Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me.

1 O LORD, you have probed me, you know me:

2 you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar.

3 my travels and my rest you mark; with all my ways you are familiar.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue, LORD, you know it all.

5 Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is beyond me, far too lofty for me to reach.

7 Where can I hide from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee?

8 If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, you are there too.

9 If I fly with the wings of dawn and alight beyond the sea,

10 Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely darkness shall hide me, and night shall be my light" --

12 Darkness is not dark for you, and night shines as the day. Darkness and light are but one.

13 You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew;

15 my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.

17 How precious to me are your designs, O God; how vast the sum of them!

18 Were I to count, they would outnumber the sands; to finish, I would need eternity.

(Psalm 139:1b:18, NAB)

Deb Smith Calls You to Worship

The podcast player in the left side bar of this blog now features Deb ministering in seven inspiring recorded Calls to Worship from Grace Community Church in Mt Vernon, IL, (thanks to Jeff Crow, Mindy McWilliams, and Dave Fields). They will bring you into God's presence and make you weep in awe of Deb's deep love for Jesus. They will also challenge you to go deeper, worship more fervently, and Live in the Truth of His Great Love. Find one and click to listen.

In an early comment on Loving Deb Smith, Gary Sweeten noted the following:

"I hope you all have a photo of Deb leading worship at Grace Church in Mt. Vernon. She would take the big, cumbersome Altar Bible that weighed at least 20 pounds and hold it in both hands as she led a meditation and call to worship. The picture of her standing there on the dais with that big Bible, smiling and weaving an incredible story around God's love and grace will remain with me for ages. Her words were always penetrating and creative just like Deb's mind and heart. She set the stage for us to worship God in Spirit and truth for her childlike heart overflowed into praise and thanksgiving and inspired us as well with her faith.

If anyone has a picture of Deb like the one Gary described, please pass it on to Loving Deb Smith. The music on the podcast player is designed to encourage Deb and you, strengthen your faith and hope, build you up in love, and reach out to those who are seeking the Truth, the Way, and the Life.

All Praise and Honor to the Lamb!

My soul stays close to you. Your right hand holds me up.

Psalm 63:1-8

1 God, you are my God. I will earnestly seek you. My soul thirsts for you, My flesh longs for you, In a dry and weary land, where there is no water.
2 So I have seen you in the sanctuary, Watching your power and your glory.
3 Because your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise you.
4 So I will bless you while I live. I will lift up my hands in your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food. My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips,
6 When I remember you on my bed, And think about you in the night watches.
7 For you have been my help. I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul stays close to you. Your right hand holds me up.
(World English Bible)

God, you indeed are our hope and we long for you. Together we thirst for you with our sister, Deb. Together with her we lift up our hands to praise you with our lips. You have been Deb's help, and your right hand holds her up. Glory to You!

An Extreme Measure of Happiness!

On Thursday, June 28, 2007, Darla Wextssen, Tom's sister had this to say: "I just returned after having had the privilege of spending 12 hours in the presence of Deborah Ann Smith. I wish all of you could have that opportunity."

Deb had an opportunity for the first time to actually see the Loving Deb Smith endless love letter to her (as best she could) while Darla read to her when she had difficulty seeing. Darla reports that Deb is quite thrilled and overjoyed by "everything that is there". In fact, Darla said of Deb's protracted reaction that you could see on Deb's face and in her spirit an "Extreme Measure of Happiness ".

Deb, Praise be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the God of All Encouragement. What Joy in the hearts of those who Love you! Your happiness in the midst of great pain profoundly ministers the Boundless Love of God in Jesus Christ.

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who,

although He existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant,
and being made in the likeness of men.
Being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him,
and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW,
of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and that every tongue will confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
NASB, Philippians 2:1-11

Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name!

The Psalms of Davidare full of joy and sorrow, lament and celebration, confession and forgiveness, and especially praise.

Nancy Eckel of Cincinnati shared in a comment that Ps 103 is one of Deb's favorite scriptures, and that she thinks of Deb whenever she reads or hears it. Here is Ps 103 for your reflection and devotional use:

1 Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--
3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children--
18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts...