Why I Am Going to Israel

Recently two of my friends asked me why I am going to Israel next week. I thought I would share some of the reasons why here. First of all, I have always wanted to go to Israel, just because it's where Jesus was born, lived, died, rose and ascended. I mean, really isn't that enough? No other place on the entire earth can say that Jesus walked there. Of all the land on the planet, God chose the land around Israel as the place where all the biblical action happened, from creation to the end of Revelation!

This land has always been and still is today, the epicenter of the world. There are many things happening today around this land that have not been happening in years, and there are signs that the end of the Bible, Revelation, could be approaching prophetic fulfillment! What an exciting time to be alive!

The people of Israel trace their origin to Abraham. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all lived in the Land of Canaan, which later came to be known as the Land of Israel. The people of modern day Israel share the same language and culture shaped by the Jewish heritage and religion passed through generations starting with the founding father Abraham. Jews have had continuous presence in the land of Israel for the past 3,300 years! After the exile by the Romans, the Jewish people migrated to Europe and North Africa. This was called the Diaspora, meaning scattered outside of the land of Israel. Jewish people established rich culture and economic lives and greatly contributed to societies where ever they lived. However, they always continued their attachments to the land of Israel and prayed throughout the centuries to return. In the first half of the 20th century there were major waves of immigration of Jews back to Israel from Arab countries and from Europe. During the British rule in Palestine and during Worlds War II, the Jewish people were subject to great violence and massacres. About 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust alone!

In 1948 the Jewish Community in Israel reestablished sovereignty in their ancient homeland! They became a nation on May 14, 1948. Before Israel became a nation, people would describe the land of Israel as desolated desert land. Since 1948, the land has began to "bloom" just as Scripture prophecies in Isaiah! And every year more and more Jewish people return proudly to the nation of Israel for permanent residence!

Jesus was Jewish but yet when He began His ministry, many Jewish people did not recognize Him as The Messiah. They did not feel Jesus fulfilled all the qualifications for the Messiah and are still waiting the Messiah's arrival. Gentiles (non Jews) who receive Jesus as their Messiah and Lord are "grafted in" the vine. I am thankful that Gentiles are received into the Kingdom of God! But let's not forget the Jewish people. These are God's chosen people, the apple of His eye (Zech. 2:8). They are beginning to see Jesus, Yeshua, as their Messiah! Remember the Gospel message is "to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile" (Rom. 1:16)

We should love and bless Israel because firstly, the Bible says that God will bless those who bless the people of Israel. I am so thankful to the Jewish people for the blessing we have received form the. John 4:22 states that "Salvation is form the Jews." Through Israel the promises and the covenants were given! God will never abandon His people Israel, no more than He would ever abandon the Church. We should not abandon Israel either. God has promised to restore the nation of Israel in the last days and we are seeing this right before our own eyes now! The fact that Israel has been regathered to their ancient homeland after nearly 2,200 year in the Diaspora is a sign and a wonder to the world that shows God's faithfulness.

Israel will be a focal point at the return of Jesus, since He will return to set up His Kingdom there.

The Lord has not cut off His people of Israel and neither should we.

The nation of Israel is small, about the size of New Jersey. It is surrounded by nations who hate Israel and some who plot to destroy it. Currently the nation of Syria, which is right above the nation, is in the middle of a civil war. It literally is destroying itself from the inside out and the violence comes extremely close to Israel's northern borders. It is also interesting that a Biblical prophecy concerning the destruction of Damascus in Isaiah 17 has yet to come to pass, and there is extreme violence and uprising in this city currently. Iran, Israel's chief enemy, has joined forces with Syria's leadership and aims to infiltrate the country. This places Iran's forces on the northern border of Israel. Israel is likely surrounded on all sides with countries that would not mind if they weren't there anymore. Christians should show unconditional love and unwavering support for Israel and the Jewish people as Israel is increasingly isolated internationally. This is not a time to abandon the Jewish State. To the contrary, we should do more to show our unconditional love and unwavering support to the people of Israel, no matter what happens.

The Bible teaches that Jesus will return one day and set up His Kingdom in Jerusalem. There will be a major way, the war of God and Magog near the end of time, and then as well the last battle, the battle of Armageddon which will be fought in the Valley of Megiddo in Israel. All these Biblical prophecies are nearing us. If you do not follow Biblical prophecy, now would be a good time to start! Your faith in the Word of God will be strengthened and you will gain a greater sense of urgency to win the lost and an eternal perspective!

