On My Mind...

Happy 2008

I cannot remember a year of which I had such anticipation. I am sitting on the edge of my seat, literally, as we begin a new year of service and dependence on our Mighty God. I invite you to join with us as we pray that the Lord will accomplish all that He has planned for CareNet, for our families and for us individually. Your prayers for this ministry are some of the most precious gifts that we receive. I want to share with you the verse that I am praying over CareNet for 2008 and invite you to do so as well.

Zechariah 2:5

"And I myself will be a wall of fire around it", declares the Lord, "and I will be its glory within."

About six months ago, parents began asking if we had something for kids younger than 13. That was the beginning of the vision for CHOSEN for girls 8-12. Our children are being bombarded by a culture that assaults their identity, attempts to rob their innocence and lead them astray from all that has been instilled in them. Let me assure you that CHOSEN is not a program that will deal with sexuality. Rather, we will set the foundation of godly identity and character in our daughters. We want them to know who He has said they are and to express to them the power they have through His Spirit living in them. We began in the fall of 2007 and are preparing for the spring sessions.

If you have a daughter and would like more information on CHOSEN, I would love to hear from you! Blessings to you and may you make a difference for the Kingdom in 2008!

Blessings, Candy

Fall 2007

“The Lord will do amazing things”

I am so encouraged to know that the God we serve is the same yesterday, today and forever.  There was nothing different about Samuel, and we can know that the Lord has a call on us and our children as well.

Hannah, Samuel’s mother, had been barren for years.  She faithfully petitioned God for Samuel (1 Samuel 1).  When God answered her prayer with a son, she kept her promise to dedicate him to God, and committed him to the service of the Lord all the days of his life.  Have we done that with our own children?  I think it’s much easier for us to thank God for our children in their infancy.  If you are anything like me, you offered hundreds of prayers of thanksgiving to God as a new mother in those first days home from the hospital, asking for guidance as you embarked on this overwhelming journey of parenthood.  But, as time passed and the business of everyday life increased exponentially, it seemed the time spent in prayer for our children began to decrease.  Oh, I know we pray they’ll have sweet dreams and remain healthy each night as they drift off to sleep.  But do we earnestly petition to God on their behalf?

Let me ask you one question about Samuel’s story in 1 Samuel 3.  Who recognized that it was the voice of God calling Samuel?  It was Eli, the high priest.  The one set in a place of authority over Samuel.  Will we be Eli for our children?  Have you spent enough time talking with your Father that you would recognize Him?

Do you know we can experience God in the same way?  You may see that situation arise in your daughter’s life and you could tell her, “Honey, that’s God – pay attention.”  Begin asking the Lord what His call is on your daughter’s life so you can be a confirming source for her, much as Eli was for Samuel.

Samuel’s parents dedicated him to the Lord from the beginning.  1 Samuel 1:11 tells us that Hannah told the Lord that if He will remember her with a son, she would “give him to the Lord for all the days of his life.”  We must continually remind ourselves that our children are a work in progress.  Think back on your adolescence.  Chances are that you looked nothing like what you do now.  Your children won’t either.  Let’s be faithful to the call that the Lord has placed on our lives as parents, and trust that He who called us is faithful.

One of my prayers has been to see the hand of God move.  Many times I am privileged to witness the Lord working, and He often moves incredible obstacles and provides for us in ways that stagger our imaginations.  The ministry I’m involved in is completely dependent on His faithfulness – and believe me, we’ve never been disappointed.  Something that the Lord has shown me recently is that in order to see Him move in power – to see Him do something that only He can do – we must often find ourselves on the very edge.  We must find ourselves in situations which are too much for us – that cry out for God to move.  My favorite illustration of this truth is Joshua 3.  In this chapter, the Israelites are on the move.

The Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of God.  So when the officers told the people to move from their position when they saw the ark move, they were basically telling the people to move when they saw God move.  What perfect advice.  Position yourself so that you can see when the Father moves and then follow Him.  How do we do that?  Pursue a relationship with Him.  Ask Him to give you a heart which beats for Him.  Learn His voice and heed His instruction.  He will always lead you in the right direction.  Notice in verse 4, “Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.”  Raising teenagers can be overwhelming, and many of us have not been this way before.  Look for God to move, and stay in close behind Him.  He will lead us through to the Promised Land!

Their feet had to touch the water before the Lord intervened.  The river was at flood stage, so the water normally would have overwhelmed them.  They were at a point of need – need for Almighty God, the great I AM.  In order for us to see the Lord move in a powerful way in our lives, we too much first recognize our need of Him.  Not just our need for what He can do, but a sincere, recognized need for HIM.  He will never let you be overcome by the water.  When He is in the middle of your circumstance – just as His presence was in the middle of the Jordan River – you will pass through on dry ground.

You will see the victorious other side of your daughter’s adolescence.  Just be sure as you pass through the situation of dry ground, that you notice and worship the One who stands in the middle, holding back the flood waters.  He is your salvation and your hope!

My favorite verse in this passage is Joshua 3:5, “Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.’”

Be encouraged……the best is yet to come!