This week is a very special week for me! My grandson turns five and my son, my baby, turns thirty!

To anyone who knows me I am a girl with a theme! I love celebrations, I love parties, and a theme is a must! My husband always jokingly says, “you don’t do anything without a theme.”   And the baby boy turning five, and the big boy turning thirty certainly demanded a theme! Problem was…The spirit was willing but the flesh was truly weak. For those of you who have traveled internationally you know what I am talking about!

We were gifted, blessed and thrilled beyond measure to be able to take a trip to Israel! It truly was a trip of a lifetime! I thought that I would never see Israel this side of heaven! We had a marvelous trip in every way!  When we were gifted with it we were in awe and our feet hadn’t quite reached the ground as we were entering the airport to make it a reality. Then something happened that I still haven’t recuperated from! We stepped up to the baggage counter to check in our bags for our flight and receive our boarding passes. The clerk behind the counter told us that we were in seats in the front of the plane. I argued with him that, “Sir, here’s my itinerary, those are not our seats! His response back was, “they are now.“ My beautiful friend had bumped us up to first class! Yes, you heard me right, this is not a typo! I rode to Tel Aviv, in a non-stop first class seat! My feet never hit the ground as I danced through the airport and into my seat! I was living out one of my favorite movies, The Holiday! For fourteen glorious hours I was Cameron Diaz in a pod all to myself! I stacked my reading books up just like she did and sipped my sparkling water as I flew through the international skies!

Then we landed, and we got to our hotel sometime in the middle of the night? I knew at least it was dark outside! For the next eight days we were up at the crack of dawn with our bags packed and downstairs ready to board the bus to see the holy sites we had come to see. I was about to walk where Jesus walked! I was thrilled and beside myself with the anticipation of what I was about to experience!

My next blog series will be on ‘Walking Where Jesus Walked’, but for now back to celebrating my boys!

If you have traveled anywhere for seven days or longer, changed time zones to over ten hours of a difference, and walked on average over 12,000 steps a day, you know the tired that I am talking about! From the first step I took, to the last step I took, each and every one was magnificent! I saw more and learned in greater depth then I had ever imagined. But the plane ride home was not first class, so…back to reality Lisa. The 10 hour time difference and thirty hours of travel before hitting my pillow at home had taken it’s toll!

I went to sleep in my own bed that night knowing, that the week ahead of me could only be accomplished with God‘s strength and not my own!

I prayed Psalm 23 out loud, trusting God to renew my strength!

“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.“

I went to sleep at about 1:30 in the morning and woke up at 8am. I felt refreshed and knew that my best bet was living out the day as normal as possible, laying my head back down on the pillow again at night and trying to sleep. I drove to my granddaughter‘s final soccer game and she became a league champ! Then I was able to hear my son preach, which thrilled my soul! I drove back home laid my head back on the pillow at around 10:30 at night and got up for church the next day! It was so encouraging and fun to be with my church family again, I had missed them!

Slowly, but surely, God was renewing my strength! Now it was time to get my theme on!

What do you do when one of your best boys is turning five and the other one is turning thirty? You go to the happiest place on earth!

We loaded up our cars and we drove to Anaheim! We celebrated together as a family and spent one full day in the most theme-filled place I know!

While my spirit was willing and excited, God began to do in me what only He can do, He began making my weak flesh strong!

Isaiah 40:30-31 is one of my favorite passages and one of my most constant companions!

“Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as eagles;  they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”

We celebrated to our hearts content and made new and precious family memories that we will cherish and hold onto forever! I could never have made it without God renewing my strength!

As we walk through our daily lives we have so many reasons to “grow faint!”

But God is our Strength Renewer, He promises to restore our Strength if we will be obedient and lean on him!

TRUTH BOMB

Our Lord God is our Strength Renewer!

That’s our Truth Bomb Tuesday friends! We don’t have to go this road alone! We can and do become weary and tired, but we will not grow faint when we pull our strength from our Strength Renewer!

Be renewed this week my friends! I love you!

Speak Truth Love