I Will Carry You

Lastest update (Mon. 7-3-17) Alyson arrived home Friday night about 10. She texted me Friday then called me Saturday afternoon as she was exhausted. She said Cuba was nothing like she expected. She said she never saw any law enforcement people. They stayed at a Baptist Retreat Center and there's a big Cuba Baptist Convention building over there as well. She loved the whole experience there. She will probably write about it on her blog this coming Thursday. Yes, she felt your prayers and had much peace, so did I. Thank you!

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I thought you might like an update on my daughter, Alyson. She is scheduled to return from Cuba late Friday night. We have not been able to communicate since she left last Monday morning due to Cuba not having towers for cell phones or laptops where she is! Before she left she set her blog to post today (Thursday) like always. Since it was written before she left I want to share it with you and thank you for your prayers! I did feel peace all week. Here's her http://writethemonmyheart.com/2017/06/29/i-will-carry-you/ 

blog with her anticipation of the trip and how the Lord spoke to her!

Alyson

I Will Carry You

June 29, 2017

*I am happy to provide affiliate links for your convenience. To learn more, click here. 

 

I am honored and excited to be an influencer this week for Holley Gerth’s new book! First of all – how cool is that? But my pastor often says we are all leaders and influencers of someone. That is so true. So don’t be all impressed with my new title! Ha.
Ok, let me fill you in on the book particulars. It’s called Coffee For Your Heart and it’s actually an updated re-release of the formerly published God’s Heart For You. It was sent to me for free, but all opinions in this post are totally my own.
I am writing this post for you before the mission trip I told you about. Thanks to prescheduling-technology you will read this on our usual Thursday (June 29th) – even though I will be off the grid. I’ll travel home tomorrow, so please say a quick prayer for us.
I meant right now.
Thanks!
Now, on to my thoughts about this sweet little book.
It arrived in the mail with a note that said “please share within a week of receiving your book.” Yikes! Here I was – a chronic rule-follower getting ready to go on a week-long mission trip! Now I am sure they would have been understanding and this was surely an acceptable excuse, but …
I decided to add it to my to-do list!

And boy am I glad I did. God sure has perfect timing.

I immediately liked Holley because in her introduction she described herself this way: “God prompted me to get up early each day to spend time listening to Him. Confession: I’m not a morning person. Once I even put chocolate on the alarm clock to bribe myself to get up. I ate the chocolate and went back to bed.”
We would definitely be friends. We have in common both the chocolate and the prompting.
Side note: Funny how God called a non-morning person to write a morning devotional! That’s so Him.
And we have another thing in common – our love of learning from Hadassah, the star of the Mark of the Lion trilogy – who is mentioned right off the bat in chapter one. (If you need a summer Christian-fiction trilogy, I highly recommend.)
Anyway, Coffee For Your Heart is a 40 day devotional with a pleasant format. Each day starts with a key verse, then a short story from Holley, then room to Reflect, Respond, and Remember. These are guided sections with questions to answer and starter-prayers to finish. I’m a fan!
So, I was zooming through – reading it all, rather than one day at a time as it was intended. I was trying to discern what to share with you. And bam! God hit me right between the eyes. Sometimes He has to hit hard when you’re zooming.
I came to chapter 22 and instead of finding something for you, I found something for me! The key verse was …
Isaiah 46:4: I have made you and I will carry you.
Get a load of Holley’s message written straight for this gal who is getting ready to get on a plane for an out-of-my-comfort-zone mission trip …

“The plane takes off as we giggle nervously. With room for only eight passengers, this is hardly a luxury flight. There are no stewardesses offering peanuts as my family and I soar over pristine waters and the vibrant green trees of the Alaskan wilderness. We see places we could never go on our own. Later I think about the places I feel called to go in life – not spots on a map, but destinations God has written onto my heart. Sometimes they feel as tall as those Alaskan peaks, and I wonder how I’ll ever reach them. But then God shows up and says, “Get on board, girl” I step inside His will and take a seat, and soon we’re moving. I’m learning our job isn’t to fly. Oh, I still try sometimes. I flap my arms until I’m exhausted and then wonder why my feet are still on the ground. Our job is obedience – to get on the plane, to let God carry us.”

Did you catch the written onto my heart part?
I told you we would be friends!

  So then, the book says to read Isaiah 46:3-10 and answer a few questions. Then there is the starter-prayer with room to finish. (Check out the one in the photo! Perfect for my trip.) Then each day ends with a “Remember,” like this:

I rest my head on the pillow
without much rest in my heart..
To-dos swirl around in my mind.
Tasks fall heavy on my shoulders.
I silently pray,
“Lord, give me the grace
to carry all of this.”
It seems I hear a whisper in response,
“Ask instead for the grace
to let Me carry you.”

Ahhhhhhh.
That is what this book is for – to reflect, respond and remember and rest in the assurances of God. This book will remind you every morning that you are carried by God, wonderfully made, chosen, irreplaceable, strong, never alone, and so much more!
Guess what books went on the plane with me?!

 

 The hand-lettered print above? All my email subscribers got that in their inbox for free! I send one every Thursday so they can either make a greeting card, save it as a screensaver, give it as a gift, put it in their planner or scrapbook, make index cards to memorize, etc. If you want to join the fun too, you can subscribe right here.
If you missed the printable while it was free, you can find it in my SHOP.
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Related posts:
Don’t Do Anything
3 Practical Ways To Quiet Your Fear

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