I feel the Lord told me to go to Israel. I remember hearing His voice back in December. I was hesitant to tell Husband because we have talked before about it not being safe in the Middle East. Also, I knew we couldn't both go and leave our five children, so I new deep down that I would be going without him. Also, the cost... When I finally told Husband, he prayed about it a few weeks and then knew that I was indeed supposed to go. My sister also received a confirmation in a prophetic dream that my trip was ordained by God. I have a perfect peace about going and know it is in God's plan for my life. When Phoebe expressed desire to go one day, I knew instantly that it was supposed to be that way! Husband having to raise around $12,000.00 for our trips and airline tickets and spending money was steep, but people have helped out so much by supporting Phoebe's trip! We are so grateful!

So Phoebe and I leave Tuesday to go to Israel! I cannot hold by my excitement!!! We will be going with The Joshua Fund, which is a non-profit organization which exists to minister to the people of Israel in many ways, as well as care for the poor and needy Jewish people in Israel. Not only will we get to tour all the incredible sites of the Holy Land, we will also be working with The Joshua Fund to serve the people of Israel! As well, there will be a conference in Jerusalem we will attend which Joel Rosenberg directs, that will inform us of the current situation of Israel and the Middle East, and inform us of ways to pray for Israel.

I believe we are living in the last days. I believe we could see the battle of God and Magog happen in our lifetime. I believe the Rapture of the Church could happen any day now or within our lifetimes. The many signs Jesus gives in the New Testament to look for His return are happening all around us! These are exciting times!!!

These are also crucial times. The condition of the Church in America is not strong. There are many nations rising up against Israel and Iran is building a nuclear bomb to aim at Israel. They want the Jewish people "wiped off the map," and they want the city of Jerusalem for their religion. I don't think there is time left for us to be indecisive or cool about our relationships with God.

I feel like there are major things happening in the supernatural realm. The devil sees the signs and knows his time is running out. To stand with Israel is something I feel called to do and delighted in doing! My heart breaks for the precious Jewish people who do not receive Jesus as their Savior! I want to go there and learn all I can, how to love, how to pray, how to live and walk in a way that I can do all I can to bring about God's Kingdom purposes for the Church and for Israel! I want to see Jewish people love Jesus!

Phoebe will turn 14 in Israel, the day we get baptized in the Jordan River, the same river Jesus was baptized in. Phoebe is such a good daughter. She is precious and loves people and Jesus with all her heart. I know that going on this trip will have profound impacts on her life and her relationship with God. I am also praying she will develop a heart for the Jewish people that she might not ever would've except for going there.

I will be posting updates on this blog while we are there. My heart is that you reading this will develop a strong love for the people of Israel. Also that you would ask God if these are the last days we are living in and surrender yourself to His purposes for your life and not your own desires. Soon we will be with our Creator. He is my King, my Savior, my Lord. I love God with all my heart and am ready to be united with Christ in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb! These are not wacko things I am talking about. These things are in the Bible. I fear that too many people quit reading their Bibles. When we look to the world and pop culture to define our values, dreams, and lives, we are living in a dangerous place. God is stirring up His people, both in the Church and the Jewish people! Keep your eyes open for ways you can share the life of Christ with others. Keep your ears open concerning what is going on with the nation of Israel! Time could be very short. If you knew it was short, how would you live your last days or months on Earth. Make it count!

**For those of you interested in more detailed information on the current state of the Middle East and the relationship between Iran and America and Israel I highly recommend this documentary by Joel Rosenberg. You will be so informed!

12-21-12 Today may be your last....

Could today be the last day of your life? In the last couple of months my life has drastically changed. I've always known about the Rapture. I've seen the frightening 70's film Thief in the Night and Left Behind, and more recently Jerusalem Countdown. I've seen the Rapture scenes and I have believed all my life that I would most certainly "go" in the Rapture. But lately I have started seeing things differently. I no longer am thinking of myself. I have a burden for others.

