Happy Birthday, Jonathan!!

I had no idea whether we were going to have a boy or a girl, but I knew I would be thankful for whoever the Lord gave us.

I was twenty three at the time, and my husband was pastoring his first church. We were looking for a house in the area of the church, and had found what we wanted: a nice, big old farmhouse that would welcome our expanding family. But before we could close on the house, it was time to have our second baby.

We dropped our little nineteen-month old daughter off at Grammy’s house, and headed for the hospital. Thankfully, it was a storybook labor, and at 6:47pm our firstborn son, Jonathan Edward Raub, was born. It was October 23, 1987.

Now, twenty-two years later, Jonathan is a mature, kind, hard-working young man who is ready and willing to do whatever God wants him to do. I may be a bit biased, but I think he’s one of the finest young men I’ve ever known.

Happy Birthday, Jonathan! We are so proud of you!!

Are All the Children In?

While visiting in Washington DC this week, we put many miles under our feet walking from one museum or memorial to the next. We had a tremendous time, enjoying every minute of our visit, and I owe most of the success of our time to how well everyone stayed together and kept up with Dad.

Though we walked probably five miles a day, we took lots of breaks and carried lots of food and water, so no one got completely (well, …maybe not too completely!) worn out. We kept up a pace that would have withered most six-year-olds, but Jason kept up with us all. Even in the subway station (the Metro), we all kept together and kept up a strenuous speed.

I, as always, worry the most about someone getting left behind, lost, or straying from the pack in a place like that. So, years ago, we adopted the policy that my husband would lead the group, and I would take up the rear, making sure that there were no stragglers. That way, if someone had to stop and tie a shoe, I could always be there to help, if needed, or at least make sure he or she didn’t get separated from the crowd.

Several times during our excursions I had to encourage a lagger to speed up, or a gawker to “get with the program.” Once, while running across a road on a crosswalk (we seemed to run much of the time, as we were trying to beat one deadline or another…), Jason lost his shoe at the curb. Of course, I was there to help him grab it and run to catch up with the others.

As we were walking in our line, with Dad up front, the guys close behind, and me at the rear with the little kids, I couldn’t help but think about my role as a mother.

My goal is to make sure all of my children get to where God wants them to in life. I do whatever I have to do to keep them from getting distracted and being left behind. Pulling and yelling would never do; I need to encourage, praise, and help them as they get tired and lag behind. “Just a little bit longer,” I told one of my kids, “and then we can rest a bit. You’re doing great!” Keeping my children on the straight and narrow path is never easy, but the alternative is something I simply don’t know that I could live with.

The hymn, Are All the Children In? speaks of a mother who waits for her children, making sure they come in when darkness falls, but the most important moment comes when eternity rolls around, and mother wonders, Are all the children in?

Last night, as I went to bed, I once again begged God to work in the hearts of my children. I don’t want one of them to be left behind, or simply get distracted. Are All the Children In?

When I'm alone I often think of an old house on the hill
Of a big yard hedged in roses where we ran and played at will,
And when the night time brought us home hushing our merry din,
Mother would look around and ask, “Are all the children in?”

Well, it's been many a year now and the old house on the hill
No longer has my mother's care and the yard is still so still,
But if I listen I can hear it all, no matter how long it's been.
I seem to hear my mother ask, “Are all the children in?”

And I wonder when the curtain falls on that last earthly day
When we say goodbye to all of this to our pain and work and play
When we step across the river where mother so long has been
Will we hear ask her a final time, “Are all the children in?”

Mom, your work has the value of eternity attached to it. Keep a diligent eye on the children, and make sure that all of them are in!

It's Been Twenty Years....

Twenty years ago, I felt the Lord's prompting me to write as a ministry. Ever since then, I've been honing my skill, reading about writing, and desiring to write. I've even written! But I think mostly I've been gaining life experience. I've spent many a day with a thought or story burning in my heart that I couldn't write because of the greater desire to spend time with my family.

Sometimes, however, the Lord allows a story to leak out.

Yesterday, for the first time in my life, my story was accepted by a publisher!!!!!!

To say I'm excited would be an understatement!!

Remember that story I needed an illustrator for?? It looks like the Lord answered that prayer!! The publisher also has an illustrator that works for them who may be able to do the art work.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together!!

I'm Right Behind You!

Since we are travelling so much lately, my “back yard” is always changing. This morning I was able to do my morning jog along a lake in Hanover, PA. It is a beautiful little lake, lined with many trees, and stocked with fish. (It was also stocked with fishermen!) After my exercise, I walked along the shore, praying. Since it is difficult to get time alone to pray in our bus, sometimes it is good to take a bit of extra time while I am out to pray.

God’s marvelous creation presents a breathtaking backdrop for worship of the Creator. My time there was filled with appreciation of His Goodness, thankfulness for His Love, and petitions for His Presence.

