Faith - Works = Nothing

Today we went to a home. A home where children live that do not have parents or their home environment is not safe.

It rattled the stained glass windows that we call normality in our individual worlds. Eleven teenagers and two adults found out today that what James describes as "pure and undefiled religion" really is our mandate as believers. We were amazed at the way God provides in unprecedented maneuvers. We are shocked over the fact that there are children in this day and time that live through atrocities we cannot even bear to think about. And we were humbled by the generosity in regular people that are simply living out day to day what God commands in His Word:

James 1:27---Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

I asked the question when we finished today..."What does all this mean to you?" These were our responses:

COMFORT

HOPE



THEY ARE COURAGIOUS

FINALLY SAFE



LOVE

WHEN SEEING OTHERS PROBLEMS

YOU'LL GRAB YOURS BACK



REFUGE



STRENGTH



A GLIMPSE OF TRUE LOVE



FAITH, HOPE, LOVE



THEIR PAST WAS DARK,

THEIR PRESENT IS STARTING TO SHINE,



THEIR FUTURE WILL BE BRIGHT



We do not want to be a "forgetful learners".  Nothing good comes out of learning for the sake of learning.  Lord, help us be the hearers AND the doers.

"God's Word is meant to work"

Our Magical Mom

Sunday, January 29th would have been my Mom's 74th birthday. I miss her on a daily basis. She was one I always bounced idea's off of.  Many times she gave me answers I wasn't thrilled to hear, but most of the time, she was right. When we were younger she was very diligent in handing out the discipline. We kept a clean house, and by we, I mean my sister and myself. Of course it was clean to my Mothers standards, not ours. She took us on adventures and always made everything we did exciting. Even though we grew up in a situation that wasn't always pleasant, I never knew the gravity of it until I got older...because of my mother.  She just plain out, all in, unconditionally loved us. And we felt it.

When we were growing up one of our most favorite places to go was Disney World. We were there when it all began...before Space Mountain was a glimmer in Walt's mind. We loved it! When you walked down Main St you were suddenly transported to a world where everything was good and happy and clean. I have eaten enough frozen chocolate banana's for a lifetime.  And my mom was the one who made it all so special.  As we got older and began to have our own families, we just passed it all down to them.  We have spent many a happy day on that specific property. 

So, on Sunday, in honor of the birthday, we decided to head down to Kingdom and step into the magic. The children, the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren were all in attendance. We chose the Studios for different reasons and once again, WDW did not disappoint. It was a day to have lots of family fun and remember our mom in a special way. There was a lot of laughing going on....well, some screaming and a few tears, too.  But it was a day to remember.  On the way out of the park that night, with my children and grandchildren walking ahead of me, I turned to look back once more down the main street and then looked ahead to my mothers legacy walking, laughing, punching and loving each other.  Each one at different stages and places in their lives, but all of us coming from a mother that loved the Lord with all her heart and loved us as well.  As I froze that frame in my mind, I breathed a prayer of thankfulness for all that has happened and all that will be. I bet my mother did that a time or two herself.

Thanks for all the memories, Mom. We miss you.

God Calls. Who Will Answer?

Within the realm of the Christian life, we are commanded to go and reach people for Jesus. Many of us take it for granted that "others" are more equipped and "more called" than we are and we sit idly by letting them do the ministry that we, as believers are all called to do. And while there are many ways and many ideas to reach people for the Gospel, we have to get up and actually put it into action.

On Sunday, our church heard a presentation on The Praetorian Project. While I have heard it before, it again became fresh and new as the vision was cast. Pillar Church, in Dumfries,Virginia is a body of believers that sits on the outskirts of Quantico, the "Crossroads of the Marine Corp". God has given their pastor, Clint Clifton...aka my son-in-law...and the people of Pillar a ministry vision that has an explosive future.

The apostle Paul said, "my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel...so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard.."  In this passage comes the premise of this project.  Pillar church doesn't want to measure her success by the numbers in attendance each week. They would rather "measure her success by the number she is able to scatter to establish new churches".  They are endeavoring, with God leading the way to establish churches at the four major Marine bases; three in the U.S. and one in Japan. It's huge, it's mind-boggling, it's way beyond their scope of completion, but not beyond the God who ordained it.

Take a moment and look this up:

www.praetorianproject.org

You will be blessed. You will be inspired. Most of all, your heart will be touched by the fact that God can get His story out using ordinary people like us.  We just have to be willing and say, "Yes, Lord".

