Jesus is the Reason for the Season

Remember that.......

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

What will you choose this holiday season?

Every single day we have so many choices to make. It begins by what we want to eat for breakfast, what are we going to wear that day, which way do we want to go to work? There are so many choices from the moment we wake up.

Then we have other life choices like who we will marry, where we will live, and what job we want to pursue.

God created us with the capacity to choose. He did not make us robots? He made us people with minds that can choose what they want in their lives.

Now as the holiday season is upon us we have choices to make as well. When will we put the tree up, what cookies do we want to bake, what presents should we buy?

Do you ever get so crazy busy for the holidays that you do not even have time to do the things you want to do.

Why don't you choose to change this holidays season. You can make many choices that will make your holiday what you want to be. I'd like to share a few examples of change that have helped my holidays.

I realized last week that I had not even begun Christmas shopping. I started to stress about it, but then remembered that I could shop online. So at 11:00 pm I began my shopping at Amazon. Within a few hours everything was bought and would be shipped right to my door. Each time a gift arrived, I would wrap it. Now, I am done shopping and wrapping and relaxing with my holiday.

Another thing, what about company. We always like to have company during the holidays, but then it takes all day to cook. So the past few years, instead of doing this, we invite people over for dessert. That is so much easier.

Baking cookies takes alot of time, and honestly it is not my favorite thing to do. Years ago I would make all kinds of cookies and dread doing it. I made a choice to bake the cookies that I like the best, and that is the only cookie I bake. I take a few hours and make ALOT of them. Then I freeze them, and I am done.

So the bottom line: You have the power to choose what your holiday looks like. What will you choose?

The same goes with our relationship with God. We have to choose if we want to have one. God won't force us to come to him. He wants us to choose to spend time with him. After all, he loves us. In fact, he loves us so much he sent his son Jesus to be born, and then die on the cross, so that if we believe we can have eternal life in heaven. Jesus is the reason for the season. What choices can we make this holiday season to help us remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Can a marraige last FOREVER?

It was over 40 years ago that I met a young man called Dave. He was seventeen and I was sixteen. We were very young, but we had a special connection right from the start. His awesome, sexy smile always warmed me all over. From the moment we met, we spent all of our time with each other.

My senior year in High School this man of my dreams proposed to me. We were engaged and August 1971, we were married.

We thank God for blessing our marriage. CAN A MARRIAGE LAST FOREVER?

Well, the years pass by so quickly. What have we done to make our marriage last? The most important thing was to put God first in our marriage. The second was that we always dated. When children came along, we loved them so much, but we loved each other differently. In a marriage relationship, your spouse must be your second priority after God. How can you do this in a marriage in our fast paced society?

WE HAD A WEEKLY DATE TIME, a time just for us as husband and wife. When the kids came along the dates did not disappear, in fact, they became more consistent because we needed to be alone together. Sometimes those dates consisted of just walking somewhere together, going to a movie, or just out for dinner. Even when we lived overseas, our dates continued. I think what I am saying is that the relationship between a husband and wife needs to grow together as the years pass, not apart because of our busy lives. It takes an effort to do this, but it should be fun too. Then when the kids grow up and start their own lives, your life is still filled with the relationship that you had in the beginning. It hasn’t died because of lack of time together, it has blossomed into something that makes you long to be together.


It’s now 38 years later for us. We are in Paris, France together for the ultimate date. God has blessed us with three wonderful weeks together, and we are enjoying every minute together. We are used to spending time together, because we have done it all our lives.

The ULTIMATE DATE

It was 10:00 pm. We stepped into the elevator that would take us up 90 stories in the Eiffel Tower. Slowing we began to go up into the unknown. Fear was battling inside of me, but I wanted to do this so I would NOT let it control me. As I looked out the windows of the elevator I would see huge pieces of grey metal immediately outside, but if I would look past that I could see the city of Paris getting smaller and smaller. After what seemed like an eternity, the doors of the elevator were opened. I carefully stepped out, not knowing what to expect.

What my eyes saw next was amazing. There was a heavy glass wall up about four feet, and then we were out in the open air. I slowly walked to the edge, holding on tightly to Dave’s jacket as the crowds of people were all around us. He of course, was not afraid at all. His profession takes him up to great heights all the time, but me, this was a very different experience.

I finally reached my hand over and grabbed the railing. Once I had my hands securely on it, I felt better. Then I looked over the edge down 90 stories and it was breathtaking. I could see all the bridges of the Seine River. The lights all across the bridges were making beautiful designs across the water. All of the massive monuments of Paris looked so small from this viewpoint. Then I turned and looked behind me and I could not believe what I saw.

The almost full moon was shining over the whole picture below us. I could not imagine how this moment could get any better. Here I was with the man I loved, in the city of Paris, up as close as I could possibly get to the moon, just being together as husband and wife.

We walked around enjoying the beauty of this moment. Then we walked down a short flight of stairs and there was another room. There were not many people in this area. We walked over to the edge and did something I had always dreamed of. Together we repeated our wedding vows. We committed ourselves to each other for the rest of our lives together. After we said the words, we embraced each other and kissed. I did not think anything could make this moment more perfect, but something happened that I could not believe.

Suddenly the Eiffel tower began to glow with flashing lights. We turned and looked up and it looked like stars were flashing all over the tower. It’s like the tower came alive. It was amazing.

As we stepped back into the elevator to return to reality, music began to play and the tower began its light show. All the way down we listened and watched its display of lights and music. It was more than I could ever imagine. When we arrived on the bottom we ran to the edge where were could see the whole tower and watch the show. Dave took some amazing pictures.

THIS WAS THE UTIMATE DATE we could ever have. Thank you God for ‘going before us’ on this wonderful adventure in Europe. Thank you Dave for being the most WONDERFUL husband in the world. You blessed my life in the beginning and every day since them. You are an amazing man and "I'M THE LUCKY ONE".

As we returned home refreshed and blessed by our European experience, we realize again how quickly life passes us by. We need to make the most of every moment that we are here on this planet earth.

Does God go before us?

Every day as we walked out the door of our hotel, we prayed that God would go before our day. It is amazing when we pray this way how you can actually see God going before you guiding your day. I’d like to share a few God going before us days.

London is an unbelievable city. The people were so friendly and helpful. It felt so good to be able to speak to the people. (In Paris it was hard to communicate because of the language barrier.) In fact, when we first arrived at Bexleyheath, the suburb where our hotel was located, a man helped us above and beyond the call of duty.

We had just arrived at the train station. We had no idea where we were going. I saw this man that looked very nice and I asked him where the taxi cabs were. He not only told us, he walked us over to this phone, picked it up and called a cab and then gave the phone to us so we could tell them where we wanted to go. He stayed with us to help us get our cab and then he said, “This is a real nice area of London. It’s very safe here. I am a retired police officer and I know this area.”

God went before us and sent a special angel to us this day, to direct us.

We arrived at our hotel and it was one of the best hotels we had ever stayed in. Honestly, the bed was like sleeping on a cloud. The pillows were all goose feather, the mattress had a separate 4 inch mattress on top of the mattress set. Then the sheets were unbelievable. I cannot describe what they felt like. I looked forward every night to climbing into this bed. (There was a brochure in the room that had all the info about the sheets, pillows, and down blankets. It would cost about $2,000 to buy the same thing for us at home.) Everything about the hotel was wonderful and it was FREE because of Dave’s traveling points. They treated us like royalty.

Then when we went down for breakfast we knew that we got one free breakfast for Dave because he was the Elite Member of the hotel. As we walked into the restaurant and sat down the waitress said to us, “I checked with my manager and we decided that we will be giving you two free breakfasts.” So every day we were blessed with a full buffet breakfast.

God went before us and provided for our food for FREE.

The first morning while we were waiting in the train station for our train to come, we met Barbara. She looked like she might be in her 70-80’s. She was dressed rather modestly. She asked us where we were going. We told her we were going to London Bridge Station to see the sights of London. She suggested that we go to Victoria Station. She said it would be much better for us. It was much more direct for us.

As we sat there together we talked and she was an amazing woman. The stories that she shared with us about the war years were remarkable. This woman was a very intelligent woman. She had served her country doing ammunition testing, she was a professor at a college and she was currently in school with a program for senior citizens.

My heart was so inspired talking to Barbara. We decided to take the train she suggested. We talked the whole way into London. When we arrived at Victoria station we parted ways, but had been touched by this wonderful woman. Every day that we went into London we took the same train. We really believed it was the best place for us to arrive into London. It was close to everything we wanted to see.

God went before us and provided the inspiration and direction of Barbara. We will never forget her.

All of these experiences also tell us about the people that we should be. Do we have time to help someone else find their way? Do we go the extra mile to help someone? Are we the Good Samaritan wherever we go? It felt so wonderful to encounter all of these people. God blessed our hearts so much. They were all shining examples of who we should be.

DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.

Dear God,
Thank you for going before us. Thank you for sending these people to us. Help us to do the same for someone else.

Isaiah 52:12
But you will not leave in haste or go in flight;
FOR THE LORD WILL GO BEFORE YOU,
the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

IMpossible

We boarded the eurostar train on our way to London. We were excited about our next adventure, riding this train that goes up to 180 miles per hour. The trip would last about two and a half hours.

Our Journey began slow and smoothly, but very quickly we were sailing acrss the countryside of France, which looked alot like Wisconsin. The leaves were beginning to turn the beautiful reds, yellows, and golds of the fall season. We also noticed something very different. The cows grazing in the fields were white. Interesting.

We had been enjoying the scenery for awhile, but we knew that soon we would be arriving to the part of our Journey that we did not know what to expect. What would it be like traveling 3 miles under the English Channel? We waited and watched with great anticipation and then suddenly we looked to the side of the train and there was a big brick wall. Of course we could not see the front of the train, but we knew we were on our way under the Channel. It all happened so quickly, but suddenly it was completely dark on the outside of the train. Inside we had lights on, so it was like we were traveling at night. It really was not fearful at all. It was actually pretty cool. They told us later that they begin the downward descend a long way from the shores of the Channel and gradually you go down. Honestly, we did not feel a thing. It was amazing.

We were under the Channel for about 20 minutes and then as suddenly as it started, we could see the light again. The voice behind me said, "Welcome to England!" We had arrived. Within thirty minutes or so, we were entering the London station.

Our next step was to find the train to take us to our hotel which is about 13 miles outside of London. It wasn't long and we boarded our second train for the day to our final destination, our home for the next five days.

As we were traveling on this train I saw a sign that perked my interest. It had one word on it with two letters crossed out. The word was IMpossible. The IM were crossed out and the word POSSIBLE stood out completely. My mind immediately turned to the eurostar train that we had just come from. It seemed impossible to me that a train could travel under a body of water, but it is POSSIBLE, because I experienced it first hand.

Just take a few minutes and think about all the IMpossible things that have happened in our world today. People who have accomplished these things had to put their minds to doing something, and then work to make them happen. They probably failed at one point or another until the IMpossible became POSSIBLE. They never gave up when things got tough.

What about each of us? Is there anything in our lives that we think is totally IMpossible? Will we give up or keep working at it until the IMpossible becomes POSSIBLE.

God has given us all great minds and with Him guiding those minds, He can help us to turn all our Impossibles into POSSIBLE.

Matthew 19:26b
"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are POSSIBLE.

Do NOT Fear........even in Paris

It's been wonderful for me in Paris this week. I've been able to see the sights and sounds of this beautiful city. Dave on the other hand, has been working hard all week. He's been working with an International Team ( 1 man from each England, Czech Republic, US Dave, Spain, and Norway. They have been evaluating the safety of the men in France who work on elevators. They are all Safety Directors in their countries.

We couldn't use our cell phones over here so communication with each other has been hard. I would never know for sure when he would return to the hotel, because he didn't know either. With just two days left on his work project, I was pretty sure the team would have supper together this night.

So it was 7pm and he wasn't back yet, so I decided to start walking out to our favorite place to have supper. It was an outdoor cafe where we could sit and watch the people walking, biking, visiting and driving around. We enjoyed going there. It was already dark out, but here in Paris it didn't matter. I really wasn't afraid to go out alone at night. WHY?

The nights come alive in Paris. All day long the traffice all around is terrible. People are rushing around doing their own thing, but after 6 pm it's different.

As I walked down the street I came across many people. There were families walking together, children riding bikes, skateboards and just having fun. There were young adults as well as senior citizens. They aren't noisy, but just together. They never really talked to me either.

As I looked around this is how I would describe what I would see.

The streets were very narrow with cars parked on either side. There wasn't more than an inch between each car, many were even touching or parked sideways. The cars are very small and next to the cars there were wide sidewalks. Then at the end of the sidewalk were rows and rows of very tall buildings. The bottom floors could be a business or a home. The buildings were very old, but beautiful. They had very large impressive windows and many had awnings. Everything looked very European.

I enjoyed walking down the streets that night. The weather has been so mild and refreshing. They had very quaint streetlights that brightened the way. The stores were open late and it was fun just window shopping.

Well I finally arrived at my destination, sat down and was served a delicious meal. I watched the sights and sounds of the city as I quietly sat there.

After I finished, I decided to go for a walk around the circle before I headed back to the hotel. I almost decided to go a different way home, but something kept me going in the same direction. Then suddenly I looked up and there was Dave off in the distance waving his hands at me to get my attention. The smile upon his face melted my heart. In this big city, with so many people, the sight of the man I love off in the distance brought total joy to my heart. (I had left a note if he got home he could come there if he wasn't too tired.)

As Dave and I again went into our favorite restaurant for him to eat he said to me, "That was pretty brave of you to walk here all alone." I'm not sure what God is doing in my life on this trip. I have had such peace and joy knowing no matter where I am, I'm not alone. God is always with me going before my day.

I have decided that the next Jouney with God that I write will be, "Do NOT be afraid."

I wonder if I can believe those words with my next adventure. Dave and I will leaving tomorrow and boarding a EuroStar train to London. The fear part of this adventure will be that the train will take us under the waters of the English Channel. My heart is filled with fear thinking about doing this, but fear won't keep me from doing it. God is bigger than my fear. He will go before us. If anything were to happen my peace is knowing we would be in heaven, experiencing the greatest of all adventures that anyone coud have.

I'll write when we get to the other side. London, here we come!

PS Please excuse my writing, I am allowed a certain amount of time and it is a different keyboard.

Walking the streets of Paris at night!

Dave has been pretty busy working, so I have been exploring Paris myself. BUT.......last night we had time together. It was so wonderful. We walked hand and hand to the subway. The weather was amazing. It was just beginning to get dark. My heart was so blessed to be together. We took the subway past the Eiffel Tower and on to Norte Dame. Together we sat in an outside cafe on the Seine River watching the people pass by. It was so romantic and wonderful.

Just an amazing note. I never sleep in late, but I have slept in until 10:00. I don't know if it's the time change or I am so relaxed and stress-less, but it's great. I have never slept in that late.

Dave has been doing an awesome job at his work. He will be done on Tuesday and then we are off to England for 5 days and then back to Paris for 5 more days.

We would appreciate your prayers as we travel this world of ours.

DREAM Team

After the sun had set and all was dark I opened the book that I believed God had led me to bring along on this trip. It is called L'Abri written by Edith Schaeffer. I had read this book many years ago and it inspired me so much in my dreams.

Just to share a litte about this book; Frances and Edith Schaeffer were Americans that took their family to the mountains of Switzerland and there started L'Abri Christian Fellowship. The word L'Abri means "The Shelter", which is what they did. It started with a few people coming to their home to find some help with learning about the Christian faith. The ministry has grown to the point that there are L'Abri centers all over the world.

As I began reading this book it reminded me that when God calls us to do something it's not always easy, in fact, it can be very challenging. The Journey of L'Abri brought many tests of faith, many direction changes, and many health issues and the list goes on, but God was always faithful.

My thoughts turned to He's SPEAKING! Are we LISTENING? Ministries that God has birthed in the city of Madison, WI. We are starting out small. Our passion is to encourage people to get into the Word because God is SPEAKING! We just need to take the time to listen.

God knows how to send encouragment when we need it. I remember back when God had raised up a few very gifted and talented women who were using their talents in this ministry. Then God brought together a team of women who became the DREAM Team. We are dreaming how we can be used by God with our gifts and talents in our community. We dream about our ministry getting out there and showing God's love to our world. The DREAM Team started small, but God has now brought eight or so women to DREAM together. What a blessing these women have been to this ministry and ME.

Then with any non-profit ministry you need to have an official board and God brought together five people to be on the board. Our board consists of myself, Marilyn, Andy, Mike and Carolyn. We have met three times now. Praise God for our ministry Board of Directors.

Whenever there is a need we ALL pray about it and God provides or shows us that He has something better for us.

As I continued reading L'Abri, my thoughts turned to our ministry over and over again. L'Abri experienced many answers to prayers, so have we. L'Abri experienced many situations where all they could do is trust God, so will we. They experienced many challenges, and so will we, but the bottom line comes straight from the words of the Bible.

1 Thessalonians 5:24
The one who calls us is faithful and He will do it.

BELIEVE IT!

He's SPEAKING! Are we LISTENING? Ministries BELIEVES
that with God ALL THNGS ARE POSSIBLE.

So while I am in Europe, Marilyn and the DREAM Team will be meeting. I praise God for every one of you. You are a very important part of the ministry. I look foward to where God is taking us. I'm sure it's beyond our wildest dreams. So DREAM Team, dream big because we serve a BIG GOD. My prayers will be with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you are doing in this ministry.

Which Way

I walked into the subway station in Paris, France. I had no idea where I was going. The man had told me I can take any train and it will get me to the same destination, but my map said it should be train C. Every train that went by was NOT train C. I was worried thinking that I could get on the wrong train and get totally lost in this country where very little English is spoken.

Fear was filling my mind. I thought of just turning around and not going anywhere. Then I stopped and thought, I need to pray. That's just what I did.

I began to think that wherever I go I am not alone. God is always with me and He will guide me. Fear can keep me from going where I want to go, or I can take a step and trust God to guide me.

As I was thinking about this I was reminded about my family and friends back home. Many of them are at stages in their lives where they don't know where they are going. I experienced that feeling on this day, but the peace that only God can give me flooded my soul when I reached out to Him and then took a step.

