It is Fall for sure!

The weather has certainly turned colder, all of sudden.  We have been having some "frost" warnings and the morning temps have been in the 40's for the most part.  So one thing is sure, it is FALL!    After getting Gracie ready for school, we often walk to the bus stop. On this day, Grace wanted me to fix her hair in a special style - something that I am not very good at, but she sure looked cute!

If there is one certainty I have when spending time with Jimmy, it is being outside!  That kid just loves it no matter what the weather is like.  It is a very sad day when it rains since this Grandma just doesn't go out in the rain!  Last week, on what seemed to be a nice sunny morning, Jimmy and I went to the backyard to play.  This is what we discovered....

You may not be able to tell, but Jimmy is holding a big piece of ice that was on one of the toys in the backyard! 

As a two year old, this was new territory for him!  He had no idea why there was ice on there and when he held it, he kept saying, "Its so cold!"   I'm sure he will be amazed by the snow this winter.  Even though it was chilly, Jimmy wanted to walk to the park, so we did.  This was the first time that I have let him actually walk by himself.  Previously we have taken the stroller or wagon.  It's just another "growing up" fast thing!

walking TO the park was just fine.  On the way home he stopped and sat down and refused to walk anymore.  I finally convinced him to run the rest of the way home, which was more exercise than I am used to, but we made it safely home.

I finished off that week with a four day conference with HUB Ministries.  I have been attending these conferences for over 20 years and they are always a blessing.  I have gotten to hear many different speakers and learned so much from these concentrated times.  This conference was just as jammed packed with amazing speakers, wonderful worship and great fellowship. I am still looking over my many  notes and digesting all that I heard over these long days.  It was a rainy and cold weekend, so it was good to stay inside!

However, the Saturday of my conference was a Marathon/Half Marathon event for Tim, Gwen and Lia.  Usually I go to the start/finish line and cheer on the many runners.  However this year was an actual downpour!  Gwen and Tim left everyone at home that was NOT running the race.  And I stayed back at my conference also!  As I have already pointed out, this Grandma does not do rain!  Even though they sloshed through knee deep water at times and got soaking wet and muddy in the process, Tim finished the marathon and Gwen and Lia finished the half marathon!  I am so proud of their determination to train and then run this race under these awful conditions!

This week, one of my daily devotions, talked about "an attitude of strong determination." The scripture used was Philippians 3:13-14....

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

It is the picture of a runner, racing towards the finish line  at the end of the long race, straining forward in strong determination. That is true grit on display.  In my book, all the runners in this race showed that determination and grit!    

So, here we are, more than halfway through October.  It is just a month to Thanksgiving and then another month to Christmas.  I was doing a bit of shopping today and actually bought some of the first Christmas presents for this year.  Usually I am much further ahead on that front than I am this year. I have decided that rather than lament the late start to my shopping, I will just practice some of that determination and press on!  I am confident I will accomplish what is needed!  

Jesus, thank you for the change of seasons.  Holy Spirit, remind us all that you are with us even as things change around us.  Keep us mindful of your presence with us.  Jesus we pray for peace in our world.  Give us courage and boldness to walk each day in the assurance of your love.  Amen

  


 

My kind of camping......

Now this is my type of camping!  Grace had a great time with her mommy, her auntie and me while we were scrapbooking!  This little camping chair will be used for real "camping" with mommy and daddy in the future, but this weekend it was Grandma Lyn's type of camping - 4H camping (Hilton, Hyatt, Holiday Inn, Hampton.... well you get the idea!).  Grace did so well for the entire weekend.  She ate, slept  and played like a champ!  Her cousins came for a visit and we all went swimming in the hotel pool.  The pool was a bit cold for Grace but she spent a small amount of time playing in the water.   Meanwhile, the adults all managed to get some serious scrapping done!

These weekend get away times are so good for me.  Even though I managed to eat more junk food than I should and sometimes stay up much later than normal, I come away feeling rested and revitalized.  I am so blessed by this group of women!  Although we are all a diverse group, it is wonderful time of laughter, talking, sharing and fun.  Everybody needs these times to just stop and breathe out.  And to also breathe in!

Last Wednesday at my small group, we talked about slowing down and not getting into the habit of being so busy. Taking a breath that calms us.   At a recent HUB meeting (my Sunday night "church") they played a song that I was not familiar with.  The chorus of that song went like this....

