Talk to me, Abba.

My word is truth an healing that goes down into your bones. It isn't a means to an end. It is a doorway to intimacy and deep fellowship with me. Examine your heart against My word and come to be made more like me. Release others from the bondage of unforgiveness and do what I say. If I say to lean in, lean in. If I say to walk away, walk away. Don't question it. I know and see far more than you can think of. Follow my gentle leading. There is no need for one of My chosen to wear the yoke of pleasing people. Earnestly seek to please Me.

For more about this segment, see this post.

©stephaniecherry.com

I Saw the LORD by Anne Graham Lotz

This year in Bible Study Fellowship we are studying Isaiah. At a conference a few months back, I picked up this book about his life. I have been reading this book to my infant daughter during nursing. I know. We don't start out with kiddie books around here. We kick it all off with prophesy. Really, I just wanted to read the book and I thought my voice might comfort and relax her.

The explanation and narrative of the unfolding events of the book of Isaiah were given great clarity to me as we have studied the chapters. The thing that stood out to me was how Isaiah easily preached to others up until the point when King Uzziah died and he saw the LORD. The devastating event led Isaiah to a place of deep repentance and personal revival. It was in his darkest hour that he claimed his sin and saw his Savior. 

As I look at the past year full of devastating and deeply hurtful events, I realize that these things have been a catalyst that have sent me into the arms of Christ. 

Anne is one of my favorite authors. Those are far and few between.

©stephaniecherry.com

My Week Off

I told Denbigh I was looking forward to having a baby so I could get some rest. He just laughed at me. Right up until the birthing hour I was sanding and staining floors. I was constantly in the middle of some project. For seven days, I haven't accomplished anything. I haven't cooked or cleaned or sanded anything down, but I am getting antsy. I have a door to refinish. All I have been doing is staring at my baby daughter and being reminded of how fast the other one has grown. I cried when I knew she was leaving my belly. I cried when she came into my arms. I am beyond thankful for the beautiful gift of family. We have had more than 50 visitors out here in the middle of nowhere. Who would have thought people would come so far to bless us? Thank you for your kindness. 

See you all next week. Join me here for witty banter and deep insight.

©stephaniecherry.com

Gomer: A Sneak Peek

I am supposed to head into the hospital to have a baby †oday at 6 a.m. I can't give you a sneak peek at our daughter, but I can show you what I just finished . . . at 10 p.m. the night before I deliver. I have spent every waking hour of the last few days finishing this floor so it will be done when Yasha comes home. Isn't it gorgeous. I want to rope the thing off and make it an exhibit. Thinking of the months of hard work that has gone into this room, I was moved to tears thinking about Christ's words when He said, "I go to prepare a place for you." 

If you get a chance, say a little prayer for us. Our prayer is to have a beautiful, safe, God-glorifying delivery.

©stephaniecherry.com

What's In A Name?

Odd looks abound when people ask us the names of our daughters. The number one comment we get is "that's interesting." Coming from a person who shares a name with a few million other people and finding it quite dull, we decided to pray and seek the Lord about our children's names and be completely open to whatever He might tell us. I know He loves them much more than we do and knows their lives much more fully than I could ever foresee. That is how we came to the two unique names for our two daughters (one to be born soon).

Laomai Petra Cherry and Yasha Faithful Cherry

Laomai Petra:

Laomai is a Greek word in the New Testament that gives the idea that all healing is done by the Spirit of God. It cannot occur without Him. The Lexical Aids says it also means "to heal, cure, restore, to heal spiritually, to save, to bring safely through."

Petra was my grandmother's middle name. She did not like it. I loved it. It is a Greek word in Matthew 16:18 where Jesus tells Peter "on this rock I will build my church." That rock was the fact the Jesus was the Son of God.

Yasha Faithful:

Yasha is a word I came across reading Isaiah 30:15. The word saved in the passage is the Hebrew word "yasha." It is the root of Yeshua (Jesus) meaning "salvation."  It means to be delivered, saved, get help, give victory, rescue. It is the root of the word Hosanna which the crowds cry out in Matthew 21:9 when Christ makes His triumphal entry. Laomai who told us that Yasha was a girl when the dr said she was a boy, picked her name from a list we gave her. I asked God for confirmation and quickly received an email from a friend with Isaiah 62:11 in it. It states, "Say to the daughter of Zion, "Lo, your salvation comes." She has an glorious testimony already. I am not sure if it will ever grace this blog, but we will see. 

Faithful is a name Denbigh came across while doing his family tree. He found his 8th great grandfather in the 1600s that was named Faithful Cherry. This man had 12 children with biblical names. We fell in love with the legacy of how a love of Christ had remained in the family line through the generations.

©stephaniecherry.com

Talk to me, Abba.

Your obedience is fragrant to Me. I desire to see you long for what I long for. I desire to share with you all the things that I see and know. Listen. I want to give you something far beyond the ability to minister to people. I want to give you a heart that cries out for them. I want you to long to see healing and hope alive in others. This is not about ministry or church or anything of the like. This is about you learning to love your neighbor. This is about you learning to lavish love on your family. When you do this for them, you do it for Me. You are not to be about doing good things for the sake of doing them or throwing more things on the altar that you think I will admire. Be humble. Do things you know will delight my heart and bring them to Me as one would seek to delight a lover. Be intimate with Me. Know who I want to speak to and touch by listening to Me. This is exactly what I do for you.

"In their distress, He too was distressed; . . . He lifted them up and carried them." 

- Isaiah 63:9

To find out more about this segment, see this post.

