Every year on September 15th, I celebrate the day that a new addition was made to the heavenly choir and reflect on what might have been. 

On this day in 1978, Carlyn Diane Chambers was still-born to two very young parents.  She was the first born.  We eagerly awaited her birth.  Her nursery was all ready, although very modestly decorated.  With her birth at 10:20 am, our lives changed forever.  This was not what we had expected–we were not prepared for this.  I never saw her little face.  I never heard her sweet cry.  She became a citizen of Heaven without ever becoming a citizen of the earth. 

The fact that she is in the arms of the Father brings great comfort to me.  She has never cried one single tear or suffered a broken heart.  For these things, I am eternally grateful.  However, I often wonder what kind of woman would she have been.  What kind of mom would she have been (much better than her own–I hope!)?  

Many years since that day in September in 1978, God has place two wonderful women in my life that I think answer these questions for me.  Both are the first born of their respective families and both, ironically, have September birthdays.  They both hold very special places in my heart and life.  I am extremely proud of both of them and all that they have accomplished.  I will list a few of the traits that make them remarkable. (There are many many more!)  Here goes!!

One of these women is my step-daughter Martha.  Martha is a wonderful mom. I am delighted at the way she is raising two very independent young ladies of her own. (Abby and Amelia are the joy of their granny’s heart!) She is intelligent and devoted to her family and to her God.  She is very resourceful, a Proverbs 31 woman.  She has made her family her top priority.  These are all traits that I would have wanted for Carlyn.

The second is Kelly Nevins.  Kelly is the fanastic mother of four children. (I adore them all)  She is very funny.  This is very important, you see a great sense of humor will get you through hard times.  She has a heart filled with compassion.  She, too, has made her family her top priority. She and her family have gone thru some tough times, yet she is faithful to her God. (Another Proverbs 31 Woman!!)  These, too, are things that I would have wanted for her.

It has been my experience, that God often raises up things to add to our lives when we have experienced a loss.  Neither of these wonderful women can nor should take the place of Carlyn; yet, God has blessed me by bringing each into my life. I love them both.  I have a tremendous amount of respect for them as well.  I pray for them and their families regularly.  I know that they love me and pray for me as well.

My hat is off to both Martha and Kelly.  Thanks for bringing happiness to my heart.  As for Carlyn, I will see you one day ….my dear baby girl!! 

Dear friends, 

When I began this blog, my goal was to share my life experiences as a demonstration of the power of my Awesome God.  He has brought me through so many things.  The list is indeed endless.  This post, however, is a heartfelt cry for your prayers for me and my family.  We are facing some hard things and we need help from our God.

Life is not always easy, but one thing I know…nothing is too hard for God.  I know when this season is over, this situation will find its way to this blog as another story of God’s power and majesty.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart….

dby 

This is my father, Tim Duncan.  He is 71 years old and is preparing for another surgery to remove cancer from his body (Surgery is set for August 17th).   We are prayerful that this will be the last.  He underwent a major surgery last year for cancerous tumors in his bladder. 

Another thing that brought him to my mind this morning was a short statement in our daily devotional reading.  In Experiencing God Day by Day, the writer was talking about bringing honor and glory to the name of God.  He went on to say, “We can so tarnish the name father before our children that it hinders them from loving God as their heavenly father.”  This statement really hit home for me.  As I thought about the relationship I experienced as I child with my father, I decided to take this statement one step further, I looked up the definition of “Father” in the online dictionary.   

According to the dictionary, father means, “a man who begets or raises or nurtures a child”.  I was amazed that the each characteristic was separated by “or”.  My father was not a nurturing parent.  He was in and out on the ”raising” part of the definition. We had a tough childhood to say the least.  The good news is that after many years God has restored our relationship to what it should be.  We have come to terms with the past and have decided to move forward. 

I said all that to say this , because of my past relationship with my own father, it was very hard for me to relate to God as my father.  I associated “Father” with hurt and disapppointment.  Since that time in my life, God has shown me that when I accept Him as my father the definition of father changes to “he who begets and raises and nurtures a child”.  In the process, He healed the relationship between my father and me.

He who begets: Psalm 139: 13-14-”For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

 He who raises (provides): Matthew 6:32-33: “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.”

He who nurtures: Deut1:30-33, “The LORD your God is going before you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt. 31And you saw how the LORD your God cared for you again and again here in the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.”

