“THE LORD REIGNS FOREVER, YOUR GOD, O ZION, FOR ALL GENERATIONS, PRAISE THE LORD!”  PSALM 146:10

The words of this Psalm, put into song, rang throughout the fifth region in Chile from five dedicated voices, that couldn’t carry a tune in a paper bag! 

My fiancé was one of those voices, I was another, my soon brother-in-law to be,  was another, and two of our very best friends were numbers four and five!

We were on a two month long summer internship as missionary wannabes!

It was truly one of the best times of our lives!

We returned stateside and Jim and I were married only one month later! That was the summer of 1984!

We wrote our own marriage vows, and in them repeated these words to each other and to everyone in attendance, but mostly we spoke them to our God!

“Knowing that we are better together then apart for God and His purposes, we dedicate our lives to God First, to each other next, and to raising up a godly generation!”

James Swaney and Lisa Dye-Swaney 

We meant those words with all of our hearts! In our 41 years of dedicating our marriage to God, and to raising up a godly heritage in His  name, we have succeeded, and we have failed! But the faithfulness of our God has never failed!

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another, they tell of your mighty acts.” Psalm 145:3&4

“Your faithfulness continues through all generations; established the earth, and it endures.” Psalm 119:90

“We will not hide them from their descendants, we will tell the next generation the praise worthy deeds of The Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done.” Psalm 78:4

God‘s faithfulness has been demonstrated through our daughter and son-in-law as they accepted God’s call to serve Him with their whole lives as lead pastor at Crossroads Christian Church.

This Sunday we were eyewitness to God’s continued faithfulness as our son and daughter-in-law accepted His call to be lead pastor at Bayside Church Orange County!

The words of Psalm 100:5 ran through my heart and head as I witnessed my son accepting His call to God and His church through the power of His Son Jesus Christ!

“For the Lord is good and His Love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations!” Psalm 100:5

As I sat in my son’s church on Sunday and listened to Him speak powerful words of God’s Truth about “Relationships,” I was struck by the fact that the most important relationship we have is with God Himself!

After that it is with those closest to us that we have an opportunity to model a life lived for Christ Jesus!

Not a life of perfection!

Not a life of prosperity!

Not a life of anything else, but loving and living for Jesus!!!!

This is what every generation needs! Yesterday, today and tomorrow and forever and ever and ever, until Jesus returns!

I am so very proud of my son! He is deserving of all the credit for every choice he has made on his own for Jesus! It was pure joy to witness him on stage, preaching God‘s truth and accepting the call to Shepherd and love and model Jesus for God‘s people!

God is FAITHFUL my Friends to do more than we could ever dream, think or imagine!

I give Him ALL THE GLORY for His Faithfulness to me and my family! I know His faithfulness will continue to the next generation!

IN HIS NAME!

TRUTH BOMB

GOD IS FAITHFUL TO ALL GENERATIONS!

Speak Truth Love

Happy Truth Bomb Tuesday Friends! I have missed you!

I woke up today knowing TODAY IS THE DAY!

I need to write My Truth Bomb! God has given me a gift and a calling and I must exercise it!

That’s right! The EXCLAINATION POINTS are back!!! Did you miss them?

I took a break from writing My Truth Bombs every week, not because I was discouraged! I didn’t take a break because I didn’t have enough followers on social media. I don’t write My Truth Bombs to gain followers!

I didn’t stop because someone told me to. 

I simply stopped because my “To Do List” had gotten too long.

So, I thought I would take a break and chip away at reducing my “To Do List.”

Long pause…

The more I chipped away at it, the longer it seemed to get! And I woke up this morning, all these months later, and 

I FEEL LIKE I ‘M GETTING LOST IN THE LONG LIST OF “TO DO’S!”

As I rolled out of bed and put my feet on the ground and spoke these practiced words to God, 

“This is the day that you have made, I will rejoice and be glad in it,”

He said to me ,

TODAY IS THE DAY!

WRITE YOUR BLOG!

Have you ever felt like life is a battle? You forge ahead and feel like you have gained a bit ground, just to find yourself not far from where you started.

You get back up again just to get  knocked down. You find that all the ground you seemed to have gained, is lost?

And you ask yourself…

What is this battle I’m in anyway?

What am I fighting so hard for? 

Is it worth it?

I think that Gideon felt exactly like this!

In the book of Judges chapter six we find Gideon hiding.

His “To Do List”

had gotten too big big for him and his “Get Er Done” gumption had got up and went!

Gideon was hiding! Hiding from God!!! He was scared, tired, hopeless and done!

Then God speaks to him through an angel! 

God doesn’t tell him that he’s blowing it!

God doesn’t tell him to get up and get on with it!

God doesn’t say he failed!

God tells him he is a WARRIOR!!!!

Instead of condemning him and making him feel worse than he already feels, God reminds him of the greatest truth of all.

We are not how we feel! We are not even how we act! We are who God tells us we are!

Gideon is a warrior because God has made him a warrior! Gideon does not have the ability on his own strength to be a warrior, but through God and his strength in Gideon, Gideon is a warrior! He can accomplish all of the “TO DO’S” that God has given him to accomplish!

His ability to “Get Er Done,” is not found in his own gumption, but in the strength of the Lord, his God and who God has called him to be!

God has put a call on my life, and I cannot accomplish that call in my own strength! I can only accomplish that call through my obedience and willingness to allow God to make me who he has called me to be!

God has called me to SPEAK HIS TRUTH IN LOVE!

If God is first in my life, then He needs to be at the top of my list! 

God has called me to read His word, pray, and listen to Him and to write and speak His Truth In Love!

I’m going to keep chipping away at my list, no matter how long it gets! 

I’m going to trust God for my “Get Er Done Gumption”when my to do list gets the best of me! 

GOD COMES FIRST! I’m going to fight to keep Him at the top of my list! I’m going to live my life believing and knowing that I am who God says I am!

I AM A DAUGHTER OF THE KING OF KINGS AND IN HIM I CAN DO ALL THINGS!

TRUTH BOMB

DON’T LET THE WORLD, THE ENEMY OR YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE! ONLY GOD CAN DO THAT!

Speak Truth Love