If I ask all my friends if they know what the Rapture is they all say yes. Most of them were alive in the 80s when many believed it was upon us. Most of you reading this might have even grown weary or leery of even thinking about the Rapture. Like the boy who cried wolf. At one time you were jumping every time you heard "wolf" but now you've learned better. Now you will not fall for those taunts anymore. You know better.

Did you know that before Israel became a nation again and before they gained control of Jerusalem that predictions or excitement about the Rapture being near was premature. So in around 2012 years not until around 50 years ago could people actually start seeing how near the Rapture might be. Is 50 years too long for you to hold out? Time to just throw in the towel and forget about it?

I get excited about stuff. I saw Titanic with Husband TEN times in the theatre! When I find something I like I talk about it. I love Aussie hairspray, Excedrin actually is THE headache medicine in my opinion, everyone should adopt a child, and pink is the greatest color in the world, even though Victoria's Secret has tried to claim it and trash it up. Guess what? There is NOTHING more exciting and worthy of hype then the day that Jesus descends to the clouds and yanks His Bride up out of this world and into His Presence forever. So why aren't we excited about it? Why aren't we passing our excitement onto the younger generations?

There aren't many times in my life I have ever said that I actually feel like the Lord gave me a word. Even though I know I hear from the Holy Spirit and that I am surrendered to His leading, I still stray from using those words because of their overuse in certain circles. But the other day I feel I got a word from God. My heart was so sad because I feel like Christians are not looking to the Rapture and to Eternity. I have found some don't even want to talk about it. Worse, some have quit believing. And God revealed to me that many of His believers love their lives here on earth more than they love His Presence. That we put so much into our lives here on earth...money, time, dreams, goals, children, cars, homes, vacations, jobs, hobbies, status...that we aren't excited about the idea of it all being over in a twinkling of an eye. And that this is one of the main reasons Christians don't think about and prepare for the Rapture.

That hard scripture about anyone coming to Jesus who doesn't hate his father and mother and, gasp, CHILDREN...what does that mean anyway?! Who does that these days? Weirdos? Nuns? Hate their children?!

It's meaning in comparison. Compared to the depth and intimacy that we love Christ. Compared to the devotion we have to Christ. Compared to the DESIRE just to BE in the little smidgen of Presence we can feel down here on Earth of Christ.... Compared to all of that, everything else seems so far away! That's from Jesus' mouth. The same compassionate Person that we all seem to so much more easily identify with of the Trinity. The One who became like us. He said that if we want to be His disciples then we must hate everyone else by comparison. Even our own lives.

Are you looking for the Rapture? Do you believe it's a real event that will happen? Do you have any criteria to base your reason why or why not you feel it could happen soon on?

Do you love your life more than you love the idea of leaving it all behind without a second's notice? Are you ok with that?

My heart aches for the lost. Not until in recent years did I really understand what it meant to have a burden for the lost. Everyday I feel it stronger. I've got something on the inside of me that the lost don't have. And it has changed me and freed me! My heart is torn between wanting to be with Him right now and the Rapture being delayed because of the mercy of God. But I don't believe the reason why people aren't desiring the Rapture is because they are so burdened by the lost. But it's more about their love for their lives.

We cannot change God's plan for the future. He did however give us a guide to it and ample time to prepare. His desire is to make the Heavens and the Earth right again. Forever. The time left for Satan to rule the air is almost up. He can feel it and is fighting hard. What are we fighting for?

The Mayans predicted 12-21-12 would be the end of an era. If you read your Bible you know that it won't be the end of the world because we know that because of the Millennial Reign of Christ, we have at least 1007 years left, counting the Tribulation. So of course I do not believe that the world will end today. But could the Rapture happen today? YES! It could happen ANY day. The Biblical prophecies of Israel becoming a nation, the Jewish people returning to their land, the desert blooming and the wild animals returning...they are all happening. And for those of you whose interest has been sparked, the current hatred towards Israel and the apocalyptic theology of Iran's leaders to fulfill the goal of ushering in their 12th Imam by creating global chaos is pushing us closer a closer to the Biblical timeline of the Rapture, Tribulation, and Millennial Reign of Christ!

I can barely sleep at night! It's a countdown in my eyes! My time on this Earth is almost done. God has laid out a plan for His people and His creation and the book of Revelation is our map. Things are beginning to happen. Will you be a scoffer or will you humble yourself before God on this exciting date in history and see if it's time a new era in your life begin. A new ear that is not about you, but about God's purposes for your life in this day and age.

