Dear Jesus

I'm so angry!  Seeing my family hurt breaks my heart. Yet there is nothing I can do. It is out of my hands and into yours. Your very capable hands. Your loving, compassionate, nail-scarred hands. And I rest in You.

You love me. You want the best for me. You work for my good. You hold me, keep me, comfort me. And I rest in You.

And then, I'm angry again! You remind me to shine your love, show forgiveness, hope in You. So I do. And I rest in You.

The day inches along. One thing and then the next upsets me and I forget whose I am and who holds the future. You remind me, ever so gently, that you've got this. And I rest in You.

Quiet my spirit, dear Jesus. Let me hear your voice and see through your eyes. Let me continually rest in You.

Amen

#GiveGodTheGlory #HolyBeautiful #HolyBeautifulPrayers #RestInYou

A Prayer of Worship

O God! My God! Creator of the universe. sustainer of life. How can mere words express who you are? There is no God like you.

You deserve all Honor and Praise for I am nothing without you. You alone formed the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars.

Only by Your power, the sun shines brightly day by day (even tho clouds may hide it from my sight). It brings light and warmth and changing seasons by Your command. The moon circling the earth waxes and wanes by Your design. The stars, sparkling pinpoints of light, hang in the vast and unfathomable night sky.

All Creatures from the invisible to giants are by Your command and plants of all kinds provide beauty and sustenance.

And then You made man -- You made me! Before You began on all creation, You had a plan for me! You created me, gave me life and watched over me as I grew and matured. You kept me (and you still do!) when I wandered from your path for me. You loved me with an everlasting love. you are my strength and shield; my ever present help. You alone keep me safe, hold my family, and fight battles I don't even know are coming.

You saved my soul from destruction and led me to Your side. You, O Lord, see my every move, know my every thought, and provided for my every need. I trust you to welcome me into eternity for you ALWAYS keep your promises. And you have promised to love me forever since I believe and follow Jesus. For His sake you have cleansed me; by His blood I am healed; by His name I call on You. You gave your son to ransom and redeem How can you love me so much?

You alone are worthy of all creation singing, "Holy! Holy! Holy!"
You alone are worthy of all honor & glory & praise.
You alone are the Lord God Almighty.
There is no God like you!

Amen
#GiveGodTheGlory #HolyBeautiful #HolyBeautifulPrayers

Look How Far I've Come

I am:

The new kid in class
The shy, quiet girl
The last one chosen
The child of divorce
The self-conscious, low self-esteem teenager
The insecure, the unsure
The unaware and naïve
The new bride laying aside any dreams of her own, wanting to please.
No opinion of her own, waiting to hear then follow
The young mother - not ready
The stay at home mom
The taxi driver to practices and games
The fan, so proud
The woman alone, a trucker’s wife
The embarrassed
The lonely
The afraid
The farmer’s wife
The grandmother. Oh, my precious ones!
The depressed, burdened, broken
The new face, alone in the crowd
The crying one, trying to find Him
The seeker, looking to survive and serve
The healing one, learning to live again.
New friends, encouraging
The brave one, trying new things
Stretching, sharing, speaking
Learning to be the leader
The sick one, fighting to be strong, not wanting to be a burden
The follower of Jesus
The over-comer through the Holy Spirit
The worshiper, full of praise and gratitude
The waiting one, waiting for the Lord’s return.

Look how far I’ve come.

New Year, 2014

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2014

We are all well here. Christmas packages opened, toys scattered, and family came and went. We laughed and hugged and loved on one another. Then we ate too much and promised ourselves we would do better later.

Now life returns to what is normal for us.


As always, when the year winds to a close, I remember times from the past. I laugh (or cry) and look forward to what comes next.


I gave up New Year's Resolutions a long time ago and have instead tried to adopt a word or phrase to focus on each year. I think this year God is leading me to the phrase, "Do it all for the glory of the God." Which means to test all my attitudes, my conduct, every aspect of my life by whether or not it shows the character of God and brings Him honor. This is true Worship. If I live daily practicing this concept, I will truly worship Him.

May 2014 be full of joy for our family and may each one of us individually see the blessings and gifts that God rains down on us daily.

Merry Christmas, 2013

Christmas Day, 2013 is about over.

The sun has set and dark is deepening. Temperatures are falling and the drip, drip, dripping of melting ice has ceased for now.

The children are winding down ~~ just a little ~~ as they enjoy the cousins and play with new toys. Soon they will tire and will be ready for bed. They won't want to go, of course, but mommas everywhere will insist it is time and tuck them snugly into bed.

The quiet here today broken only by telephone rings and message alerts with Merry Christmas!! from the other end.

Did I celebrate the birth? Did I praise and worship? Did I pause in awe at the miraculous gift given? I'm afraid I didn't give deep contemplation or gratitude for the great and awesome love God showed by sending His son to earth. I didn't ruminate on His message or mission. I kind of skimmed over it while cooking and doing the regular things of the day.

Every year, at this season, I think I will center more on the Christ Child. I will love more. I will give more. I will praise more. I will tell the story more. Yet each year, the day closes and I have missed the mark. I am a little off center.

This is my penance. To confess my failings to you. To ask forgiveness again for my "good intentions" that never seem to fully materialize.

So. I begin again. Each day my goal to spend time with the Word and in the Word. Each day to focus on the miraculous fact that Jesus loves me; to concentrate and praise the Awesome Holy God and give thanks each moment as I practice living in His presence. Maybe then I will keep Christmas Season holy. If I keep Christmas in my heart throughout the year.

Merry Christmas! And may you recognize God's blessings as they rain down on you each day in the New Year.

It's Cold Outside!!

Winter weather arrived at my house this week. And I am wishing I lived in the tropics!!

This is the scene from my front porch this morning. A bone-chilling 15 degrees, 4 inches of snow and more to come.

I'll be house-bound until who knows when so I'm warming the chicken noodle soup I made from my sister's super secret, super easy recipe. And I think a cup of tea would just hit the spot.

The grandsons are VERY excited by all this snow and are looking forward to building snowmen and playing with their Dad. I plan to watch from my window and cheer them on.

Today will be a good day to sit with an engrossing book and catch up on some reading or get a new sewing project started or look through my patterns for some inspiration, or search cookbooks for a new recipe to try. Cooking will keep me warm! If I don't have something to keep me busy, I'll feel guilty for not doing anything productive. Can't have that these days. That leads to depression and Trouble.

Even though I am not a big fan of Winter Weather, I see God's beauty in the mounds and drifts.. It is quite lovely to watch the flakes falling, swirling and dancing. Even the ice patterns in the puddles and pond are intriguingly lovely to see. The moisture on fields will be welcomed by all who farm (even though it means extra work, more feed, and breaking ice). When I look at it that way, Winter is a blessing. But, then . . . everything is a blessing.

The seasons come and go. Days shorten and lengthen. Only God is always the same. Always here. Always Good.

Dream Big

I'm dreaming big today.

I'm dreaming of what I think God may be calling me to do.

But ~~ Why is there always a "but"? ~~ do I trust what I think I am hearing. I know I trust the Lord. I am quite convinced He is able. My questioning heart asks, "But am I?" Am I able? Am I ready?Am I strong and courageous?

Then the answers comes. No, I am not able, or ready, or strong and definitely not courageous . I don't have to be those things because HE is. All I need to do is do the one small step at a time. Then all those small steps will add up to the Dream Big He is giving me.

Then I hear the whisper:

Don't be afraid to

DREAM BIG

And trust God to lead you step by step on the right path. . .