The First Decade...

Today our oldest grand turns 10...yikes! That means he is into the "double-digits", which is a frightening thought. I don't know if it's scary because it doesn't seem he should be that old, or if the fact that he is entering the "tween-age" years scares the life out of me. But, ready or not, it is here.

He is becoming quite a cool kid. I think he was born knowing about technology. This past season he  played football and has  come into his own in the process. He is an entertainer, like his father before him. Noah has a kind heart and loves people. He probably learned that skill going door-to-door helping plant a church. He can talk to ANYONE!

So, Happy Birthday, Noah! You will always be the first, the oldest,and the one we learned how to grandparent on.  We loved you from the moment we saw you on the video...before you were born. 

We are praying that you will follow God with all your heart and all your mind. We love you so very much and can't wait to see what God has in mind for you.

Mr. Trouble

July, August and September of 2009 will be forever etched in my memory as long...very long. It was in the time period that this one, know as Moses Owen Clifton began to, as we lovingly call it "cause trouble".

He, who was supposed to be born in October, decided that he would try everyone's patience and begin to try to arrive when he was good and ready. He sent his mother to bed (with three children in the house) and caused no small amount of anxiety and worry on other members of the family. Lives were uprooted and up in the air for a time period.  The hospital stays and trying to keep his mother on bed rest were not quickly remedied.

And then he came. Just as I flew home on Tuesday, he decided to arrive the next morning. Air travel has never moved so slow as it did that day. And when I arrived and finally held the little one who had our lives, especially his parents on hold...it was all worth it.

Moses is one of those kids that you love instantly. He has a twinkle in his eye that you know is going to be trouble. He has the happiest smile and the loudest yells. Perhaps the loudness is necessary when you are number four in the house.  He keeps everyone on their toes and gives the best hugs and kisses. God has something special for him. Maybe he will be a goat herder...:)

                                                            ....or a basketball player..

Whatever God has for him, he will be loved. We just can't help ourselves.

Wrapped Hearts

From the moment of birth, this boy has stolen my heart.

Besides the fact that he is the spitting image of his uncle, he arrived into the world with a caring heart. He is side-splitting funny, has the jokes, likes to play tricks all the while he's wrapping your heart and life around his little finger. 

He is cuddly and likes to wrap up in a blanket. He does all the things little boys do and then some. He's quick to give up something of his own if he thinks you need it and he love's shrimp!  The older he gets the more his heart is growing. My favorite video of him is last Christmas when he sang, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"....but he can't say "Christmas". :)

Isaiah  Naethanial Clifton is one of my true loves.

I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for him. With his heart for others, there is no telling where God will take him. 

Twirls, Curls and Lots of Swirls

This is the month that people specifically focus on being thankful, and rightly so. We have so much to thank God for---family, homes, food to eat, clothes to wear, churches to worship in among the few.  The smell of fall in the air and the sight of leaves changing (even if we Floridians have to look at other's pictures) seems to bring about of sense and a feeling that being thankful is the right thing to do. In a couple of weeks we will pull ourselves up to the table and afterwards shove ourselves away saying  that once again, we over ate. I want to think clearly about the things in my life I'm thankful for. I want to remember that God has put me in this place, at this time for a reason, and I need to be thankful. The Bible speaks over and over about being thankful. "O give thanks unto the Lord, all ye lands..." just to name one, and it says it all. Give thanks.

Today I am thankful for this one:

     When she was born, she was delivered screaming and hungry. Her father proudly brought her out to display her and it was very quickly known that she was ready to get down to business and eat. And ever since, she has been invading out hearts. She has been the "princess" from the start and still reigns in her domain (our hearts) today. She has been called Ruthe, Ru, Rooster, RUTHE ELIZABETH (loudly) and more frequently called Sassafras these days. She is high energy and runs on high octane. She can hold her own with those boys. She likes American Girls and likes to dance. She is very good at art projects and likes to help cook.  She is a good cleaner and is pretty good at it, too. She loves clothes and all manner of fashion items (she recognizes a Coach purse when she sees it). She has beautiful, curly hair that she loves to straighten. She is a good friend and has a sweet heart. She walked all over NYC with us and kept up.


 I am very thankful for Ruthe Elizabeth Clifton. She is our princess and has our hearts, especially the men in the family, wrapped around her finger. I am praying that she will grow up to become the young girl, teenager, and young woman God has called her to be.

Ruthe, you will always have our heart. <3