Are you ready? Or do you still battle with unforgiveness, habitual sin, gossip, insecurity, self-pity? Yes, we will always have things to overcome! But those things, even poor health, are not to be our focus while we are here on Earth! There are many hurting people that need to feel, see, and hear the undeniable LOVE OF CHRIST right now. If we really believe that our time is short here, then are we living like it?

What are we waiting for?

What regrets would you have if the Rapture happened now?

Are you sure your heart is in a right place to meet Christ face to face?

Who goes in the Rapture? People who say they are Christians and go to church occasionally? People who have an intimate relationship with Jesus? Anyone who has ever made a decision at any point in their life to follow God? All the nice people? These are things that we should all think about.

The thought of Christ scooping me up to be part of His spotless Bride, and sitting down at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, keeps me up at night!!! Y'all, it's REAL! It's going to happen! Whether you believe it or not! Whether you are looking for it or not! Whether you are ready or not!

12-21-12. A new era! No more life as usual. I'm never going back to the way I was! I am going to live whole-heartedly to make my time on this Earth matter. Loving people. Helping people. Bringing others to Christ! And I'll gladly give it up the second I see the clouds part for me! I'm ready! Today, Come Lord Jesus! But if you give me another day, I'll thank You for having mercy one more day as more people come to know you, Lord!


Revelation 22 (The Message)

12-13 “Yes, I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon! I’m bringing my payroll with me. I’ll pay all people in full for their life’s work. I’m A to Z, the First and the Final, Beginning and Conclusion.

14-15 “How blessed are those who wash their robes! The Tree of Life is theirs for good, and they’ll walk through the gates to the City. But outside for good are the filthy curs: sorcerers, fornicators, murderers, idolaters—all who love and live lies.

16 “I, Jesus, sent my Angel to testify to these things for the churches. I’m the Root and Branch of David, the Bright Morning Star.”

17 “Come!” say the Spirit and the Bride.
Whoever hears, echo, “Come!”
Is anyone thirsty? Come!
All who will, come and drink,
Drink freely of the Water of Life!
18-19 I give fair warning to all who hear the words of the prophecy of this book: If you add to the words of this prophecy, God will add to your life the disasters written in this book; if you subtract from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will subtract your part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City that are written in this book.

20 He who testifies to all these things says it again: “I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon!”

Yes! Come, Master Jesus!

21 The grace of the Master Jesus be with all of you. Oh, Yes!

Fighting with the Choir

I recently read this article by Kristen Howerton about how women can fight with each other about so many things that are unnecesary, but yet we should all be instead waging a war to fight for children's safety and futures! It's like women have to pick apart every other thing that other women around them are doing. I can remember when I had my first baby this one friend of mine went on and on about babywise. How her perfect child slept through the night and how perfect her life is. Me, having a child who gagged in the hospital and continued to act like she was choking to death the first year of her life AND developed excema at 4 months and scratched her head until she bled, I was doing ALL I COULD to hold it together and not pull a Marie Osmond and take off driving up the coast without telling anyone for four days!

The next child that same friend had, guess what? Babywise didn't work on this child. Same schedule, same procedures. But it didn't work. I can remember my friend saying how wrong she was to tell everyone that it would work on anyone. I appreciated her humility. It just frustrates me so much how women can tear each other down. It starts young.

But I see this same thing happening in the Body of Christ. Howerton's article was entitled The Only Mommy War Worth Waging. There is an only Christian war worth waging. Winning the lost. For so many Americans when you are a life-long Christian after you learn all about God and the Bible and you get to know everyone in your church then you sometimes can get bored. And when you get bored you have to either rebel to have fun, or you start critiquing the people around you...who are Christians...because you've been a Christian for so long. So then you can get caught up in this horrible game of judging everyone around you. How they raise their children, what foods they eat, what church they go to church, when they go to church, if they speak in tongues, if they play baseball on Sundays, if they eat at All-You-Can-Eat buffets at casinos, if they bring their Bible to church or use the Bible app on their iPhone. Get the picture. Gee, the possible discussions and disagreements are endless! Certainly able to keep us busy and totally NON-BORED until Jesus comes back!

