Abba's Girl

During our busy days, if we think about time we think I need more time, I am almost out of time. If we cannot sleep, we think about all the time we have been unable to sleep. How often do we think about the Lord's timing? April 8, 2008 a friend of mine received a wonderful message from the Lord about time. That same day, I was reading about Jesus and His appointed time. Since then, much of what I have read in the Bible has been about time and seasons. So many times the Lord reveals His plan to us, He tells us He wants us to do so and so in ministry, but we do not wait for His perfect timing or as Norma Dearing says, His anointed and appointed time. Look at how we may try to push it when gardening. We try to plant pansies to early in the fall and they croak on a hot day or we try to plant vinca too early in the spring and a cold night causes them to dampen off. The timing/season was not right, as a result we wasted money and time. The next time you know you are in the Lord's w...

My cousin Brian and his wife Cheryl were in town for a couple of days to see my father. It was great spending time with them. They were driving back to IN on Saturday and were leaving the same time I was and would drive through Lufkin . I teased them and told them if they saw a dark, blue Mercury in their rear view mirror to get out of my way. I had to stop at an Exxon Station and ask directions to the church, I missed the street after I exited the highway. The cashier gave me directions. She said go this way and pointed left, then go through a few lights, then you will see a mall, pass it and another light, then turn left, then turn right. It's about 3 miles maybe 4 miles from here. I must confess I was just a tad bit confused because she didn't know the name of any of the streets. I think sometimes we pray to God like that. Hey God, do this, and this, and this, and that, and You know what I think this and I would really like that. Aren't you glad He's never confused ...

I am off to Lufkin to be a prayer minister at an Order of St Luke prayer conference. This will be my 3rd trip to Lufkin in the last 3 or 4 years as a prayer minister, I am looking forward to seeing what the Lord has done up there. Norma Dearing will be the speaker. She is a powerful woman of God, a gifted author, and a radio host. Her program The Healing Touch is nationally syndicated. I listen to the show on the Net, the next day. It airs 11p to 1a Central Time Sun through Thurs. So many hurting people call for prayer and then call again with praise reports. I cry one minute and praise the Lord the next minute. People say it takes a lot of guts to believe for healing. I know what they mean, but it's not true because believe me, it is all Jesus. He does the healing, we do the praying. We stand on covenant promises and His Word. By His stripes we are healed, not by my stripes. The Lord God Almighty has the same resurrection power today He had when He raised our beloved Redeemer f...

We talk about how big God is, we say Jesus is our Lord and Savior, but do we in anyway comprehend the impact of those statements? Or do we say them without thinking and they have almost become a cliche in our lives. As humans, it's hard to comprehend God our Father, the Maker of the heavens and the earth, the Lord God Almighty is in a covenant through Christ Jesus with us. It is hard to grasp how complete His love and care is for each and every 1 of us. We are all the apple of His eye. If we really believe God is enthroned in heaven, on HIS (emphasis mine) throne, then we must acknowledge He is enthroned above our circumstances. He is enthroned over my dad's health matters. He is enthroned over your finances. He is enthroned over the USA. The Bible tells us He is so big, He must stoop down to look at the heavens and the earth. Cast your cares on Him and don't take them back. Let Him be God and handle it for you. Let the following Scriptures build your faith: The LORD reigns...

Have you ever been in worship when the the presence of the Lord is so strong you can barely stand? The anointing is so thick, you want to weep? Compassion for someone comes on you so strongly that your hands heat up with the fire of God in them and you know you are to pray for someone or maybe several people? Many times in that atmosphere people are healed before they come up for prayer. Have you ever been healed or know someone who has been healed when they receive Communion? It happens. Sometimes I wonder how many Christians expect God to show up at church and do anything. How many Christians think church is all about clothes, make up, committees, and luncheons. (I am not saying go to church without make up or clothes and I am not saying to ban committees.) God loves us. He wants us saved, healed, and delivered. He does not want us to be the walking wounded just struggling to get by in life. We are victors not victims. Let's take a look at few verses from the Bible pertaining to ...

The Lord showed up in a big way on Friday night and Saturday. Many people were healed physically and emotionally. Sunday, people wept after Jack preached the sermon. Jack, Anna Marie and I prayed with people after they received Communion today. An adult woman who has attended and served in her church all her life, asked Jesus into her heart. Rejoice people. we have a new sister in Christ. I managed to drive to Lake Charles and back without calling anyone an idiot or jerk...no matter how badly they drove. (that's a miracle! when I quit calling bad drivers names that were curse words, I thought I was doing good calling them idiots & jerks...but I was still cursing them with the words of my mouth.) So many of the dear people I prayed with said I have begged God to___________(fill in the blank.) I reminded them we are His children, we don't have to beg. Many times like the widow, we must persist, but we do not have to beg. Luke 18 tell us: 1Then Jesus told his disciples a parab...

