You guys are incredible! The overwhelming response to this year’s Prepare International Pistol & Clays Competition and Banquet was literally out-of-this-world!  We had more sponsorships and teams than last year which made a huge impact to our fundraising efforts.

There are so many other stones that I have collected for the Alter of Remembrance.  A friend told me that she saw the makings of a book in the gathering of my stones.  So I will, I will write a book on transitioning and the gathering of stones, after my two books on children/families are published.  But as of right now I’m gathering a diamond, the final stone I will write about before I stand on the altar.  God impressed in my heart that PI Family Camp, these next two weeks, will be my altar.  I will be on the mountain top like Abraham and Isaac.  I am excited to see what God will do in and through me during this time.  I believe my trust in Him will be challenged. I will let you know how the process of standing on the altar of remembrance and offering myself afresh as a living sacrifice goes!

But for now let’s talk about the DIAMOND!  This is a rock of remembrance for my marriage, my husband and how God loves me through Randy.  It is an incredible blessing to me.  

Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping . . . (a line in an old song).  During transition time is critical and time seems to always be slipping, slipping away.  Matter of fact, it is quite humorous that this blog is on time and I am two full days late at getting it up. 🙂  The next stone that I am taking to the Altar to stand on is time.  

This month 50 years ago, as a six year old, tagged as shy, I gave my life to Jesus.  I asked Him to clean my heart and to make me forever His.  My dad would bring an old mattress that was hidden under my bed in to the living room.  Sometimes we would do gymnastics, sometimes we would have Bible stories, but this night we were watching Billy Graham on TV.  When Billy Graham asked for those that wanted to give their lives to God and have Jesus cleanse them and to live with God forever, my tender heart was pierced.  I gave my life to Jesus that night.  The next Sunday I couldn’t wait to walk down the aisle and show everyone I was His. And being baptized was the icing on the cake!  It was a first act of total obedience, pushing past all my fears.  I couldn’t put it into words but it was real and it took! This was not expected or normal for me – I was told I was shy (I really hate that word).  I marched down the aisle with my eyes on my pastor to the song, “No Turning Back.”  As a six year old I told the Lord that would be our theme song.  “Though none go with me, still I will follow.  No turning back.”  And as a six year old I received the keeping power of grace to walk these 50 years without ever turning back!  That is a big cause for celebration to me.  I am collecting the Stone of Keeping Grace.

This May marked the year that our youngest, our baby girl, graduated from the university.  She graduated from Dallas Baptist University, Suma Cum Laude in a degree of Elementary Education with various certifications from what is considered one of the top universities for Education in the US.  Then just yesterday she signed her contract to teach at Terrell ISD, just south east of Dallas.  Today as we travel she is debating living arrangements. —- All grown up!

How can God use something straight from the pit of hell?  Alzheimer’s or Dementia affects people in various ways.  Some revert to a child and gentle, some become the complete opposite of their former self – where they were sweet, grumpy, or some like my mom, become fearful, delusional, and wander.  Horrible fear fuels their behavior is sometimes violent.  This is my perspective on  the journey I had with my mom in her last years.  I cannot speak for my dad, Randy, my brother or my kids.  We were all changed in various ways.  This is just my story with my mom and God.

Last week’s blog, I honored my mom and who she was in my life and many others.  This week I am strive to be even more transparent and let Jesus shine through some of my weakest moments.  This stone is very small but very heavy.  It could seem insignificant in contrast to a lifetime of living, but any event, any moment in the hand of God can become monumental.

The early part of this past May, my mom died, went to be in the arms of Jesus, after a bout of Alzheimers!  The 1st stone I am gathering is my life with her, my relationship with her, how God used all that she was and all that she wasn’t to shape me and bring me to the promise of His Kingdom in my life.

I am actually going to collect two stones dedicated to my mom.  The first is before Alzheimer’s, the second is after Alzheimer’s.  I want to be honoring of her and at the same time transparent.  I am praying that I accomplish this and you can take some of what I learned, apply it to your specific situations and reach higher in God.

So as I was asking God about how to ‘survive’ all the transitioning in my life right now.  I felt like He took me again to Joshua as they started transitioning into the promised land.  They were to purify themselves which we talked about, but they followed after the presence of God.  When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, the presence of God, touched the water, the water rolled up on itself a long ways off and let the Israelites walk across.  So I think of two things:

My feet are unsure, the river is swift and the stones slippery!  How do I get across these rivers without falling, getting soaked, scraped up or swept away in the currents.  I see where I want to go, but there is a lot of maneuvering and obstacles between here and there!  Several times I while hiking, I have found myself at a river crossing. 

Randy and I just arrived in the Czech Republic (Czechia).  This is the place where missions was planted in the heart of our whole family.  This is where we as a family were ruined forever for the Kingdom.  Our world got smaller and our hearts got bigger.  Normal would never look the same again What a great time to acknowledge God’s goodness and remember His works.  So lets take a nostalgic walk down memory lane. (Old picture – the 1st team we led to Kadan with some Czech leaders & friends –  a life changing trip!  Team members, do you recognize yourself?)