From The Pulpit Of The Hurricane Bride

A ROAD TRIP

2009-04-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

I love to travel. I love looking at the beauty that surrounds me. I live on a point on a lake. In fact, in order to get to where I live you must drive down a hilly dirt road cut through the woods, about one and half mile and you will end up in my driveway. I love to walk this trek also. There is something to be said about walking through the woods, just you and the Lord. I talk to Him, sing to Him and enjoy all that He has made. This time with Him has become a time of anticipation as well. There have been several times I have sensed Him telling me to walk and I know He wants to say something to me.
A few weeks ago was one of those times. I had been studying for quite some time when I heard Him say go walk. I immediately put everything down and headed out the door. I was anticipating what He had to say every step of the way but no word came until I was almost home and then I heard heard Him say, "COME DANCE WITH ME". At that moment (in my mind)I was in heaven. It was so joyful and music was playing. I was standing on the feet of Jesus, just like I did when I was a little girl with my daddy, and we were dancing. The angels were flying back and forth, sweeping up and down again, and the Holy Spirit was in on it as well. His gentle wind was blowing across my head and the Father was laughing. All in perfect unison with the music. It was an awesome scene. Then He gave me this poem.

COME DANCE WITH ME
YOU'RE AFRAID YOU SAY
DON'T BE AFRAID, COME
IN MY EMBRACE I WILL LEAD YOU
I WILL GUIDE YOUR WAY
A MIGHTY RUSHING WIND
SWEEPS ACROSS MY FACE
IT'S THE HOLY SPIRIT
HE'S IN THIS PLACE
ABOVE MY HEAD
THE ANGELS SOAR
THEY SWEEP UP, THEN DOWN
TO AND FRO, ALL AROUND
EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE
LAUGHTER IS THE SOUND
ACCEPT MY INVITATION TO DANCE WITH ME
COME, COME DANCE WITH ME
DON'T BE AFRAID
I WILL LEAD YOU
I WILL GUIDE YOUR WAY

I hope today you will find time to dance with Jesus. Don't be afraid , He will lead you, He will guide your way.

POWER! POWER! WONDER WORKING POWER

2009-04-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, while visiting in Hawaii, the Lord revealed something very precious to me and while thinking of the display of God's power this Easter Sunday I was reminded of the lesson again.
In what should have been a time filled with joy and excitement, I found myself fighting a spiritual battle that seemed to be depleting me of all hope. I stayed in the Word and meditated on the promises of God constantly,yet,in the middle of enemy territory we sometimes feel we are surrounded and fear creeps in to take control. Looking back on this time now I am reminded of Elisha's servant in much of the same emotional battle as myself and what did the man of God say to him? "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold,the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." Wow, he was surrounded by the protective power of the LORD. Sunday came and I wanted to go to church,wait,let me share from my journal: Went to church this morning heavy hearted,so focused on the circumstances, yet battling not to. All I can say is God wanted me there. I was so tempted to not go. Came up with all kinds of excuses but praise the Lord,He drew me. The church was between two lagoons, the chairs were set up on the grass, we were surrounded by palm trees, the sun was shinning brightly and the sky was the most beautiful clear blue The Preacher's message was from the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of John, "Abide in Him". 'Abide'- to stay in a place of expectancy,continue, remain, endure,to remain standing in your present circumstances and in your future circumstances. The Pastor said, "He is new everyday in His mercy and compassion toward us." Amen! He met me today! Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled. It is so! God filled me this morn with His love and revealed to me His power. The Pacific winds blew through the palm trees and as the swayed back and forth dancing before God my heart danced with them and with the same rythem, the waves crashed against the rocks as if to proclaim there is a power,a mighty power within. God's Word came forth with power through the Pastor and as he continued to speak, God opened my eyes! Although I could not visibly see God, I could see evidence of God and His power all around me!!! Now back to what made me think of this in the first place, Easter!
This Easter will not soon be forgetten by a lot of us at my church. My Pastor preached a sermon titled, "He's Alive!!!" from Acts 2:22-24 "Men of Israel,listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know--this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power."
About half way through the third service the sky turned black and an ominus feeling came with it. The forecast for this day was severe thunderstorms and the weatherman was right. When the service was over we went outside to wait under a covered for our ride. I was not prepared for what happened next. About 40 yards in front of me a bolt of lightning that was blinding came down and struck a tree with an explosion that was deafening, then in the next moment another explosion from the transformer nearby. What a perfect display for this very special day!!!
HE HAS THE POWER OVER DEATH, HELL AND THE GRAVE..... HE'S ALIVE

