15
May
2008
In light of the distressing international food crises, the destructive cyclone in Burma, and the devastation of China’s earthquake, I thought this prayer by Clement (an early church father) is especially appropriate.
“We ask You, Master, to be our helper and protector.
Save those among us who are in distress;
have mercy on the humble;
raise up the fallen;
show Yourself to those in need;
heal the sick;
turn back those of your people who wander;
feed the hungry;
ransom our prisoners;
raise up the weak;
comfort the discouraged.
Let all the nations know that You are the only God,
that Jesus Christ is Your servant,
and that we are Your people and the sheep of Your pasture.”
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8
May
2008
you’ll understand this comic strip!
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5
May
2008
And in honor of my mother’s birthday today, I present these lilies of the valley for my wonderful mother!
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7
March
2008
It was wonderful to see so many friends at the Houston conference! I hope you were as blessed as I was by the worship and teaching that weekend. I spent most of the time during the sessions in the sound booth helping out Paula with the PowerPoint graphics and just watching her work the programs. I had a great “bird’s eye view” of the whole conference!
About 1700 ladies came, and we’ve had some very touching testimonies come back. A pastor of a local church related this testimony to Nancy Leigh DeMoss the next Monday:
One group of six women from my church carpooled together to go to the conference. On the way home, the woman driving asked the others if they would mind if she made a stop en route. They all agreed, but were surprised when she pulled into a cemetery.
She got out and said she would return shortly. She was gone for 10-15 min. Then she told them that she had not been at this cemetery for 45 years – her dad is buried there. She said she understood he was not there, but that she really needed to speak to him. She went to his grave and prayed and expressed that she forgave her dad for molesting her when she was a teen. When she got back to the car, the other women said she looked like a “young girlâ€!
During the service at church yesterday morning, she stood and shared this story – she is a rather private person and not impulsive or overly expressive. This was all out of character for her! She kept saying, “I’m free, I’m so free!â€
Praise the Lord! Isn’t that a fabulous story of the freedom and healing God brings to those who choose to forgive?!
If you went to the conference, I would be so encouraged if you would share a short testimony here of what God did in your heart!
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23
February
2008
What do you take for a fun afternoon on the beach? Sunglasses, sunscreen, and flip flops?
Not in February in Michigan! Try a scarf, hat, gloves, and boots!
Last Saturday was an absolutely GORGEOUS day. After two weeks of fog, snow, sleet, and dreary, gray skies, I woke up Saturday morning to radiantly blue skies and sunshine! (The weather hasn’t bothered me too much, but the incessantly gray skies, bitterly cold wind, and mountains of gray snow for months on end starts to catch up with a person around the middle of February.)
I couldn’t let a beautiful day like that be wasted by being in my apartment doing laundry! Who cares about clean clothes, anyways? :-)
I hopped in my trusty 4Runner and drove up to the beach front in St. Joseph, MI. I have NEVER seen anything like Lake Michigan in the winter! The beach was covered in snow, and as I walked along, I suddenly realized that I was walking on the frozen lake! About a hundred yards out, I walked to the edge of the breaker line, where the water seemedly froze in mid-wave. It was really amazing.
Walking out to the lighthouse, I met a couple who knew about Life Action, so we had a nice chat. Then it got really COLD with the wind blowing across the lake and pier, so I “ran” back to the car as fast as getting across a frozen lake would allow.
St. Joe was having their annual ice-sculpting contest, so I meandered around the town for awhile, got a cup of hot chili, and watched the people. Then I stopped at a Christian bookstore and worked on my Bible study homework. All-in-all, it was a wonderfully refreshing day that energized my spirit for the coming week.
Make time to get out and enjoy God’s beautiful creation this week. Reveal in the beauty and wonder of our Lord who riches gives us all things to enjoy!
That’s all for now, folks!
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14
February
2008
. . . from the lovely ladies at Revive Our Hearts!
“The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
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13
December
2007
I remember when I first heard the word “blog.” I had no idea what that was. My confusion only mounted after looking up the new word in my mom’s 1974 New Webster’s Dictionary. Hmm . . . apparently that word wasn’t in use in 1974.
As I’ve seen the rise of blogs of all shapes and sizes (anything from, “what I ate for breakfast this morning” who cares? to commenting on current events or sports news to personal ramblings), my reaction to blogs has evolved. At first I thought they were another evidence of our narcissistic culture and really wanted nothing to do with them.
But then a lot of my friends started getting blogs, and I was able to keep in touch with people through the internet from around the country that I would have completely lost track of otherwise. What a blessing!
God then changed the current of my life, moving me to northwest Indiana to work with the Revive Our Hearts ministry and giving me dozens of prayer and financial supporters. The blessing of keeping in touch with family, friends, and supporters can be a challenge sometimes, and I trust this medium will help. THANK YOU to my good friend, Joshua Wychopen, who designed and developed this website!
So this blog is for you: my family, friends, supporters, and prayer warriors. I promise you will not find narcissistic ramblings about my breakfast menu here!
You will read about the passions God has placed on my heart . . . about the ministry at Revive Our Hearts and Life Action . . . about my family and friends . . . about what God is doing in my life. I trust what goes on here will be an honor to Jesus Christ and will encourage both author and reader to press on to know Him.
Thank you for stopping by my blog. I am truly grateful for YOU! Comments are always appreciated, although I may choose to moderate them before allowing them to be posted.
About the Name of the BlogThe title of this blog “The Heart of the Matter” is what I chose to name my bimonthly newsletter to my supporters. However, the URL is www.laurashaffer.com. I will be posting electronic versions of my newsletters on this website. If you are a supporter, you will still get a hard copy in the mail.
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