Thoughts From a Brain in a Blender

Follow-the-Leader

2011-09-23T10:57:00.001-05:00

When I was in 3rd grade, my friends and I played follow-the-leader. We would traipse through the house in a line following whoever was in front and mimicking every movement they did. We march through the kitchen, around tables and even over furniture, much to my mothers’ dismay, and consequently we would march out the door. The half-acre yard I lived on was even greater marching grounds. We marched around the many trees, shrubs, and flowers, around the swing set and lawn chairs, through our garden and my sand box all the time doing whatever the leader did: jump, run, walk like a duck, sing, spin or dance. We never felt lost, but we never knew where we would go next nor what we would be doing.

Nowadays, I am very dependent on following. What I mean is, I have no sense of direction. North is the front end of my car. Seriously! And without a map or good directions I easily get lost. I often drive around until I see a familiar landmark before I can get my bearings and get to my destination. And try as I might, I have never been able to overcome this directional handicap. I now plan my trips, even the ones across town, ahead of time. I think through the route I will take, and the turns I will make, and use a good map or googled directions.

Life is a journey. And we all are ‘following’ someone or something, doing what they do or following their directions. At times I even catch myself following myself! Now that’s a scary thought! But I do! I decide to eat wrong and follow myself to McDonalds. I decide to procrastinate and follow myself to the computer to Facebook instead of cleaning the kitchen. I decide to stay up late reading one more chapter or playing one more game and follow myself into a morning of grouchy coffee-drinking. Or I follow my haphazard, shoddy or uncaring attitude and literally run over friends and family with my opinions, looks, or actions. But even worse, I follow others in conversations of negative talking or gossip. Or worse yet, I LEAD them! Sometime I even follow my feelings, as silly as they are, and let them lead me into anger, resentment or depression.

Life is a journey. And if I am to become the person God made me to be, I must be very careful who or what I follow. One of the ministers at my church gave an illustration of what it was like to follow Jesus. Jason called a ‘volunteer’ from the congregation and asked them to follow him and do everything he did. He walked across the stage, down the steps, and proceeded to traipse around the auditorium (sound familiar?) and all the time the volunteer followed, not distantly, because he never knew which direction Jason would take at any given moment, but he followed as closely as he could so as not to miss a step or a turn. Jason had that person’s full attention but it really was a simple concept. The volunteer had just one job: Follow.

Becoming a disciple of Christ is a lifelong commitment to Following the Leader. I choose every day, every moment, whether to step where He steps, say what He says, act like He acts, or do what He does. It’s not hard to play follow the leader as long as I have my eyes ON the leader and DECIDE to follow. When I decide to follow, He even gives me HIS strength, ability and power to do it! Where it gets hard is looking around and fearing where He is leading: You mean I am going to forgive unfaithfulness? lying? abuse? Follow the Leader. He did it. You mean I have to endure pain and suffering? Follow the Leader. He did it. You mean I have to put up with ridicule and snarky attitudes? Follow the Leader. He did it. You mean I shouldn’t put up with gossip and negative talk? Follow the Leader. He didn’t.

Unlike the aimless game of Follow the Leader I played as a child, following Jesus has purpose. A purpose the world cannot give. I get to follow the Leader through overcoming all of those negatives to ultimately arrive at glorious high places, places of joy and peace, because my Spirit-infused life will grow strong enough to get there. These places are high above the problems of the world, and there I find a perspective that makes the following worth every step. I become strong enough to humbly and patiently forgive even the wrongest wrongs. I followed the Leader. He did that. I become strong enough to have joy in the middle of pain and suffering. I followed the Leader. He did that. I become strong enough to love my enemies. I followed the Leader. He did that. I become strong enough to stand up for justice and do good. I followed the Leader. He did that. I become kind, gentle, self-controlled just like Him, because I followed Him.

By the way, I am still on this journey. But I’m getting to be in those high places occasionally and it is so wonderful and worth it! Oh, and remember I have no sense of direction. I consult the road map constantly to make sure I am following closely. Studying the Word is my life GPS. But following Jesus is my simple job.

