Liz's Letters

When I was 18 years old, I swiped a red plastic drinking glass from Pizza Hut. I don't remember now what the circumstances were that lead to my lapse of legal judgement but I do know that my ownership of this glass is lacking in integrity. Even so, this glass has been my favorite container for drinking ice water for 28 years. No one else in my family dares to use this glass. For one thing, it has been deemed as mine for all these years. Second, since I am the only one who uses this glass, I do not wash it with every use or even every day. Eeeewwwwwwww ! My husband is a little disturbed by this behavior, so he kindly runs it through the dishwasher every now and then, but I usually discover it missing and ask, "Where is my water glass??" Recently, my mother in law was at our house for a visit and behold, I saw her using my water glass. Yes, MY water glass! I was a little put out and asked her where she had found said water glass when she chose to partake of her beverage fro...

I hear Hallelujahs today! They are coming from me. I sat down this morning to spend some time with God and He overwhelmed me with his presence! He is so good. Isn't it wonderful when He does that? When things are just clicking between you and the Father? It is such an awesome thing to know that His love is so perfect, His grace is amazing, His forgiveness is so complete...and then He takes it to the next level and reaches out to embrace with such comfort that His presence is undeniable ! Has that ever happened to you? Oh, I so hope so! Today, I know that I am right with my Lord. I know I don't always walk with Him...you know that too if you read my blog. However, it is my desire to bring glory and honor to Him as I walk through this life. He chose me. He loves me. There is NOTHING that can separate me from His love. The joy of my relationship with Him is indescribable. His words to me are personal and clear. The verse that I have on my title page speaks to my heart and my soul...

Blogging has been difficult for me the last few months; distractions, hurt, and finding my "audience" has been a challenge. When I first began this blog, it was totally for myself. It had been recommended to me that I record some things that were on my heart, a journal of my journey. Writing has always been an "outlet", a way of communicating that brings newness of perspective to my thoughts. People have always thought that I talk a lot, but I don't say nearly as much as what I can write. So, when I discovered that there were readers to my blog that I did not "invite", I contemplated making it private, after all, these are my private thoughts. After prayer and reasoning things out with a few people, I decided to continue on as originally designed but with the knowledge that friends and family were reading it. Some chaos has come from this decision since healing is sometimes a process. God is a great surgeon and I give Him all the glory for all that He ...

Birds find nooks and crannies in your house, sparrows and swallows make nests there. They lay their eggs and raise their young, singing their songs in the place where we worship. God -of-the-Angel-Armies! King! God! How blessed they are to live and sing there! Psalm 84:3 This is the second set of babies that have been born in our back yard to the Cardinal couple that live here. Fred and I are watching over them; several times a day making sure they are alive, safe, cared for and growing. God does the same with us. In the same way that Fred and I keep close watch over the bird family in our yard, in the same way that the mommy and daddy cardinal hover and chirp and feed these babies, our loving Father cares so much more for you and me! I am blessed and I worship the God Almighty today! I will sing His praise all day!

Last night, I was out with two friends on a mission. The mission was to find something in the Christian bookstore for my friend who is brand new in her relationship with God. I had a particular book in mind, but was hoping to find something different as the book I was thinking of was one that I used in that "old" life...you know... the one that I said I was trying to bury?! Well, we searched the shelves, up and down, consulted with the clerk, trying to find just the right thing to answer the question that had been asked of me, "Now what?" Funny, the same old book fit the description perfectly. It had to be purchased. God does have a sense of humor, doesn't He? Determination is what He has as He gently pushes me back into places that will hurt, but I know they will help me heal. This particular book was one that I did with several different ladies at different times, in that "old" life. My personal desire would be to not use this book ever again. Memori...

This afternoon I decided to do a little housecleaning. Not the vacuuming and dusting type, but sorting through files, paperwork, and things that have been stashed away. The day is hot and I spent time outdoors at the pool yesterday, so today seemed like the perfect day to stay inside, in the coolness of air conditioning, cleaning, moving forward, processing, and remembering. My file cabinet was full of things that reminded me of my "old life". I found old Bible Study and Women's Retreat material that takes me back to a place that I have buried for the last three years. Due to something that happened after the worship service today...yet again, God beckons me to use my ability to communicate what He has done in my life to assist Him in bringing other's to Him. I have tried to pretend that this is not where He wants me as the pain of my experiences, my sin, and feelings of unworthiness make me want to set this part of my life aside for as long as possible. But God won...

Recent events have caused me to think much about life and death and really take note as to how I am living my life, the condition of my relationships with family and friends, and mostly my relationship with God. (the obvious trigger to these thoughts being the loss of our dear friend, Jason) Yesterday, my husband and I engaged in our normal post work day conversation and he said to me, "When will it end?" My response was, "When will what end?" He went on to tell me of a coworker who was killed in an accident yesterday during the morning. And a different colleague had also experienced the death of a nephew in an accident. It seems that suddenly, death is all around us. When will the next person be called out of life on earth? Fred's father is very ill with cancer. I have a dear friend at work who is battling cancer. My son's girlfriend's father is in the same fight. Another friend has a father in ICU, near death, and not a believer. Those are the one...

