Terribly Interesting

“It's the national addiction: warmth on chilly winter nights, innocence on Saturday afternoons, the essence of hearth, home and blissful abandon.” ~Patricia Linden

"It's like having breakfast with a good friend."- Marge Thanks, Marge. You encourage me. Just found this review on Barnes and Noble: a God-lover, A reviewer, 11/03/2006 Both convicting and encouraging at the same time! What an amazingly honest and refreshing devotional book! Stephanie shares both her victories and her struggles through this insightful, Holy Spirit driven guide for better intimacy with God. Don't be without this book!!

Denbigh took these photos at my parents house. Enjoy.

"in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NASB)

A year ago today my brother passed away. Today, in God's sweet and beautiful irony I was allowed to minister to a family who lost a husband, father, brother, and friend who was near the same age as my brother. Pray with me that this sweet family finds complete healing in the arms of our tender Savior. But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the lifter of my head. Psalm 3:3

God has been teaching me more and more about Himself through prayer in the last few months. More than anything, the Holy Spirit has used the words of Andrew Murray to bring the hammer down in my life and reveal my responsibility in the relationship. Andrew Murray prayed for 5 hours each day. He believed that what was accomplished in the spiritual realm was the only thing effective and nothing he could do in the physical realm could accomplish what merely asking God could do. He said, " If you want the power of Heaven called down on earth, You have to call it down." That is your blessed ability. We seldom choose it. On Monday I was telling Denbigh that I felt like God was wanting me to focus specifically on prayer during the next couple months and ask Him to do some specific things. As I showed up to hear Beth Moore speak on Tuesday, you will never guess what she was talking about. Yes, prayer. Specifically, she issued an 8 week prayer challenge to us. Don't you love God...

I met them... the faithful remnant, the anawinn in Hebrew, ragamuffins in the vernacular (from Brennan Manning). Warmth. Kindness. The love of the Father. Deeply tender pastor. That is what we experienced at The First Baptist Church of Santa Anna, TX. I wish I could convey to you what this experience was like for us. It was refreshing to see a group of people who were not about the business of the church. They were simply being the church. Beautiful. (I hate having my picture taken) Our speaker Robert Barge from Wherever Ministries. He was challenging, convicting, and wonderfully down to earth. I took several pages of notes. Here are some highlights: * If you have ever blamed a minister for your lack of spiritual growth, you might need a personal revival. There are 2 prodigals in the story of the prodigal son. One went to live in open sin and his heart yearned to return to his father. He was restored. The other was the older brother who was there physically and yet worked begrudgingly...

Denbigh has been home less than 24 hours and we are off again to lead worship for a revival in Santa Anna, TX. We have been exceptionally busy and we are praising God for that. May we stay busy as long as He will allow us to be fruitful. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel and minister. *Pray for much rest, anointing, and fruit for us. *Pray for a new guitar for Denbigh (his received an enormous crack in it during his travels to Maine this week. We believe it was dropped in transit). They are around $1,500.00 +. *Pray Denbigh has a fabulous birthday on Tuesday the 7th. Think of him when you are voting. We return Thursday.

My first set of books arrived via UPS today. Those words appear terribly calm as I write them. I am not calm. I am an author. I must now think of how I can live a more eccentric daily existence. The 93 page devotional is for sale at a cost of 10 dollars. Stop by and pick up your copy. You can also order them online. Patina on Barnes & Noble Patina on Pleasant Word Bookstore (I feel like Bob in the movie What About Bob when he goes sailing for the first time. He keeps telling everyone, " I am a sailor. I sail.") I am a writer. I write.

I haven't received my first allotment of books yet (they should be here anytime), but I did see that the book is already showing up for sale in a few online bookstores. It is quite exhilarating. I can't wait to have the book in hand. I will have a book release party. Excitement. I am a writer. Writers write and people read it. This fascinates me. I am one of those people. This is terribly interesting. Thanks be to God who uses the foolish and the weak in spite of themselves. May He receive all glory! Patina on Barnes & Noble Patina on Pleasant Word Bookstore