Found this in my draft folder...better late than never!

To My Kids,

 I recently passed by the house we lived in so many years ago. All I can say is, wow, so much has changed and boy I have gotten old!  I was amazed at the sudden flood of memories. There were so many fun and tender times.  I can see you playing in the front yard in the leaves or riding  tricycles down the sidewalk as fast as the heaving concrete would allow.  I remember waiting anxiously for you to get off the school bus at the corner and come racing home to tell me about your great day or show me something beautiful you had painted.  There were so many happy times reading stories, watching movies or playing games.  I can still see groggy lumps of children under blankets of warm air on chilly mornings…birthday parties, chicken pox, water fights that began outside, which soon grew into a sloppy frenzy of mud and grass and some smart alack sneaking into the kitchen for the faucet sprayer. Ah the good ol days!  I loved cuddling on the swing, listening to a thunder storm.  Playing hide and go seek or sardines at the park. Even though there were some kids hanging out in the park who thought I was crazy, I had a blast!  Soccer, Baseball, and Football Games, Ballet, broken tooth picks in socks (you know who you are), late night coco powder explosions that left a brown dusting over the entire kitchen, ER visits, numerous pets, some that slither and others with long tails that some people trap and kill. The list could go on and on.  I know that these all seem so long ago but, they still dance in my heart and they always will. You my kids have truly brought so much joy to my life!

I hope you will carry these memories as precious treasures as well.  As important as it is to remember where you have come from it is equally important to consider where you are going. Be patient with your self and remember you are human and at times we all make choices we wish we could reverse. Seek God's forgiveness, forgive yourself and others then be thankful for all that you have. It is impossible to find all the beauty this life has to offer if you don't practice those things. I say this based on my own personal experience. I hope that you will get back up when life knocks you down, don't let self pity consume you.

Even though there have been some difficult days, hold on to the good memories, and give grace to the things that hurt or disappointed you, learning from them if you can.  Seek the truth with all of you strength, allowing the Lord to guide you in that quest.  The road is open before you, everyday a blank canvas for you to splash your unique color on. You create the memories to cherish. How I hope that you fill it with people to love along the way.  I will say that you will never find perfect people or anyone who will love you perfectly for that matter; unfortunately they will let you down.  Again, forgive, as you want to be forgiven, be as patient with others weakness as you want them to be with yours.  Love. There you will find your life filled to overflowing with beauty.

Here it is, now it's your turn to go make memories. Whether you see me or not I am to cheer you on from the sidelines as you take off and soar into your life's calling. And no matter what happens in this life or how far you travel, I hope you will always remember how much I love you and how grateful I am for you! 

God Bless You and Keep You...
Love You Forever,

Mom

Someone's Gotta Give

Hi Friend,

Sadly, it has been some time since I have posted here.  I know there is so much to catch up on, but I will fill you in one day, when the time is right.  For now we are always learning and growing and I hope that what I share will bless, inspire and encourage you!!!

Love Debbie

Someone’s Gotta Give

Maybe you have heard the expression, “every day is new with no mistakes in it”, well on some days, speaking personally, that doesn’t appear to provide much comfort, since the mistakes of yesterday can easily last well beyond tomorrow. 

 I recently experienced one of those days.   I went to a job interview, for a position I was excited about.  I was thankful for the opportunity and in all honesty I was hoping to leave a positive impression with this organization about my abilities to perform with excellence in this position. Somehow, during the course of the interview, my words came out all wrong and I stumbled trying to say the right things, and then to add insult to injury I could not seem to avoid sending  the wrong message altogether.  The questions caught me off guard and were designed to reveal my weakness, and boy did I deliver. 

 I sadly walked away from the office wishing I could go back and “repair” the damage, but sometimes when you are in a hole the best thing to do is to STOP digging.

