Home At Last

As most of you know, my brother, Dan, recently had surgery for colon cancer. Shortly after his initial surgery, he developed a bowel obstruction requiring a second surgery. He told me later that there were times when he wasn't sure he would make it through the ordeal. Praise be to God, Dan is now home and recovering well.

As I spoke with Dan on the phone a few nights ago, I could hear in his voice how relieved he was to be home. My mind went back to the many times I have journeyed home to see my family and the sense of anticipation that I had as I traveled. I thought about the peace I always feel when I lay down to rest in my parent's home. Mother and Daddy have always given us, their children and grandchildren, a place of refuge from life's adversities---a place of joy and laughter---and, above all, a place where love is freely given. To my brothers and to me, home is where you go when life becomes too much to handle.

I know there are those who have not had such a loving environment in their childhood. I am aware that many children grow up without loving parents and siblings. I do, indeed, realize how blessed I have been to have treasured memories of such a home. Yet, as wonderful as the home was that my parents provided for me, there is a home far greater that awaits me. I am speaking of the eternal home that God has prepared for me when my earthly life is over. A place where sorrow never enters, where heartache is never known. It is a place where sickness never comes and where death never enters. It is a perfect place.

I will be traveling home soon to spend some much needed time with my family, especially my brother. I will be making the trip with much joy and anticipation. Yet, always in the back of my mind, there is the knowledge that my eternal home is waiting. As I look forward to my Daddy's strong embrace and my Mother's gentle voice, as I eagerly await time with my brothers and my son, as I make plans to see my friends and elderly saints of God, I wait patiently for the time when I will lay down this earthly mantle and enter my Heavenly home. It is my desire, my hope, to live my life in such a way that I will hear my precious Savior say, "Well done, my child. Enter in to the joys of the Lord.". It is then that I will know I am truly home. Only then will I know for certain that I am home at last.

In Grace,
Marie

As I Remember

It is with great pride today that I call myself an American. Though our great nation has its problems, it remains the nation of freedom---freedom purchased with great sacrifice and great sorrow. To those who have given their lives for my liberty and to those who fight for the same cause today, I say "Thank You.". I am grateful to each of you and proud of the service you have given to your country.

This is my uncle, Arthur Neace

I recall as a child my mother's brother, Uncle Arthur Neace, coming home from World War II. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and remembered seeing his comrades give their lives in service to their country. He was one of the fortunate who came home. I loved him dearly and he was so kind to me. His death when I was 11 left me with a sense of great loss. He was a great man.

This is my uncle, Junior Tomps Caudill

My father's only sibling, Uncle Junior, also fought for our country. He was in the Korean war. He fought in battle and was also a mechanic who helped repair the tanks and other vehicles used in warfare. He is now 79 years old but still remembers clearly his days in the U.S. Army. I love my uncle very much and am very proud of him and his service to his country.

My nephew, Derek Russell Caudill

I wrote a few months ago about my nephew, Derek. He has recently returned from overseas and is now stationed in Fort Hood, Texas. He is quite a young man and serves his country with pride and dignity. I am so very proud of him.

Last year, my daughter and her family took a trip to Washington, D.C. They had a wonderful time and my grandsons, Michael and Gabriel, enjoyed seeing all the historical sights they had learned about in school. One of the sights they saw was the Vietnam Memorial. As you know the names of those who lost their lives in service to their country are listed on the wall. When Michael saw the memorial and realized that all those names represented those who had died while fighting in the war, his little heart was touched. This picture says it all.

Today, I am grateful for the grace of God. I am equally grateful that His grace and mercy have rested upon America and allowed it to remain the greatest nation on earth. I love the words of the song, "America, America...God shed His grace on thee...And crown thy good with brotherhood...from sea to shining sea.". I pray His blessing forever remains on America and its people.

Blessings to each of you today.

In Grace,
Marie

The Sound of Your Voice

My handsome brother, Dan

This morning I was able to speak with my brother, Dan. As you know, he had surgery last week for colon cancer, is now recovering and doing so very well. Truly I am so grateful to the Lord for being with my brother and for bringing him through such a tremendous ordeal. He is still in the hospital but should be able to go home in a couple of days.

When he answered the phone this morning, I nearly wept at the sound of his voice. He has a very deep, manly voice (just like our father) and this morning it was clear and strong. I listened to him talk and thought about how much joy the sound of his voice brought to my heart. His conversation, his chuckle, his dry sense of humor---all made me laugh out loud as I chatted with him for a short space of time. Just hearing his voice made everything okay.

After I got off the phone with Dan, the thought came to me---are we as thrilled to hear the voice of God as we are that of our loved ones? Do we yearn for Him to speak to us, to calm us, to comfort us, as only the voice of our Heavenly Father can do? Are we as eager for the sound of the Father's voice as we are for His grace or mercy? Are we so preoccupied with what we want God to do for us that we have lost the thrill of the sound of His voice?

God speaks in so many different ways. He is in the words of a song, the sound of children's laughter, the rain falling softly in spring, or the whispered prayers of seasoned saints. Then, there are the times when He enters our thoughts, comforting us, directing us, strengthening us. God speaks to us through His precious Word as well, letting us know we are not alone in our despairs, our sorrows, or our joys. God is always speaking if we could but take a moment to listen.

Today, I am thrilled at the sound of my brother's voice. I love him so dearly and am so grateful to God that he has blessed Dan to be with us and not allowed the cancer to take him away. Oh, but now I yearn for the sound of a different voice. I yearn for the voice of my Heavenly Father as He comes to me in comfort, peace, and joy. The words of a song from the movie "Courageous" comes to mind, "Sing your song to me...there's no great thing...than to listen to the sound of your voice...". I cannot say it better than that.

Blessings to you today as you listen for the sound of His voice.

In Grace,
Marie

A Grateful Heart

This morning my heart rejoices at how God answers prayer. As you know from my previous post, my brother, Dan was diagnosed with colon cancer a month ago. It was such a shock to all of us because he has such a healthy lifestyle and has never shown any signs of illness at all (other than a cold or flu occasionally). A diagnosis of cancer just devastated my entire family. We immediately began to pray for his healing and his recovery.

Yesterday afternoon, Dan, underwent surgery for removal of the cancerous lesion. Praise to the Most High, it was a very successful surgery. He had an excellent surgeon---one that I had worked with many times when I lived in Ohio. The surgery was very lengthy and tedious. However, the lesion was very contained with no involvement of other organs. It was removed, along with several lymph nodes, and he is recovering well at this time.

Dan doing his favorite thing---reading the business news

I cannot thank God enough for His goodness and His watchful care during my brother's illness. At each step of the way, He has had people there who were able to direct my brother to the right tests, the right surgeon, the right hospital. This whole episode began when my brother passed out at work. He was hospitalized and numerous workups revealed nothing specific. At a follow-up visit with his family physician, he was told to get a colonoscopy in an effort to determine if there was a cause for his blood work being slightly low. Dan is 49 and normally colonoscopies do not begin until an individual is 50. However, his physician was persistent and encouraged Dan to go ahead with the procedure. How grateful we all are as this was when his cancer was discovered. Waiting another year could have proven disasterous.

As terrible and heart wrenching as this has been, I am ever grateful for the Lord's watchfulness over my brother. He is such a fine man---I am so blessed to have him in my life. Please continue to pray for Dan and for my family as well. We are continuing to believe and trust in the Lord for Dan's complete and full recovery.

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. He really is.

In Grace,
Marie

A Sister's Prayers

It has been several months since I have been able to write and keep up with all of my friends in the blogging circle. It has been a time of great personal illness and devastating family illness as well. My faith has been put to the test but I am as certain of God's power, mercy, and grace as I have ever been. God is so good. Even in the midst of the most devastating circumstances, He is ever faithful and true.

This is my brother , Dan.

As I write this, he is preparing for surgery for colon cancer. Dan is 49. Those of you who have followed my blog in times past will recall that Dan is a minister and one of the finest Bible teachers I have ever heard. He is a loving father, devoted husband, and a true man of God in every sense of the word. I love him so very much.

It is difficult to watch those you love endure such trying circumstances. My mind goes back to the little boy who would take my hand when crossing the street and would hug me tight before going to bed each night. I recall the first time I heard him teach when, at age 17, he taught my teenage Sunday School class the meaning of "Going the Distance". The night he was ordained into the ministry is a sweet memory for me as tears of joy filled the eyes of my parents---we were all so proud of him.

Now I am faced with the difficulty of being strong for him and for my family even though my own heart hurts so desperately for him. As a nurse, I know the severity of what he is facing---as a sister, I long to be able to make it all go away---as a child of God, I stand on the promises of a God who cannot fail. We are called to a higher purpose when it comes to intercession. It is at this time that we go before the Lord on behalf of another and seek God for healing and restoration.

It is a privilege to be able to pray for my brother. I cannot heal Him, but I know one who can. I cannot calm his spirit and give him peace of mind, but I pray to one who can. Will you pray with me? Will you, in your prayer time, ask God to be with my brother and to give strength to my family? I am so grateful for each of you and the kind words you have always sent to me in times such as these. May His blessings come to each of you in abundance today.

In Grace,
Marie

Oh, Come Let Us Adore Him

How wonderful to be back to my blog and to be able to share my heart thoughts with all of you. Personal illness has kept me away for a while. There were days when just breathing was difficult and I could only walk short distances without becoming extremely fatigued. Thankfully, God has been gracious and allowed me to recover my strength and my health. I am so very grateful for all of your prayers and kind thoughts during this time. I am eager to get 'round to all of you and catch up on your holiday festivities.