Wanna join me in Following the Leader?

I am Healed !!

2011-09-02T12:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was great…and horrible. I started the day feeling truly wonderful for the first time since my back surgery. I went through my morning praising God for His healing and enjoying driving solo for the first time in 4 1/2 weeks. I didn’t go far. I didn’t ‘over-do’. At least I tried not to, but by afternoon the wonderful morning turned ugly and pain and fatigue overcame me. As I lay in bed wondering why, what the timeline for healing was, God when will I be normal again? I felt the mental and spiritual nudge to let it go. Leave it with God. So I did. But my prayer as I fell asleep that night was for God to heal me, (quickly!) so I could do whatever His will was for my life. I wasn’t getting any younger, after all, and if I were going to be of benefit to Him, I really needed to get on with this healing process.

Well, He answered my prayer this morning from three different readings.

The first is a daily Bible passage I start with just for meditation. Today’s was: Psalm 119:64 “O Lord, your unfailing love fills the earth; teach me your decrees.” Oh as I meditated on His unfailing love filling the earth to fullness, my desire for obedience grew with it! A God who loves His creation has only good in mind for His created. Obeying Him…oh yes! That is what I want to do! Show me your will so that I can follow and obey!

I know…doesn’t sound like much of an answer for healing….but just wait. There’s more.

My second reading started discussing how we can’t live apart from Jesus. “Oh,” my soul thought, “I truly can’t! Draw me closer to you Lord!” Sharon Jaymes’ devotional went on to discuss our confidence in God. I was pleading for that confidence in His will by this point!

Then it happened! His answer to my prayer for healing and doing His will in my life!

Get ready for this!

Sharon paraphrased 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,
'My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.'
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now that I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size-abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

Ummm….yeah….I may have put exclamation point at my statement above about my healing and doing His will, but honestly after reading this I was a bit miffed. Ok, God loves me through and through, inside and out, and I am willing to obey. Totally. I can’t live apart from Him and my confidence in Him is deep. Not perfect, but deep. But that whole living in weakness part? That is an answer to healing? And how can I do what God wants me to from flat on my back? Really, Lord? My emotional agreement with the Father took a nosedive.

But I have one more reading every morning, and my answer to healing was very, very clear.

Sarah Young’s devotional, Jesus Calling (I would highly recommend this to everyone!), is my last reading before I get up and going. Today’s short, intimate conversation from Jesus said,

“When you depend on Me continually, your whole perspective changes. You see miracles happening all around, while others see only natural occurrences and “coincidences.” You begin each day with joyful expectation, watching to see what I will do. You accept weakness as a gift from Me, knowing that My Power plugs in most readily to consecrated weakness. You keep your plans tentative, knowing that My plans are far superior. You consciously live, move, and have your being in Me, desiring that I live in you. I in you, and you in Me. This is the intimate adventure I offer you.”*

There it is. No falling on the floor and rising with full healing in my back and no pain. No great fanfare. Just a message from God!!!! Did you get that? The Creator of the universe spoke to ME! I am crying as I write this because I am so humbled that He would answer my prayer so completely and directly! I AM healed! My back still hurts? Yes. Walking is difficult? Yes. But God healed me where I needed healing – my spirit. I am in Christ and He is in me! My weakness becomes the very tool of His will in my life that can defeat satan! My plans are not His plans, but His plans are perfect and I want perfect plans. I have a Divine connection to eternity with this back problem and God will use it to His glory! As obstinate as I am, I cannot and will not call these separate readings “coincidences”. They are the answer to my prayer for healing. It is my choice to accept that answer and give Him praise…or not.

Praise God for my healing!!