It also brought to my mind this ministry, He's SPEAKING! Are we LISTENING? that God is building in Madison, WI. He has brought so many wonderful people together, but do we know exactly where we are going? NO! Do we pull away because of fear in the unknown? NO!

Life no matter what we are doing is about trusting God, no matter where we are or what we are doing. He does have a great plan and when we trust Him, and take any step He might lead us to do, He will lead and guide us.

Well, I did end up getting on the train and one by one the places on my map appeared. I knew I was on the right track. What if I had never gotten on the train?

Our eyes met in Paris

It was almost 6 hours since I boarded the plane. We were due to arrice earlier than scheduled because we were flying with the wind. I wondered where my husband was now.

Well our trip across the ocean was over. I was flying through the air over England, Scotland and finally arrived in the Netherlands. I would spend the next three hours in this country. I met a young woman from Poland and we had a great conversation.

Finally, I was so excited to hear that my final flight was boarding for Paris. It was now 3am my time. I was tired, yet anxious to once again be with Dave.

I boarded the plane and within one hour we were preparing to land in Paris. Would I be able to find Dave? We landed, I got my luggage, and began to walk to the frosty door that said exit. As I walked through and the doors opened, there he was with an awesome smile on his face. He stood up, I walked quickly to meet him, We met, embraced and kissed. It was so wonderful to meet the man I love in Paris.

God's magesty is everywhere

The view from my window was amazing. The sky began changing colors along the horizon. First a brilliant blue sky, then a light pink, then in a matter of minutes there was bright redish color streaming from either side of the sun as it slowly began its descend down to the other side of the world. It was utterly amazing. As the sun set; the sky all around the airplane became light pink, misty grey, and then completely black.

I sat there awhile reading, but then decided to take a glance out my window. What I saw next took my breath away. The big dipper was right outside my window. Now I have looked at this view all the time from home, but this time was so different. It was like I could reach out and touch each star that outlined it. I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

As we flew across the land at 600 miles per hour the Dipper continued to be the view out my window. Just before the sun would rise again, the dipper changed directions, instead of being horizontal; it was more vertical. It was amazing.

The beauty of this whole Journey reminded me of the powerful God that loves me and you. He created everything for us to enjoy. As I sat there I was overwhelmed by the majesty of it all.

I'll Meet you in Paris

It was the biggest plane I had ever seen. Mixed emotions flooded my mind. I was excited to head off in my next adventure; a trip to Paris.

Dave stood looking out the window at Ohare Airport in Chicago. On one side was the monster of the airplane which would take me to Paris and to the right of it was the smaller plane that would take him there. We had never really flown separately, on the same trip. He was flying for his work; and I was flying FREE frequent flyer miles.I would leave the good old USA an hour before him and he would arrive two hours before me. As we kissed each other goodbye we both said, "Meet you in Paris."

God said, "GO"!

Genesis 12:1,4

The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your Father's household and go to the land I will show you.

So Abram left, as the Lord had told him;......

I know someone who loves God with all of his heart who is doing this right now. He quit his job, packed up his things, and left, not knowing where he is going. Now that takes faith. Does he experience fear? I don't know, but it does take courage.
He has been 'wondering in the wilderness' now for almost two weeks.

God is faithful and he has a wonderful plan for this man's life. He's given up his worldly possessions to follow God. He does not know where he will end up, but his desire is to be a blessing to others.

Wow, my prayers are for this young man and I would ask you to pray for him too. I BELIEVE that God will lead him to his plan for this young man's life, but the waiting might be challenging.

I would share this message with anyone who is waiting on God.

Psalms 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalms 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

1 Thessalonians 5:24
The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.

24 Hours

Well it's Monday again. I have so much to do this week and I am asking myself, "Can I really do everything I need to do?"

Yes, life is busy. Every single day I make choices about what I will do with this 24 hours. There are days that I end up doing only the urgent things and at the end of those days I am exhausted. Do I really have a choice to make my 24 count?

Yes, life is short. I do have a choice to do what is important to me today? It might take a slice of my 24, but taking time to encourage those around me makes me feel happy. It doesn't take long to tell my husband that I love him. It doesn't take long to send my kids a quick note via e-mail to let them know I am thinking of them. It doesn't take long to put a short note in my child's lunchbox telling him how proud I am of him. It doesn't take long to send a short note to my mother-in-law who might be lonely. It doesn't take long to say "Have a good day!" to my neighbor. It doesn't take long to ask God to bless those you love.

HOW WILL I FEEL AFTER I DO THESE THINGS? No matter how busy I become in my 24, if I have done at least one of these things, joy will appear in my life because I have blessed someone else today.

1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up....

Do you need God's Strength Today?

I woke up early this morning thinking about all that I had to do today. I sat down at my computer and opened up one of my Journeys with God called, "God, I Need Your Strength."

As I sat there I asked myself, "Can God give me the strength that I need for this day? Does He really want to give me strength for my day?" As I began my Journey with God, the words of the Bible answered my questions. YES, God will give me the strength that I need for this day.

Isaiah 41:10 (My favorite verse)
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

The Key: I need to ask Him to be my strength.

Dear God,
Please go before me today. Give me the strength I need to make it through this day. Thank you for what you are going to do.
In Jesus name, Amen.

If you are interested in going on the Journey with God called, God, I Need Your Strenth, Contact me at robinlee@hesspeakingarewelistening.com or call me at 608-334-9971.

Non-profit paperwork sent in today. Please be praying!

Special thanks to Deb

There are some new and exciting things happening on our website, http://www.hesspeakingarewelistening.com/ Check out The LISTENING Room page.

Our marketing person, Deb Foesch, http://www.debfoesch.blogspot.com/ or http://www.dfoesch.com/index.htm has designed a wonderful poster that we will be getting out to local churches. Please pray that God will lead us to the places where this poster will be placed.

We have been so blessed to have Deb join the team. She set up this blog and did our very first video recording. (You can check that out if you go back to the first posting on this blog.) She has been working on the website, designing the poster and business cards, and is working on our brochures. She is also the Editing Team Leader. She has accepted the task of helping to get all of our Journeys edited. She hopes to have that completed sometime in September.

