Random Celebration Time!

Flags

These are all my flags.  You’ll notice I corrected the Palestine one.

78,740 views

Best ever single day views: 1,069  of which 545 hits on “Gate to Hell” article alone.  Interesting!  That’s an awful lot of people wanting to know about the gate to hell.  Well, the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. (Matthew 7:13)

2339 posts

58 Permanent Pages (poetry and original writing, among other things)

212 WordPress-registered followers

31 E-mail followers

26 Facebook Page Followers at  https://www.facebook.com/shekinah.419

35 Followers via my personal Facebook page.  [Friends and Family ]

And I don’t know how many who follow by just searching the blog name, which I have often recommended for those who don’t wish to get numerous notifications.  I know there are several because when I look at “search terms” that land people on my blog, I can see several each day who search it by the name.

If you get posts via e-mail and you have it set so that you get all posts in a single daily or weekly e-mail, be sure and scroll down the e-mail if you want to be sure to see all of the articles for that day or week.  I generally post anywhere from four to 8 articles a day, though there are some days (like chemo days and days when I just have to step back from it) when I may only do a single post, while there are days I have posted as many as 20!  It’s interesting to find that there really are “heavy news days” as well as notable periods when I can tell people are a little burnt out on the intensity, and readership drops off for a day or two.  That usually coincides with times I am feeling a little overwhelmed by it all myself.

This is redundant for long-time readers of this blog, but for those who don’t know, if you enjoy the more personal posts I do from time to time, you can search in the Tag Cloud and/or in the Topic cloud, for “On a Personal Note”.

There is additional stuff under the footer as well, such as my Blogroll, which I probably need to update some.  When I rearranged the header menu and sidebar, I lost the ability to “infinity-scroll” with unending loading of posts, because of the fact I had to put some stuff in the footer area.  I love the “infinity scroll” myself because if I do discover a new blog I like, it lets me continue back through the blog-stream for more, without endless waiting for pages to load.  (Some of us don’t have the ultra high-speed internet.)

If you follow by e-mail or WordPress reader, and you’ve recently started following, you might want to go to my main page and check the header menu and the right sidebar menu for my original writings, including my mini-autobiograpy “Purple Morning Glories and Gold Lady Bugs”.

You can always contact me by clicking on Contact STLloyd in the right sidebar.  Anything you write on the “contact form” page will not be seen by readers, but goes directly into my private e-mail.

If you are a regular reader and would like to comment or “Like” it’s easy to sign up for WordPress and you don’t have to be a blogger to have an account.

I appreciate Re-blogs, comments, “likes” and “shares” (several means for sharing provided in buttons below each post).

I also occasionally contribute on Rapture-Ready.  For the most part, though, if I submit it there, I also post it on the blog.

God bless you all and thank you so much for reading.  Please share a link to Servehiminthewaiting with friends, fellow church members, co-workers, Facebook friends and family!  Praise the Lord for what He is doing here, much of which I’m sure I won’t even know about, this side of Heaven.

Never Been This Homesick Before, The Holy Hills of Heaven(The Rambos)

Below is a poem that “Hubby” wrote for me a few years ago!

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Homesick For Heaven

When most little girls dreamed of having

A shining knight to love

Her heart was already set on treasures up above

She knew her travels would take her

To those streets of gold

Already homesick for heaven, I suppose

When there’s laughter all around her

And all her struggles put away

I see that melancholy smile no one’s supposed to see

I ask her how she’s feeling as I pull her close

She says “I’m homesick for heaven, I suppose”.

Many years from now

When her children are all grown

She’ll have bittersweet memories of her journey home

She’ll finally come to the place

She was always reaching for

And she won’t be homesick for heaven anymore.

She won’t be homesick for heaven anymore.

Lyrics by A.G. Lloyd © 2003

 

God’s amazing little surprises (this will bless you)

Grains of Sand Magnified  Just beautiful!

 

Feelin’ a little sheepish

Image Source

Would you believe I missed my blog’s birthday?

For some reason I thought it was the 8th.  I went back and checked, and my first post was March 1, 2012.  My first “Like” was from Shofar! (Thanks Liz!) A hundred and forty-eight nations, 64,515 hits later, and here we are! A great big thanks to all of you who read, follow, comment, re-blog and keep putting up with me,   It’s been quite a ride thus far, hasn’t it?

P. S.

Can anyone tell me why WordPress would recommend Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez as tags for this post?  Do they have some association with sheep that I’m not aware of?

Eternity set in our hearts (A celebration of a different sort)

From time to time I like to share favorite blogs, and my ‘regulars’ will already be aware of these first two, but for recent-comers to ServeHimInTheWaiting, I want to feature these again because it is so important for folks not to just focus on the heavy stuff, but to also recall that the Lord is our burden-bearer, refuge, and strength.

