[Andy the Geek]

** A Note from Natalie**

To Press on

I don't know about you guys but the last couple of
weeks have been a whirl-wind. So many different things
have happened from the World Trade Center crisis to
the twins' birthdays. In fact, that is exactly what I
was doing when I found out about the planes, as we
were getting ready and decorating for the twins'
birthday party. I don't think I will ever forget the
look on my father's face when I walked in to the
living room, and he was watching the TV. We were all
shocked and amazed.

The recent terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center
have been a wake-up call for the entire nation. God is
trying to show us that we need a Savior, Jesus Christ.
Before everything happened, we as a nation thought we
had everything. We were in our comfort zones. Then
when the suicide bombers crashed the planes in the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon, those acts turned
our world upside down, and out of our desperation it
caused us to recognize our necessity for Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7 declares: "Rejoice in the Lord
always. I will say it again rejoice! Let your
gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not
be anxious about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus." In this passage God
just wants to remind us to rejoice in the Lord. We
still need to praise God despite everything else that
might be going on around us. God has really shown me
that if I can not praise the Lord for what is going on
around me, I should still praise Him for who He is.
Even through I may say all these things and in my
heart truly mean them, it is another thing to actually
put it into action and proclaim it.

I have been going through a dry time in my spiritual
life lately. Naturally, it is not my favorite place to
be. I do not exactly know what to do or why it
eventually comes to pass. It has been hard for me to
feel God's presence during this time that I need God
the most; He seems so far away. Psalms 55 describes
exactly what I have been feeling. In 55:1-2, David is
crying out to God and asking for answers. "Listen to
my prayer, O God. Do not ignore my cry for help!
Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by
my troubles."

Through a lot of prayer and questioning I truly
believe that God can use these dry times in my life
for a purpose. In fact, God wants me, Natalie, to be
at this very place right now, and to go through this
dry time. For I know that in the end, it will make me
realize how much I need Him and how nothing else can
fulfill me. This is the place where God will meet me,
as I have been searching after Him and asking Him to
help me in my desperation. God knows my ultimate
desire is to pursue him and therefore I know that he
will meet me where I am.

Later, in Psalms 55:22, David writes: "Give your
burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He
will not permit the godly to slip and fall." I pray
that God continues to remind me how much I need Him in
my life, but more than that, to be my life. A friend
of mine once told me a saying that I have kept with
me. It states that I do not want God to be my
number-one desire, but I want him to be my desire. In
essence, He is to be the only desire of my heart. When
I focus on Him, it is then that He consumes me and I
realize how much I need Him to go on.

I have come to understand that I am in the middle of
this dry spot, and that is exactly where God wants me
to be. I know it is hard to search out God when it
doesn't seem like you are getting answers. I want to
encourage you that it is during this time that God
wants you to focus on Him, kneel before His throne,
and pour out you burdens, knowing that He will hear
everyone.

Through pursuing God we gain a better perspective on
how to approach the world at this time. I know, of
course, that we should do what Paul in Philippians 4:
4-7 said. What about when we don't feel the strength
or the presence of God in order to rejoice in Him? I
truly believe as it says in Philippians 2:12 that we
should continue pressing on and drawing closer to the
Father. As Paul tells us: "Therefore, my dear friends,
as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence,
but now much more in my absence, continue to work out
your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God
that works in you to will and to act according to his
good purpose. Do everything without complaining or
arguing so that you may become blameless and pure
children of God without fault in a crooked and
deprived generation, in which you shine like stars in
the universe."

I know that God will be with us during this time, in
all of our lives whether or not we feel him, and
because of this confidence that we have in Him we can
press on through desert or storm. Grace and Peace be
with you.

Natalie (LaRue)

[HannahKay]

Hey,
thanx for posting this for me. It's really good...it totally blessed my day!!

Hello everyone, I know this may seem odd but I just had to wonder, Even if it is not in their field.... What to Phillip and Natalie LaRue think of the resent attacks, as well on our response? Do they agree or disagree... Just a curious question

You should get on the homepage! I think Natalie wrote some stuff on it, as well as Phil... It's www.laruemusic.com, if you didn't know. Hope you have flash, it's a pretty nice site.

[skilar]

yeah, you can get more where that came from if you subscribe to their newsletter at http://www.laruemusic.com

[skilar]

this was in need of a merging, the question is after the answer though.