Rice and Beans of Life: Acknowledging Him

Acknowledging HIS gift of music in this One

I have been arguing and debating with God these past two weeks. Well, maybe I was just being stubborn and not wanting to obey what He was asking me to do. Of course I've succumbed to His request, willingly, I might add. I had told Father that I would share this 'thing' two weeks ago when I got out of the hospital. However, the delicacy of this holy moment seemed almost too sacred, something I wanted to ponder and guard in my heart reflecting on the impact it had on my spirit. And ... perhaps I was a bit fearful and didn't want to diminish the impact of their words by uniting them to the public world of my Blog. A sweet friendship has been growing and I don't want to alter or affect the impact of their openness that has come by their acknowledging Him. Quite certainly this is an answer to the prayers and petitions of the saints. The reality of it is, this is all because of HIS GRACE. None of my urging, pleading, begging, inviting, sharing or coercing could draw these comments from them. It has everything to do with the impact Father is having on their spirits. The beauty of him acknowledging HIM in his own simple way!

Acknowledge: "Accept or admit the existence or truth of, recognize the fact or importance or quality of." This is really quite simple. By acknowledging God, He starts to take residence in ones mind as you contemplate, ponder and consider.

As I pondered this encounter, Father gave me this picture that acknowledging Him is a bit like pebbles being washed over by the changing tides. These stones had some rough edges, but with time, the water is changing their exterior and giving way to something beautiful inside. In some ways, I see our lifestyle and choices as being like this water washing over the rough edges of those we share life with ... a.k.a. neighbors. Those people who live close enough to hear us argue, yell and fight and close enough to see that our lifestyle is different from the world they grew up in.

Upon returning from my recent hospital stay, 'they' were here to welcome us home. It's never a chance meeting, we live in the same 'compound' and interact daily as we come and go. The interaction that transpired next was a profound Holy Spirit encounter that left me feeling like I should take my flip flops off as I was standing on holy ground. It rolled off his tongue as though he were casually asking me how my day was. With a hint of nervousness perhaps because it's not his usual vocabulary, he simply stated ... "I don't talk to God, I don't have a relationship with Him. And because of this, when I do say something to Him, I think He listens ... I talked to Him about you."

And that was that, he handed me a small 'get well' gift and walked away leaving me speechless. In my feeble attempted to utter my thanks and appreciation his wife gave me a sweet smile clearly as surprised and speechless as I was. Without hesitation, I would walk through every second of this humbling and excruciating back pain to hear his acknowledgement of HIS presence again.

He promises ... Isaiah 35:2 They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God!

Acknowledgment ... Seeds planted every day ... The purpose of my pain

Life on the Mountain
Where has this week gone ... Saying goodbye for a few months to some dear friends ... The week started with a bit of anxiety for me regarding kitchen/cook issues ... Father took care of the details as everyone pitched in ... Dressing up for a date night in support of our Turkey mission team ... Proud parent moment watching Jedi perform for the school Arts Festival ... Blessed to receive care from a chiropractor friend ... Last day of home school co-op, blessed by time to share our hearts and laugh together ... Saturday was a day to catch up at home and enjoy some reading and rest ... Today Father provided the perfect afternoon for Family photo shoot laughter with Evan (the boys were not as happy about this as Mama was) ... Looking for opportunity to acknowledge His presence in the normalcy of our days!

Praises
*We’re feeling connected and called to be the steady-stable for those whose lives are changing in monumental ways ... a.k.a ... We are reappointing with EMM to serve at VidaNet for a 4-year term!
Look for details in our soon to be released newsletter.

*We have a vehicle for our two stints in PA!
*Nellie is well enough to return to school and church
*Dr. Abbott, a Godly chiropractor whose skills are helping to alleviate my back pain
*Jedidiah's boldness to enter the school art festival by playing guitar and singing ... see our FB page https://www.facebook.com/dnjhoover

Prayers
*Complete healing for: my back, Delynn's hip, Gloria's elbow
*Parenting Jedidiah
*Salvation for our neighbors
*Housing for fall home leave
*Turkey Mission team, pray for opportunities to share His love
*Brotherly love ... to put each other's feelings before ones own
*Adam to be a positive example and not a follower for his little playmates
*Safe travels for many
VidaNet staff coming and going this next week
*Surrender and complete obedience to those inner nudges