River of God flood over me and lift my feet off of the ground

Carry me out into your sea and in Your presence I'll be found

The song really touched me and as the chorus played over and over, I very clearly heard "I will carry you into my SEE!!  Wow!  Doesn't that change the entire meaning of that verse?  When so much of the world - our news, what we read on the internet - is so challenging, it feels like waves of darkness just pouring over us.  But if we stop and breathe in Jesus, it is is HIS river of the Holy Spirit that will flood over us.  And when our feet are lifted off of the ground, we won't just be carried out to sea....we will be LIFTED UP into that place where we can SEE from the Lord's perspective!  From that place, things just don't look so dark and/or so bad.  Now that is a breather that so many of us really need!

During my weekend scrapbooking, I had a really odd thing happen.  My current scrapbook that I am working on, just sort of "exploded".  The pins that hold the pages together must have been defective.  During the night the book blew apart and all of the pages scattered on the floor with the back cover on one side of the chair and the front cover on the other side of the chair!  When I looked closer I noticed that the pins were actually bent and broken.  I was not very happy about this, since putting those slippery, plastic pages into the correct order and keeping them that way is no easy task!  Fortunately, I had happened to bring along some extra pins for the album.  So I was able to recreate the album with a bit of work.   I was thinking about the amount of pressure that it took to break that book and how much pressure so many people are feeling right now.  It seems like the message to breathe and allow the river of God to lift us up to see the truth of things from Jesus' perspective (not the news media) and to spend time just basking in the presence of Jesus, is the only thing that will keep us from exploding!  I for one, am very grateful for the timeliness of this message.

The weekend away highlighted just how much pressure I had been feeling building inside of me. I was able to step away and breathe and consider how much I need the presence of Jesus to change my viewpoint and be refreshed and revived.  The scrapbooking sure helped me blow off some steam also!
Whether you are a true "camper" or like me, prefer hotels, I highly recommend time away to breathe in the presence of Jesus.  Things sure look much brighter when you return to your daily routine!

Jesus, thank you for the reminder that you are watching over all of us.  You flood us with your love and your peace.  More than that, you lift us up to help us see things with your eyes.  Holy Spirit, bring us into places and times of rest so that we can breathe in your presence and also release those pressures of our world.  Thank you Jesus for time spent with friends and family.  Amen

Don't say it if you don't want it....

Today I got an extra time to see Grace.  She is three months old and just keeps getting more and more personality every time that I see her.  Today I watched this interaction between Grace and her mommy....

Can't you just see and feel the love between these two?  What an amazing connection we have with our little ones.  Even at this young age, she knows how to get her mom's attention and make her happy.   What a sweet, sweet intimate moment I was blessed to witness!

On Sunday night at the HUB meeting, Dana Morey continued with his amazing message helping us all to change our thinking, which transform our minds.  I love how the Passion Translation of Romans 12:2 reads....

Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think.  

There was simply so many good, powerful concrete ideas contained in Dana's message.  But on the way home, I was thinking about one "bullet point" thing that Dana said and I can not get it out of my head!  It brought me back to an amazing miracle that Jesus has done in my life. Here is that 

bullet point.......IF YOU DON'T WANT IT, DON'T SAY IT! 

Way, way back in 1999  (Doesn't that seem like a very long time ago?), I had been under a doctors care, pretty much constantly, for severe asthma.  As a matter of fact, in April of 1999, I noticed that the new Cardiopulmonary doctor that I was seeing, had slapped a large, red sticker over the front of my chart that said "COPD Patient".(Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)  I had been referred to this doctor because Ken and I had planned a vacation to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary, and it involved flying and a week away from home.  This doctor had tested me and prescribed several new inhalers and oral drugs that would allow me to make this trip.  But as time passed, these new drugs were not helping much.  There is a very odd thing that happens to people with breathing problems.  You get so "used to" having low oxygen levels that you don't realize how bad it really is. By the time I would realize that I needed to hit the emergency room, it was usually an emergency!

