain—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” (TLB)

This verse has its roots deeply embedded in the example of Jesus life, words and actions. I saw that same love everywhere I looked when serving this fall. And I thank God for the opportunity to serve with such amazing people who helped with the fire damage as they replaced despair with hope.

I have a video I would like to share with you…


It is Mr.”T’s” story…I hope you can take a few minutes to watch it and please remember him, his family and the other survivors this Christmas in your prayers.

Merry Christmas,

Caprice <><

 Have you ever lost anything? Searching everywhere for the item that was misplaced, although you look, that precious belonging seems to escapes you. Then there is the kind of “lost” where everything appears gone, like the sinking feeling rolled up into a stunned stillness that follows the devastation of fire damage. It is a literally paralyzing and unbelievable grinding halt to all that you know.

One of the jobs of the CSBDRM team was to help homeowners relocate any possible items that may have survived the damage of fire. Two of our team members asked the daughter of the “T”, where her mom who had died the year before, may have placed her “keepsakes”. As a possible location amongst the ash and rumble was determined, they started their search. It paid off, that day they found one “keepsake-coin” that the mom had collected over the years from different family vacations. That night as a team, we prayed that more coins would be found the next day.

Luke 15:8, “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” (NIV)

The next morning the sifting resumed as all of our thoughts and prayers were with those who searched through the ashes. We knew that the family would be blessed by the determination of those who searched for that which was lost…and then one by one more coins were found!

Luke 15:9,  “And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ (NIV)

Our hearts were filled with joy as we witnessed the gifting of the lost coins to the family. My words can not fully expressed what we saw, felt and understood.

Luke 15:10, “Jesus said, “In the same way God’s angels are happy when even one person turns to him.” (CEV)

Impression #3                  Don’t give up!

Be faithful in all you do whether for your family, friends or strangers…serving, searching and loving them with the strength that comes from the relationship we have with God and the gift of Jesus; when he centered himself on that cross for our sins…the wrong, the cruel, the selfishness of who we can be.

Because…

2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord isn’t slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.”

Prayer:

Lord, Please help those who have been buried in the ashes and rubble of this world. Help them to see your loving hand as it reaches down to lift them up, as they recognize the gift of the cross and turn to you! Amen

2 Corinthians 4:8-9, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (NIV)

Caprice <><

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http://www.crossroads-ukiah.org/womens-blog.html
 
Looking for a way to help with Philippines Disaster Response?

GIVE to the relief effort. Make your donations payable to the California Southern Baptist Convention designated for California Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Ministries. You can also go online at www.csbc.com and click on the Disaster Relief logo; see sample below.

Yesterday, in my own community, I witnessed a house burn to the ground…it was paralyzing watching the flames engulf a home. No words can express what it feels like…it was gone in 40 minutes…all gone. Reduced to ash and rubble a lifetime of memories…

“Overwhelmed”

“T” is a man that we served in what is known as ash out; where you clean up the debris and ash to give the owner a sense of “I can go on from here”. The first time I met “T”, he had come to the church seeking help with the clean up of his property. He was “overwhelmed”…and to add insult to injury…one year ago his wife had died. She was his helpmate and he missed her terribly, so much so, that prior to the fire he had left everything of hers exactly where she had left it, including where she had last parked her car. He had not yet finished grieving the loss of his wife, and now this…his home…with all of her memories had burned to the ground…it was all gone…“T” was shaken to his very soul. Furious at the circumstances that surrounded him, angry at yet another “hit” in this life.

With an edge in his voice that dared us to provide hope to his bleak situation, he resolved himself to ask for help with the clean up, not easy for an independent man use to doing for himself and his family…no home…a twisted pile of remains…desolation everywhere…how could he manage?

The team got to work removing the twisted metal piece-by-piece, cleaning up the ash…sorting through what was left.

Impression #2                  God cares when you hurt

Have you ever been angry at your situation…shaking a fist at God…your shoulders sag in despair…deep sighs of discouragement surround your heart?

 

Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” (NLT)

 

God cares you know. He cares that our hearts are broken.

 

1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (NLT)

If you have never asked God for help, why not ask him to show you the way to new beginnings?

 

Proverbs 3:4-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (NLT)

A prayer of three words is sometimes all you need…”Help me Jesus!”

 

1 Peter 5:10, “But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That’s why he appointed Christ Jesus to choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm.” (CEV)

Psalm 107:28-29, “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. (NLT)

 

Caprice <><

 

Don’t ever forget…

 

Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (NIV)

The following series has been impressed upon my heart after having served in Disaster Relief for fire victims. I will be sharing some stories with you about the survivors. The names will be changed to provide privacy for those whose lives are still being put back together. This is not about me, but what God can do through us when we reach out to help others and trust in Him.

Stay and Do What?                        1st Impression

As the call came out for Chaplains to serve in Northern California for fire victims, my heart was stirred to go…but what did I know about people who had lost everything due to fire damage? I was at the beginning of a huge learning curve and another opportunity to be the hands and feet that serve in love.

Galatians 5:13, “My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love.” (CEV)

I was assigned to serve at the church were we were staging as kitchen help and then relief for the person who was leaving and in charge of the shower and laundry unit. Now wait I thought you were a Chaplain? Well, yes I am…but first I need to have a willing attitude to go and do whatever needs to be done. Okay…yes at first my heart ached to be out with those who where going to the disaster sites. But you know what, God knew exactly where I needed to be.

Philippians 4:13, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (NIV)

Even when it means doing laundry and cleaning showers.

You see those who had lost their homes in the fire were without electricity and water…so they came to the church for food, clothing, laundry service and a hot shower. I was given the chance to serve many more than if I had been on just one home site each day.

Lesson learned-God plants you exactly where He wants you to serve.

“The purpose of Christianity is not to avoid difficulty, but to produce a character adequate to meet it when it comes. It does not make life easy; rather it tries to make us great enough for life.” James L. Christensen

Is there somewhere you are intended to go? Are you avoiding being there because it is not what you feel you want to do? Is your life just one self-filled week after another? Why not take the first step in giving of self for others? You will find it worth your time, because when you think about it…is any of the time we have been given, anything other than a gift from the Lord? Then why not use it for the benefit of others?

John 15:13, “The greatest love you can have for your friends is to give your life for them.” (GNT)

Thanksgiving & Christmas are just around the corner…go…give the gift of your time…be there for someone who needs the love of God in their life!

I had the privilege of serving on a Disaster Relief Team in Northern California the first week of October. What an incredible experience! I have served nationally and internationally on Medical Teams in Disaster Relief for 11 years. I have responded to Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes and tsunamis…but never for fire. I was not sure what to expect, the lessons I would learn or how I would be able to help. A photojournalist, who served on our team, recorded the following impression of my heart.

God our father has provided a way and…we all need one you know…a “nail sweeper”.


Acts 4:12, “Salvation is to be found through him alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us.” (GNT)

Caprice <><