I have mentioned a few times in this forum that I have a short memory so; thankfully I stopped to reflect on the preceding day.  And as I did I remembered that just the day before I had whole heartedly given the situation to the Lord.  I poured out my desire to follow Him and asked for His will to be done in my life because I did not want my way but His!  Someones gotta give.  By that I mean I have to give up wanting and charting my way, to living within His plan and scheme.   I have ALWAYS found His was is best but I seem to go on resisting.  How goofy I can be, on one hand I emphatically ask for God's will over my own, then when it looks like it didn't come out the way I thought it should I get upset...go figure?

Now it is so cut and dried, that is not what He wanted for me.  Why did I feel so bad when I failed to impress?  I got so worked up about it for no reason at all.  I should add here that the Lord did use this little “exercise” to reveal some things hidden in my heart that needed to be exposed to His light and love.  Things like pride, doubt and that desire to be my own tour guide.

Once again I am so very grateful for His patience and how He gently corrects me and waits while I catch up.  I have so far to go and there are days I would rather not look at it at all, but for His steadfast presence in my life compels me to move with Him. 

How about you?  Are there things that He has revealed to you and you have forgotten or maybe even flat out are ignoring?  Friend, it is never too late, you have never gone too far.  No matter what, you cannot outrun His love and dedication to you.  Remember Him, turn around, He is waiting for YOU!  Now, that is GOOD NEWS! 

Remember that God has in fact removed our transgressions as far as the east is from the west.  Each day is new with Him!

The Note In Your Pocket!

Dear Child,

I so am glad that you found this note; I barely had time to get it in your pocket.  It’s been a while since we’ve talked.   I understand that you have been pretty busy, but I want you to know that I have seen you struggling.  You have a tremendous amount of weight on your shoulders. I have grieved to watch as you have pulled yourself up by your bootstraps, so to speak, and pressed on alone. I know that your heart feels divided and you don’t know what to do.  I just want you to know that I am here for you.  The truth is I am anxiously waiting for you to come to me.  You do not have to bear any burdens alone.  I love you more than you can imagine.  There is nothing that is hidden from my eyes, so when you come I will not be surprised by what you share, so please don’t hold back, tell me all about it.  If you are willing to give it all to me, I will restore and heal you; all you have to do is ask.  I know that you do not want to live under the pressure that you have been.  The victory that you are longing for is around the corner if you are willing to work in cooperation with me.  There are going to be things that you will have to turn away from completely and that may seem challenging at first, but I will be there to help you.  I cannot help you if you do not ask and then respond to what you hear me say.  My heart is aching for you, I am not angry with you; remember that Jesus took the penalty for you on Himself on the cross.  I just want you to come home to Me, no matter how long it has been or how far you feel.  I enjoy walking through life with you. 

Please, remember, I love you so very much.

Abba  


By Debbie Springer    

The Walk

The Walk      

 We recently got a new puppy, we named him Jed.  He loves to play hard, whether chasing a ball or shaking an old slipper donated by Grandma.  I had forgotten how skittish puppies could be at first; everything is new and somewhat intimidating.  I like to walk regularly, so, I have taken Jed along.  The first few times I had to carry him some as he was still young and had never walked for any distance.    I didn’t mind carrying him, I like having him with me.   As the days have gone by Jed is growing and now can walk the entire distance, I no longer have to carry him, but as you can imagine the walks have taken on a new dimension.  He is easily side tracked by leaves blowing in the wind or another dog going the opposite direction.  I have enjoyed watching the simplicity of his play and his curiosity, even when we were not doing much walking; I simply enjoy our time together. 

As I watched Jed I realized how this picture reflected our relationship with God. He realizes that we can be intimidated about many things in this life and He is not surprised by our weaknesses.  He is patient as we discover new things and thoroughly enjoys our company.   It amazes me that the God of the Universe loves “walking” with us!  I think that we complicate things sometimes, thinking that we have to do certain things (jumping through spiritual hoops) to make God happy with us or to experience His presence.  He waits as we wade through the process of becoming more like Jesus and when we love Him that is our goal.  God likes walking with us, even when we are not walking much. That my friend is Good News!

