My disciples

This is a reprint from an article in October of 2006, so you'll notice the kids are much younger! The principle still holds true today, even though they are now 12, 10, and 7. And yes, they are still right with me all the time…and I love it.

 

I was going about my usual business last week, and I noticed something. It was not an unusual thing I noticed; it was something that happened all the time. It is a normal, everyday occurrence. What I noticed about this thing was something that God was speaking to my heart: I have my very own disciples, my little children.

I went outside to hang out the laundry, and my 7-year old, 5 year-old, and 3 year-old followed me out to play. As soon as I went in, they followed me inside. When I went to the store, they begged to come along. When I go to church, they are following me everywhere, to the point that if I turn around, I often trip on one of them! I must admit, regretfully, that I have often wished they could just "go play by themselves for awhile," so I can get something done. But this past week, as we were at a missions conference and the Lord was working in my heart about the lost around the world, He very gently showed me the little ones in my home.

"These are your disciples," God seemed to say. As I sat in my pew, with the preacher going on and on, I realized what potential I have been ignoring. Here I have with me on a daily basis, a small group of young people completely dedicated to following me in whatever I do. They love me and want to be with me. They want to do what I do, and learn from me. What an opportunity! I can pour good things into their moldable little lives right now that I will never be able to get in later on.

I asked the Lord for forgiveness for taking such a grave responsibility for granted, and asked Him for help to teach and direct them in the right way. I soon had my first test!

Saturday morning, it was time to clean the van. Now, you have to understand a little bit about us to understand the enormity of the task of cleaning the van. We have a large 15 passenger van, and it was extremely dirty on the inside from remnants of our 4 ½ month trip. I had cleaned it a few times during our trip, but it had been awhile, and if you can imagine a family of 8 living out of their van for a few months, you can begin to imagine the disaster which we called home for awhile. It was going to be a big job, and I knew it. This job would only be made bigger and more complicated if I added some small children to it. But I knew that not only did the van need cleaned, but also the children needed to spend some time helping me clean it, so we could work together. They need to learn that work is a daily occurrence.

So, we set out to clean the van. I had four helpers: all the way from the 11 year-old on down. It took all morning, and was lots of work, but in the end, we had a very clean van, and some happy kids! I told them I would give them a few caramels if they worked hard, and they sure did work to get those things! And my, did they enjoy them when they ate them! And what a clean van we have now! I made sure I told everyone how the little ones and I cleaned the van out, and all the big kids, and even Daddy oooo-ed and aaahh-ed over such a clean vehicle! How good that made those little kids feel!

They are learning each and every day. I try to drop little bits of wisdom, and now I am trying to have them work with me as we go about our days. How wonderful it is to serve God by investing of myself in my little ones! They are my disciples.

Being in the way…

Sitting here in the growing twilight of the late evening in Ontario, I can hardly believe what my heart tells me:

…there's been a new birth, and I got to be the witness of it.

The Canadian military wife had admitted she was not a child of God the other day, and somehow I got the privilege of telling her the Good News of God's merciful forgiveness. As we spoke in the now-empty church nursery, I felt the wrestling of her heart, and I understood her questions. I remembered my own struggles, so many years ago. With overflowing joy, I was able to point her in the direction of God Himself, through Jesus Christ, and help her see Him who loves her so.

Then, after I prayed, she also talked to the Lord. It wasn't dramatic, but it was heartfelt, and she asked the Lord to forgive her of her sins and make her into a new person. What a privilege it is to be present in the birthing room!

But it didn't really hit me until about five minutes after she was gone –

Now I know why the Devil has been fighting this trip into Canada.

There was a Samaritan woman to be reached, and he didn't want her to enter the Kingdom.

My mind reeled. I've been waking up day after day here in Canada, praying, Lord, what do you have for us here? What is it you want to do? There had been many hindrances - adversaries, as Paul called them. Paperwork issues, mechanical issues, and other things were set to prevent us from going into Canada. Why? I wondered. Now I knew.

I, being in the way, the Lord led me…and I'm so thankful He did! Perhaps some of you have been praying about our excursion into Canada. Thank you for praying! Your prayers did not go unheaded! Please continue to pray, because I know that God's not finished with us yet. There is always more to do, more folks to win. I want to be in the way…

Rolling on, and blessed…

Engine humming, generator running, and water tank filling, we are getting ready to head out. It seems so far away, yet it will only take us a little over an hour to reach another country…Canada. Canada, with its pristine rivers, glacial mountains, and sleek penguins. But also with its nations' military.