When I first started blogging, one of the first blogs I discovered and followed, was The End Time on Blogspot, authored by Elizabeth Prata.  She and I have never met in person, though we have exchanged e-mails a few times.  Little by little as you read her blogs, you get a peek at Elizabeth as a person (she rarely speaks directly about herself or her life, because her focus is her Savior). What I have learned about her is that she has an amazing mind, true gifts of expression, of spiritual discernment, and of seeing the beauty of God’s creation everywhere she looks.  Most evident in her writing, is her heart for God which I know God must especially treasure.  I hope you will be as blessed by this beautiful testimony from her blog as I was. I hope she doesn’t mind I borrowed her title for this post.

Eternity set in our hearts

Another blog which never fails to bless is written by a lady affectionately known as Sis Caddo.  As with Elizabeth, there is just something about Sis Caddo’s spirit, that is irresistible.  A sweetness and prevailing love for others that soothes the soul.  You can read any post on her blog, and you’ll come away knowing beyond doubt, Who is her greatest love.  You will also learn that she gives freely from a heart which is no stranger to pain and loss, yet still she loves unreservedly.  She has an astoundingly deep well of poetic and creative ability because her talent springs from the Lord, our well of Living Water!

Stop by her blog and get to know her.  You’ll be glad you did!

Now, here is another gal whom I will warn you, you’ll be challenged to keep up with her!  She is a published author and a real dynamo who has so many blogs she authors and contributes to, that I’ve lost count!  Her name is Lyn Leahz, and her post about “The Prophecy of the Final Pope” might interest you in light of today’s big announcement. (Though I must add this disclaimer on this particular article: I have my reservations about Tom Horn, because of his extensive use of non-canonical sources in his writings).  Still, as always, I see the value of knowing what is being said on these topics, leaving it to the individual believer to do their own due diligence.

And then there is dear LoopyLoo!  What can I say about Loopy?  She is a sweetheart, and her blog always glorifies the Lord.  She covers a lot of different things pertinent to Christians, but best of all she is really good at finding just the right video, story, or sermon to inspire and encourage (although the golden-eyed blinking kitty cat still kinda gives me the jitters.  Kinda like the painting whose eyes follow you through out a room, lol).

The dynamic duo of Liz and Wyman Au provide the WordPress readership with lots of food for thought.  I always love to hear from them and will be forever grateful for their sweet words and prayers and deeds.  They make me long for the day when we shall all meet our many far-flung brothers and sisters in that family reunion by and by. (Click on their names to visit each of their blogs).

Last but not least on this “sharing the love” list:

My friend Jean-Louis

I had to save this guy for last because just like many others I have met in the blog world, there is no doubt that the Lord has orchestrated these e-quaintances.  (Did I just coin a new word? Cool!).  In the same year when I would lose my dad, as well as a family-friend who was also like a dad to me, as the Lord led the development of my blog He brought J-L alongside as a friend, a resource, as someone who has much life-experience and wisdom and discernment to offer, and as someone who has prayed over the purpose and progression of my blog and for my family during this time.  He has an uncanny ability to sense when I push beyond my capacity and need to rest in the Lord, or need encouragement or insight.  He is a great story-teller, and has a subtle sense of humor that sneaks up on you sometimes, much like that of my own dear husband Garrett.  He and his wife and daughter have just been moving from one home to the other, which has kept him busy, but I look forward to more of his original writing forthcoming.   This post today gave me a good chuckle as it pokes lighthearted fun at ourselves as Christians.

Ok, that one was so funny, here is another one.  But I have to warn you as a parent of christian youth,  it’s a little scary in it’s honesty!  (I know it’s not like this at OUR youth group, right Adam, Sherry, Ashley, Amanda, Ben, Isaac…..? )

A shout-out also goes to my researcher and frequent-contributor BB, a.k.a. “Snerdley”

These are just a few of the friends and “siblings-in-the-Lord” who have been a blessing to me here in the church-of-God-online!

Milestones!

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Have surpassed 1600 posts here in my 10th month of blogging, and closing (today) in on 51,400 views.  Highest traffic day was in November with 924 views that day.  Flag count 136 nations.

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Servehiminthewaiting has the best readers, followers, and friends!  Praise the Lord!

The Most Powerful Rendition of “Amazing Grace” You Will Probably Ever Hear!

(Click the image to view video)

Happy 2013!

“George Bailey, It’s a Wonderful Life”

The life of faith is a life of continual choices.  No matter what God brings you through, when the next thing comes along, you have to choose faith again.  His mercies are new every morning, and with each new road (or obstacle course) He is charting, He admonishes us not to attempt to get by on yesterday’ manna for nourishment.