I spoke with Unicare this morning. They offered to repay the overdraft charges, and acknowledged their error. They will not draft my account another 722.00 May 1. They now note I am paid through the end of July. My bank said they have never had an insurance company offer to pay overdraft fees. The customer service representative was shocked to say the least. Part of me wanted to yell, part of me is too tired to yell, but the smart part of Annette let God take care of it all. It is amazing what happens when we let go and let God. God is more than able...several praise songs come to mind....I will be making a joyful noise all the way to Lake Charles. I look so forward to interceding for Jack and Anna Marie as well as praying for my brothers and sisters who need a touch from God this weekend.

I am off to Lake Charles tomorrow to attend a healing conference. I will intercede for Jack and Anna Marie as they teach tomorrow night and Sat. Jack will preach at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church on Sunday. I met many people from several Lake Charles Churches last year and look forward to seeing them this year. I know the Lord is going to show up and make His people whole in a big way this weekend as attacks of the enemy have been fierce this week. The latest is via my health insurance provider. I mailed them a check to pay for 4 months of coverage, they received the check, cashed it and then decided to draft premiums out of my bank account. Of course when I read all this today, they were already closed for the day. I will rush to the bank tomorrow and make a deposit, Frost Bank was merciful and removed the overdraft charges from my account. In the natural, it's hard to imagine Unicare refunding money or working with me about overcharging me. But...I am going to loose the power of ...

The difference in the hospital my father was in Jan, Feb, and March and the hospital he is in now is like night and day. This hospital is only a few stories, no valet parking service, and rarely is anyone on the elevator as I come and go. When he was in St Luke's, I used the valet service because it was the same price as the parking garage down the street, he was on floors from the basement to 20 something. Some elevators were so crowded I would wait for another one. I never saw anyone I knew unless they were visiting dad (with the exception of clergy I know from Community of Hope). At Oak Bend, I can usually park near the front door of the hospital and I see people from the area I know as I walk through the lobby. One thing that is the same is the sad people I see as they enter and exit the hospital. They have a friend or family member who is ill and they don't have hope. The hopelessness is not because the patient is terminal, it's because they don't have hope in the ...

Oprah's belief system is anything but Christian...

On the right of this post is a picture of Zoei, click on her face, she will sing the Lord's Prayer. I think it must give God a thrill as she sings with such gusto. I looked back last week at specific prayers in my life which were answered. One of them was a prayer concerning insurance payments and the local Richmond post office. I mailed several bills for my husband's company and accidentally threw 2 insurance payments in the mailbox. The envelopes weren't sealed, there was no return address, and no stamps because I had intended on delivering the checks to the insurance agent. About an hour after I made the mistake, it dawned on me what I did (thank You Holy Spirit) and I called the post office. I prayed for a miracle and grace and favor with the post office. I told them what I did and how stupid I felt. They said do you know how much mail is in that box from last night not to mention what was deposited today???? I said I can only imagine, and immediately thought of Mercy M...

I hear people talk about their own truth, their own reality. Many new age leaders and their followers say there is no sin. I don't know how they justify murder, rape, victimizing children, stealing, and the list goes on...People used to hide the fact they played with Ouija Boards or consulted mediums (remember what happened to Saul???) Now Ouija Boards are sold at Toys R Us. Television shows and movies air which make witchcraft and seances casual and fun. If you search the Old Testament and New Testament, you will discover our Lord God Almighty does not take witchcraft lightly. I was always drawn to vampire shows as a child, I loved the cheesy old soap opera Dark Shadows, I loved books about demons, at 15 I talked me parents into taking me to see The Omen, I wasn't allowed to go because it was R rated. I finally talked them into it, I told them it was not full of sex, it was just violent and satanic. That is about the only thing I talked them into as a child, and they were ver...

Back in Sept or Oct, I discovered a famous talk show host had advised women to get into porn to enhance their sex lives. I found the info on the talk show host's website, even watched a clip of a woman saying I prefer to call it erotica, not porn. I thought well porn is porn is porn is porn. So American, put a nice spin on it and justify sin. I rarely watched the show because it airs while I am at work, but I know I will never watch it again unless she repents and renounces that sort of thing. I looked at the website again this week, I was appalled at the new age (new age is anything but new, it's been around since the Pharoahs , Moses, and Babylon) junk on the site. Some of the new age material was just 1 step away from what the Bible says and some said things about a dead savior is not a savior...well 1st of all our Savior is anything but dead, He is alive, He died but He was raised from the dead by the hand of Almighty God...anyway...I am getting away from my point...ha ha h...

OK...after the stroll down chapel lane, I had to look it up because I could not remember all the boy's part...here is the St. Thomas' Episcopal Church and School's school song: All:O God, help us all day to learn more of thy world,To find thee in parents and teachers and friends.Help us know the right ways and follow them truly;Let us see the light on which wisdom depends. O come let us sing to the Author of Wisdom,O come let us sing to the Father above,And then let us thank thee for thy loving kindness;O keep us, thy students, in knowledge and love. Boys:O make us thy heroes, thy young men, thy brave ones,And let all our strength in our kindliness stay. Girls:O give us the beauty of true hearts and gentle;Keep us as thy daughters, our Father, we pray. All:O come let us sing to the Author of Wisdom,O come let us sing to the Father above,And then let us thank thee for thy loving kindness;O keep us, thy students, in knowledge and love. Anne Graves, 1957 And Lyn, just remember...