They come from every town and province in Canada, join ranks with our own forces, and fight to protect their freedoms. These Canadian Forces are trained, sometimes alongside our own, and learn to push themselves beyond their limits to do the duty that lies nearest. Then, after their tour of duty is done, they head back to their homes. Wouldn't it be wonderful to reach them with the Gospel before their military service is done? They then become missionaries to the outer reaches of the Arctic Circle, or Alberta, or Ontario.

We're ready to go…but wait, as I write there is a problem. My husband has pulled the bus out and parked it to hook up the van, but the bus has a terrible lean to the right! Our suspension, which we just had worked on a few weeks ago in Ohio, must have another leak.

I find it completely amazing the setbacks we had encountered in order to get to Canada. We've had numerous snafus with red tape, an unusual amount of mechanical problems, and a ton of scheduling difficulties. Could it be that God really wants to do something there, and the Devil knows it? Well, whatever God wants to do, I want to be in on it… so we press on.

Two hours later, we are on the road, mechanical problem fixed, mostly. We still have a lean, but now enough to cause any stability issues. The Rolling Raub Ranch rolls on!

As we cross the border to our northern neighbors, please keep us in prayer. There is an open door, but there are many adversaries. I'm a little skittish about meeting them, but I'd rather be in God's will and face the lions than out of it on a comfy couch eating coconut bon-bons while the world goes to Hell.

Our Detroit diesel roars, the generator powers the whole place, the water tank is full, the fuel tanks are topped off…we are so blessed…and we are rolling!

 

A Three-Mile Mark!

 

Did you hear the "Wahoo!" over here in Michigan?? I jogged for THREE MILES today!!

I had done it once before, on my 46^th birthday, but I hadn't run three miles since. I wasn't sure I could do it. But I've been experimenting with long, slow runs, rather than short fast ones, and then increasing my time every week.

Today, as I neared the end of my thirty-five minutes (I know – it's terribly slow, but that's the pace I go), I was at two and three-fourths miles. I simply couldn't let the three-mile mark stay out of reach, so I just kept going! It was only one more lap anyway, but I did it!!

And yes, I am one and a half years older.

It feels sooooo good to be able to do that, especially at my age.

Thank You, Lord, for the strength to jog three miles today! J

A Milestone!!

You may have heard a huge sigh of relief coming from somewhere in Michigan today. I've been working to get fifty interviews for my current book project….

…and I got number 50 TODAY!!!

I'm going to do a bit further research, and then begin adding up the numbers and document my findings in a book which will be titled, Lord Willing, Without Warning, The Survivors Speak Out. Part of the rough draft is finished, but I have a lot of work to do on the rest of it. However, with the interview portion of the project finished, I am that much closer to being done!!!

For those of you who have been praying for me, I say humbly Thank you. And, please, continue to pray; there is much to do, and it is such an important subject.

Thank the Lord!!

Sacrifice for Liberty

This is a song written during Desert Storm by the wife of a soldier; it is a difficult song to sing without tears, but it is a good song, nonetheless. This Memorial Day, I send a special Thank You to all who have served, and for all those who love them. Because of you, we are free.

 

She was standing in his room, tears streaming down her face,

Wondering where the time had gone, what had happened in this place.

She remembered all his toys, scattered on the floor,

Oh, the pain when she realized, he'd never come home anymore.

 

He had died for the cause of freedom.

He had given all that we might be free.

Oh, let us thank God for the mothers and the sons,

Who sacrificed for liberty.

 

She was rocking in her chair, the baby at her feet,

Reading his last letter, his words of love so sweet.

He said, "Honey, I can hardly wait, soon, I'll be coming home,"

But he had died for liberty, and now she was alone.

 

He had died for the cause of freedom.

He had given all that we might be free.

Oh, let us thank God for the husbands and the wives,

Who sacrificed for liberty.

 

God was looking down from Heav'n, upon the world He made,

His Son cried, "God, forgive them," oh, what a price He paid!

They had never been apart, but now He must forsake,

And for the cause of Liberty, this sacrifice He paid.

 

Jesus died for our cause of freedom!

He gave all so that we might be free.

