Confessions

The wisdom of the world is that an honest confession is good for the soul; but the wisdom of our Heavenly Father is, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another."

Today, I confess my weakness. That is a good thing, because He promises that His strenght is perfect in our weakness. Today, more than ever, I request prayers for me.

I confess that the journey of last week, the journey that took our Brandon to meet his biological father, has drained me physically, emotionally, and even more spiritually. I believe I am malnourished. I feasted on Olive Garden Grilled Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, on the best cheese steak sandwich I've ever eaten, on lots of salad, and too much fast food. I am weak, though, because I did not take enough time to feast on God's word.

In 10 days, Josie-Tatum and I leave for South Africa. I must spend the next ten days preparing for the battle, sanctifying myself for the work of the LORD.

Please pray for me. I feel so weak. I feel so inadequate. I am working to restore my vision. I know that God will do more than I can ask or imagine, but I believe in the power of intercessory prayer as well.

I thank Him that tonight, our pastor reminded me that there is power in praise. I thank Him that our pastor reminded me that I am energized by praise and worship music. I praise Him because Jesus knew I needed to be reminded of that, and our pastor was obedient to deliver the message to the flock, so I could hear.

I thank Him that He prompted me to pour out my heart tonight to my church family, and they began to pray for me. I thank Him for the sweet prayer of Brother Ricky. I thank Him for the sweet words of Mrs. Caroline who said she was lying in bed praying for Josie-Tatum and me last night. I thank Him for those who came to me with love and hugs and words of encouragement.

I praise Him that I had begun to think that preparing our thank you letter for those who have contributed would help me remember where we began and where God has taken us. It would help me remember that this mission was ordained by Him. He sent affirmation by a visit to a blog.

And, I praise Him again, for giving me more than I asked for, for affirming more of His sweet words to my soul. As I was seeking direction for Bible study, I thought about Joshua. Feeling weak, I thought I needed the words that remind us to be strong and very courageous, for our God is with us. I had decided I would study the book of Joshua as I prepare for the mission.

Then, just like JESUS, he affirmed for me that Joshua is indeed where I need to spend time, and a letter of thanks to others can be a remembrance and encouragement for me. I went to Linn's blog. (Many of you know Linn, but if you don't, you should get to know her by clicking here.) Linn spoke of her memorial box, and I knew then that our thank you letter could be a memorial box for me. Then I followed the link to her first memorial box post, and do you know where her scripture reference came from? Of course, you do. It was from Joshua. Affirmations of the evening #1 and #2.

Now, to some of you who are less inclined to believe in my God who is the Wonder-Working, Awe-Inspiring, Jehovah-Jireh, this might be hard to believe. But, just now, while I was typing this post, pouring out my heart, asking for prayers, my son Caleb and his girlfriend came in with the local newspaper. In this week's paper is a story about our mission trip. I read it and wept. There is a quote in the story from the missionary who founded Build the Nations, where we will be serving. Here is what he said of Josie-Tatum's visit, "These kids have never had a visit by another child who cares about them, let alone one from overseas, and that alone will bless them."

So, Big Shout Out Praise to the Wonder-Working, Awe-Inspring, Jehovah-Jireh for already sending answers to my heart's cry. Please pray with me and anticpate the inconceivable!