Our good friend Aaron Stern, pastor of Mill City Church (www.millcitychurch.org) in Fort Collins, Colorado, helped me understand something I had been struggling with.  He said that when someone gives their life to Christ, we figuratively give people two bags.  He would first give them a little bag.  In the little bag would be all the non-negotiables of Christianity.  Things like salvation only through Jesus, the infallibility of God's Word, the triune nature of God, etc.  You get the picture.  In the second and much bigger bag would be other things that the person wouldn't need to concern themselves with immediately as they just got born again.  This big bag contains things that differ between denominations and churches.  Things like healing, tongues, predestination, etc. The second bag is full of subjects that can have more than one conclusion. Even though there may be differing conclusions, they come from a responsible handling of Scripture. The things in the small bag are worth fighting over and the things in the big bag are not worth losing your Christianity or friends and family over! The size of each bag is important, because if we fill the non-negotiable bag with things that belong in the second bag we can end up fighting over things that are discussible with the same passion for those that aren't.

This makes SO MUCH SENSE TO ME!!!! It helped me so much. Most of my family and friends from my childhood attend Baptist churches or other denominational churches. After I went to ORU most of my friends went to non-denominational churches. But in those non-denominational churches there are SO many different churches with different styles and mission statements and...big bags.

I'm sure the world must just laugh and make fun of the Body of Christ the way we bicker with each other. We can certainly see it in the way they make fun of us in Hollywood and the music industry. I know that when Jesus returns for His bride that we have GOT to look different than we look right now. And it sometimes scares me to remember that the times that people have come together and worked in like mind and heart is greatest during great tragedies. I wonder if that's what will happen to the Body of Christ. Will it take something devastating to draw us closer?

I've made a decision that I'm not going to get caught up in the game of fighting with other Christians! Done. I'm over it and have wasted time in my life concerned about what others have in their big bag. The only Christian war worth fighting is winning the lost.

The other day as I was driving to my sister's house and reflecting on tragic circumstances of some dear Christians I know and how bad things happen to good people who love God, I had a revelation. I imagined God in Heaven looking down on every person ever made. He saw me. He put a check by my name. Amy Renee Bass, check! And He kept looking at the rest of His children. None loved more than any other, but all loved to the greatest measure. And I thought about the parable of the lost sheep. It's not that He loved me any less than the stray sheep, but that His eye is on that one to bring him back into the flock. Jesus came for this reason. To seek and save the lost. And it was almost as if I could hear my Heavenly Father saying- You get it! You are mine and I am yours. You love me. You serve me. You get it! Eternal salvation is yours! As if in response to my thoughts about why horrible tragedies happen to firm believers. (No matter how much I believe, and do not doubt God, every time a great tragedy occurs, a young person dies, I always find myself a bit shocked that it couldn't have been prevented by God.) And so I just had this thought, Why can't we as Christians just be grateful for our eternal salvation. Isn't that enough? What an incredible gift we have been given. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus! But yet it's so hard not to continually ask God for MORE MORE MORE. More protection, more love, more money, more clothes, more houses, more cars, more grace, more healing, more chances, more breath. We cannot forget that we have already been given MORE than we could ever ask for. Eternal salvation.

And since I am so grateful that my name is written in His precious book, then my heart wants to help Him with His mission. Winning the lost. Winning the lost. Winning the lost. Not fighting over churches and mini-skirts and Lady Gaga. Winning the Lost. I have to be honest and say that I have found myself in such frustrated states that I have asked Husband for YEARS now to move our family overseas. China, Africa, just for starters. I've begged him and told him that I just want to get away from the way the Body of Christ looks in America. And I just want to help bring people to God through Christ. I think about Mother Teresa. What an honorable life! I've asked him to just move us to India and let me help the people there as she did. To raise our children in a drastically different atmosphere than American popular culture today. But Husband reminds me that to go overseas because I want to get away from America is not a good reason to go. And he is right. I don't want to run from America or the American church. I want to be able to love and live here without getting into discussions about Katy Perry or the Gospel of Grace and getting upset.

Nothing will matter when we step into Eternity except our decision to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and the people in our lives that we touched. And maybe my problem is I don't have enough lost friends. My life is so busy with school and kids and church that I will have to make a concerted effort to change this. But I'm all in. For life. Winning the lost. Being a light for His good news to spread. LOVE. Love. Love.