Now my church, my pastors and my friends had been praying for me often over the last year.  I would frequently go to the prayer teams, or to the altar for prayer.  I would leave the church and feel better for a few hours, but it never seemed to really STICK!  Sometime in the early fall of 1999, I heard a sermon around "owning" our illness' or infirmities.   I realized that I had been doing that!  I would say "My asthma is really bad."  Or I would say, "I have really serious asthma,"  So I became aware of how many times I used my words to own this horrible and damaging illness.  The last week of October of 1999, our church held a week of prayer meetings in the evenings.  During one of these meetings I realized that I had hit that point of needing to see the doctor as my breathing was very bad.  Before I could leave the church, my pastors and all the elders gathered around me and began to pray to break this illness off of me.  It was a powerful, powerful prayer time that cleared my breathing immediately.  I was able to stay for the rest of that service.  On the way home, I realized the connection between stopping my WORDS claiming this illness and the prayers that night.  However, I expected that, as usual, my symptoms would quickly return.  In the morning I woke up and realized that I was breathing well.  My peak flow meter showed 650.... an unbelievable number since my usual morning numbers were under 200.  I took all my medicine that morning.  As the day went on, it became more and more clear to me that I had experienced a true miracle!  I could feel the difference in my lungs, in my breathing and just in general.  A friend of mine who is a nurse, listened to my breathing that day.  With a stunned look on her face, she asked what had happened!  She said she had never heard air flow in all parts of my lungs before that day.  I made a faith decision to stop all of my medicines.   And I have never been treated for asthma since that time.  My doctors have confirmed over the years, that this is truly a miracle.  The disease that was documented in my charts doesn't just go away.  After about 5 years, they removed the sticker from my chart.    Anytime I hear someone "owning" their illness, I remember this miracle.   Our words have power.  Great power.  So my message tonight is really simple.  Whatever it is..... don't say it if you don't want it!

The miracle of my breathing with ease, is born out of my relationship with Jesus.  It is because of Him, because of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, that healing was released.  Looking at the picture of Susie and sweet little Grace, seeing the intense love and joy between the two of them, helps me to visualize the connection that I have with God.  We are so blessed to be able to sit on the lap of our God, look into His eyes and see His smile.  What a beautiful reminder of the great love of Jesus.  

Yes, it is good to remember and recount testimonies of miracles.  But it is also a wonderful privilege to proclaim the great love that Jesus has for all people.  

Jesus, thank you for loving us and calling us to come sit on your lap.  Holy Spirit, help us all to be aware of our words and the power that we have in our tongue.  Remind us that we have a daddy in heaven that loves us.  Jesus, thank you for the breath of life.  Amen

April Showers (and blooming trees and flowers) bring a high pollen count!

I have been feeling a bit "fuzzy" over the last couple of weeks - thanks to unrelenting allergies!  Yes, I love the blooming trees.  And yes, I am so thankful that all of those flowers are blooming!  But NO!  I do not appreciate all of the pollen that is floating in the air.   This is always a difficult time of year for me, but this year has been extremely bad.  It seems that I have had a constant headache that leaves me very tired by the end of the day.  Ken has been out enjoying the warm weather and taking photos of all this "beautiful" spring blooming.  I much prefer to sit inside and just contemplate the arrival of better weather (with much less pollen)!

This was my remedy for today!  I mean really, doesn't that little cutie just lift your spirit?  She is wearing the little shirt that was in her Easter Basket and a "TuTu" (which is what Lia, Ellie and Anna all call their skirts) that is a hand me down from Gwen's girls.  Being with Grace certainly did help me to feel a bit less fuzzy.  It is hard to believe that this little girl will soon be twelve weeks old!  I don't know where the last 3 months have gone.

For the most part, this April has not been quite as filled with memories of all those who I have lost in this month. (I have mentioned this often - my mom, dad, mother-in-law, father-in-law and sister all died during April).  I think this might actually be a bit of a benefit of all the fuzziness in my head this year! But then this happened......

I was sitting in my car in a drive through line, getting a quick cup of coffee.  I had my window down as I approached the window to pay for my drink.  There were a number of cars ahead of me so I was stopped for a number of minutes.  And then the aroma of this bush wafted into my car.  I was suddenly transported to the backyard of Ken's parents home.  There was a large spice bush in the corner of their yard that would just fill the entire place with this sweet smell.    I had not been thinking about Merv and JoAnne until that moment.  For the next couple of hours I just couldn't get them out of my mind.  So many memories in that backyard.  Isn't it interesting how powerful a smell can be?  This is one of my favorite pictures from that backyard.  It is Doug and Gwen with their Great Grandma Baker (Ken's favorite Grandma).

(When I found this picture I noticed how much Grace looks like Doug and Anna makes the expression that Gwen has in this picture!)  Looking at this picture, I can almost smell that bush!

