INSIDE OUT

Most women just love being loved and cared for, and reminded daily that they are special, but for a man, the number one thing in their life is to feel respected. When he doesn't, he will often go back into his own little world, where he feels safe and secure.
A perfect picture of this, to me, was when my David became so sick that he couldn't communicate very well with people. He was a man who was use to being in control and having things done to his satisfaction. He was precise and to the point, but when Cancer takes over, it shows no favoritism to anyone, and David was no exception......
When the day finally came, where my sweetheart couldn't make sense of many things, and his mind became cloudy, I think he knew it, and he was disgusted with it all. That was just his type of response. Rather than try to muddle through it, I think he chose to withdraw, as do many people, because it is safer and more secure to do so!
That's when our understanding, patience and love for those people must come in. They haven't gone anywhere. They are still inside that body, only visiting in another room, and the door to it is occasionally locked.
As long as the sunshine and fresh feeling of love permeates the room, there will be a feeling of love throughout their room, even when we don't see a response back. The dignity and respect that they deserve should always be there, and they will receive it, through the channel of the Holy Spirit.
He knows the murmuring and groaning of our hearts as well as theirs!
Stand firm and seek the Lord, when going through a time such as this, for you never know, when the time such as this, might be your own!
Becky

NEVER

Jesus never said "I told you so!"
Becky

EVAPORATED MILK

There are a lot of good recipes using evaporated milk. They are good, because the milk blends in, and even though it disappears, the mixture still turns out good!
The recipe for a good life uses God's word. It isn't like evaporated milk, because it won't disappear, but will never ever fail, and will last forever, and even though the mixture can sometimes be bumpy, in the end it will always turn out great!
Becky

SHORT WORDS

Sometimes, when I'm playing Lexulous online, I will search and search to make a long word, so I can score the most points. Sometimes, however, the shortest and least complicated words will give me the highest score and the best solution.
It was the same way with the Pharisees, as they listened to Jesus and His teachings. They tried to make all of His teachings difficult to follow, when they were actually very simple and right to the point!
The hardest part about His teachings, was getting the people to follow through with them!
Becky

WALK TODAY

As excited as I am about going to Israel, and walking where my Savior walked, and as much as I am going to enjoy it, I know it will come to an end.
Just think about though, one day we will actually be able to walk WITH our Savior and never have to leave!
Doesn't that just cool your jets?!
Becky

POWER OF THE CROSS

When I listened to David Jeremiah today, as he spoke about going to see "The Passion Of The Christ" and how humbled he was by watching it, I was reminded of those exact feelings when I went to see the movie too!
I have gone to see numerous movies on the life of Christ in my lifetime, but none touched me like this movie did! This particular movie gave the most real depiction of what Christ went through as he hung on that cross, and suffered for me. All I could say at the end of the movie, was "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" I felt like my guts had been ripped out when I saw what he did for me!
It was literally, the power of the cross!
Forgiveness! Salvation! Eternity!
That's one Powerful cross!
Becky

THE WRONG WAY

There was a girl at Curves, today, who had on a sweatshirt, with the letters USCG printed on the front. For the life of me, I tried to think where a campus was for the University of South Carolina, that was located in a town, starting with a "G". It wasn't until I looked at the rest of her shirt, and saw that it said "United States Coast Guard", that I fully understood!I had just read part of what was there, and not all of it, and I didn't understand the meaning at all!
It's the same way, in our understanding of God's word, too. If we just read it, but don't understand what we have read, then what have we gained?"Study to show yourselves approved, rightly dividing the word of God", we are told, but many people will even take scripture like this out of context, and study just parts of the scripture to prove their point, when if they truly understood what God's word meant, or what it referred to in that scripture, then they couldn't possibly do so!
In this case, if we study to show ourselves approved, we won't rightly divide the word of God, the wrong way!
Becky

THE WOMB

If God chose to bring His Son, The Son of God, up through a Mother's womb, and have a little boy to grow up from this womb, and a young man come forth from this same womb, and the King of Kings to reign from this womb, then doesn't it tell you something about how God feels about the character of the family unit and where it starts?
Becky

COOL!