So, on 12/12/12 God set our feet on a new road.  This cartoon comes to mind:

I laughed until I cried when I saw this cartoon several months ago because I figure there were more times God dragged me, than He carried me, by virtue of my, shall we say, hesitancy to go along with the whole “Father Knows Best” thing.

I feel pretty safe in saying that neither Garrett nor I would have chosen this road for our family voluntarily, even despite the absolute peace we have had, there is still a vast and yawning “unknown” gaping ahead of us.  But we have decided that we are just going to trust Him.  It’s just so darn much easier than trying to force ourselves calm, (impossible), or “visualize the desired outcome”.  We’ve submitted our request, of course, for Garrett to be cancer-free at the end of his 6 months of chemo, for his hemoglobin to build back up to normal range.   It takes so much energy to worry all the time.  Neither one of us has it in us anymore.

We marveled at how God sent the right docs and nurses with all we needed from them.  We marveled and thanked God that He moved the first doctor in the line-up of many who would see him, to do lab-work and discover his extremely low hemoglobin.

When we were driving home from the hospital on 12-21-12, rather than feeling like our world was crashing down, we were marveling at the hope we felt.  Garrett was doing a fair impression of Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a Wonderful Life”.  “Hullo, old bridge, Hullo  you wonderful old broken-down house”.  It made me chuckle.  That’s my favorite movie of all time.  But Garrett felt even more like George Bailey after he got home, and has had calls and visits, someone bringing a meal here, someone else slipping in  monetary help for getting by while he is out of work, and we are just humbled by the outpouring of prayers and love and generosity even coming from a dear brother and sister who know us only through this blog. (You know who you are, and we thank you from humbled hearts).   We are so grateful for God’s grace and goodness and for the love of the body of Christ and family near and far.

Whenever you find yourself in a situation where clearly things are simply out of your hands, there is a certain relief that comes with that.  I know that if it were left to me and my natural inclinations of the flesh, I could get terribly torn  up over this.   We could both panic or get depressed.  It has been a crazy year, and certainly things beyond the walls of the Lloyd household, out there in the world, are getting more insane all the time, as we well know.

But God remains firmly in control, on His throne, and this is part of His plan.  It is just “the next thing”.  We anticipate the privilege of seeing what God is going to do in these circumstances, how He will use it to mold our faith, the faith of our kids, and others.

This morning was sort of my time to put it in neutral and give myself a little time to process it all.  I was a little afraid that the bubble of grace might pop.  But I was just honest with God.  “Lord, if it’s up to me, You know I’ll not handle this well, so I’m leaving it up to You.  I am an empty vessel.  Whatever I am going to need, I look to You to put it in me”.  I still have not experienced any fear.  I think by Thursday night we were both stretched taut nerve-wise, after his hemoglobin continued to fall even after surgery, necessitating 2 more units of blood, but by Thursday night we had the pathology reports and had been given the bottom line.   Knowing the news is generally less excruciating than waiting for the blow to fall.   You’ve probably heard the saying “don’t tell me to relax, my tension is the only thing holding me together”.   I have often felt that way, but this time it was just a relief to know where things stood and get a plan in place.

I had been concerned about Garrett’s health for a while.  Even though it was not surprising he was weary after the year we have had, it was still troubling for me to see him get as weary as me with all my conditions, and I’d been suggesting he get established with a doctor but I also know that nagging is counter-productive so I hadn’t pressed the matter.  I think just the time in the hospital, people ministering to him and having all responsibility lifted temporarily from is shoulders, was a tremendous and much-needed break for him.  It is hard enough for men in this world, especially Christian men who are striving provide for, protect and lead their family while slaying the dragon out in the mad mad work-a-day world.

Our pastor was there not just the first day, but several times during that week.  And when we walked into church yesterday, Garrett was quickly surrounded with well-wishers, people happy to see him back, assurances of their prayers being lifted up on our behalf.

So, old George Bailey and I are just deciding to get on board and enjoy the ride, and see where God takes us as He writes this next chapter in the curriculum of life.  School is never out for the Christian.  We expect we will know things in six months that we don’t know right now.  We expect to see God’s hand at work, and maybe even some miracles along the way.  The good and wonderful life is not to be found in what we make of our existence.  The good life really only comes when you surrender all your “rights and wants and expectations”.   All we have, has come from His hand.  We have nothing that wasn’t given to us.  The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away,  blessed be the name of the Lord.  Though He slay us, we will yet praise Him.  What the Lord requires from us He provides for us.  That is not “organic” it doesn’t arise from anything in our flesh, and yet it is the perspective the Holy Spirit has put in us, and we choose to trust because, even though we don’t understand His methods, we know His heart toward us, His thoughts toward us are only for our good continually, at all times.

Looking forward to the most peaceful and blessed Christmas ever and we pray the same for you!

 

Just pause and think upon Jesus a minute!