On Sunday evening I had another experience of my senses reminding me of events from the past.  I have blogged many times about a powerful ministry that meets fairly close to my home - Chicago HUB.  I have been attending these meetings over the last twenty years on a fairly regular basis - much more often in the recent years.  And I can not begin to count how many conference events sponsored by HUB that have blessed me during that time. Something very unexpected happened last November.  The leader of HUB, Nancy Magiera,  became seriously ill.  Additionally, the conference center that had been the meeting place for HUB for several years, announced that they were closing as of January, 2017.  Suddenly I faced (like so many other people) the reality that HUB was not meeting each Sunday.  Have you heard the saying that you don't miss something until you don't have it anymore?  HUB is not an easily replaceable event.  There is something incredibly unique about this group of people who gather each week.  HUB stands for His United Body and that is exactly what it is.  There are people of every age from infants to grey heads.  There are people of many races and many creeds.  Nancy always says that there is one common denominator at HUB - the only one that matters - Jesus and His saving work on the cross.  Because of the unity, because of the love of Jesus, there is always powerful worship and amazing teaching.  Well, last Sunday evening, I (along with several hundred other people) celebrated the return of HUB.  It was a new location.  Nancy is still recovering, but doing better.  But hundreds - yes hundreds of us came together once again.  Standing in that crowd, just breathing in the atmosphere, I was flooded with reminders of past HUB events.
As I mentioned at the start of this blog, I have not been feeling great.  And this new location for HUB is farther from home for me.  Needless to say, Sunday evening HUB helped to clear the fuzziness from my head.  I was so thankful to be in that place once again.

The icing on the cake at HUB was the message from Dana Morey.  If you take a moment and click on this link, you will see just a bit of who Dana Morey is.  Yes, the man that speaks before MILLIONS, is a friend of HUB and we are blessed - so blessed - that he comes and shares with us.  On Sunday night he shared the beginning of a powerful message (the message will be completed over the next two Sunday nights) to encourage and teach us how to truly transform our thinking so that we can have the mind of Christ!   Boy did I ever need to hear this message, considering my fuzzy thinking over the past weeks!  I can hardly wait for the next two Sunday evenings to get the complete message!  The nugget from his message that I want to share with you, is that it IS possible to change the way we think!  It is physically possible to remove old thought patterns from our brains and build new ways of thinking.

If you are like me and feeling like your thinking is muddled and fuzzy, this is very good news. I've had a couple of great examples of Jesus reaching me through my senses, even when I felt really distant and covered in a veil of fog.  The smile of a sweet baby, a delight for my eyes.  The smell of a wonderful spring bloom, a pleasing aroma.  The press of a crowd of friends and the presence of the Holy Spirit, a refreshing balm.  Followed by the wisdom and inspiration of a great message.  Yep, allergies are no match for a loving and powerful God!

Jesus, thank you for your amazing wonderful creation that bursts forth in blooms each spring.  Thank you for getting your message through to me, in spite of my clouded brain.  Thank you for HUB, for Nancy and Hank Mageira, and for Dana Morey.  Pour out your abundant blessings on your servants.  Holy Spirit, thank you for drawing your people together in unity.  Amen

Finding the flowing water....

This past few days I have been away at a wonderful Conference put on by Chicago HUB, the Ministry Group that I attend.  HUB stands for His United Body and this group is really a picture of that unity.  The days (and evenings and nights) were filled (and I mean filled) with top notch, well known speakers.  There was actually more than one worship team and the worship was just amazing at every session.  The prayer and intercession times, led by a really neat guy who is a part of HUB, were incredible.  It was truly an international event with people from all over the world in attendance.  The nations came to Chicago and then together, we turned our focus to Jesus and His promises!

The Conference Center where this event was held, is an amazing place.  The design is actually a Frank Lloyd Wright design.  There are all of the typical marks of his architecture including lots of angles and water!  This waterfall is in the center of the conference center.  When I had a few minutes to spare, I would stand and listen to this waterfall - either from the second story or from the downstairs area.  I have blogged before about my draw to flowing water of any kind, and this waterfall certainly works for me!  On the third day of the event, I was standing overlooking this waterfall,  in line to enter the meeting.  A man standing in front of me pointed out that there was one fish swimming in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall.   I had never noticed that fish before!  We chatted about how interesting it was that there was only one fish and also about the obvious repairs that have been made to the waterfall.  It is pretty clear that there is some damage to the base of this structure and it looks like they are trying to keep the whole thing from falling down!

After getting home very late last night, I have felt a bit "foggy" today.  In honesty, the conference is still going on!  But I was just so tired that I knew that I needed to be at home today, resting and taking in all that I had heard over the previous days.  As I sat down to write this blog, the first thing that came into my mind was that waterfall.  And that one lonely fish.  Considering everything I had seen and heard and experienced this seemed really interesting to me!  Why the waterfall and why that fish?