I want to encourage you to pursue a relationship with God, the Father. (Not a religion.)  Know Him in all His goodness and mercy.  Seek His face and let Him care for you.  He can heal all the broken places in your life!

Be Blessed in all that you do.

“Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul, everybody needs and performs better when they get it.” (comment from the Leadership Bible–John Maxwell)  This photo was taken at the Team Heros Dinner that Courtney attended.  The purpose of the dinner was for the half-marathon participants to meet the team heros.  These are the people in her community that have blood cancers.  She said that meeting Adam ( the tall young man in the photo) was the highlight of the whole evening!!  The gratitude of the team heros to the runners was inspiring and very humbling. 

As Courtney was encourgaged by her “Team Heros”, I am encourgaged and inspired by her as a young woman, not just by her participation in this marathon.  She has always been a “can do” person…if she believes in what she is doing.  

The Bible tells us to encourage and pray for one another…my question to you today is, “Who will you encourage and pray for today?” 

As the saying goes, when life hands you lemons make lemonade!!  How often do we try to find the good in the heart-aches of our lives?  While watching these girls sell their lemonade two weeks ago, I thought how blessed I am to live in such a great town.  Many people from the community stopped to purchase lemonade from the kids on my street corner.  My niece was invited to join the girls, the owners of the stand, in their business venture.  

The circumstances that brought me to Tecumseh were anything but pleasant.  But God in His infinite wisdom and compassion, turned my hurt into a wonderful life.  A home where kids can literaly turn lemons into lemande along with bringing smiles to the faces of others.

Be blessed in all that you do….

 "A spiritual marker identifies a time of decision when you clearly know that God guided you." (Experiencing God Day-by-Day).  When I read this, the most vivid memory I have of God's leading was in July-August of 2002.  We had moved to Tecumseh in March.  Jim was starting a new job with Neptune.  Our marriage was in deep trouble.  We were at a major crossroads.  God was the fartherest thing of either of our minds. However, He clearly had us on His mind. 

Every time I drove by the church on the Boulevard, I would feel a stirring in deep inside.  It had been a long time since I had felt anything like this.  I had a hard time finding the phone number for the church.  I searched the phone book but never found it.  I was just about to give up when a lady from the Welcome Wagon rang our doorbell.  She came in with a basket full of information about Tecumseh and surrounding areas.  In this basket was a guide to all the churches in the area….there it was. 

I made the call and spoke with Tom.  Jim and I came for the continental breakfast the following Sunday.  A few weeks later, I went up front and prayed with Dan Hall.  I committed my life COMPLETELY  to my Jesus!  Later, that year, Jim became a Christian on Christmas Eve.  And, as they say, the rest is history.

My faith has been restored.  My love for Jesus is deeper than ever.  My God is a god of restoration.   As I see God work in the life of my sister, Mia, I am reminded of the place He has brought me from and the person that I was.  Have I made mistakes since then?  ABSOLUTELY.  Does He hear me when I pray for forgiveness?  ABSOLUTELY.

As the Psalmist says in Ps. 34: 6,"This poor man cried out and the Lord heard him,  And saved him out of all his trouble."  I know that this is true.  God heard me and saved me & lifted me up from the mess that I was in!  He still directs my path..Praise His Name!!

Be blessed in all that you do 

Paul wrote in 2 Tim 1:5 "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." 

As I read this, I thought of my own life.  The things that I learned from my grandmother and my mother.  Each had instilled in them a strong work ethic.  I don't know anybody who worked harder that these two women.  The second thing that stands out in my mind is that once either of them had their mind set, there was no changing it.  They simply stayed the course, even to the bitter end.  These two things have had a great influence in my life and in the life of my daughter. 

My desire is to add a new element to my family legacy.  I want the sincere faith that lived in Lois, Eunice, and Timothy to be a part of my family legacy.  I became a Christian at 18, walked away at 25, and came back to My Jesus at the tender age of 42.  My heart's desire is to build an unshakable faith that will stand through the generations to come.  The death of my mother in January of 2004 has driven home the need for sincere faith in my life and the lives of my family members.  Join me as I pray for my family and their spiritual growth.  My prayer is that these pages will serve as a testimony of encouragement to my family and my adopted family.

May your faith increase daily

 Be Blessed In All Things