Clear my thoughts of fear, my Great Shepherd!

Psalm 23 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. ³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. ⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Everyone walks through a valley at some point in their lives, maybe several “valley experiences”. I have ventured that way before on the mission field. But this valley experience of chronic pain seems a lot different. But as I go, I am learning new things. The message I keep hearing is: “God is teaching, strengthening and empowering you. You must allow your faith to grow stronger.”

One way that my faith grows is by not fearing evil. Fear is not of God. I will be honest; I have feared the severe “migraine-type” pain that pops up randomly. I have experienced pain before, but nothing compared to this. I have concluded that I must not dwell on the unknown but take comfort that the Lord’s rod and staff are there to comfort me.

The rod is used to fight off the wolves of danger. The wolf strikes to bite, but God fights him off with the rod for me. That includes taking my thoughts captive. When thoughts of fear fly, I compare them to the sharp teeth of a wolf aimed to attack. I trust in the Lord to clear my thoughts of fear- that violent wolf image. When I wonder off in this direction, His staff brings me back into his arms of comfort. The rod fights for me and the staff reaches out to protect me-bringing me back to Him. Thank you, my Great Shepherd!

My Healing Process

There are several things that have been vital to my healing process:

1) brothers and sisters in Christ that have continually prayed for me
2) my families' encouragement, care and support
3) good doctors and therapist
4) employer
5) Christmas music
6) Christian and motivational books
7) journaling
8) our backyard deck for resting
9) good diet (definitely included apples from Ellijay, Ga)
10) exercising with Bourne, our lab
And most of all...
11) God's Word

Coffee Moments: "do not forget about us"

Path 1

do not forget about us

Path Light: Read Jeremiah 14: 1-9

Key Passage: ….yet thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not. – Jeremiah 14:9b KJV

            At this time Judah was mourning. There was a drought in the land. They actually were crying in anguish because the cities’ wells, grounds and fields were barren and dry. The people were at the point of despair. The Lord recounts these words to Jeremiah. We can understand the desperation of the people. Appearing next are pleas in the form of prayers admitting the sins of the people.  

Prayer on the Path:

Our sins show our guilt, Lord. Please help us. We have backslidden immensely; our sins have offended You. You are our only hope in this time of ultimate despair. You seem as a stranger to me right now, like a person that passes by me unknown. It is as if You are a soldier that has been approached unaware, unarmed and stunned. However, I know that You are right here with us. We know this, Lord. Others may think the opposite. We know that we are Yours. Please do not forget about us (Jeremiah 14:7-9)!

Walk Farther:

Have you ever been to the point of desperation like the people of Judah?

Are you now?

Have you thought about praying like this and begging God to hear you?

Do you desire to feel His presence so strongly in your life?

In His Love,
Les

“Do we have everyone?”

My first 5K race was on a July 4th. After my running coach signed me up for this awesome race on St. Simons Island, I looked around to see the runners that were ready at the starting line. Many people were there, but the ones that stood out the most were in uniform from all U. S. Military Branches. I thought: “Oh, no. I am in for it. Can’t compete with these guys.” Before and during the run, I heard military cadences and chants all around me. During the race I ran near the Coast Guard and enjoyed keeping in step as if I were a part of the group, especially the last leg of the journey. Yes, they did cross the ribbon before I. But the most beautiful thing happened. I did a double take when I saw them coming back my way to finish the race with those from their group who lagged behind- the fallen. I found out what took place ahead at the finish line around the corner when they first crossed. The leader of the coast guard group shouted: “Do we have everyone?”
The group responded, “Sir, no, Sir.”
He commanded, “About face! We leave no one behind. We finish together.”
The guard responded, “Sir, yes, Sir!”
What a beautiful picture of discipline, endurance, and encouragement!

 “For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”   Ecc. 4:10 (ESV)

Focal Question: Am I lifting up the fallen?
Thought Question:  Am I alone? (Read Ecc. 4, in context- “Striving After the Wind” for contemplation)

Book Review- The Breath of Dawn

Sorry that I am just now getting to this review. I have finally slowed down long enough to do it justice. The Breath of Dawn is a suspenseful read, if you like mystery mixed with romance, this is the one for you. The story line keeps you wondering and guessing. Heitzmann is a good writer, one of my favorites. Her use of vocabulary is always rich. This particular read was well written but not my favorite genre.  

The story involves a CEO, Morgan, who is on the brink of despair and ruin emotionally. Having lost a wife, he is left to rear a child on his own. Meanwhile Quinn, the main character, has troubles of her own. On the run she tries to live a new life to escape her problems. It is interesting how these two happen to meet and dream up a plan that may solve all their problems. No challenge is usually too hard for Morgan, because he fixes problems every day. Quinn is a handful though.  However, her sweet spirit overrides the challenges she brings.  Will their scheme work for the best and give them a new life or not? Read to enjoy. 

free e-workbook coming soon

I plan to post small group application questions that correspond with chapter one of The World Behind Me soon. These are being used in Sunday School classes and for Bible Studies. I hope that groups can use these as they venture on new mission work in their communities. 

Contact me at lesburch@gmail.com for speaking engagements. I would love to set up a time when we could sit down together and share. Blessings. 

In His Love,
Les

Sharing a recipe from X-Mas 2006

Here's a small Christmas present from us:

Buck's Brownies

2/3 cup all purpose flour (sifted)
1/3 cup Unsweetened Natural Cocoa 
3/4 teaspoon Baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon Salt 
2 Eggs; unbeaten 
1 cup Brown Sugar (for Hypoglycemics like Buck, mix 3/4 - 1 cup of fructose with 1 Tbs of maple flavoring) 
1 teaspoon Vanilla Sugar
1/3 cup Vegetable oil 
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, vanilla sugar and salt; set aside. In mixing bowl slightly beat the eggs. 
Gradually stir in sugar. Add oil and mix well. Stir in flour cocoa mixture, then nuts. 
Spread in butter-greased shallow 8X8 or 9 inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees (210 C) for 22 to 25 minutes. 
Cool in pan, then cut in squares. Makes 16 2-inch great-tasting brownies.

Happy New Year! 

In His Love,

Les