” ‘trust Me, my child’  He says. “trust Me with a fuller abandon than you ever

have before. trust Me, as minute succeeds minute, every day of You life, for

as long as you live. and if you become consious of anything hindering our

relationship, do not hurt Me by turning away from Me. draw all the closer to

Me, come, run to Me. allow Me to hide you, protect you, even from yourself.

tell Me your deepest cares, your every trouble. trust Me to keep My hand

upon you. I will never leave you. i will shape you, mold you, and perfect you.

do not fear, o child of My love, do not fear. I love you.”
~ amy carmichael 

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“cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do i trust;
cause me to know the way in which i should walk, for i lift up my soul to You. ” psalm 143:8

this weekend we went down to louisiana to meet up with a pastor. with him, his family, others from california and texas we went to bogalusa, louisiana. this is a very poor neighborhood in which the people still do not have electricity and running water. the Lord was faithful and we were able to find a church parking lot in the town where we could park the trucks and distribute the things. as everyone passed things out, we were also able to pray with the people and encourage them. it broke my heart seeing the little kids so excited over a coloring book or talking with an elderly man who loved his little dog. we passed out Bibles and actually had people ask for them. one lady told me that her husband was a street preacher and needed study Bibles. another girl, walked away with one of my books from our car. we also had a doctor with us from california who went from house to house seeing who needed medical attention.

“…whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks
of the Water that I shall give him will never thirst. but the water that
 I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing
up into everlasting life.” john 4:13-14

 

..that others may see Christ that they might not thirst again. not just when a hurricane hits, or a disaster happens..but 24/7. may we live a surrendered life that shows others that there is One who will satisfy them and bring them to a place of hope and rest.

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not i, but Your grace
not i, but Your mercy
not i, but Your love
not i , but Christ…
~neah lee

i run up to a fence at a shelter where i see an older mother and daughter sitting under an umbrella trying to avoid the unbearable heat. i see they have very little with them. a few things that they have managed to save before the hurricane hit.

i begin to talk to the mother behind the fence. as she stands, i hand her a new Bible. with tears in her eyes, she smiles, and kisses it.

“oh, this is all i have. this is all i have to get me through this. thank you…bless you.” she says as she holds her new cherised possession.

the daughter sits holding a dog as i ask her if she would like one too. “honey, i already have mine.”

i hand them a couple of devotionals and say goodbye…the mother, her eyes still gleaming. never in my life have i seen someone rejoicing over God’s Word…. it was beautiful…

You are my all, all the time…without rest
unto You be glory
unto You be honor
unto You be praises Jesus
forever..
~shane barnard


… this was just one instance that happened these past few days. this weekend i was in lousisana, alabama, and mississipi helping out some with the hurricane. i have never seen such destruction. you do not realize the amount of damage that was done and the needs of people until you are actually there in the midst of it all. it will take years for everything to be as it was. it was really amazing… it showed how great and powerful the Lord truly is. how sovereign and mericful He is. it showed me how much we take for granted every second of every day….who are we to complain? who am i to show discontentment?

some guys from work, dad, and i will be going back down next weekend taking more supplies donated by the church and family. we are going to try and go into neighborhoods that haven’t been reached yet. the people do not only need materials but also encouragement and love. bringing light into people’s days who have lost everything. talking to a single mom that will have no home to go to…no way to support her family. talking to the little kid on the street carrying a bag with his only possesions. whenever and wherever we are may we show others that there is hope in the One who gave all for them. even if it is the simplest act…Lord, be glorified.

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“oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! …His paths beyong tracing out! for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. to Him be the glory forever..” romans 11-33:36 (revised)