Well, I have often felt like that one lonely fish, swimming around in pool, all by myself.  I would think, "Wow! This is such a great place and all the things around me are so amazing!  Where is everyone else?"  But this conference was very different for me.  I was surrounded by my "tribe".  Several of my small group friends were also at this conference.  So I certainly was not feeling like that lonely fish, was I?   Well, have you ever heard that you can be really lonely even if you are surrounded by a large crowd of people?  Even people that you know well?   Yes, I guess I was feeling a bit like that fish.  And I am sure that there were other people who also were feeling sort of alone.  Suddenly I understood what this feeling was all about.  I was remembering.  

The speaker last night was someone that I had heard many, many times in the 1990's,  Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne.    If you take a moment and click on that link with his name, and read about his ministry, you will be amazed.  The man is on a mission to change the world and he is succeeding.  In those early years of his ministry, before 2002, he was known for the laughter and other signs and wonders that followed him.  In 2002 the direction of his ministry shifted to winning souls and he shared last night that he believes that his ministry has won over 10,000,000 souls for Jesus.  Yes that is 10 MILLION!  All of those amazing signs and wonders still follow this man's message. As a matter of fact, they have INCREASED!   He actually said that he has not been back to Chicago for 20 years! After last night he indicated that he just might come and do a 30 day crusade here!  That would be amazing.

Anytime that he would be at an event, during those long ago days,  there would be a flurry of activity to plan lots of car pools so that we could all attend.  We would trade off driving since the events where usually held quite a distance from us.  I recall that the drives back and forth and the fellowship in the cars was a wonderful part of the experience.  But 20 years is a long time.  As I sat there last night, listening to his message, I felt sad that I was not sitting with any of those people from the past.  We have all seemed to go our different ways.  I was thankful for my new "tribe" - my wonderful friends that surround me and pray for me.  But I was missing those old friends.  It's funny how a shared experience stays with you for so long.  Here I was, experiencing this great man, once again.  But there was no one to remember those long ago meetings.  No one to share those memories.

But in all of that, one of the BIGGEST messages of the entire conference was to leave the PAST in the PAST!  To move on and take those steps into those new places and into new experiences.  Several of the speakers talked of that river of living water that is FLOWING out of our belly.  A river that never stays in one place, that moves and flows and grows as it flows.  The message was to do something with everything we have heard.   To go and to share and to love the world.

Yes, I can see now what Jesus has been saying to me tonight.  It is a reminder to keep looking up and moving on.  Something that so many of us seem to forget from time to time.  Me included.  That lone fish had a message for me.  Stop looking down at the pool and look up!  Notice the ever flowing water.  I needed to see this man of God, to hear his story, to understand how Jesus moves us all along the path and even changes our direction.  But when we find ourselves flowing into new and strange places, away from people we have been so close to, we need to be reminded that we are not alone!  Jesus is with us and there will be new people coming along side of us to share this part of our journey.  We need to just keep on flowing.....

It has been a very full few days.  I have pages and pages of notes to pour over and digest and chew on.  But I am so thankful that there are reminders of all that Jesus has done.  I am sure that Jesus will be there with you wherever you are along that path.  Just keep looking up at Jesus and take that first step.  And I am talking to myself tonight!

Jesus, thank you for these times out of our normal routines.  We need the interruptions of daily life so that we can remember what is really important.  It is all about you. Its all about that flowing, living water of the Holy Spirit.  Help us all to absorb what you are saying tonight.  Speak it deep into our hearts today.  Amen

Wow, what a weekend..........

WOW!  Yes, it has been an incredible few days....The conference that I mentioned started on Thursday evening.  One of the best things about this event, was experiencing it in the company of some good friends.  Because, lets face it, everything is better with good friends by your side! 

This was an action packed few days with an unbelievable "menu" of speakers.  The conference space was jammed with people.  Beginning on Thursday evening, the worship was amazing.  My Facebook friends have already seen a picture of an Amish man (who prayed for revival in Indiana and has seen something wonderful happen) who gave a testimony!  