As I was thinking about Deb, my mind went to the Proverbs 31 woman. As I read this passage it reminded me of her, but verse 17 seems to say it best.

She sets about her work vigorously;

her arms are strong for her tasks.

Deb is very busy with her own work, but somehow she finds the time to work on our projects. She will drive miles out of her way to deliver something to us. She is an amazing woman.

I would like to publicly thank Deb for all she is doing. We appreciate her so much.

Thanks Deb,
Robin

PRAYING HEART

Praying Heart

Dear God, Please give me a praying heart!
That longs to commune with you as each new day starts,
Teach me each day to make my priority prayer,
Because there’s so much with you I must share.

Dear God, Please don’t let satan tempt me to say,
I’m busy today, but tomorrow I’ll pray.
Only you know God what tomorrow will bring,
Help me to answer when my heavenly phone rings.

Dear God, teach me what a praying heart should be,
So the world can see your love in me.
My prayer, dear God, I’m sure you know,
Is that my praying heart will grow and grow!

June 19, 2009 We signed our Incorporation papers!

June 18, 2009, our Incorporation papers were sent in to a company that was going to look over everything to make sure we had completed everything the way it should be. We were praying that we would get the word very quickly that everything was correct.

On June 19, 2009, Marilyn and I met at Cancun Cafe to sign the Incorportation papers for

He's SPEAKING! Are we LISTENING? Ministries Inc. After a nice lunch, we walked out of the Restaurant and began getting into our cars. I looked over and saw Marilyn waving her arms for me to stop. I pulled my car to the side of the parking lot and got out to see what was going on. She was talking to the company who had looked at our documents on the phone and they said they were good to go.

We were so excited. We ran to each other and shouted with joy as we hugged each other. This was our little confirmation from God that we are indeed heading in the direction that He is leading.

Later that day, I drove to the post office to drop off our documents. As I pulled into my parking stall our theme song for our ministry, "Dive" by Steven Curtis Chapman, came on the radio. I was so overjoyed. That song motivates me in everything I do. Again, another confirmation of our direction.

I would like thank Marilyn for all of her hard work in putting the papers together. She's a very talented woman and I am so thankful for her. Also my son, Jeremy, Founder/CEO of Degovi Consulting, offered suggestions that were helpful as well.

We are praising God.

Now we have to trust God to provide the $1200 we will need to become a non-profit plus $1500 for start up expenses. I believe with all of my heart that God will provide. Please pray together with us for this.

Moving OUT into the Unknown

Logo created by Jeremy Gove

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,

“This is the way; walk in it.”

Dear God,

Thank you for how You have been leading us in this ministry. We have so many wonderful stories of how You have brought various people to us to be responsible for areas of the ministry. This past weekend You answered another prayer about providing a lawyer to look over our documents. You brought Tom, a wonderful lawyer, to us. He looked over our incorporation papers and made a few changes and we are now set to go with this. Thank You God.

Our greatest desire is to have complete confirmation that this is Your plan. We pray that You will either confirm our call to this ministry by Friday or show us that You have other plans. We want Your will in all of this.

The next step in the process after incorporation would be to file for non-profit status. We thank You for another answer to prayer. Marilyn came across a Christian website that helps people to file for this status. The cost is around $500.00. Please God if this is Your will; please provide the money for us to finish this process within the next few weeks.

God, You are a faithful God. When You call someone to something, You will follow through and provide what is needed to accomplish the task. We are trusting You.

1 Thessalonians 5:24

The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.

If this week brings the exciting news that we are on our way to become a non-profit ministry, please provide an opportunity for us to be commissioned into this ministry.

God, the development of this ministry has been a lifetime of work. Our goal in all of this it that YOU will be glorified in all that we do. This is our prayer to YOU, that the world will see YOU through everything that is done in

He’s SPEAKING! Are we LISTENING Ministries.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

We love you!

Our PRAY and Plan time at White Lake

Marilyn and I had a great time together at White Lake PRAYING and Planning for the ministry of He’s SPEAKING! Are we LISTENING? We felt the presence of God guiding our thoughts and actions. One exciting thing we did was PRAY and Paddle. Marilyn has a paddle boat and together we paddled around the lake praying together all the way.

Here are Marilyn's thoughts about our paddling excursion:

As we paddled along God continued to illustrate lessons about our relationship with Him and each other.

While we both paddled together, the trip was fairly smooth. But we noticed how hard it was when only one of us was paddling….the strain on our muscles, the unevenness of our forward movement. That is the way it is with our walk with God. When we are on board with him, he helps us with our journey. But when we try to do it alone, it becomes difficult and frustrating.

As we paddled along, we kept thinking of different analogies of our paddle boat ride.

The wind started to pick up and the waves got higher…this made our trip slower and more difficult when we were paddling. As we were crossing the waves there were times that it seemed we were getting nowhere, but as we paddled together we got through the waves.

We decided to see what it would be like to have only one person paddle through the waves….not pleasant as now we not only had to battle the waves alone, but carry the other’s weight and work was twice as hard. We found ourselves going forward and then backward a little as the wind would catch us. That is the way life can be – but as we paddled together we continued to move forward… but when one of us stopped paddling, the other could not keep a constant forward movement. We also noticed if we approached the waves in a certain way the ride wasn’t as rough. When God is our captain, he gets us through the waves…it may be bumpy, but we know we will be able to overcome with God’s direction.

We also noticed that when we had the wind at our back….we had easy forward movement and we certainly liked this time as we could relax and put our feet up and float along the water.

We also saw God’s beautiful creation all around us…the trees, birds, flowers, fish, frogs, sky, and clouds….. then we saw the most beautiful sight……diamonds twinkling on the lake as the sun kissed the water. We were totally blessed.

There were so many illustration of God’s love on our paddle boat ride…we shall never forget.

Robin's thougths:

The most important lessons we learned on this Board retreat: Everything we do MUST begin with PRAYER. We have always believed this, but we experienced this first hand on our trip. We also realized that with one person, little can be accomplished, with two even more can be accomplished. I am so excited. We now have eight different people helping us in different ways. Can you imagine how much can be accomplished with all of us working together?