Just as when Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt and they faced a brick wall, when they came to the Red Sea, and had no way to cross until Moses called out to God, we are the same way today, when we come up to our brick wall,or dead end!
God often waits til the very last moment to reveal His purpose, just so He can show us His glory.....Even today, He will do the same thing in our lives if we watch out for it.
When I begin writing my journeys, He will often wait until the very last minute to give me the material He wants me to use. Even though, He knows by nature, I will be frantic, He still makes me wait on Him to give me the material He wants me to use.....and it is always profound!
He never gives it to me early in the morning, because He knows that is not my sharpest time.
He is the Greatest Creator God we could ever serve, and just maybe, when I'm in Israel, He will come back......
Now, that be cool, wouldn't it?
Becky

THE WORD OF GOD

Early in my marriage, I became so disenchanted with my my David, because of his heavy drinking, and because he didn't seem to be the man I thought I had married. My feelings told me that I could do better, and that I could do better.
About the same time, I sat under the teaching of Dan Deaton at New Covenant in Aiken, where I heard God's word for the first time, and what He said, concerning marriage.
Knocked my socks off real good too!
God spoke to my heart and let me know in no uncertain terms, that I was to stay with David, and He would take care of me! My feelings went out the window, and I have never been sorry one day!
David stopped drinking in 1983, and God blessed me with thirty seven wonderful(albeit bumpy sometimes) years.
God wants us all to understand that we cannot count on our feelings as a sound measure, because they don't last, but to count only on the word of God, because it will last forever!
Becky

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Once upon a time, there was a man, whose love was so intense for His beloved, that He would do anything to keep that love close to Him.
At any cost, He would attempt to win the heart of His beloved. He tried reason, and He wooed and wooed His beloved.
But the words fell on a heart made of stone.....
Finally, He knew what must be done. He talked it over with His Father and it was acceptable with Him too. His Father decided that He must give His beloved the ultimate sacrifice to show His love. In so doing, He would cover over all of His beloveds sins and ugliness and provide a way for her to stay with Him and His Father.
So, on this Valentines Day, since we know that God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, may we so give to each other, our hearts of love from the love that God has manifested in us!
Happy Valentines Day!
Becky

ANGELS UNAWARE

I was given the sweetest and most helpful gift today!
My laundry room closet is small, and has managed to gather every possible item that David and Becky Lock could collect in the eight years that we have been here!............ In other words, it is a mess!
I knew I was going to have to break down and straighten it, but knew I couldn't possibly do it myself and besides, I didn't really know what I wanted done with it anyway.....
Well, if you are ever in that position, pray that the reorganizing team of "Sarhi and Jenn, Inc" will come and attack your house like they did mine, this afternoon. I have never in my life seen such doggedness from two people that helped me focus on the task of clearing things out; throwing things away, and rearranging the room to be more Becky friendly to where things are more easily accessible for me....... Wow!
You will never know what a blessing they were to me. Why, they even brought some items up from David's shop for my ice cream social.
Sarhi's precious little daughter, Nevaeh, which is Heaven, spelled backwards, even helped out too, running things up and down the stairs for us.
The only thing about entertaining angels unaware, is that these angels have taught me so much, and made me so aware about the value of giving selflessly of themselves, when someone is in need, that I can't honestly say I have entertained angels "unaware."
I am certainly aware of the Christ like giving of these two angels!
Becky

HARD TO FOLLOW

This might be hard to follow, but try.....

People will often ask me if I'm not afraid to be traveling to Israel,with Egypt in all the unrest it has been in right now. I tell them "no", and then I usually give them this little tid bit.....
If God gave me the glimpse last fall, that my David was not going to be here this Spring, and that He was giving me this trip to Israel, as something to look forward too, then I don't think, that the God who knows and sees all, would give methat glimpse and let me get excited about going, if He knew harm was coming to me! Because He knows the plans He has for me, and they are for good, and not for evil!
No, I'm not concerned about going! I have faith in a God who is bigger than Egypt, or any situation that can arise, and I am going to Israel, where my Savior once walked !
Woo Hoo!
Becky

POST IT!