AND THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN

2009-03-31T06:46:00.000-07:00

It really never occurred to me that that hurricane would change anything, how mistaken I was. There were 24 people at the Graham house and just like everyone else we had no electricty, no water, no gasoline and finding out each day how devasting this storm had been. I didn't know if I had a house to go back to or a business to return to and those things are minor when thinking of the loss of lives that may have happened. Nevertheless God provided for us and took care of us through his children one of which was Pat and A.W.'s friend, Ronnie. After the storm he would come over to check on us and see if there were any needs he could provide. The more he came over the more we talked. It was really neat in the fact he didn't seem a stranger at all, I mean, I had been hearing about this guy for a long time now and had been praying for him as well. In the evenings he would stop by and pick up anyone who wanted to go to the 'swimming hole' to bathe,always the gentleman to drop the girls off at the best spot and then go as far as possible to other end so we would feel comfortable. I began to look forward to him coming over and talking with him. Finally one day he told me he had fallen in love with me long before we actually met. God had been preparing his heart for me and my heart for him thru our mutual friends Pat and A.W. And what is such a blessing they had no idea they were being used by God to bring two lives together. We both knew we were going to spend our lives together but we didn't say it at that moment. A few days later we were walking into the house and he looked at me and said, "you know we are going to be married, don't you?" I replied, "yes." His next words were, "OK,ask me to marry you." Well, what was I supposed to do?" :) Pam and Ronnie were married October 9,2005

Since I received that word from the Lord in March of 2001, I can see the hand of my Faithful Father working all things together for my good and His Glory.
About my mom and step-dad. They were fine. I found out later as soon as she hung up the phone with me they packed their bags and went north. My home made it through with little damage, only one tree on top of it, however my business was destroyed. The Lord brought people to buy my house and my business and the house I had come to the lake to look at, the one that was too big and too expensive for 'me', is now mine and Ronnie' home. By the way it is two doors down from 'our' best friends, Pat and A.W..

When Ruth set out on her journey of faith she had no idea the great things God had in store for her. She simply told her mother-in-law, "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." It goes on to say that Naomi (Ruth's mother-in-law) realized that Ruth was 'determined'...Ruth 1:16-18

It was faith that led me on this journey to this place, to my 'Boaz'.
Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading. And by God's grace, faith will lead me on.

FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR

2009-03-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Isn't it ironic how we can read the simplist thing and God will take it and make it profound. The title of my devotional this morning was, 'she wrote from her experience.' After reading this devotional, I looked once again at the title, well of course, that makes perfect sense, we can write only a portion of someone else's experiences but we can write about all our own experiences. We may choose not to write about some for different reasons of course, but our experiences are who we are and worth sharing for those who come behind us. In fact while studying about Joshua, I came across a verse in Exodus 17:14, Then the Lord said to Moses.,"Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua..."
I heard a preacher ask the question, 'Where do you think the wealthiest place in the world is located?' The answer may surprise you, 'The Graveyard'. The wealth of the graveyard indeed! A wealth of buried dreams, hopes and visions. Songs that should have been sung, paintings to be admired, inventions to help mankind, business ideas to bless and yes, writing books. All never to be realized because we did not take the time.
There's a scripture in Habakkuk that I have thought about time and time again over the years. 'Then the Lord answered me and said, "Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets,that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the apppointed time; It hastens towrd the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay."
I looked up the Hebrew word for vision and it comes from the root word,khaw-zaw; to gaze at; mentaly to perceive, contemplate(with pleasure);spec.to have a vision of:-behold, look, prophesy, provide, see.
(I have to say at this very moment some things are being revealed as I write. I have beside this scripture several dates, one is 2-14-01. Two months before I received a word from my friend Anette. WOW! This is awesome!)
Truth is dark days were on the horizon when the Lord told Habakkuk to write down the vision. But just beneath that verse is another verse for us to cling to and obey, "the righteous will live by his faith" Which brings me to why I am choosing to write all of this- It is by faith in Jesus and His Holy Spirit that has led me to where I am today.
My story of how I became the Hurricane Bride....
This is a long journey, but it is my experience with God and I don't want what God has done for me to be buried one day without me having taken the time to share. I was divorced only a few months when my pastor's wife asked if she could come over and share something she felt the Lord wanted her to tell me. She said,"Pam,I don't know you, and I don't know anything about your past, but I have been reading the Book of Ruth and everytime I read the Lord says to me this is for Pam. So I am here to say that the Lord says the Book of Ruth is for you." This was April of 2001.
Let me clear up a few things. My Pastor and his wife, Anette had only been at my church around six or seven months at this time when she gave me this word. She didn't know that I had been married for almost thirty years,that my divorce was partly due to some wrong choices I made, she didn't know I felt like a failure, guilt weighed so heavily on me I couldn't breath and at times I thought I would die and at times I wanted to die, she didn't know I had almost no hope left for any kind of a future. How does one start over at this age and with this baggage? Answer:Believe God.
God had a word for me, it came thru a virtual stranger and it was up to me to believe or reject. How thankful I am today that I believed!
Needless to say, after she left I dove into the Book of Ruth. I read and re-read, I played the part of Naomi, I played the part of Ruth. What the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart was, 'you trust me with your future and I will work out all the details. All you will have to do is walk into what I have planned.'
Fast forward to the next year. My best friend and confidant Pat, and her husband moved to the lake. I remember crying the entire way home, my Elijah is gone, what will I do now Lord? Another faith test. Trust Me and Me alone, Pam.
In 2004, the Lord brought a very special friend into Pat and A.W's life. A kind and caring man who blessed them immensly. While visiting them after a mission trip in Romania, I met their friend out on the lake. I couldn't remember what he looked like but I do remember he seemed to be a gentleman. Wish I could say from that time on I liked 'their friend', but truth be known 'I DIDN'T'. Actually I was quite jealous of him. How dare him move in on 'MY FRIENDS". Pat would call periodically and tell me of something he did for them, or how he came over to visit and they talked and had ice cream together. I was green with jealousy. But in early part of 2005 something changed. A.W. had been in the hospital and 'their friend' was there to help them out, see about them, etc.. Pat told me, he insisted she get out for awhile and he would take care of A.W.. After that conversation I fell to my knees and asked the Lord to forgive me for how I had felt about this man, and I then began thanking the Lord that He would be so caring toward Pat and A.W. that He would bring someone into their lives to bless them.(they are the most giving, caring people a person could know and now God was blessing them for their kindness toward others.)
Now fast forward to the summer of 2005. My Mom was going thru radiation and was not able to go to 'homecoming' that summer. This was something special to my Mom, so I told her I would go in her place. Homecoming is first weekend of July and I think it is around a six hour drive, so I called Pat and asked if I could break up the trip and spend the night at her house both on the way to and back from Sulpher Springs. Early Monday morn. before returning home, I was on Pat's backporch having my time with the Lord, thanking Him for the weekend when I heard Him say you are going to live here. I immediately thought, is this you Lord or is this me. I didn't say a word to anyone for a week, then I told Pat what I thought I heard and asked her to pray with me. The next week one of my customers came in and said,'we are going to sell our lakehouse and wanted you to know first.' Wow! I couldn't beleive my ears! God you are serious! And moving fast! And their place was just behind Pat's.
So now I'm thinking I've got to move fast, I could sell my house, buy at the lake and work part time and stay at my Mom's. I prayed and asked God for wisdom and guidance but soon discovered this was not what God had planned. I could have forced my plan but by God's grace I didn't, I just trusted Him. The next month, August, Pat called and asked me to come and look at a house next door to them. I knew which one and said there was no way I could afford that house and beside it was too big for me to keep up by myself. I did,however,make an appointment to see it. After work one Saturday, I drove to the lake and wouldn't you know it 'their friend' showed up to visit while I was there. :) When he came in I got up to shake his hand and he was bold enough to hug me and say we were family and family didn't shake hands. HUM? FAMILY? We discovered we grew up not far from one another, knew alot of the same people, our dads worked together, it was like family. While driving home that same day I remember talking to God saying "I know there are no coincidences with you, so what is up with this friend of Pats and A.W.. I would like to get to know him better but he is at the lake and I am in Bridge City."
The next thing I know we are preparing for a hurricane by the name of Rita. My Mom and step-dad were not planning on leaving, but at the last minute there was a mandatory evacuation issued. I called my Mom on Wednesday night and told her to get up very early the next morning and leave ahead of traffic but to call me first and let me know where they were going. I would be a little bit behind them because I had to go to work first. The next morning I waited for her phone call but none came, so I bagan to call them. No answer. At this point I didn't know what to do, I had no idea where my mom went, I couldn't go west due to traffic stalled, I thought I would be home in a couple of days so I didn't want to drive 8 hrs. to Arkansas, so I called Pat and asked if I could come to her house for a few days. Those few days turned into weeks. I left my shop on Thursday,Sept.21 never to return.........
I have to pause here but will return finish later.......

Thank Heavens for Daughters

2009-02-27T11:41:00.000-08:00

How in the world would we moms ever make it without our daughters? Thanks to Rachal I now have a blog spot. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with it, but I'm sure my daughters will instruct me in that area as well. Thanks Rach for all your help and patience. This is going to be fun, I think? O0ps, I forgot to ask how I sign off. Gotta go for now...........RACH HELP!!!!!!!