PRAY and plan…. OR…. PLAN and pray

Tomorrow Marilyn and I will be heading off to her cabin on the lake for some PRAY and plan time. As we begin to move forward in this ministry, it must be PRAY and plan, not PLAN and pray. We both realize that God is the only one that we want leading this Ministry. My prayer is that this will always be the attitude in our hearts as we begin to move out and become a ministry.

We would appreciate your prayers as we seek to hear the voice of God for His plans for this ministry. If He speaks, move forward and begin this ministry, WE WILL. If He speaks, stop and turn around, WE WILL. Our hearts are totally ready for His leading.

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying,

“This is the way; walk in it.”

God's Timing

When God speaks to my heart about something through the Bible, I like to underline the verse and then put the date next to it.

This past week I came across a verse that I had underlined and dated for the first time back on 7/9/87.

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord.

I remember distinctly that day, reading this verse for the first time. I don’t like to WAIT, so it was hard for me to realize that God wanted me to do this. Then over and over, I came back to that verse on 10/9/87, 1/26/88, 2/1/88, 10/22/88, 11/11/88, 4/16/90, 4/14/91, 5/21/91, 3/22/93, and finally on 11/10/93. Throughout all of these years, God’s timing did not appear. I believed that He was speaking to my heart to just WAIT. Looking back now, I can see why I needed to wait. I still had so much more to learn.

God’s timing is always perfect. I can see that the timing is finally right. Every single day God brings someone along who wants to learn more about our ministry. He’s bringing people along to join together with us. I could never explain to you what a blessing this has been.

Looking back, it all began back in October when God first provided an office for me. A wonderful Christian couple named Jack and Shelley allowed me to have an office in their building and in return, I could help them with some cleaning. My office was walking distance from my home. This was the beginning.

Next, in January, Jack and Shelley allowed me to use another room in their building to set up our very first LISTENING Room, which is a place for people in the community to get away and spend time with God. It was so much fun to decorate the LISTENING Room and it was even more exciting when our first person came and used it.

I would like to publicly express my deepest gratitude to Jack and Shelley for allowing me to have a place to begin. My prayer is that God will bless them abundantly for their wonderful gift to this ministry.

Over the next week I am going to share with you different people that God has been bringing to this ministry. It reminds me over and over that…..

1 Thessalonians 5:24
The one who calls you is faithful and HE will do it.

SPECIAL THANKS

Throughout my twenty-three years of learning to listen, God would always bring someone along to be just the encouragement I needed to keep me going. My family has played that role over and over again. I am so thankful for each one of them.

Then there has been another person that has been in my life for many years. Her name is Marilyn. Several years ago I shared the vision for this ministry with her. She was encouraging, but at that time, she did not feel I was ready to begin moving forward. She did not tell me this at the time, but in her heart she just knew that I was not ready. God was still working in me and looking back, He was.

The past January I felt overwhelmed with the thoughts that were swirling around in my head about He’s SPEAKING! Are we LISTENING?, The Inside Outside MAKEOVER, The Community Connection, etc., etc. Time was passing quickly and I did not know if I would ever get this all pulled together. I am a dreamer and a visionary, but pulling it all together was way out of reach for me. I prayed that God would send someone along to get this ministry off the ground, but I also knew that God’s timing is perfect.

One day in February, I was at a Prayer Committee meeting at church. We ended our session in Prayer. It was during this time that I felt an overwhelming urgency that it was time to begin moving out with all of the dreams in my heart. I had no idea how to begin and quit frankly, I was tired. I thought it would be so much easier to just turn the other way and do something completely different.

As I was pulling out of the church parking lot, my phone rang. It was Marilyn. One thing led to another and we ended up meeting at a local coffee shop. We sat and talked, or should I say, I talked. God used Marilyn in my life that day to encourage me to keep going and not to give up. I’ll never forget the words that she said to me that day. She firmly said, “Robin, you can’t give up. This is good stuff!” I needed to hear these words on this day. I left the coffee shop that day uplifted and being reminded that

1 Thessalonians 5:24
The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.

It is now four months later, and Marilyn has just completed our Ministry Manual. She is truly a gifted woman. She has been using her talents to guide us to the door of becoming a non-profit. We are walking blindly by faith, and taking one day at a time. We have no idea where the money will come from to actually become a non-profit, but we know that with God nothing is impossible.

So much has happened so quickly. My sister Sharon told me years ago, when things begin happening it will be unbelievable. UNBELIEVABLE! That is truly the word I would use to describe our feelings.

I would like to publicly thank Marilyn, my dear friend, for being there for me when I felt like quitting everything I had been working on for so long. I will cherish the memory of that day in the coffee shop. I know God has great plans for Marilyn’s life. I am honored that she has joined together with me in this ministry as Executive Administrator.

I mentioned to Marilyn that I wanted to write this and this was her humble reply:

It is nice of you to want to thank me publicly on the net...but it is God not me that deserves the thanks. When we listen to his voice we need to obey. I know it was God that prompted me to call you that day for he knew just what you needed. I certainly had no clue why but that is just like God......he picks us up just when he knows we feel like quitting. So I want to give him back the praise, as he placed me in your path that day not only to give you renewed hope and encouragement but to give me the mission to help out. As inadequate as I feel, this above any other mission has taught me to humble myself and totally rely on God's leading. I am excited to see how God will help people through this ministry and it is a blessing to be serving the Lord together.

Thanks Marilyn!
Sisters in Christ,
Robin

March 26, 1987

I remember this day so vividly. Our family was in Manila, Philippines serving as missionaries. It was a hot muggy day, as it was most days there. I was at our kid’s school, Faith Academy, which is on top of a mountain, overlooking the city of Manila.

It was on this day, I felt deep inside of me that God’s plan for my life was going to take a turn, or change in my life. I really had no idea what this might mean, but one thing I had learned throughout my life was that following God’s plan was the desire in my heart.

It’s now, 22 years later. I have spent many of those years in a learning room, discovering how to really listen to God in my life. I been waiting for the day that I could finally move out and share about all that I have learned. I know that day is around the corner.

God has begun to open doors for me to begin speaking about all that I have learned. I am humbled to be able to do this because who am I? I am just a simple person who struggles from day to day, like everyone else, trying to learn more about building my relationship with God.

