This Is The Day The Lord Has Made

I love this song!

"This is the day, this is the day, this is the day
that the Lord has made!
And I will rejoice, I will rejoice, I will rejoice
and be glad in it!"

I sing it more often than most songs. Regardless of the circumstances, and may I say this again, "regardless of any circumstances (positive and negative), it's my personal admiration of what the Lord has done to us everyday! What the Lord has done to us during the three "DAY" "What Is Your ID?" conference weekend was wonderful! With Brother Jose Abenchuchan guiding us in His Word, regarding what our ID (identification) is, was thought-provoking, heart-piercing, and Spirit-stirring! And a special thanks to Andy Deuschle (North Carolina), Dirk Albrecht (Maryland) and Darrin Forshay (Maryland) for leading the Saturday's small groups!

During the course of this conference, I have watched the Lord's church put constant attention to His message through Jose. All I know is that the Seed (Lord's message) has been planted in their hearts and it is between them and God to work up the Seed they received. Jesus told the parable of the Sower (Mt. 13) where a farmer went out to sow his seed. We understand Jesus referred God has the farmer and the seed as the Word of God. But He has to tell the truth that not all hearts will receive the Seed with gladness! In the parable, Satan is identified as the birds, the sun, and thorns. These are negative things that hinders the process of the Seed in our hearts. The Lord's message has been preached over the weekend, the hearts have received His message, now it is up to us to determine what to do with the Seed. It is my prayer that God's children will put them into practice by showing the light of Christ (ID) before the hearts of deaf people in this community and the world.

What made these days special was the love everyone has for God and each other. Last Wednesday, I posted a BLOG just a day before the conference weekend was about to unfold. I mentioned that I wasn't sure what to expect from this conference but I know it will always be in the hands of God. I believe God has touched the core of many hearts throughout the weekend. Janet Smith came forward asking for the Lord's strength and guidance as she continues to work with the deaf work in Portage, Michigan. A couple of members have expressed desire to free themselves from the bondage of sin! A few were overwhelmed with God's power with encouragement to pursue a life as a servant (living sacrifice pleasing to God).

But God wasn't finished with this conference. He had other plans. At the close of this marvelous and wild DAY (Sunday), Teena Meirs offered to help transport Jose around town and to our home to gather his belongings before leaving for Steve and Melanie Williams' home for the night. He has to leave at 8 a.m. today! So I couldn't help him with that as I have my hands full with a harem of girls (5!) and get them into school. We offered them taco salad for dinner before they leave to meet the Williams'. Jose threw in a "convo", that he and Teena had on the way to our home, with a line that I used on Teena during a conversation a couple months ago, "You're a lost soul". She informed Jose what I had told her before. I may be blunt but a truth needs to be told. Then they returned to eat their food. (I am laughing here!) I looked at them and said, "Oh, did you see this as a negative remark?" Teena blurted out saying, "No! No!" and so did Jose! Then the rest was history! Because of that line I made a couple months ago led Jose and me to talk with Teena about the importance of being "saved" and being part of the family of God. We portrayed her a beautiful picture of God's love for her.

I believe this was a true PROVIDENCE of God! In addition to this, (thanks to one of our beloved members of the church for pointing this out to me) God used various channels using the members of His church to work in Teena's heart. It is not "I" that do it, but God through His people. What had happened that night was a very small part of God's whole plan for Teena. He had it all mapped out using other people around Teena's life. His time came for Teena as she was baptized last night, October 17th, 2004 @ 8:45 p.m.. Welcome to the family of God, Teena, our dear sister in Christ!

"This is the day, this is the day, this is the day
the Lord has made.
I will rejoice, I will rejoice, I will rejoice
and be glad in it!"

That's why I sang this song this morning savoring the goodness of God yesterday! It was wild! It was awesome! It was marvelous! He is good!

Father God, You're wonderful beyond description! Too marvelous for words! We cannot describe all You've done through the men and women of faith. You're a patient God, even though we expect a quick response. We expect to see something happen in a flash. But You know the time when the heart is ripe and ready! We have seen your Providence and we stand in awe of you, still! Lord, there are so many more out there that need Your love! But workers are so few! We pray that You will do what You will and lead us into serving Your will! Thank You, God, for the weekend. We ask that You bless those who have taken part of the conference abundantly. In Jesus' Name, Amen!