*Young, Sarah (2004-10-12). Jesus Calling: Seeking Peace in His Presence (p. 257). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

‎July ‎21, ‎2011

2011-07-21T16:10:00.004-05:00

Have you ever felt that what you are experiencing is totally yours, and yours, alone? That no one else in the world has ever been through what you are going through or gone through what you have gone through? Yeah, me too. But I am finding that if I open up and share with others, people come out of the woodwork with "Me too!" or "Yeah, I'm dealing with that same issue." Some give advice, others listen with an empathetic ear (I love those!), but it is truly amazing how small the world is in the 'hurting' area. Now don't get me wrong, I understand that circumstances really are different for everyone, and our personalities and how we approach and deal with situations differ greatly, but overall there really is nothing new on earth. And there are a lot of people hurting in silence because of satan's lie: You are the only one. You are alone in this and no one will want to hear your terrible story. Nothing could be further from the truth (he IS the father of lies after all!).

Now for the hard part (yeah, you just thought hurting was hard). Finding someone trusted to share your journey is...well...hard! Especially if you are ready to recover and get beyond the pain. Sure, there are people willing to listen and talk the problem to death, but help you move on? Not so much. Finding a true, confidential, friend that will not blab your problem to others or beat you over the head with it or add to it with all kinds of 'what ifs' and 'I know someone worse off because of a problem just like this', is like finding a needle in a hay field! At least that's what it feels like. There are some rare jewels out there, keep looking. But what to do right now?

Counseling. No I'm not speaking of paying the big bucks to someone who has a degree on their wall, although that is an option that is open and needed sometimes. I am talking of the Counselor that lives within us, and listening to His quite voice as He brings your problems before the Father of the universe. He knows your mind better that you do, and the really good thing is that He also knows the mind of the one who made you. So let Him talk. Listen in to what He says. Quiet your spirit and let the Spirit quiet you. He is the most confidential one that you will ever meet, and the wisest. All He requires is a willing spirit and for us to take the time to let Him change us.

Our Father has plans to bless us, not harm us, and He feels our pain deeply. Believe it. Remember it. Let Him take it, time and time again and don't give up until you have left it with him for good! Yes, others will understand your hurts and will have similar experiences to share. They may even be able to intercede with you to God and truly help because of their empathy. But honestly, the only true healer of our pain will be the one who made us. Take the time to tell Him. Then take some more time to listen, meditate and know that the Counselor is counseling.

If we paid an earthly counselor for a one hour session twice a week to get better, imagine what spending the same amount of time with God would do. That would only be about 15 minutes a day. Try it! And trust me when I say, it will be time well spent with a great friend who understands and can help.

‎July ‎19, ‎2011

2011-07-19T09:14:00.005-05:00

Today is July 19. There is nothing special about this day except I am writing. I truly have a desire to write, just always find other things to think about or do beside writing. There are times the thoughts come to me quickly, easily like someone or something is pouring them into my mind and then there are times I feel like I can't think a coherent thought for the life of me! Either way, I still have that desire to put down something. So today, I am writing. Following my heart or mind, whichever is in control of the writing process, and see where it may lead. I have given myself 15 minutes to put something on paper...err....screen and time is ticking.

I love my God. I love my life in Him. I love my sweet husband, Peter. These thoughts bring tears to my eyes. Why should I cry over love? Why are my emotions so deep that even slight whispers of a thought of my Lord brings a smile, and a picture of my Pete comes so easily to my mind followed by a wish to spend more and more time with him. My life, as broken and crazy as it is, is sweet with love.

There IS one love that saddens me. How little my love of other broken people is. I truly have a desire to reach others with comfort and encouragement, but fall so short when the time comes. I face many a person with a blank stare, either because I can't remember their name, or remember their circumstance, or haven't met them before and am afraid to. Fear. There's the word. I don't fear my husband, or my God as far as worrying about making a fool of myself in front of them. They already know how silly I am! But other people? I really don't trust myself to them. Not that I think they will do something bad, that's not it at all. It's that I will do something or say something that will make THEIR life worse. I do NOT want to add hurt to other people. We live in a world of hurt. But by not pushing through my fear and trying anyway, I can't encourage, comfort or love either.

