My husband served in the Army Medical Reserves for many years.
When full-time Army docs were deployed to Iraq, medical reservists were activated stateside to fill in for them while they were overseas.
That explains why our-family-of-twelve-at-the-time spent four months squeezed into a 500 sq. ft. apartment in the bachelor barracks at Fort Bliss during the summer of 2006 while my husband worked at William Beaumont Army Medical Center.
When we first moved to El Paso that June, it was just as hot and dry and dusty as you’d expect a dessert to be. Nothing but tumbleweeds and cactus and dirt devils for as far as the eye could see.
– JUNE 2006 –
But in July, it started raining. In fact, El Paso got more rain that summer than it had seen since the 1800’s — so much so that the Rio Grande overran its banks.
– JULY 2006 –
And all that water caused something truly amazing to happen: The dessert bloomed. Those bare, brown mountains looked like gigantic chia pets sprung to life.
– JULY 2006 –
Everywhere we turned, we saw mound upon mound of yellow lantana blossoms and purple sage. Back on base, we even spotted several plush, green lawns of grass.
– AUGUST 2006 –
It was a beautiful transformation, and reminds me of Isaiah 41:18:
“I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.” (Isaiah 41:18)
The wonderful thing is that God’s power is not limited to rejuvenating parched places — He is able to transform parched souls and wasted lives, as well.
Do you feel dry? barren? desolate? Try praying for rain.
Ask God to shower you with His grace and mercy, to fill the cup that is empty and gathering dust, to wash you and flow through you and overrun your banks. Ask Him to so transform you from the inside out that people who know you will marvel at the change.
This week’s verse can be found in the third set of our Scripture Memory Flashcards:
And for extra practice, I’ve made more handwriting printables, as well:
Plus, in case you missed them, here are links to the first two sets of flashcards and practice sheets, too:
- Scripture Memory Cards – Set 1
- Scripture Memory Cards – Set 2
- Memory Verse Copywork – Set 1
- Memory Verse Copywork – Set 2
And I’ve also uploaded a progress chart to help you keep track of which verses your child has already memorized (some of the verses listed are from sets of flashcards that will be published in the future).
May God honor your efforts to hide His Word in your heart!
Elsie Bouwman says
June 3, 2015 at 12:01 pmI love this the scripture focus today and how you as a family have truly experienced it in the natural!! Then you brought it into the spiritual understanding and I must say, today I must have experienced it this morning when I woke up! I feel so, so different today!! it started yesterday as I finished up some paintings that I knew could and would be finished on time for the deadline at the municipal building.
As well, I dearly wanted to dream in the night for some time now, and I had one. It wasn’t such a pleasant dream at the end, but I’m so glad for what the dream revealed to me. I woke up immediately, and had a knowing about something that I didn’t know before!! It was the insight that I had needed!!
And I must say, I just love the drawing included with the scripture too. I have fond memories of those inflatable rings from summers at the rental cottages at Wasaga Beach in the 70’s!The inflatable ring certainly makes you think of water and wetness when you are dry!!
Jennifer Flanders says
June 3, 2015 at 12:13 pmSo glad you finished your paintings on time, Elsie. I’d love to see them. My husband and I pray together every night before we go to bed, and I can’t count the number of times when we’ve laid some problem or concern at the foot of the cross before going to sleep and have woken up the following morning knowing exactly what needs to be done to resolve the problem. “God gives to His beloved, even in their sleep!”
I liked the picture of the man with the inflatable ring, too. He’s expecting God to make good on His promise, even though there is (as yet) no water in sight. It reminds me of the story of the farming community who, in the midst of prolonged drought, decided to gather at the church and together beseech the LORD to send rain. Lots of people showed up for the prayer meeting… but only one brought an umbrella! That’s the kind of faith I want to have. Don’t you?