“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song” (Psalm 28:7 NIV). 
 

God is wonderful. My strength is being restored. Physical therapy is helping the herniated discs in my neck, and the antibiotics are tamping down the Lyme disease. My sweet husband continues in his job search and we wonder what will happen next. However, we are confident knowing that God is in control and that He will continue to be our strength and shield.  
 

We may not know our future, but we do know we rest in His hands. Praising Him whatever tomorrow holds! 
 

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

Corrie Ten Boom  

Schools in Texas are out for Spring Break and the Buffaloe family took full advantage of the warm, pretty days to venture to the Botanical Gardens. God’s beautiful creations soothe and restore my soul. I love the glory of a sunset or sunrise, the intricacies of flowers, and the buds on the trees. How I marvel that the God of the universe gave us life and wants us to live it complete.  

Dear Heavenly Father, open our eyes to see the delights You leave for us each day. 
 

“Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies” (Ps 148:1-4 NIV)  

My husband continues in his job search and the question remains… how long. My health took another downturn and I ran for cover, retreated to lick my wounds as life became a touch overwhelming. Writing is almost non-existent as thoughts don’t seem to want to formulate in a cohesive manner. 
 

I’ll be honest, articles, conversations, and blogs that spout suffering as self-inflicted or caused by lack of faith, only adds more grief. I wonder sometimes if some want to believe that being a Christian is synonymous with a pain free life. The apostle Paul has some interesting discussions on that as does Jesus, along with most of the members of the early church. 
 

God does heal, and His mighty hand continues to reach into our lives today. God has healed me from past traumas, cancer, and numerous surgeries. I have medical proof of tumors and cysts that have disappeared before surgery was performed. I have no doubt God is able to take away the Lyme disease that continues to attack. I don’t want a chronic condition, I want total healing.  
 

However, I know God is good. I know He has a plan. I know without a doubt that my healing will come. Every step of this long journey has brought me closer to Him. Even in the darkness, He reveals more of Himself. 
 

I’m desperate to know God better. I want more of Him. I don’t want my relationship with Christ hinged on how I feel or what God can give me. I want to be like the prophet Habakkuk who wrote… “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Hab 3:17-18NIV).  
 

The storms of life can beat us bloody, but if we seek Him, if we turn to Him, our roots will dig deeper into His word and His presence where we find answers and hope that only He can give. “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:3-5 NIV).   
 

“The burden of suffering seems to be a tombstone hung around our necks. Yet in reality it is simply the weight necessary to hold the diver down while he is searching for pearls.” Julius Richter

I have a new article on The Christian Pulse. Please read about God’s love in the article, Before They Call.  
 

http://www.thechristianpulse.com/index.php/20080306494/Faith/Faith-Articles/Before-They-Call.html 
 

Check out the rest of the Pulse while you are there.

 Many blessings,  

 Lisa

Using the scientific method of asking our son to pick a number, we have a winner!! Woo Hoo!

The February winner for the Buffaloe giveaway is the thirteenth person to register, which is Cherie Brown! 
 

Snoopy dancing in Cherie’s honor! 

For those who stopped by, thank you! If you didn’t win, please try again this month. Register as many times as you would like. I’ll keep my basket stocked with books and CD’s.   

Congratulations again to Cherie!