Oh, let us thank God, for the giving of His Son,

The sacrifice for liberty….

The sacrifice for you,

    And me…

An Unusual Way to Spark Romance

It was the end of a very busy and stressful day…or was it?

I looked around at the mess I called home, and wished to just crawl under the covers and sleep for about two weeks. School has been especially difficult lately, and it seemed like the bus would never get clean, no matter how many times I went through and picked up stuff. Now all the children were in bed, and there was still a pile of dishes in the sink.

And I mean, a pile. I have no idea why there were so many, but there were. And I needed to do them before I could go to bed and take a coma.

I looked around and sighed, knowing I was in for a late night. And knowing I also had a lot of other work to do, as well.

I turned away from the sink to work on the floor, drudgery dogging my steps. Some days are just bone-wearying, and this was one of them.

After a bit, I heard water running in the sink, and turned to see My Beloved washing the dishes in the soapy water and stacking them in the drainer. Within minutes, he reduced the pile to zero! I rubbed his shoulder and looked into his eyes, smiling gratefully. "Thank you so much for your help! You just saved my life!" I quipped.

He smiled down at me and laid his hand on my shoulder. "How would you like me to see if I can get you a dishwasher?" he suggested.

My eyes grew round with wonder, and my mouth dropped open. A dishwasher…in a motorhome?? Whoever heard of such a thing? But my husband is always thinking outside the box, and he just might do it.

"Oh, honey, if you did that, I would jump into your arms!!" I exclaimed. He smiled broadly and replied, "Well, we'll see if we can do it."

That was a few weeks ago. And tonight, with much sweat, pounding, and grunting, he installed a small apartment-sized dishwasher in our motorhome!!!


And do you know what I did?

I jumped right into his arms!!

After some intense kissing, he said he thought he would like to install another one tomorrow…. ;)


 

 

Two Feet From Death

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)

With the tens of thousands of miles we put on our bus, who would have thought My Beloved and I would come face-to-face with death on our weekly date? It is strange to think how commonplace quickly becomes the uncommon, and in an instant, our whole perspective on life is altered.

My husband and I were driving home on the highway the other night from an evening of relaxation, good food, too much shopping, and enjoying each other's undivided attention when I saw the other car.

He was driving right toward us.

As I saw his headlights get bigger, it slowly dawned on me that we were on a four-lane road, NOT a two-lane, and this car was clearly going the wrong way on a one-way street…at about forty miles an hour.

Life can get very messy, very quickly.

Beyond words, I merely pointed and began hollering unintelligible things. My Beloved saw the other car when he was about a hundred feet away and began honking for all he was worth. The other car flew past us at a combined speed of about one hundred miles an hour merely two feet away.

I didn't want to look in the rear view mirror, but I had to. Flashing headlights, brake lights. Finally My Beloved breathed a sigh of relief. "He pulled off the road," he said, looking in the mirror. I was unable to see it, but I was very thankful. I reached over for his hand, letting my fingers feel his strength, his faith, and sighed deeply.

I was still quivery when we arrived home about ten minutes later.

All three of the young children were in bed, sleeping, oblivious to what had happened. I looked at their tousled heads, wondering what the night could have been like…and thanking God that it wasn't.

Why is it that a brush with death gives us a new perspective on life? Why do we wait until we are living on borrowed time before we begin to appreciate life? Eternity becomes vividly into focus, and we see, perhaps for the first time in our lives, what is really important and what doesn't matter at all.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." It is my heart-cry, my desire, my quest. Help me, Lord, to always see life from Your perspective, from the eye of eternity.

Death could easily cross that two-foot gap and strip the life from my hands, and it would be gone. I thank God it didn't that day. I've been given more time with my family, more time to serve the Lord, more time to love, and more time to give. It's a wonderful feeling. It's a sobering feeling.

It's that feeling that happens when you are Two Feet From Death.

I have a huge responsibility, and that's to glorify God, giving myself wholly to Him. To enjoy the gifts He has entrusted me with, and to focus my heart on Him, pointing others to Him.

Giving ourselves wholly to God is a full and free feeling, a "throwing it all to the wind," so to speak. But in this case, the wind is not the instability of a breezy air of empty expanse, but the rock-solid stability of the kind and gentle hands of a tender loving Abba-Father.