When I am blogging my journey's, if I haven't written them down before hand, then, when I go to post them, I don't have anything to send out!It's important for me to first write my thoughts down, so I can go back and refer to what I've written and then send it out.
It's no different with God's word either!
If we don't go to God's word and place it, first in our minds, then we won't have it posted in our hearts when we need to call on it! The Holy Spirit won't have anything to draw from if we haven't put it there.
Just as I write my journey's and post them daily for you, you need to write God's word in your minds, and then post them in your hearts daily!
Becky

GOD THE FATHER

When I was a little girl, Daddy would often instruct me with my drawing and how to make my drawing abilities better. One of the characteristics I remember the most, was when he told me to always outline my drawings.
He told me that I needed to highlight them with a border, so that people could better see what was on the inside!
God has done the same thing with what He has given us for our lives.
He gives us a great deal for us to enjoy, but He also gives us rules and guidelines to go by. They frame our lives, not so much to keep us from all the things on the "other side", but more so, to let us see how wonderful the things are within the borders of our own framed lives. He gives us our frame work to allow us to enjoy the spectacular life that He created for us, because He knows the plans He has for us, and they are indeed for good, and not for evil, so why not enjoy what He planned for us, instead of venturing on the outside?
God gave each one of us His own stamp of approval when He outlined us, with the loving signature of God, the Father!
Becky

AFTERALL

I was so encouraged today.....
I was over in Hilton Head with Barbara and Mary and we stopped off at Home Goods, (which I love) and as I was checking out, the sales clerk said, "have a great day", to which I replied, "everyday with the Lord is a great day for me". Well, she caught me by surprise, when she said, "Oh isn't that the truth! Isn't He a glorious Lord?" I almost fell over, to have someone in the middle of a store speak like that, and I was so encouraged!
Thank You Jesus! I needed that today!
All is not lost in our stores in the world today, after all!
Jesus truly is our "Home Goods" too!
Becky

MY FUNNY VALENTINE

I thought since it was close to Valentine's Day, that I would tell you about something dear that happened at Christmas time, while I was in Aiken.
I went to my former church with Kay for the Christmas Eve service, and one of the young men speaking during part of the service, was the grandson of a friend of mine, whose son had been killed while I lived in Aiken. The grandparents brought their grandson up in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and now he was in front of me speaking on how God had continued to uphold him as He has always upheld His children in days of old! I thought of how proud his Father would be to see his son growing up to love the Lord so much! After he sat down, a quartet stood up to sing and two of the ladies singing were a Mother/daughter team. Now, mind you, the last time I saw the daughter, she was twelve, and she was now twenty and could sing like a nightingale! She and her Mother were both singing to the glory of God and it did my heart good to hear them. It was wonderful to spend Christmas Eve in a church that still proclaims the word of God, and it felt good to be so welcomed back home, but that's the way it is when you are home in the body of Christ, isn't it?
This is a sweet Valentines at Christmas! The love of Christ that decorated our tree just for you and me!.....My! My! My!
That night, my daughter was with her husband's family, and my son was with his family, so I knew that since my sweetheart was in Heaven, the next best place was for me to be with my church family!
I can be content in Beaufort, and I can change and be content in Aiken !
I can be content because the body of Christ is founded on the word of God, and that never changes!
Becky

BRIGHTEST BULB

Now, I'm not the brightest bulb on the planet, but neither does it take a sledge hammer to hit me before I can see things are happening around me, of gigantic proportions, and with most unusual frequency. It is all following along from prophecy to me, and I wonder why so many people can't see the same thing. Then, I remember that scripture says that the natural man can't understand the things of God, because they are spiritually appraised, and they are foolishness to him. How many times have you made the comment to someone about it being closer to the end times and they looked at you like you were nuts? That's someone who doesn't stay in God's word and read the signs that He has given us, for the the latter days.
It's right there folks!
How many earthquakes; mudslides; fires; tornadoes; tsunamis; floods; and other disasters will it take before people will realize that God's word has given us a heads up on all of this?
God said it through His prophets and God can't lie!
Now, I don't know about you, but every time I turn around, there's another disaster happening, so that means we are that much closer to our Lord coming back!
He promised that His body of believers wouldn't go through the Tribulation period, and that just before that period, there would be a big falling away in the faith, and an abundance of natural disasters, and if all these things keep happening like they are right now, this "not so bright light bulb" is gonna be ready for her trip above!
Becky

MUDPUDDLES OR RAIN BOWS?