Winning the lost. The only Christian war worth waging.

Is Your Secret Hurting You and Others?

I want to recommend a book that my dear friend Aaron Stern just wrote. It's such an interesting topic and I feel it's so needed in Christian circles today if we want to see true healing come to the Body of Christ. Aaron is a scholar and avid reader and researcher. The book is full of wisdom.

It's called What's Your Secret? and you can order it here.

And here is the link to Aaron's blog, one of my favorite blogs I keep up with.

Cloudy People Are Most Beautiful

I love watching the sky, looking at weather radar, looking at the forecast, predicting the forecast. I love it. Husband says I should have been a meteorologist. I say, I AM! So many times we can get so busy that we never look up. The sky is so untouched by man. It's like it is God's canvas everyday that He decides what it will look like.



We moved into our current home 2 years ago. Where we lived the 11 years before we could not see the sunset. Here we see the sun set every night. It captures us. Often one of us will holler for the others to run to the window or outside and look at the sun setting. Sometimes there are colors in it that remind me of Heaven because they are not familiar to me here on earth. When I look at sun sets the only thing I can think of is GOD!

So over the years I've realized something. Sunsets are WAY more beautiful when it is a cloudy day. Have you noticed that? It's true. The patterns of the clouds, the shadows, the reflections, the drama!

This morning I saw the clouds in a way I have never ever witnessed before. It took me and my son Robert back! We just stared in amazement. WOW. The clouds were draping in a way that looked like....well I don't know! I cannot describe it. I took a photo, but they never do the real sky justice (just like watching online church or a video never conveys the Presence of the Holy Spirit the same as if you are there).
This is what our sky looked like this morning!




When I was looking at the beauty of the sky God spoke to my heart that often times the most beauty in life is found in the midst of clouds. In life when we are going through hard times and feel hidden by gloominess and such, the way we respond to the circumstances and to God can be more beautiful than ever. And the scars in our life from past battles fought only paint a more unique and radiant sky for others to be blessed by. It is not in our perfection that others see Christ, but in our weaknesses when we gain our strength from Him.

Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

The older I get the more I dread flying but I still enjoy one part...going above the clouds. Once we went up through dark dreary clouds and once we got above them the sun shone so brightly everyone had to lower their shades. I glanced back down to land and noticed the dreadful looking storm clouds. I just thought that everyone down there is only seeing the bad but up here it is still so beautiful. So I teach my kids that no matter what it looks like to us, when we see life from God's grand perspective above it never changes. He is still the same. He is still shining brightly in our lives, even when the storms of life hide our perfect view. It's then when we have to live by faith...knowing that the SON is still shining even though more difficult to see!


There is a song that is popular on Christian radio right now called Blessings by Laura Story.


We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the achings of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

It reminds me of the part in Francis Chan's book Crazy Love where he talks about how we pray for protection like it is the greatest thing. But what we should really pray for is for God to use us and our lives so greatly that our protection isn't our greatest concern.

Really, who says that the perfect life is a protected one. Who says that perfection is living a long life? Who says that perfection is complete health without tragedy. The fact of life is that bad things happen. To everyone. One day that will no longer be the case. But tragedy and tears will not be avoided in life by any of us. But who says that has to ruin the day...ruin our lives?? The sunset of our lives can be breathtakingly beautiful if we allow God to take our scars and fears and tragedies and pain and shine through us.

If you look at Jesus or his disciples' lives, did they have it easy? Are we to assume that our lives will be easy and free of pain just because we deserve it as God's children? I don't think comfort is God's best for us. We don't learn until we make mistakes usually. We usually aren't grateful for what we have until it is taken away. We are futile men and God is sovereign and holy and omnipotent. We just have to TRUST that He is working it out for our good....

Romans 8:28
The Message (MSG)
26-28Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

No matter what the Son is always shining. Do you believe that? If we do then we will be thankful in every season of our life.

12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. 1 Peter 4:12-19

Other songs of interest: Bring It On by Steven Curtis Chapman and Praise You In this Storm by Casting Crowns. Love them.

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The Day We Got Our Daughters...

GOTCHA DAY!- February 13, 2011!

