These have been busy weeks. Randy and I had made the decision to spend Thanksgiving with our family, traveling to Georgia from West Virginia, and we are glad we did. Thanksgiving found us in the Atlanta area with several members of my family including my mother, who was with us for the day on an outing from the Alzheimer’s home she has lived in for about a year and a half. It was a gorgeous day and we took advantage of being outdoors on the deck. Mom loved it too. It was so good to have her with us enjoying her family.

Thursday, December 1, we were able to assist in moving my mom from her place in Atlanta to a new nursing home in TN, where she will be close to my sister. She is settling in and though change is difficult for someone with Alzheimer’s, and she has her moments of anxiety, we see the grace of God at work in her as she is adjusting. She has been cheerful and responsive to the kindness of the caregivers and is even witnessing and speaking words of encouragement in the Lord to the other residents. Through all her frustration with the effects of the Alzheimer’s dementia, she will still tell you, “God is good”. What a joy and example to us!

Saturday, December 3, we were at a meeting of the Board of Directors of Mustard Seeds and Mountains. Mustard Seeds is not run by Randy and Jacque, but rather a dedicated board of directors gives godly, insightful leadership to the ministry. At this special meeting we saw the hand of the Lord directing each board member as we dealt with some very important issues. We had all been seeking the face of the Lord for months and we are excited at the leading of the Lord and grateful for the unity we experienced as we made decisions.

Randy and I often practice seeking the Lord independent of one another about important issues, then coming together to share what is on our hearts and it is always a wonder, an amazing experience, to sense oneness in the direction we both feel God is moving us. It is a similarly extraordinary experience when several diverse individuals, such as the M&M board of directors, each independently seeking the Lord for direction, wisdom and discernment for the ministry, come together in unity of heart and purpose, lending leadership to the ministry, working together for the glory of God. We are humbled and grateful for all these board members; who they are and what they do in carrying out the work of the Lord through Mustard Seeds and Mountains.

The very next day, Sunday, December 4, Randy and I were on a plane to California to spend, for my sake, the winter months away from snow and ice. We are, of course, enjoying being with our sons and daughters in law and our 5 wonderful grandchildren.

But this time is not all vacation! Along with other tasks we are responsible for, we are thankful for the teaching Randy will be doing in the month of January in the church which we attend here in California. God has opened this door of ministry, as well as others, and we are praying He continue to open many more doors of service, giving Randy opportunities to teach the Kingdom of God principles he teaches to teams in WV and writes about in the book Mission as Life: Making the Kingdom of God Your Family’s Passion. Our passion is to teach and lead Christian families into Kingdom of God lifestyles, as the scriptures teach, so that ministry will flow out of thousands of lives to the world around them, and the gospel will be passed by word and deed to the succeeding generations. Pray with us for ever increasing opportunities for this to take place all over the country.

Recently I had asked you to pray for Angie and her family; her mother was dying of lung cancer and Angie was her caregiver. Angie’s mom, DeeDee passed away several weeks ago. She received many words of witness as well as lots of loving care from her family. Continue to hold up Angie and her girls in prayer. Thank you.

I hope in future blogs to share thoughts on passages of scriptures I have been contemplating recently. Perhaps you’ve heard me talk about “camping out” in a particular section of scripture; I’ve been doing that again in a couple of places. The more I read, day after day, the more I “see”. Simply reading, though good, stops short of deep learning. So much to be retrieved if only I’d make the effort to dig a bit. And spend time contemplating the rich truths waiting for me to realize. And put into practice in my life.

May this season we are entering, a time of remembering the birth of Jesus, God the Son, our Savior, be rich with the realities of our need and His supply. But may we not stop there but rather go beyond to the life and lifestyle God purposes for those who follow Jesus: becoming like Him; loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength…and others as our own selves.

May God bless us to be a blessing to others.

Jacque