DREAM ON

Early in our marriage Bruce and I made a bold move to the state of Washington that we expected to last for many years. However, we were surprised to discover that our plans were not necessarily what God had in mind. When the life that we sought after crumbled, we were left homeless. So we turned to our family and headed back to California. We had two small children and had no idea what the future held. It didn’t seem reasonable for us to live with family members for long because they didn’t have room for us.

As I was seeking guidance from the Lord, I was prompted to call on an old friend of mine who was also going through a difficult time in her life. She lived in a large home with her four children and unfortunately, she found herself going through the dark valley of divorce. I sensed that we would be able to encourage one another during this transitional time in our lives. So I asked her if we could move in with her. She said yes. And so Bruce, myself, and our two kids moved into her finished two-car garage. In return for our housing, Bruce remodeled a couple of her bathrooms and we babysat her kids while she went back to school to get her teaching credential. Practically, it was a win-win situation for both of us. Spiritually, God met us in some very deep and healing ways through many long nights of deep conversation. I look on that time of my life with great appreciation.

Eventually we moved on but I remember saying to God that when I got older that I would like to help young couples get started in life. It wasn’t until recently that God reminded me of that prayer and opened my eyes to see that God was listening to my heart.

Now we live in Washington again and we have been given the gift of a little piece of land to live on. When my son Zachary and his wife Erika decided to move up here as well, Bruce and Zach put their building skills to work and transformed a section of our barn into a guesthouse. It is really quite nice. After living there for a year they decided to buy a house close by and God brought another young couple to our doorstep.

Liz and Drew took up residence in the guesthouse while they completed construction on a house that they had purchased. Before they moved in I really didn’t know them at all and now they have become close friends. It was great fun to watch them realize their dreams as they worked on their own home. They were with us for about eighteen months.

On May 15,2010, my youngest daughter Marianne was married to Michael Wallace on our property. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding and they were surrounded by God’s natural touch through creation. The weather was perfect on that day in between rainstorms that lasted for weeks on end. They took up residence in the guesthouse and set to dreaming about their life together. And before long they decided to move to Bend Oregon. 

Around this same time, Zach and Erika, with our grandson Noah, made the decision to move back to California. Their dream was to live at the beach and now they do. Saying goodbye was very hard to do but I am so happy for them and how God has led them along the way.

So in a matter of weeks Bruce and I found ourselves living alone. We spent the winter months together and it was a refreshing time. And then last spring a close friend of mine found herself in a troubling time. She was faced with the task of moving and was not sure of how she was going to find a living situation that would meet the needs of her and her children. So as Bruce and I sought the Lord on this matter and we felt led to open our home to her. She is now living with us along with three of her children and they are a great blessing to us.

 On September 25, 2011, my daughter Emily married Ryan Keith and they have dreams of being full time musicians. They are both very talented and I have no doubt that they will bring beautiful music to the world throughout their lives. So to get started, they have moved into the guesthouse and Bruce and Ryan are building a recording studio on the property.

All of these young couples and my friend and her family have enriched my life beyond measure. I am a blessed woman.

Life is a great adventure! It is such great fun to see the work of God in the lives of others. When Bruce and I moved to this little piece of land we walk the perimeter of the property and stopped to pray for God’s peace and blessing to be upon the land and anyone whom God brought here. What a joy it is to see that unfold.

Let It Be

A few weeks ago I was sitting in church and my mind began to drift to the coming season of advent. I was reflecting on the moment when a young teenage woman, Mary, received the message that she would become the mother of God. Then my thoughts turned to a song that I have listened to since I was a young teenage woman many years ago.

The inspiration for the lyrics to this song came from a dream that the poet had. His name is Paul McCartney and he was in a revolutionary band of sixties and seventies. The Beatles were a group of friends who combined their talents to produce some great music that as a child of the sixties and seventies I have enjoyed over the years. Toward the end of their time together tensions arose amongst them as they were growing as artists. They were finding the band to be confining to their individual expression. During this time, Paul had a dream and in this dream his mother whose name was Mary appeared to him and they had a conversation. His mother told him “It will be alright, just let it be.”

This dream led Paul to write the song Let It Be. Over the past forty years, I have listened to that song and always thought that it was inspired by Mary, the mother of Jesus. The message that this song brings to me is one of faith. Faith to believe that in the midst of trouble and darkness there will be an answer.

Mary of Nazareth, when visited by the angel Gabriel, was troubled and frightened. Mary’s life changed forever at the moment of this announcement. She would be given the gift of caring for and loving Jesus from his conception until the bitter end of his life on earth. It is interesting that the name Mary actually means “bitter.” Because Mary was given this great privilege from God to raise Jesus, the bible tells us that, for all time she would be called “blessed.”

After Mary receives clarification from the angel as to how all this is going to occur, her beautiful response is one of complete surrender and trust. She says to Gabriel, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”

 Mary said YES to God!

Gabriel did not tell her the details of the future. He did not tell her that she would be in danger because there would be forces seeking to end the life of her child. He didn’t mention that she would have to travel a long distance while pregnant. He didn’t tell her that when she arrived at her destination, exhausted and ready to give birth that there wouldn’t be anyplace for her to stay and that she would be forced to deliver her child in a filthy, stinky stable.

Gabriel also failed to mention that she would see some amazing things during the course of Jesus’ life. She saw Jesus grow into a man. She was there when he began to astound the scholars of his time. She was there and witnessed his many miracles and healings. She was a woman that was truly blessed with great joy and great sorrow.

I find it interesting that Gabriel did not ask Mary if she wanted this gift of being Jesus’ mother, instead he announced to her that this is what was to come. What would have happened if Mary had said no? I think that her resistance to the call of God would have caused her much grief. Jesus would have still been born but Mary would have missed the blessing God had for her.

When I consider my own life I can see how easy it is for me to resist God in times of trouble. I want out of my suffering. I think that this is a very human response and that is what makes Mary’s ability to surrender and trust so extraordinary. I have found that resisting what God brings to us does not change the circumstance. However, what does change is how we walk through those dark valleys. If we can surrender to God and trust that God is with us, we can find peace in the midst of very trying times.

The song Let It Be has three main messages that speak to me in a prophetic way.

• Speaking words of wisdom – Mary’s surrender and trust in God when she proclaimed the words, “Let it be to me according to your word.”

• There will be an answer – The answer is Jesus!

• There is still a light that shines on me, shine until tomorrow – Jesus is the light of the world that will shine on us all forever!

I pray that as I continue to walk through my life that I will be able to say YES to God in whatever circumstances I find myself in whether they come with great joy or great sorrow. I pray this for you as well.

MERRY CHRISTMAS