Taken from morehopeforus.blogspot.com

Today we get our two Chinese daughters!

Today they will be given to us and tomorrow they will be legally ours! Today is One of the greatest days of my life and the greatest day of the Hook family of five! No one can sleep. I guess it is jet lag but mixed in is the excitement of this day! Phoebe just came to me and said she is so excited she can't sleep and that she wonders if Lily will run to her and hug her or be shy. I just thought of the day we told Phoebe we were adopting. She was seven years old. Robert was three and not old enough to know or care. Johnny was about to be 2. So we told Phoebe by herself in her room one night before bed. We prefaced it by telling her about orphans not having parents and a family. We told her there are millions of children like this all over the world and even in America. As her little tiny expressive face began to understand the horror of an orphan's reality, especially in relation to her own, we proudly told her that we were going to go to China and get one and make them part of our family forever. In a split second response, her precious face squinched up in confusion and she spoke two words I will never forget, "Just one?" Daniel and I laughed and both realized the purity of a child's heart and the simple response that comes from love. Love doesn't reason. Love doesn't weigh pros and cons. Love doesn't consider cost an issue. Love responds. Love moves. Love (if I say is a verb will I make this moment any less sincere! Lol!) Yes, love is a verb! Love has been cheapened to something that doesn't resemble our Father's love. But by looking into the eyes of a child we can still find it in it's purest form. And today, at 11, my little Phoebe still has that pure heart. And we aren't getting "just one!" We are getting two! Two lives forever changed! By LOVE! Adoption amazes me. It's the heart of God! I'm so grateful to be a part of God's plan for Ning Li and Xiao Dan's lives! I 'm honored to be their mamma!

So today at 5:11 am in Beijing as I write this I'm also thankful for my incredible husband that said YES to TWO as well! Who has worked 18 hours a day for months preparing for this trip! And also for carrying whimpering AND crying Johnny thru the entire 2 and a half hour frigid tour of Tienanmen Square today! : ) And Rob in his many words of wisdom just two days back home, woke up early and went to Husband and explained to him, that the reason our adoption took so long was so that we would get Lily! And he's right because if the backlog hadn't occurred we never would've considered special needs first and then we would've not met Lily and gotten to adopt TWO! What a great big little brother he will be for Lily! (He also turned to Husband before take off from Seattle and said, "Dad, I got a good feelin this is gonna be a great 12 hour flight!") And Johnny in his own way is so excited about being here to get Hope and Lily. It's all he's ever known. That one day we'd go get his Chinese sister from China! And his heart is so sweet! Just the other day we were watching Animal Hoarders (hey, we were snowed in for two weeks!) and when Johnny watched a sweet old man's story who had 60 chickens in his house Johnny asked, "Mom, is this in real life?" I said yes. He said, "We need to help that man." I know that's a funny story to tell but Johnny was serious and sad for the man and he felt compassion for him. And you know what? Orphans are in real life. They aren't just a religious TV show on we change the channel on. There are millions of Hopes and Lilys! And compassion moves us to act just like the compassion Jesus had on the crowds of people who followed him. And now we have that living inside of us as believers! And that's how the world sees Jesus! Through us! Christianity just isn't a world religion. Christianity is a verb. Christianity responds! It MOVES! I cannot say it enough. We are so grateful to everyone who loves and supported and gave to us to get us to this day!!!! We could not have done it without you. The cost reached over $55,000 with my trip Last summer included and the high cost to get our whole family here in the middle of Chinese New Year (the most expensive time to travel here!) I do not feel like this is the Hook family adoption. It's OUR adoption! To everyone reading this! You have moved out of compassion to change these girls' lives! And it's about to happen! Can u believe it? Yay!!!! I'm not scared or nervous! I am just READY!!!!! I've dreamed of "Gotcha Day" for years. I've watched perfectly edited YouTube videos of glorious moments when the child was given to the adoptive parents with a tear jerking Steven Curtis Chapman song playing in the background. I've waited so long for OUR moment! But right here right now I couldn't care less about that! Just give them to me!!!! Lol!!!!! I don't care if they scream and cry or run and hide! I am ready to be their mamma! (Of course, adri will be capturing the moment on her iPhone so don't get worried!!! We will take whatever moment we get and share it with y'all!!!)

To be continued.... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!