If you are walking through a storm, you can either come out of it as a mud puddle, or as a rainbow.
The choice is up to you!
Becky

GUAVA JELLY JESUS

One of the coolest journeys that I have written about, was of Guava Jelly Jesus! I remember Grandmother Bouterse taking those guava's and boiling them into a pureed consistency. She would then pour them over a cheesecloth, to get rid of any pieces that shouldn't be in there, and then pour it into the jelly jars, and then she'd give them as gifts!. At the same time, she would tell me that this was just like Jesus, as He strained out the impurities from our lives. I thought that was the coolest picture......
He does that too, you know. He placed Himself on the cross of fire for you and me, just so He could strain out the sin from our lives and make us a perfect gift for God!
Becky

LIGHT OF THE WORLD

As I drove into town today, the clouds were dark and ominous looking. There was, however, one small section where the rays of the sun could be seen streaming through. They seemed to shatter the darkness with their beams of golden light and all around them seemed brighter.
It's the same way with the lives that are all around us. When circumstance seem as if they are dark and closing in around us, and we feel that we are being oppressed on every side, we as believers can call out to Jesus, who will never leave nor forsake us, but will shine His never ending light, which will penetrate right down through our cloudy circumstances, and give us comfort!
Afterall, He is the Light of The World!
Becky

COOLEST STORY

If I have already sent this out, please forgive me for sending it again. I am on overload.....Bec

This was the coolest story and so like God to accomplish it!
Sixty five years ago, there was a man name Ken, and a woman named March, who were brought together at a Chinese mission. She loved to Jitterbug and enjoyed life and he wanted to be a Civil Engineer.
WWII came along and he found himself joining the Navy, but before he did, they became engaged. She went off to Moody Bible Institute and he went overseas to serve in China for two years. On one of his home leaves, he realized that God wanted him to be a missionary in China, so he wrote to March, releasing her from all her commitments to him and their engagement. At the same time, up at Moody, Kay was listening to a speaker who was asking "who is willing to leave and go to the mission field?" Surprisingly, she found her hand automatically going up in the air. She pulled it back down, but it jerked itself right back up again!
She finally went back to her room and wrote Ken, absolving him from all responsibility to their engagement, because God had called her to the mission field in China and she had to obey God!
Their letters crossed over the ocean.
The speaker telling the story was their son, and he says that his Mom and Dad have been married for 30 years.
Yes they both served as missionaries in China!
Doesn't this sound like something only our God could create?
Becky

WHO MOVED?

When my son David died, I had my sweetheart, David to hold onto for support, so that whole "grieving" process and the walk through it was made so much easier for me. I know for those first several weeks, I wouldn't go anywhere without David by my side, because I felt like a lost puppy, and I had him to hold onto.
Now that my David has died, and my children haven't been able to come back down here to the house, I am thinking through this whole process again. Kelly is missing her Daddy, but instead of coming down here to her Mother, she is clinging to her sweetheart, just as I did. She also has that precious little Emery to occupy her thoughts. This makes so much sense to me now, as to why she hasn't been down here. She has lost a brother and a Father, and so who does she think is next on her list? This house represents loss to her, and I'm pretty certain that in the back of her mind she is contemplating this too, without even realizing it.
My head realizes this. Now, if my heart will only understand it too. If I will stay in God's word and especially His word put to music, my heart is soothed, while clinging to His promises at the same time.
Personally, I do not like going through this process, because it takes me through a reflection period and sometimes that makes me dwell on me too much....and that, I don't like to do!
I want to dwell on the presence of God.
However, I have promised Him, that I would go through this because He wanted me to walk through it. (I wish I were as strong as my Grandmother Bouterse through this!)
My sweet daughter and I have always been so close, and I suppose that is why I feel so bereft right now. I miss my daughter, and I need her.
It gives me a pretty good picture of how God feels about us when we stay away from Him too!
Becky