Roughly 1700 people came to pay respects to Jason Powell's family at the visitation and Celebration Memorial services. The time we spent celebrating and remembering Jason's life was well thought out and encouraging. First and foremost, Jason's life as a child of God was celebrated. Photographs, airplanes, and favorite things were there to represent who he was and what was important to him during his time on earth. Amy, his sister-in-law, and his three siblings gave testimony to how they will remember Jason and his jovial, loving personality. My husband, my daughter, and myself (Aaron sat with Jason's family) were seated in, what I now realize, the prime prayer position. We were beside the family and as friends and family filed toward the front of the auditorium to pay their respects, we were able to clearly see the countenance of Christi, her parents, and Jason's parents as they greeted every visitor. It was not planned that a receiving line be formed, but as peopl...

Why am I even surprised at the cool way that God works? I know He is amazing, and yet I am amazed every time that He does something amazing! I amaze myself at how silly I am. The last few days, God's word to me has been consistent...totally and one hundred percent consistent. Everywhere I turn, every meditation I read, and even the message at the service on Sunday (Amazing...check out the podcast when it is up...dated July 13) was about living in the present. My mind has been so preoccupied (even though I have been fighting it with great but tiring strength) with the IF ONLY's of the past and the WHAT IF's of the future that I have neglected today. Over and over, I am reminded that if I am walking in the past or in the future, than I am not walking with God because He is right here, right now. Two amazing things happened today. One might seem small to you, but I will share it anyway because it was BIG to me. I recently listened to the new Steven Curtis Chapman song, Mirac...

Dallas News Channel did a report on Jason last night. It was a beautiful tribute to Jason, his faith in God and the wonderful, fun man that he was. Thank you channel 11 for reporting a story that describes God's glory, living for Christ, and focusing on the good of this horrible happening. Watch the video here "Reporting: Carol Cavazos FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News) ― Friends of a man killed in a fiery crash in Fort Worth Friday talked about the loss of their friend. Jason Powell was driving his Nissan on Highway 820 near Blue Mound Road when traffic slowed because of construction. The driver of a cement truck, whom witnesses say did not slow down, ran into Powell's Nissan. An 18-wheeler then crashed into them, creating an explosion seen more than a mile away. Powell was killed instantly. The drivers of the trucks survived. Powell attended the First Baptist Church of Coppell. A memorial service will be held there Tuesday. As his family prepare for his burial, his pastor spoke ab...

Grief. Such an awful emotion, but so much a part of life. And I have had enough experience with it to know exactly how it feels for me to grieve. When I was in middle school, I lost my grandmother and great grandmother in a tragic, fatal tornado. When I was an older teenager, I lost my brother to suicide. The shock was horrible and that caused the grief to seem unbearable. Then my Grandaddy died of a stroke. Three years ago, I lost my mom's husband as a result of a horrible motorcycle accident. He was like a father to me and I grieved a lot. None of these deaths were expected, and some of them so gruesome it made it impossible to think about. My mom described grief to me, "It feels like you are going to go crazy and it feels like you are going to die." Totally, I agree. But I won't. (go crazy or die) Recently, one of my best friends told me to no longer contact her. When other friends and family ask how I am doing with this, my answer has been, "I wake up every m...

Jason Powell with Amy and Aaron A very dear friend of the family was killed in a very tragic car accident this afternoon. Please pray for the family of Jason Powell, his wife Christi, and their four month son, Jack. Pray for Tom and Tana, Christi's parents, Amy, his sister-in-law and Jason's parents and sisters. Our son, Aaron, was very close to Jason and is taking this very hard, please pray for him also. ( News Story)

VACATION PHOTOS & THOUGHTS Some of you have asked about photos...here are some out of the 191 photos that were taken during our time on the East Coast. The trip was perfect - everything I wanted, all we expected. Our hearts were prepared for the work to be done and the fun to be had. Hello to real friends. Hello to memories, old and new. Good-bye to friends and a home for a season. Thanks to the loved one's who are along for the long haul. I love you. The view of the sound Outer Banks, North Carolina Near the home my friend, Sandra, was so graciously offered me during our stay. My wonderful, loyal, and much appreciated friend, Tina and myself. We have waited for this beach time for a very long time. It was perfect. I hope it won't be so long before we do it again. Next year, maybe? Rebecca and her friend, Katie. They have been friends since they were babies. Now look at them! Not babies anymore...babes! :) Ladies Night out on the town. More time for talking, relaxing, and j...

Can I just say that I am so glad to be back to my roots?! Even though I loved the years that we lived on the East Coast and I found parts of me that I would not have known otherwise, there is something absolutely wonderful about coming back to where I start. Even though Texas is not my home, it is close enough to have quickly found it's place as "home" for me. We live less than five hours from our family and less than a mile from the best friends that Fred and I have ever had. This past weekend is another celebration of being HOME! My mother-in-law and her husband drove down to spend the July 4th weekend with us. GW is a musician and a traveling one at that. He came with the setup to entertain us at an old fashioned Independence Day celebration. The entire family drove out to some friends house in Gainesville, TX for a fun filled day! Rebecca brought along her boyfriend, Robert. Also, our friends, Dan and Lori, all their kids, plus some, joined along. The family that...