It's the same heart-cry that our Lord uttered when He threw back His Head, took His last earthly breath,, and cried, "Father, into Thy Hands I commend my Spirit." It is giving our all to Him, trusting that He will take it and lovingly sift the bad from the good, and fill our lives and hearts with His goodness. I know His Will is best. The outcome may be not quite like I prefer it at first, but it is always best.

"I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

It's that crucified life – that life of the living dead – that is worthwhile. Those that have realized that we are as good as dead to the material draw of this world are the crucified ones. It is that brush with death that brings eternity into focus. Really, I am already dead. When I gave myself to Christ one day years ago, I died. I died to my dreams, to myself, to my precious vices I held so dear. I died to them all. A vision of death brings a vision of eternal reality. But, oh, that blessed reality!

Always remind me, Lord, of what is real, and focus on that reality every day.

Help me to savor every blessed moment I have – including the trials – because there will come a time when these opportunities will be gone.

Thank You, Lord, that I have been Two Feet From Death….Help me to live for You like there is no tomorrow.

My Cabin Paradise

And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. (Mark 10:29-30)

 

This morning I woke up with the sun pushing its way through my cloth blind in my motorhome and the fresh spring breezes playing around my rooftop vents. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I stumbled out into the kitchen to begin my morning routine. It takes me a little while to wake up, even if I'm up and moving, so it wasn't until about fifteen minutes later that I realized where we were parked.

Most times we are parked in a church parking lot, hot asphalt baking even in the mild spring sun. And our motorhome bakes right along with it, so the air conditioner hums to keep us sane even in the springtime.

Not long ago, we were parked in a church parking lot also shared by a host of children, a family of eleven, in fact. It is nice to have a place to park, but it seems these children must rarely get visitors, because if one of my kids cracked the door to the motorhome open even a bit, they were mobbed by a swarm of excited children with seemingly nothing to do but wait for their visitors to come out. Most of the time we don't mind, but for some reason it made the stay a difficult one.

Kind as many pastors and churches are, nothing ever feels like home. For us, home has become the inside of our motorhome, and it can get real cramped real fast.

But this morning I almost thought I felt at home. I looked out the window with amazement, remembering that we are parked at a beautiful Christian Camp. I stared, blinking, out the window. Fields, cows, chickens, a log cabin. A grove of trees, and a flowing creek. Gorgeous bright greenness meets clear blue sky. Later in the day, I stepped out to switch laundry (my dryer is in a bay under the motorhome), and I heard the lowing of cows and the tiny peeps of baby hens and geese. It's nature's paradise. God's paradise. A little bit of Heaven here on earth.

And He allowed me to have it as my own, if only for a few days.

"Explore all you want," the folks told me. "Let the kids run, play, and visit the animals. We know it's tough when you travel, but you guys just relax and enjoy yourself."

After school, the kids and I wandered to the creekside, then went to feed some of the hens, goats and horses. We walked past the fields of flowing wheat and the budding corn. A garden of some sort of sprouts was growing as well. Then as we went back toward the bus, two young boys came to show us a six-foot black snake they had killed. It's a boy's paradise, and an animal lover's dream. The girls instantly fell in love with the horses.

Lord, You've been so good to me, allowing me to have freedom to explore a wonderful place such as this. It is not really home, but I feel fairly certain that my mansion is really going to be a log cabin!

{Tickling your Thinker}: Screen Time & Kids?

This week I read that a new study shows that screen-watching children have narrower blood vessels in their eyes than their outside-playing counterparts. (New York Times, April 2011)

The study goes on to say, "In adults, constricted blood vessels in the eyes have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease." If only for physical health, folks, we need to limit our children's computer and TV time.

Spiritually, however, I have found that limited is the key word when it comes to screens and raising our children to love the Lord. In my upcoming book, Without Warning, I highlight the results of an unprecedented study of second-generation Christians who are living for God even after leaving home, and I discovered how vastly important it is to limit electronic entertainment. An extremely high number of the respondents to my survey told me that their parents limited their TV and video viewing. I personally think that sheltering children from the worldly influences is a very important part of child training.

If childhood TV viewing can be either directly or indirectly linked to an increased risk in cardiovascular disease physically, then it stands to reason that a regular ingestion of videos and TV can be detrimental to spiritual health. A "hardening of the arteries," so to speak.

Just a little something to think about.