As I look back, I am so thankful for my family who has stood by me all of these years. I owe anything good that comes out of my learning to them. They have helped and encouraged me over and over again. Each one of them has used their talents to help me in some way or another throughout the years. So I would like to thank them publicly in honor of who they are.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

My wonderful husband Dave of 38 years
To My Four sons, David, Jeremy Andy, Aaron
To my two Daughters in law, Stacy and Katie (and soon to be Rebecca)
To my beautiful grandchildren, Tyler, Brooke, Streme

The BOOK

I am a book, I’m all alone and I have no shelf where I can stand,
Is this the way that it should be, or is there another plan?
How I long for many, to pick me up, and read me,
But all I can do is wait and wait and maybe it will be.

Nobody knows who I am, or knows my author’s name,
But work involved in birthing me, like other books is the same.
It took many years to write and edit me; at least four editions arose,
But finally the day arrived, the final one came to a close.

Then I realized one day, it did not matter, the number who would read me,
Even if my words could help one person, how exiting that would be.
I decided that I would be happy, for the few who would open my cover,
This is a very important truth that I a book, had to discover.

One day, to my surprise my author brought me to a wonderful place,
A church library decided that I could stand up in a very special space.
They placed me on a shelf next to many other important books,
I will be thankful for one person who opens me and looks.

It's NOT what we do, it's how we LIVE

I had an unexpected funeral this week for a wonderful man named, Bill Wagner. I was asked if I would share some fun stories from his friends. I was honored to do this. You see this man has been someone I had admired for many years.

While we were missionaries in the Philippines, Bill and his wife Carol, encouraged us in so many ways. When we came back from the Philippines they allowed us to use their brand new van for the summer and then into the fall. WHO WOULD REALLY DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS? Only Bill and Carol.

As the people called, and e-mailed me their stories I kept seeing the same thing over and over. First, this man had a wonderful smile and a contagious laugh. When he walked into a room, it would come alive. But more importantly, this man realized what was really important in his life. Even though he owned his own business and accomplished many things, he still kept giving and giving himself, and his possessions, to people all around him.

It seemed that he and his wife Carol would show up out of nowhere at someone’s house just when they needed help. OR, they would share their earthy possessions with someone else who needed a helping hand.

When the funeral was over and we were heading to the cemetary I thought, "This is the way I want to be remembered!" Thank you Bill for your life example.

PRAYER Plant

This year for my birthday I received a Prayer Plant from my sister. It was so beautiful. It was bushy with shiny green leaves. Now, I do not have a green thumb, so I was a little worried for the life of my plant. How would I live with the fact that I had killed a Prayer Plant?

Immediately, I sat down in my soft cozy chair and began reading about taking care of my plant. Would just KNOWING the directions make my plant grow? No, I would have to put those words into actions otherwise it would die.

Well, life is busy, and I forgot all about my Prayer Plant for one week. When I walked into the room where my Prayer Plant lives, I was devastated. It looked dead. I thought I had killed it already. I felt terrible that I had neglected it.

In a panic, I rushed my Prayer Plant to the sink to immediately begin to resuscitate it with water. That did not help at all. It still looked dead. I flew across the room and placed it quickly in a window that had plenty of sunlight. All I could do was wait.

The next day I walked into the room, looked at my Prayer Plant and I could not contain myself. I picked it up and together we twirled around the room. My Prayer Plant looked gorgeous. I was overwhelmed with joy. I promised myself I would never neglect my Prayer Plant again.

This reminded me of my Prayer Life. It is so easy to neglect it too. Life is so…..busy. I know the directions of how to use Prayer in my life, but I must take actions daily to make it grow.

Roving Reporter, Robin

(I will be wearing one of my many hats while I am roving around the city.)

Our world is filled with so many stories that break my heart. After I read about them, I stop and pray about those involved. I have been doing this for over two years, but I have decided that I need to make a change. I want to look for those uplifting, unheard stories. It will be the ones that do not make the papers, but truly bless people’s hearts.

SO…I will be roving about our city praying, listening, waiting, and watching for that person to appear. You might ask, “What person?” Well, I believe that there are people out there who have discovered how exciting it is to listen to God. When He speaks to them, they obey with actions. These are the people I want to meet and the stories that I want to tell.

If you have a story that you believe others would like to hear please contact me by e-mail: robinlee@hesspeakingarewelistening.com. I will be posting these stories on my website www.hesspeakingarewelistening.com. Just click on Roving Reporter, Robin.

The Voice of Truth says……..

The world rushes by. Life is busy. Then all of a sudden everything STOPS. My phone begins to ring or should I say sing. I hear the familiar words that have kept me going in this work for so many years. “The voice of truth says…..do not be afraid.”

What is the voice of truth? It’s that quiet voice way down deep inside me. It is the voice of God’s Spirit. Should I be afraid......of anything? (What about starting a ministry?)

WHATEVER CHALLENGES THAT I MIGHT BE FACING IN MY LIFE,

I DO NOT NEED TO BE AFRAID. GOD WILL BE WITH ME.

Why have I put this song on my cell phone? It serves as a reminder to me that wherever I go, in whatever I am doing, I am not alone. God is aways with me, going before me, in all that I do.

Isaiah 40:31
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”

Someone said to me this week, “You seem to know when God speaks to you. How do you know His voice?” I replied simply, “The more time you spend with someone, the easier it is to recognize their voice.”

I made a choice many years ago to spend five minutes a day with God. I would read a few verses of the Bible and then pray. It wasn’t much, but it was something. I made a commitment to God that I would do this, even if I did not understand everything I was reading. I was choosing to have a relationship with Him.

If I want to have a relationship with anyone, it takes time. The more time I spend with them, the easier it is to recognize their voice.

My Journeys with God

God is so good. He encourages us just when we need it.

There are days when I wonder if I will ever get my Journeys with God out there for people to use them. I have written twenty seven of them. I really believe that they will help people to get into the Word, but how do I get them out there?

God encouraged me today to keep working at the task before me and in His timing all things will come together. I was reminded today of an old song called, God is so good. Do you remember it? The words go like this.