Oh, how I love this time of year. I love the preparations of baking, the wrapping of gifts, the songs of the season, and the anticipation of family gatherings. I love watching the changes in my home as the decorations go up and each room becomes a magical place. Old traditions and new celebrations merge into rich memories to be savored long after the season is ended. It is my most favorite time of the year.

In getting in the spirit of the season, I have a collection of Christmas music by various artists I enjoy. Last year, I purchased a CD by Josh Groban and it has become my most favorite of all. His beautiful voice lends itself so well to the songs of the season. The last song on the CD is "O, Come All Ye Faithful". It is the most glorious rendition of this song I have ever heard.

Though I have sung this song and relished its words since I was a child, this year it has taken on a special meaning for me. During the time that I was so very ill, I came to lean on the Lord for comfort and peace. I learned to not just love Him, I learned to adore Him. His presence became my escape and His Word became my resting place. When I was so weak I could hardly utter a prayer, I could feel Him near. What joy that was to me!!!

When I was a little girl, I used to wonder what it would have been like to be among those who came to worship the baby in the manger. I would imagine myself at the side of Mary as she held Him close and I would even imagine myself holding the Baby Jesus and looking into his infant face. Now, as an adult, I still feel that same sense of adoration when I think of Jesus' birth, how He was laid in a manger filled with hay, wrapped in swaddling cloth, his arrival announced by an angelic choir, and shepherds hurrying through the dark of night to see Him for themselves.

I do so love the beauty of Christmas. Yet, as the ornaments go on the tree, as I listen to the songs of the season, and as I thrill to the gathering of family and friends, my adoration is reserved for the baby in the manger. There is no other I love so dearly, no presence so treasured as His. I will come to Him, I will adore Him, and I will celebrate his coming. He alone is worthy---Christ the Lord.

In Grace,
Marie

My Refuge

"God is my refuge...He's a strong and mighty tower...that I can run to...God is my refuge...without Him...tell me what would I do?". Southern Gospel Hymn

I awoke this morning still tired and nearly exhausted from a very busy week. I pondered what I should write about and found that I could not settle on a subject. Since that is highly unusual for me, I prayed about it. I asked God to give me the topic of the day, as I always do, but still nothing specific came to mind. So, I decided to just enter into prayer and wait for God to bring what was needed to my mind.

As I began to thank God for all His many blessings to me, I was reminded of the night I gave my heart to the Lord. I was fourteen, naive, and had no clue what life was all about. My world was centered around the things of God. We were a family whose entire focus was on the ministry so, while I was fairly well versed in Godly matters, life itself was a completely different issue. As my brothers grew older, they were involved in sports activities, field trips, and hunting expeditions. I, on the other hand, chose the comforts of home. Though I had friends, I was basically a loner. I was so hungry and thirsty for the things of God that it became a separating factor as most of my friends could not understand why I would rather sit with Daddy and his ministerial friends than go out with them. It is still that way today. I have wonderful friends in my church and I adore my pastor's wife. Susan is my totally best friend. However, most of my time is spent alone with God. He is the best friend of all. I am in constant hunger for His presence.

Which brings me to today's thought. As I was thanking God for all He has done for me, I found myself also thanking Him for the hard lessons He has taught me. I said to the Lord, "God there were many times when I wanted you to rescue me, but you had lessons for me to learn.". It was then I felt the unction of the Holy Ghost as He spoke to me and said, "I wanted to be your refuge, not your rescue.". Oh, how grateful I am that he taught me where to run for refuge, how to continue on in the midst of the storm, and how to follow the path of righteousness to find my shelter in Him. How grateful I am now for the times I spent with Him instead of worldly pursuits. Oh, I cannot express to you the joy I feel at this moment.

Lest you think I am boasting or, worse still, you perceive me as a hermit, let me say that I love being with the people of God. I love listening to their life stories and sharing mine with them. Coffee on the porch with Susan and her daughters is one of my favorite pastimes. I love to shop and I love to eat out. Being with my children and grandchildren is always a pleasure. But it is my time with God that renews me. It is His presence that I crave the most. It is the time spent in prayer and meditation that have sustained me through the dark times of life. His Word has, indeed, become my refuge.

All that I have shared with you today has been intended to point you to the only refuge you really have. With all the friends we may gain, all the money we may spend, all the possessions we may accumulate, it is what we gain from God that will sustain us. He will anchor us. He will be our refuge. He will be our teacher and our guide. He will never fail or forsake us and His love is all encompassing. His mercy and grace are renewed every day and He never lets go of us, no matter what.

God doesn't want to rescue us as much as wants to refuge us. He is the only shelter we have when the storms of life are raging high. I urge you to seek Him today. Run to Him, love Him, bask in His presence. He is your strong and mighty tower and you can find shelter in Him. When it comes right down to it, we really have no where else to go but to God. As the song says, "Without Him, tell me what would I do?". As long as He is willing to refuge me, I am willing to seek Him out and hide myself in Him. He is, indeed, my place of refuge.

In Grace,

Marie