So there it is. A big wall of fear. And how many times has my Lord, the one I love so much, how many times has he told me not to fear? Perfect love casts out fear, for heaven's sake! And I have seen how love casts out fear by living with my hubby...and our love is great, awesome, wonderful!...but not perfect. So to end today's writing, for my timer has gone off, my plan, my prayer, is to cast off the insecure fear of hurting others, throw off the burden of looking and acting perfect, and climb into God's perfect love, learn from my loving husband, and love others anyway. There! More to come later, I'm sure....‎

"God is Not a White Man"

2011-07-01T10:25:00.001-05:00

The Journey

2011-06-14T08:53:00.003-05:00

I went on a journey today. With Jesus leading me, I went through eons of darkness to arrive at a dark, dark place where a mist hung over waters. There he showed me that I was there! A thought in the mind of God yet without form. The Spirit hovered over me, brooding, waiting, protecting.

Then at a right time, I began to move forward. As I did, Jesus spoke. He told me how He had prepared a time that was just right for me. He hated how awful the world was and how it would seem to eat me alive at time with its evil and sadness. I was made in such a way to feel this evil keenly and to feel this sadness deeply and He grieved for the pain I would have to suffer.

But as we neared my destination, He paused and wrapped a warm coat around me telling me it would keep me safe. To wear it and know His arms wrapped me and held me tightly to Him when the flesh world I would soon be thrust into, felt overwhelming. I didn't want to leave Him! But knew my time had come to be in His Kingdom and work whatever good there was for me to work.

We talked a bit longer, but as we did I saw Him get further and further from me. I reached frantically for Him and a tendril of light came whisping toward me, circled me, and flowed into me. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of great joy, and I praised the God on high, for my time of nothingness was over! and my time of purpose had come! The Lord was with me. The Kingdom inside me. His warriors around me. And I entered the light of the world wrapped in His coat of righteousness to face the life He had planned for me from the beginning of the world.

The Fifth Dimension

2011-05-24T10:59:00.002-05:00

There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone.
—Rod Serling

I grew up watching the Twilight Zone. It terrified me. But I loved it anyway.

I remember two episodes clearly.

The first was about a woman whose world was being drawn toward the sun. As the world became hotter and hotter, trees would burst into flames and her clothes would become scantier (it was the 1960's after all). Just when I thought the world would burn up, she awakes only to find out that she had been very sick with a fever, and her real world was actually falling away from the sun and turning into ice.

The second was about a woman who enters a store and is abducted by mannequins. They tell her she is one of them and she must come back. In the end she realizes she actually IS a mannequin and joins them in a room filled with plastic people like her.

At the time, I always loved trying to figure out the mystery behind the story. Now I realize there was a message to them...one of 'what is reality' and the other 'finding your true self'.

Sarah Young, in her devotional book, Jesus Calling, describes the true fifth dimension: 'one of openness to (God's) Presence. This dimension transcends the others, giving you glimpses of heaven while you still reside on earth'. She goes on to describe how God used to be able to walk with Adam and Eve in the garden and how He desires to walk with us in the gardens of our hearts where he now resides.

That idea brought forth scripture after scripture that describes a garden and God's desire for us to live there with him. Let me put together a Twilight Zone that I found.

My life has its struggles. Chaos rules. Confusion abounds. Finding the strength to face another day is so difficult...I want to stay in bed with the covers over my head. There's a great storm surrounding me with my head under the covers. I hear thunder! Crashing! Crying! Then silence.

I pull the covers away and find I am actually on a soft pallet in a lush green garden. Not too far away there is a table filled with fruit of all kinds and the smells of purity and peace are everywhere. The air is calm. Birds are singing. Then the most handsome man I have ever seen appears, takes me hand, leads me to the table and offers me a beautiful fruit he calls Life. "I have overcome your world of Chaos," he says. "You have tasted the other fruit on the table: Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and self control. Now is the time for you to try the fruit of the tree of Life."