Here are a couple of "snippets" from this weekend.... (and there was so much more than these few words on a page)

"Jesus had to turn His power down just so he could be led away by the soldiers" Dana Morey

"There is a sound,  There is a sound that breaks down.  There is breakthrough!  Patricia King

"Maybe the people wouldn't have wandered in the wilderness for 40 years if they would have just asked their wives for directions!"   Brenda Kilpatrick

"We just saw a miracle! (after a long time of complete silence in a room jammed with people) Silence counts as a miracle when there are over 1000 women in the room!"  Nancy Magiera

"Your light belongs in the darkness"  Patricia King

"God plus nothing equals everything you need"  (can't remember who said this)

"Something is breaking out in Chicago here at HUB.  The Holy Spirit showed up big time this afternoon"   Barbara J. Yoder

"We believe that revival has hit!"  Nancy Magiera

"There is power to break every chain that holds you"   Bonnie Chavda

And then..... from Steve Mitchell (the worship leader)..... 

Angels on a mission, move into position, giving revelation to the daughters of God

Edge of space and time, knowing I was born to cross the line, see the revelation, know the secrets of creation.

And I have to add a special note about Dr Clarice Fluitt.  I confess that prior to this event, I had no idea who she was.  But I think that I needed to hear her talk more than anything else this weekend.  It was actually her 75th birthday but you would never know that she was that old.  What an amazing, anointed women she is.  She spoke for about 40 minutes last night and I have never laughed so hard for so long!  

On Friday, during the afternoon session, I noticed that I had a voicemail from Ken's sister Sue. My phone was on silent so I missed the call.  Ken's father had just died and was finally at peace.  I went out of the meeting and made some phone calls to let Ken, Gwen and Doug know about grandpa's death.  While we were all saddened by this, it was a relief to know the struggle was over.  I am so thankful for my talk with him a couple years ago, that confirmed for me that he is now celebrating in heaven with Jesus!

I found this picture of a Christmas from the early 90's.  This is Ken and his sister Sue with mom and dad.  Yes, I have now added yet another person to my list of deaths in April.  As a matter of fact, that day (April 17) was also the anniversary of the death of my grandmother Nora Toensing.   And today is the 30th anniversary of my dad's death.  

I love this picture of my dad with his sisters.  I am pretty sure that this was taken in 1980 (which would have been my aunt Alice and Agnes (front row) 80th birthday).  This was several years before my dad died.  Yes, it is hard to image that it is 30 years since I have talked to my dad.  

Okay, I know that it might seem so odd to talk about these family deaths along with a report about a spiritual revival happening in Chicago.  But, you know what?  It doesn't seem at all wrong to me.  My feelings about the loss of these special people is much different, knowing what their final destination is.  If anything, it is making me so much more aware of how very important it is to share the good news about Jesus.  

So tonight, back at home, I am still processing everything that I experienced and felt this weekend.  And I am feeling physically tired after several late nights in a row.  I am remembering my father-in-law and memories from so many years with him.  There was no better place for me to be than in the powerful presence of Jesus when I learned about another loss.  

When I walked out of the conference this morning, this was the song that Steve Mitchell was singing....

There is a redeemer,

Jesus, God's own Son,

Precious Lamb of God, Messiah,

Holy One,

Jesus my redeemer,

Name above all names,

Precious Lamb of God, Messiah,

Oh, for sinners slain.

Thank you oh my father,

For giving us Your Son,

And leaving Your Spirit,

'Til the work on Earth is done.

When I stand in Glory,

I will see His face,

And there I'll serve my King forever,

In that Holy Place.

Thank you oh my father,

For giving us Your Son,

And leaving Your Spirit,

'Til the work on Earth is done.

There is a redeemer,

Jesus, God's own Son,

Precious Lamb of God, Messiah,

Holy One,

Thank you oh my father,

For giving us Your Son,

And leaving Your Spirit,

'Til the work on Earth is done.

And leaving Your Spirit,

'Till the work on Earth is done.

There was no better way to end this weekend.  I was singing this song all the way home.  And I am still singing it now.  And I am thinking about this verse..

When I stand in Glory,

I will see His face,

And there I'll serve my King forever,

In that Holy Place.

And I am so thankful and filled with hope and joy.  One day, I will be in that place, with my mom, my dad, my father-in-law, my sister, my grandmother, sweet little Lucas, and so many others....serving my King forever.

Jesus, your ways are perfect.  I am so thankful for the plans and purpose and destiny that you have for each of us.  Thank you for the amazing revival you are pouring out on the Chicago area.  Bless all of the speakers, Nancy and Hank Magiera and the entire Chicago HUB staff.  Continue to draw people into your loving family.  Thank you for laughter and joy and friends.   Amen