Suddenly my reverie was broken by the persistent honking of geese. As I looked across the lake, I could see no sign of the large birds. Within seconds however, they came into view: two large geese gliding merely inches above the water! They seemed to be talking to each other, encouraging each other, as they flew across the lake.

My vivid imagination takes me all kinds of places. But today, as I watched those geese flying across the lake, I thought, I wonder if they are mates? Since they say that geese mate for life, I figured that these geese were probably mates on their way south. It seemed to me that the goose in the back was saying, “Keep going! Don’t give up! Come on, let’s go! I'm right behind you!” And the goose on the front was forging a path through the air, making it easier for his mate to fly.

Oh, Lord, I prayed. Make me like that goose in the back. Help me to always be an encouragement to my husband, encouraging him to continue forging a path for the family. Help me to keep strengthening him with my words as he seeks to serve God!

“A wise woman buildeth her house, but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” Proverbs 14:1

May we all be like that wise woman! "I'm right behind you, Beloved!"

Update!

This was written yesterday while we were driving, so some of this is already old news! The Lord kindly blessed our meetings, and I thank Him for His goodness and safety!

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I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted, so I’ll let you know what I’ve been up to. We spent Labor Day in Michigan, and then went on to Ohio and Indiana, having meetings all along the way. About two weeks ago, we came across from Ohio to Central PA and spent about 4 days visiting with family, friends, and also having some meetings. Then we went to the Altoona area and had some meetings there. This week, we went to Western PA and sang (and my hubby preached) at a Jubilee Monday through Wednesday. Thursday we left there and went to Duncansville and today sang at a Youth Meeting. Soon after the meeting was over, we hitched up our vehicle and headed out for Frederick, Maryland. As I write this we are driving down I-70, hoping to arrive at our destination sometime before 8:00pm.

Tomorrow we have our meeting in MD, then we head up to another meeting in Hanover, PA. Then on Monday we are going to meet my hubby’s mother and possibly take some of the kiddos to the dentist. Now, somewhere in there, I’m supposed to have something done with my hair, but I’m not sure when we’ll git it in. We also need to fix the generator, and of course, the old stand-by: school.

Wow! Just writing that has made me tired!

The Lord has given me some ideas to pursue about an illustrator for my children’s book, and then there is another work I am writing that I ask your prayers for. It is a very important topic, and I know there is much opposition. Some opposition is self-generated (busyness) and some is external. So, if you think about it, please pray for me.

How’s that for an update?

Any Takers???

Your opportunity still awaits you!!

Illustrator/Artist Wanted!

Are you a budding artist who would like to have your artwork in print? Do you know someone who has a lot of talent, but doesn't have an outlet? I may have an opportunity for you!

I need an illustrator for a children's book, which I will probably self-publish. I would like to have a born-again Christian who is willing to serve the Lord with their talent, seeking to be a blessing to parents and children alike. I would prefer someone from an Independent, fundamental Baptist church, who would better understand the principles I am trying to illustrate. Most likely, there will not be much money in this, but purely an opportunity to be an encouragement through the media of the printed page.

That being said, I need someone who can draw, and perhaps use watercolors, to portray both people and scenery. My desire is to produce something of high quality at a low cost, so I would like to have an illustrator who has a good feel for the story and can put into pictures what I have tried to portray with words.

As for pay, that can be worked out as we go. I will consider both buying the pictures outright as well as royalties (though not both at the same time!).

If you know someone who wishes to serve the Lord with their artistic talent , please pray about it, and let me know!

And if all else fails, I may try to illustrate it myself...but we wouldn't want that to happen!!! :)

Gearing Up For Battle!

All right, ladies, it’s time to gear up! Lace on your combat boots, sharpen your swords, shine up your helmets, and make sure your shield is strong and in order. It’s almost time for battle!!

Really? Not really. But it’s time to begin the preparations for the next year of home school. I know, it’s only July, but many of us will begin sometime in August, some of us in early August. So it’s time to prepare for the next year now.

Sometimes home education feels like a battlefield. And I’m not even talking about the kids’ attitudes. I’ve been home schooling for nineteen years now, and sometimes I think I’d rather do something else with my time, and so I shrink from even thinking of school. But, I’ve had all of May, June and now July off, and it’s time to get back to business.

How I Prepare for the School Year

I start my preparations with prayer, asking God to give me wisdom on the best way to tackle the next year. Because every year brings its new challenges, each year is different and may need to be changed around a bit. This year I will again have four students, rather than the three I’ve had for the past two years, so there’s going to need to be some changes in how I operate this year. But no changes should be made without first asking the Lord for wisdom and guidance.

Secondly, I ask my husband to pray for me and with me. This is a joint effort, though much of the intricate daily workings fall on my shoulders, and I simply could not do much without his help and support. By communicating to him my burdens and our needs, he can pray for the family and give guidance where needed.

For me, my schedule is going to be the most difficult thing by far. With travelling like we do, and four children in school, it’s going to be tough to make it work. My husband and I have been praying about it, and I know it can be done.