I love the Psalms, at school we sang 2 Psalms everyday during our morning prayer service. During my teen years I was not thrilled with attending school, but I did love chapel. Intellectually, I did not understand the power of worship, I just knew I liked it. Miracles happen during worship, especially during corporate worship. People can be transformed. It's funny we all have different tastes and different ideas about how worship should be conducted. I am one of those people who raises my hands in the air during worship. Some of my friends would be hard pressed to raise their hands in the air during a stick up. Some people love loud, LOUD services, some people like quiet services. Some do NOT ever want to see the Holy Spirit manifest, others try to make the Holy Spirit manifest. I am somewhere in the middle, I like contemporary as well as traditional hymns played on modern instruments, I like it when people have words of knowledge, I like it if someone sings in tongues and there is ...

Some people think I am a compassionate person, but I think my husband's opinion differs quite a bit. Several weeks ago, I was going to visit my dad in the hospital and wanted my husband to come along. He said he would, he mentioned his back hurt and he was going to use some kind of creme (similar to Ben Gay) for arthritis. I thought how can my husband have arthritis. Good grief, I pray for people to be healed and my dad and husband are ailing... When it was time to leave he said he could not go, I was a little irate. My husband never fakes illness, is not a hypochondriac, but I was so absorbed with my dad, that I didn't think, I judged....I thought you big baby, I don't feel well, but we are so much better off than dad. I went to St Luke's and felt terrible as if I was catching a cold...then I thought I don't get sick, it must be fatigue and then I thought I better repent of my attitude and thoughts toward my husband. He was still complaining when I got home, said a...

I heard from my good friend Debby last night. I love this lady. She invites a few of us to her house a couple of times a year and we have Prophetic Girls Gone Wild in the Holy Spirit weekends. We have praise and worship at her house, read and study the Bible and we pray and pray and pray some more, we wait on the Lord and listen. Her gracious husband cooks for us and takes us out to eat..he makes Diet Coke runs...you name it, he does it for us. Kudos to Buddie. Few men can take several women invading their homes on Fri night and departing on Sunday around noon. And he was ok when we messed up his complicated, wide screen, satellite TV by using the incorrect remote. (There were so many to choose from....) Debby is a woman of the Word, she always has the right Scripture to apply to any situation. Romans 10:17 tells us: Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. I know I frequently blog about prayer and staying in the Word, I d...

I was a prayer minister at a church in Kingwood a couple of years ago. Bishop & Betty Cox and Jack and Anna Marie Sheffield led the weekend. We had wonderful praise and worship and anointed teaching on community and healing that weekend. On Saturday afternoon a woman walked in the sanctuary and said what is going on at my church. Her friends were so excited, they had begged her to come. She forgot it was the healing weekend. Her friends drug her as she protested up the center aisle with her oxygen tank in tow. Turns out she drove by the church, saw the parking lot jammed with cars and wanted to see what was going on at her church and why she wasn't invited. Well...she found out what was going on at "her" church. It reminded me of the paralytic in the Gospel of Mark, Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it...

Obedience is not a word most Christians want to hear. It's a word most associated with puppies in a phrase similar to: 6 weeks of obedience class. I heard Charles Stanley do a wonderful sermon on obedience. If you never hear sermons on sin, repentance, or obedience - start looking for a new church. We cannot mature in our Christian walk without obeying the Lord, acknowledging sin, and repenting. About 3 years ago I was in Victoria for a healing weekend. Earlier that week the Lord had given me a word of knowledge for the priest leading the weekend. It was about 5am and I was drinking my 1st cup of coffee and reading a chapter in the Gospel of Matthew. I heard the still, quiet Voice say tell Jack to teach on this passage. I kept reading. I heard it again, I said I will after I finish my coffee and praying. (Can you tell I have a healthy father image and can sadly be overly familiar with my Heavenly Father?) I drank more coffee, spent more time in the Word, and prayed more. Then I dec...

Earlier this year, my father was hospitalized and gone from home for 60 days. He certainly received many miracles from the Lord as did my mother and I. As the days passed, I got behind in housework, grocery shopping, and yard work . I thought I had enough coffee to make one more pot the next day. I got up and found I was a scoop short. Then...it happened, my brain kicked in and I remember a dear friend Kathryne had given me a coffee mug at Christmas with a small bag of Community Coffee (our brand) in it. I grabbed that bag, opened it, and put a scoop of coffee in the pot. A few minutes later, the coffee was ready, I poured a cup for my husband and a cup for myself and took them to our bedroom. He took a 1st sip as I was walking to my side of the bed and said is this some of your hazelnut stuff (not an exact quote) left over from your Christmas party? I said no, took a sip and said how sweet....like dessert. I put my glasses on (should have done this earlier) went to the kitchen and loo...

Sometimes I think there is no scarier word in the Christian language than "works". I know people who think works can get them to heaven, I know people who avoid works saying you can't enter heaven by works. And no you cannot enter heaven by works, but every Christian young and old has Kingdom work. Eph 2:10 states: For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Jesus sent out the 12: These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his kee...