As I taste the fruit He gives me, my eyes are opened to even greater awareness. Joy is overwhelming. I can't take my eyes off of His. They are filled with love just for me. I dance! I sing! I tell Him how wonderful He is and how my life will never be the same after awakening in His garden! He surrounds me with His arms and tells me He will never, ever, leave me alone. He will always be waiting for me in a secret place. A secret place is called Contentment. In the Contented garden, He will whisper loving words of peace that goes beyond anything I could ever see with my eyes or know with my mind. He explains how His hands will guide my hands to do unimaginable good for others and how He has planned my day before I ever awake. All I have to do is follow His quiet voice as He walks with me through whatever the day holds and His power will go ahead of me to show His glory in my life.

As I look down, I see I still have the fruit of Life in my hand. I thought I had eaten all of it but it was still whole. He explains that I will always have Life in my hands and can taste of it anytime I want. Further more, I can give this fruit to anyone else I want to so that they could taste of His garden and walk with Him. I thought of what others would think of me if I offered them this strange fruit. Would they laugh at me? and the garden started to fade. He reached for me but the covers were over my head again and I was hiding in my bed.

Crying, I thought of what a wonderful dream it had been. I wanted to go back so desperately! I put my hands to my eyes to wipe away the tears and realized there was something in them. A fruit. A strange, beautiful fruit. And with joy I took a big bite and listened..."I love you!"...and I followed the voice as He led me to share Life. His Life. In His secret garden He put in my heart.

There IS a fifth dimension.

The Wind

2011-04-11T10:26:00.003-05:00

Listening to the wind blow. I think I will choose to listen and meditate on the Spirit instead of the allergens.

“Only God's Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going.” John 3:8

Love

2011-04-06T16:40:00.002-05:00

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

We know what love is because Jesus gave his life for us.
That's why we must give our lives for each other.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love.
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

John 3:16 (NLT)
1 John 3:16 (CEV)
1 John 4:16 (NIV)

Refuge

2011-03-31T11:41:00.003-05:00

My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment.
Hang on to them, for they will refresh your soul.
They are like jewels on a necklace.
They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble.
You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.
You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes
upon the wicked, for the Lord is your security.
He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

The Lord gives his people strength.

Proverbs 3:21-26 (New Living Translation)
Psalm 34:8 (New Living Translation)
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (New International Version, ©2011)
Colossians 3:15 (New Living Translation)
Psalm 28:6-8 (New Living Translation)

Healing

2011-03-30T09:49:00.004-05:00

You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress.

He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our sicknesses he carried;
it was our diseases that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!

When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

Praise the Lord!
How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting!
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.

“Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

Psalm 59:9 (NLT)
Isaiah 53:3-4 (NLT)
John 5:6,8 (NLT)
Psalm 147:1,3 (NLT)
Proverbs 3:5-8 (NLT)
John 5:8 (NLT)

Distressed

2011-03-28T12:30:00.005-05:00

The angel of the Lord appeared … and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

“Sir,” …“if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?

Then the Lord …said, “Go with the strength you have…”

“But Lord,…how can I…?...I am the least in my entire family!”

The Lord said …, “I will be with you…”

Seek His will in all you do,
and He will show you which path to take.

Companions, as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don't squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us.

God reminds us,
I heard your call in the nick of time;
The day you needed me, I was there to help.

The smallness you feel comes from within you.
Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way.
I'm speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection.
Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!

And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God?
You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible.

He stands up for those who are beaten down.
He gives food to hungry people.
The Lord sets prisoners free.
The Lord gives sight to those who are blind.
The Lord lifts up those who feel helpless.
The Lord loves those who do what is right.
The Lord watches over the outsiders who live in our land.
He takes good care of children whose fathers have died.
He also takes good care of widows.
But he causes evil people to fail
in everything they do.
The Lord rules forever.
The God of Zion will rule for all time to come.

Praise the Lord!

Judges 6:11-16 (NLT)
Proverbs 3:6 (NLT)
2 Corinthians 6:1, 13 (MSG)
2 Corinthians 7:11 (MSG)
Psalm 146:7-10 (NIRV)

Lord

2011-03-17T15:16:00.004-05:00

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.