After I’ve been praying about the coming school year for a few weeks, I dug out all last years’ school books and reviewed where every child is in each subject. I used this information to determine where to begin when we start back to school in August. Also, I find out if we need any additional curriculum or supplies before then. I placed several orders last week, and they should be arriving soon at the place we will be parked next week. And, of course, there’s Walmart’s school supplies sale! Notebooks for five cents?? Oh, yeah!

So I’m laying in my supplies, so to speak, preparing for the next year. But how do I prepare the kids for the next year? Well, it helps that they know what day we are starting. It is set in stone at August 10. Now, what happens on the 11th, who knows, but we are starting school on the 10th! I’ve been talking more about school, and about the different subjects they will be doing. Some of them, especially the youngest, are pretty excited about starting. Jason is looking forward to learning how to read this year, and he’s been begging for school for months. If some of the others catch his enthusiasm, it will be good.

Ladies, schooltime is going to come anyway. Don’t you think we ought to get our battle gear on and prepare for it? The Lord will strengthen us as we seek His Face for our children.

I LOVE It!

For those of you who don't know, THE GUYS ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We picked them up from the airport on Monday night at around 11:00pm. Since no one was willing to stay home and go to bed, we all went, and ended up staying up insanely late. That's ok, though; the guys are home!!! They were gone for two months, and that's long enough! I'm SO THANKFUL to the Lord for their safety.



Tonight at the missions conference, they are going to show a slide show of their missions trip to Germany, and talk about what God has used them to do over there. I'm really looking forward to it. And, to top it all off, they will be preaching on Sunday!! I'm really looking forward to it.



Now, you may say, calm down Lisa. That's not too much to get worked up over. I suppose you may be right, but when I start to think about what the Lord has done for me and how the Lord has graciously chosen to use the members of my family, I get overwhelmed with gratitude and thankfulness!



Sometimes I think of our daughter Kathryn and her husband Matthew serving the Lord working with bus children in the UP of Michigan, and get so thankful. Then I think of my "guys" serving the Lord here in the States or abroad, doing whatever the Lord would have them do. And there's my sweet daughter Sharon, who has given her heart to the Lord to guide and direct her life, the word "gratitude" simply does not express my feelings adequately. I have been supremely blessed.



Pardon me if I go on just a little bit. I am not in the least deserving of His Mercies in my family, but I am sure thankful for them. All I ever wanted after I got saved was to serve the Lord and have a family that serves Him, and He has kindly granted my request, so far. God has been so good to me.



Lately I've been thinking of this Scripture, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." (2 Corinthians 4:7) That is exactly how it is with me. Any treasure here is of Christ, and all the glory goes to Him. He is the reason, the power, and His is the glory. Praise His Name!

Spritual Suicide

The Lord has been so good to grant me some blessings, some “handfuls of purpose,” these past few days. We arrived here in NJ on Friday, set up the tent on Saturday, and began the tent meetings Sunday. I came here so hungry to hear something from God, to hear from folks who love the Lord and fear His name, and the Lord very kindly showed me His goodness.

We’ve been traveling these two and a half months, and it seems to me that I have seen more spiritually sleeping people on this trip than I have ever seen before in my life. I have been a servant of the Lord for twenty nine years, and I remember many times of fervency, and of seeking Him. A strange lethargy has overtaken His people here in America; a very odd thing to behold.

While I was in PA, I spent some time with a friend of mine whose daughter has been diagnosed with anorexia. Now, for those of you who don’t know, anorexia is an eating disorder. The young person becomes obsessed with her looks and thinks she is fat, when in reality, she is just right, perhaps even a little skinny. Many times anorexia becomes a serious problem as the person refuses to eat. In many cases, anoexia is fatal.

I got thinking the other day: I wonder if we American Christians are spiritual anorexics? Or, more precisely, spiritually bulimic. Bulimia is a related eating disorder (many anorexics are also bulimic) where the person eats and then gags themselves to throw up all the food they just ate, so they wouldn’t get “fat.”

It seems that we go to church and hear the preaching, then go home and turn on the TV, completely erasing all the spiritual gains we got in the House of God. We get no nutrition, though we are going through the motions of “eating.” We could be enjoying the great meals of the Word of God, but we allow the electronics and gizmos of this world to ravish our hearts and take us withersoever they will.

Because she rarely eats, my anorexic friend’s daughter experiences physical problems like digestive issues, bruising for no reason, etc. In actuality, these physical problems are merely symptoms of a greater problem. I wonder if many of the problems we experience in our lives – marital problems, financial problems, parent/child troubles, etc, are merely symptoms of a greater problem: a lack of true, close, intimate “still” time with God. Maybe we are lacking that precious time of meditation on the Word, that calms our hearts, stills our souls, and turns us in the right way. Maybe we are lacking those special prayer times, where God seems to be right there in the room with us.

Are American Christians killing themselves?? I wonder…..