©stephaniecherry.com

L'Abri by Edith Shaeffer

L'Abri is French for "The Shelter."

Francis Schaeffer and his wife Edith felt that God wanted them to move to the Swiss Alps and open their home to anyone who desired to discuss the Lord and spirituality. They had Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, and so on come to stay with them. What a powerful testimony of hospitality and truly being willing to share your faith. The L'Abri organization has spread worldwide in many forms. There are places you can live and learn for months. 

This book is one of the most beautiful and challenging books I have ever read. It truly opens up what it looks like to be hospitable and how to rely on what is true. Christ is true. Our homes are meant to be open and inviting to those seeking. We are meant to do much more than we are conditioned to do. Love is a much broader concept than we have in our minds. The brilliance and humility of this family is a testimony to all of us.

Reading this book was a great comfort to me personally. It made me feel that what we are doing here has been done and ordained by God before. God delights and provides for this work in an overwhelming way. Seeing this played out in the lives of real people is such a gift from God. As we try to explain what it is that we are desiring to do here at Gomer's House, we are often met with crazy looks or confusion. If you want to know our hearts, read this book and see what the Lord has done and is desiring to do in us. Read it and be challenged. 

I did not receive this from the publisher.Tricia Kurtz gave me this book as she saw the similarities in our ministries. Thank you, Tricia.

©stephaniecrry.com

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Food: Sugar Mama's in Austin Texas

My. My. My. This is something worth talking about. Sugar Mama's is a decadent display of 'cupcakery' if I have ever seen one.  Here is a picture of the James Brown. It's description: "Moist Valrhona chocolate cupcake topped with rich chocolate buttercream and festive sprinkles. You'll feel good!" 

Go. Eat the cupcake. Delight. http://www.sugarmamasbakeshop.com/

©stephaniecherry.com

Gomer: The Inspiration Board

I saw this thing on HGTV once. People would look at these mega-money "inspiration rooms" and try to copy them on a thin budget. I decided I would copy this idea and begin to put inspiration points around the house. My first point is an inspiration board on the front of our house. Much of the paint on the front of the house has been scraped off. So I took it upon myself to sand a whole board down and prime it. She is a beauty. Now, people will be inspired from miles around and flock here due to the inspiration of this one bright white board. At the very least, it has inspired me to want to paint another one. 

We had a lovely time of worship here on Sunday at our first night of House Church. The Holy Spirit was so tender with us as He led our hearts to repentance and praise. I am thankful for those the Lord brought here that night to sit in a simple place in a simple way to worship Jesus. Join us this Sunday at 5 p.m. If you are hurt, lonely, broken, or searching, please join us.


I loaded a video of Denbigh playing his piano on the Gomer's House facebook page. More to come: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=457791281963


©stephaniecherry.com

A Spirit of Adoption

Talk to me, Abba.

Come away with me, dear one. Rest. Repent. Find strength. I have so much to say to you. You must de-clutter your life and sit in silence before Me. I want to speak to you about My Son. I desire to offer healing to everyone around you. I long to use you in a gentle way that will tenderly reveal a Christ to people around you that most people can never see. Sit. Ask me to show Him to you. 


"In repentance and rest you shall be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength..." 
- Isaiah 30:15


For more on this segment, see this post.


©stephaniecherry.com

Get This For Your Kids

We have long loved this Bible. Every time I read it, I gain a new appreciation for the simple depth. The audio is spectacular. Buy the deluxe edition for all of the children in your life. May they see and hear Christ with clarity and a deep yearning for Him.

©stephaniecherry.com

Food: Home Slice Pizza - Austin, Texas

My two beloved family members love pizza . . . alot. I decided to surprise them and take them to Home Slice. We had quite a bit of fun. The pizza was delicious. This is no Dominos or Pizza Hut. Fresh ingredients comprise superior crust and sauce. They even wrapped up our leftover piece of pizza as a foil swan. Try it. Seriously.

http://www.homeslicepizza.com/

I want this shirt (size small, Denbigh).

©stephaniecherry.com

Gomer: Baby and a Baby Grand

 Denbigh working on the ceiling in the nursery.

 These fabulous men used their brawn to help move Denbigh's baby grand piano to our home as we set out to start a small house church. We have amazingly had someone volunteering at our house almost every day. It has been a fruitful time of ministry and feeding our lovely neighbors. Come join us. We will make you something delicious to eat. Sunday is our first meeting at our house. See you at 5 p.m.

Support Gomer's House.

©stephaniecherry.com

Free Worship Music Sampler

Receive a free worship song sampler. http://www.ichooseworship.com/

New Christmas album review coming up from Integrity next week.

Talk to me, Abba

I delight to show you my love. I have been longing to talk to you. It is time to put away the trappings of this world and sit with Me. I want to give you something, but your hand is clutched so tightly around other things that you cannot receive from Me. Open your hand. Release your grip.

"I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ."

2 Corinthians 11:3

For more about this segment, see this post.

©stephaniecherry.com

Really Wooly Bible Stories

Really Wooly Bible Stories is a sweet book put together by the people at DaySpring. It encompasses the idea that God is the Good Shepherd and seeks to share this with the hearts of young children. The book is a case-bound padded board book with 20 stories from the Bible in it.

I really enjoyed reading this book with my three year old. I would say that it would best fit three and under. I just love the Really Wooly characters. Their dvd series is excellent at teaching Biblical character and example. We just love Gracie. This book is no exception to that. It is a tender and shining example for children to see the love of Christ displayed in sheep.

This book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers for review.

©stephanie@denbighcherry.com