(Lord) Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.

So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”

Proverbs 3:5 (NLT)
Psalm 143:8 (NLT)
Psalm 23:1-3 (NLT)
Psalm 139:1-4 (NLT)
Hebrews 13:6 (NIV)

Trust

2011-03-16T12:54:00.002-05:00

Don't overlook the obvious here, friends.

With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn't late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn't want anyone lost. He's giving everyone space and time to change.

He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

All your works praise you, LORD;
your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.

You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the Lord always,
for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength!

2 Peter 3:9 (MSG)
John 15:2 (NLT)
Psalm 25:9 (NIV)
Psalm 145:10-13 (NIV)
Isaiah 26:3-4 (NLT)
Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

Peace

2011-03-15T10:33:00.003-05:00

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy!

Romans 8:28 (NLT)
Philippians 4:19 (MSG)
John 16:33 (NLT)
John 16:22 (NIV)

Pathways

2011-03-10T09:22:00.006-06:00

‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’
As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
(So) The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.”
What a God!
His road stretches straight and smooth.
Every God-direction is road-tested.
Everyone who runs toward him makes it.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all!
All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale.
And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus.
God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus.
He will never give up on you.
Never forget that.

Acts 17:28 (NIV)
Psalm 37:23-24 (NLT)
Psalm 18:30 (MSG)
Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
1 Corinthians 1:9 (MSG)

Planning

2011-02-11T10:57:00.005-06:00

Job 17:11-12 (NIV)
My days have passed, my plans are shattered.
Yet the desires of my heart
turn night into day;
in the face of the darkness light is near.

I have been feeling rather...mortal lately. I had a great friend, a sister-at-heart, pass away very suddenly. She had been a part of my life for 47 years and there is a hole left where she used to be. Through the years we fluctuated between being close and talking daily to not being in touch for months at a time. But always, when we got together, we seemed to pick up where we left off, laugh thru our struggles and good times, hug, and let life go on.

She left a list of accolades that were phenomenal: Four different degrees. A life spent searching for the new, the unknown, with a love for people and nature alike. Her grave site was specially chosen for it's trees and beauty, but also for people to visit. She will have a bench instead of a headstone to invite everyone to sit and laugh...thru the struggles and good times of life.

My life has felt like an increasing avalanche down a steep mountainside lately. I try to work, write, even clean house, only to have things left undone at the end of the day. The projects not finished and my life slipping away with each breath was becoming overwhelming. Then my sweet friend leaving was the ultimate reality check! It was like a cold brick of ice hitting me in the face: I am mortal! I WILL die someday! And what have I left undone that God had put on my heart to do?!

So my blog title is 'Planning'. It is a God chosen title for I have been in deep conversation with Him about my life...yeah, about my struggles and good times. He has shown me many things: How I have let important things go by the wayside because they became difficult and fearful. This blog for one *sigh* but also other plans I had in the past. And I haven't loved people deeply for fear of rejection or getting hurt. But He also showed me the good things I have accomplished, too. Raising four children, all who are believers in His Son. Being faithful to a marriage of almost 34 years. Growing, with His help, out of religion and into His kingdom. There are other good and bad not listed, trust me, but these are some that came to mind.

With a deep desire to know His will, I have consulted the Lord. Listened to His teaching in Matthew, in Corinthians, trusted friends advice, and other writings. He has come thru loudest in these verses:

Psalm 20:2-5 (NIV)
May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your requests.

and

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'

The desire of my heart and my plan is to love Him more. To love others with a love like His. To serve like Jesus Messiah. To care for people, not only the way my dear friend did, but the way my Lord did. With my limited physical ability this will become quite creative, but one thing I CAN do is blog. I can write. So I will be taking a creative writing class (and practicing on my blog for sure!), continuing my embroidery work for charity, (Anyone need something embroidered? Proceeds go to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Tulsa Medical Missions Teams.), and I will be keeping and eye out for where God is working in a way I can join Him.