I am grateful for the amazing way God has used a simple walk to remind me of His love me and how very patient He is with me.  I am thankful for the reminders He sends my way, I need them! 

I encourage you to look for simple ways to enjoy your relationship with God, realizing His perfect love makes all the difference.  

Perhaps you don’t understand a personal relationship with God yet, it’s not too late!  Simply trust the completed work of Jesus on the cross, ask Him to live in you and guide you.  He will.

Jed on our "walk"!

By Debbie Springer

The Ageless Childs Prayer

Since this blog is dedicated to those wondering if there is any good news in this world, I humbly submit this post.  What a great reminder of the fact that we can all come to Our Heavenly Father as little children, snuggle up close and hear His heart.  I hope it blesses you! 

Luke 18:17

Truly I say to you, whoever does not accept and receive and welcome the kingdom of God like a little child [does] shall not in any way enter it [at all].  

Good Morning Daddy!   Thank you for this sunny, beautiful morning.  The birds are singing Your song.  How are you today?  What are You gonna to do today?   I won’t ask how You slept, because I know You were up all night watching over me and Your other children.  You must be tired.  Thank you.  How are Your other children?  I know that it makes you sad when some of them believe the devils lies.  Sometimes they even think that You aren’t real and some of them forget how much You really, really love them, but I think that they are beginning to get it.   What’s going on in heaven today?  I heard that there is going to be a beautiful wedding soon.  I can’t wait to go!  Jesus invited me.  Can you look at my knee; it got scraped when that boy next door pushed me down, it kinda hurts, and I know that You always make it feel better.  He is mean and I really don’t like him very much at all, will You help me with that?  I don’t want to make you sad, I am sorry.  That’s better, thank You.  I was wondering if I could sit on Your lap for a little while, I wanna hear Your heart beat?  I always feel so safe and warm there.  Thank You.  Sometimes I talk too much, so I just want to feel You, look into Your face, see Your warm smile, hear Your funny laugh. You think maybe later we could walk in Your garden again?  You know how much I love that (I know that you love it too!).  We could hold hands as we walk and You can show me all kinds of cool stuff You made and I would tell You again how amazing You are and how much I love You.  Then, I would get that big hug from You that would make me smile all day.   And, to tell you the truth, I don’t really want to leave this place.  I love just being with You! 

Sadly, I hear my name being called; You know I have chores to do.   Thank You for this time we had, but I will be back soon.  Oh, and by the way, what can I do for You today?   Oh, did I hear You say You’ll go with me to help me through the day!  That would be great!  Thank You! Let’s go!

Little children are so smart; they know how to keep life simple.  We can learn so much from them.  The lessons that we can take away from this child’s prayer;

·         Believe that God is a good Father and He wants us to know Him personally.

·         We can enjoy spending time in His presence.

·         Appreciate God and all that He does.

·         Accept Jesus invitation.

·         Give all of our hurts completely to Him with the expectation that He will handle it.

·         Acknowledge to Him where we went wrong – also known as confessing sin.

·          Believe that He has forgiven us.

·         Trust His love.

·         Allow Him to help us do what He wants us to do– also known as obedience.

·         Remember He wants to walk through the day with us.

Walk in the garden with Him!

By Debbie Springer

I Wish You Jesus!

It’s amazing, we are already one week into the New Year!  2012 begins and the Mayan calendar ends. It will be interesting to see what events will mark this year.  In the past we have had a few “scares”, remember Y2K?   For me, each year has brought excitement, hope and even some unexpected sometimes, unfortunate changes.   

If the proposed catastrophe surrounding the end of the Mayan calendar is never realized, we still know that this crazy, mixed up world we live in generates continual uncertainty.  I think somewhere in the back of our minds we all know that the world cannot bear up under the weight of so much evil.  Something’s got to give.