God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me.
He answers prayer, He answers prayer, He answers prayer, He's so good to me.

I believe that God will answer my prayers in His own timing.

My first appointment of the day was to deliver one of my Journeys with God to someone who wanted to go through them. As we sat together outside enjoying the beauty of the day, I handed her my Journey and began to explain what it was all about. She looked through everything and then looked me straight in the eye and said, “Who did these?” I was a little afraid of what she was going to say next, but I had to be honest. I sheepishly replied, “I did, with the help of my son.” She slowly responded, “They are amazing.”
THANK YOU GOD!

Take my feet where you want me to go......

What a beautiful morning. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. The remains of winter were definitely gone. I had scheduled two appointments for the day. Over the years I have developed a habit of beginning my day by asking God to go before my day, and take my feet where He might want them to go. This day was no different. As I walked out the door for my first appointment, I paused for a moment to pray for God to go before me.

When I returned home I wanted to go for a bike ride. It was so… beautiful outside. I enjoy so much circling around on the bike trails with the wind blowing through my hair. It helps me to think more clearly and inspires me.

As I prepared to do what I wanted, a thought came to me about a meeting at my church that was at 4:00 today. It was a district women’s gathering. I kept saying to myself, “I can’t go, I did not sign up for it.” (Secretly, I really wanted to go biking.) The peace about biking had disappeared and then it hit me. I prayed for God to take my feet where HE wanted me to go, but I was heading where I wanted to go.

Within minutes, I was dressed and out the door on my way to church. As I listened to this National Women’s Director speak I was amazed. She said that it was time to get out of the boat and follow God wherever he is leading you. It seemed like every word she said was for me. Then she ended her talk by saying, “What is God calling you to do? Will you follow Him?” As I drove home inspired and excited about my future, I thought to myself what if I had done what I wanted and gone biking? I would have missed the confirmation that I would need to keep me moving forward in this ministry. THANK YOU GOD!

Our Ministry Needs A Music Director

We are looking for someone special! Our ministry is in search of a musically inclined individual who can contribute on a level equivalent to all of the others contributing. Do it because you LOVE it!!

If you are a young starving artist, we would love to talk to you! Your work can help our ministry and our ministry can expose your work.

We are ultimately searching for a Music Director that can handle a few other aspects we foresee but we are still developing and growing. So to get in now, would be so much fun!

Email Robin Gove today!!

Thank you and God Bless!

The LISTENING Room

One very exciting aspect of this ministry is The LISTENING Room. It’s an idea that I developed in my own life many years ago and am looking forward to passing it on to others.

I would like to share a paragraph from my book called He’s SPEAKING! Are we LISTENING? (available at http://shopping.madisonclick.com/020-1000-Robin+Gove-Author-sr-1.html
http://www.amazon.com/ http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

Many years ago I began to think about my life and my times with God and I realized that I love spending time with Him. It would be the high point of my day. After examining what I did, I realized that no matter where we lived, I needed to find my special place to spend time with God. I would take time converting that space to just the way I wanted it, so I would want to go there. I called this special place “my listening room.”

You know, I haven’t always had the desire to spend time with God on a regular basis. I can remember back many years ago to when I was a young mother. I was a Christian who was content just knowing that someday I would be in heaven. I never spent any time with God, except on Sundays. It wasn’t until I faced a crisis in my life that I realized that I needed more of God, much more! It was during this time that God showed me that He was there to help me no matter what I was going through... I began to recognize the comfort that I felt when I turned to the Bible on a more frequent basis.

After the crisis was over, I decided that I would begin reading the Bible for five minutes a day. I committed myself to this daily reading. Slowly it became something that I enjoyed doing and now after many years, it’s the high point of my day.

So let’s get back to the LISTENING Room. What is it? It is a secluded, set apart space for me to get alone with God. My current LISTENING Room is very different from any others that I have had. It is my tiny walk-in closet. It houses a small, soft, green leather chair that a friend of mine gave me; a stereo that I bought at a garage sale and headphones to listen to my favorite music. Each day I visit my LISTENING Room, I sit down in my chair. It doesn’t matter that there are clothes hanging on either side of me. I shut off the light, and when everything is quiet and dark, I begin speaking and listening to God. You know, it is just like talking to your best friend.

We have 3 listening rooms available in Fitchburg. I would be happy to share more information about that with you on another post. Email me if you need more information or visit our website at: http://www.hesspeakingarewelistening.com/

Thank you and God Bless!

He's Speaking, Are We Listening Ministry

Fearful Adventures

Imagine that you are 300-400 feet high in the air. You are sitting in a little netted swing with your feet dangling. A small boat with a long rope attached to your chair is pulling you through the air. All you can see for miles and miles is brilliant blue ocean water. This fearful adventure takes your breath away and leaves you speechless.

Now imagine that you are in a small airplane. You are the co-pilot. You have never been in an airplane like this before. You are excited about this adventure, yet you are fearful too. You finally muster up the courage to look down and you see the city you live in, passing you by. The cars look so small. The buildings look like little toys. Then the pilot tells you, “You take over, it’s your turn to be the pilot.” You had never even been in a plane like this let alone become the pilot. How could you possibly do this? You slowly begin to clench the yoke or joy stick with your sweaty palms. He tells you “Watch the horizon if you lose it, that’s not good!” He no sooner says that than the horizon disappears and you aren’t sure how to find it. Would you call this a Fearful Adventure?

What are some other FEARFUL adventures? A few others I have experienced are hang-gliding, hot air ballooning, learning to ski at age 50, and riding a motorcycle.

In each one of these experiences there was fear in my heart as I began them but when it was completed, I was so thankful for not allowing fear to keep me from doing something I wanted to do more than anything.

I am about to embark on my newest adventure and a peaceful fear is all around me. I guess the peaceful part comes from God but the fearful part comes from me. For many years I have wanted to start a ministry called He’s SPEAKING! Are we LISTENING? but fear has kept me from moving forward. Until NOW.

Is there any fear in my heart? You bet there is!....But an important truth that I have learned over the years is fueling the desire to move out of my comfort zone and BEGIN.

Mark 9:23
“If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

I BELIEVE! Join me on this adventure as we discover what happens when we allow God to conquer our fears.