I wish when I said “Happy New Year”, I could be certain that there wouldn’t be any tornadoes that rip through communities shattering homes and dreams, or that no one would lose someone they love to some renegade disease.  Or that little ones would never go hungry and the homeless would have a secure place to sleep.  Wouldn’t it be great if husbands and wives would choose love and forgiveness over divorce?  I think it would be great if people would be honest and fair in their dealings, doing what they say they are going to do.  Wouldn’t it be nice?

But we all know that life is not that way. The reality is those things and many others are currently part of our lives, and we all experience discouragement, disappointment and difficulty.  The one constant in my life is Jesus.  He has always been there for me and I am certain that He is there for you too.  It's simple really.  Invite Him into your life, every aspect of it.  No matter how long you have know him or if this is the first time you have invited Him into you life, lean into Him.  You will find His amazing love for you has never changed. He will walk through every difficult spot with you.

Please, just in case this new year brings something unexpected or even unwelcome into your life, believe Him, rest in His love for you.  This is what faith is; trusting Him when things don't make sense and you may see no way out, thats when He does what only He can do.

This year instead of saying “Happy New Year”, I am saying , "I wish you Jesus"!

Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.

Psalm 37:3 Amplified Version  

By Debbie Springer

Here's my heart;

Here’s what’s on my heart; I can't help but be thankful for God’s amazing love, mercy and grace.  He is so faithful.  Even when I am faithless and less than deserving, He is faithful.  Every time (and I mean every time) I fall down, wander in my own wrong direction or purposely walk away from God, He is there to welcome me back when I turn around.  All I can do is say thank you Lord, but then the inevitable happens, I want to shout it from the roof top “Isn't His love amazing!”  I want everyone to know Him and experience His grace and love.  The second part of II Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is extraordinarily patient toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.”

This is why I am so excited, encouraged even committed to help other believers share who Jesus is to them, how they know Him personally and what He has done to change their lives.  I see it as a collective chorus, a beautiful melody rising from the children of God, lifting up the King of kings.  There are so many believers with amazing, unique stories; each one is a demonstration of His amazing love and grace. I believe that now it is critical to tell these stories, because the truth of Jesus changes both hearts and minds, gives peace and hope for eternity!   I keep hearing Jesus words in John 12:32, “If I am lifted up, I will draw all men to me”.  I am thrilled that He will do it!

The reason for the name “Is There Any Good News?” well I hope that it will be an attention getter for people who are wondering that very thing.  In the world we live in today people are struggling, they are anxious and hurting.  From their perspective things may seem pretty bleak.  They may feel very far from God, if they are even still convinced of His existence at all.  I believe that it is time to dispel the lies about God in one united, collective voice sharing the best news ever.   

My greatest passion is to present the message of Jesus to as many people as will listen. 

The goal is to interview as many believers as possible.  Ok, I'll be honest, the first number that popped into my head was a million, but that is admittedly a very big number and I am pretty sure that is way beyond human ability. The way I see it, God is in charge and it belongs to Him.    

We (my husband Tomas and I) are in the beginning process of launching the “Is There Any Good News” website; we are diligently learning the video editing software program in order to produce a quality product, gathering names and scheduling interviews.  It sounds so simplistic and easy, however, there is a great deal to learn and at times we experience technical difficulties. Our final and very critical step will be to engage the body at large.  Willing hands and feet are needed to carry this information to as many people as possible.  We will make available easy to share business cards with the web address, directing people to the videos which we intend to post on You Tube.  These “partner” Churches will then step in to “receive” those who come to Christ.  

This is clearly a God sized task, and we realize that we cannot do this alone, so, please pray for us.  In describing this I feel as though I have just barely scratched the surface and there is so much to be done.  Thank you so much for your prayers; stop by often to see where we are in the process!

Thank you so much for your love and encouragement!

I Love You!

By Debbie Springer