So I will say like Job,
"My days have passed, my plans are shattered.
Yet the desires of my heart
turn night into day;
in the face of the darkness light is near."
and I will move into the light and work out my plans in His kingdom until He decides my work is finished.

I'm doing my happy dance btw!

With loving remembrance of
Pamela Borovetz Sturgeon
January 19, 1928 - January 28, 2011

Roadblocks

2011-01-10T09:28:00.003-06:00

My daughter called me this morning.
That was not unusual.
But it had iced and snowed last night and I knew she was driving so I answered quickly.
She had frustration in her voice and my thoughts immediately go to 'She's had an accident!'
No accident.
Just roadblocks.
People were driving very slowly because of the ice.
Too slow, really.
And now there was construction on the highway taking her to her first day of school as a student at OSU.
She was frustrated at being late on the first day.
Thus, the call.

Her situation made me think of this blog.
I seemed to hit a lot of roadblocks last year.
I took many detours.
I was so frustrated, at one point I gave up .
But...I'm back.

Roadblocks are interesting.
If I try to run through them, I quickly find that progress will stop in quite an abrupt manner.
Stopping and waiting for all the work on the road to finish would take years of idling.
But taking the detour leads to places I normally don't or wouldn't go.

Some lead to roads that are narrow, rutted, potholed, dusty and down right dangerous.
Some bring me near shops and businesses I had never noticed before.
Other detours lead through quiet neighborhoods that make me wonder who lives in the old, well maintained houses that look so peaceful.
But they all lead me in the direction of my original destination on the other side of the roadblock.

The roadblocks, all of them, have lessons for me to learn.
They build patience.
They build knowledge.
They build wisdom.
They build opportunity.
They get me out of my comfort zone and allow me to grow into peace in many different areas.

And the coolest thing about roadblocks for me?
It gives me precious time with my Father.

So I'm back writing this blog until the next roadblock detours me around areas of my life's road that needs construction.
Then I'll be back again.
Or, if the Lord wills, I will write about the detours I am on, or have taken.

Thank you for journeying with me.
Thank you for your patience.
Thank you for your love and encouragement.

Isn't the road of life exciting?!?

Oh...and my daughter made it to school fine.
Found a great parking place.
She had plenty of time to find her class.
And we had a wonderful, happy chat while in the middle of her construction zone.

Gotta love roadblocks!

1 Peter 2:4-8 (The Message)
Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you'll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:

Look! I'm setting a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone in the place of honor.
Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation
will never have cause to regret it.
To you who trust him, he's a Stone to be proud of...

A Year of Blessing - August11, 2010

2010-08-19T16:51:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it is just the little things that can make your day better.

Jake found out that his Auntie Theresa was coming over for a quick lunch time and really, really wanted to do something special for her. I had pulled some wooden beads out of the closet for a craft project later in the day and he insisted on making her a necklace.

Quickly and precisely he put bead after bead on a ribbon, asking me what I thought of the necklace every other bead. He needed 2 more beads to finish when she came thru the door. He asked me to put them on and tie the ribbons for him, and went running to the door with his hands out in front of him. “Wait, wait, wait!!” he yelled. “Just wait!....just wait! Now Mema?” I told him it was all finished. He ran back to me, grabbed the necklace, and ran back to Auntie Theresa with the beads held in front of him. “I made this for YOU!”

Theresa, grinning from ear to ear, thanked him, hugged him, and put the wooden bead necklace over her head. It looked odd with her professional attire, but she promised Jake that she would wear them to work and show all her friends what a great nephew she had.

I don’t know who was blessed more. Jake for being able to give Auntie something special. Theresa for getting something special from such a precious boy. Or me for witnessing how the simple things in life are so very special. Yeah…it was me!

2 Corinthians 8:7 (New International Version)

But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

A Year of Blessing - August 10, 2010

2010-08-13T11:07:00.006-05:00

Things look different thru the eyes of a child. I have been teaching Jake to use my point and shoot camera. We have gone from turning the camera on, to zooming in and out, to shooting close-ups. Some of the photos he's taken are very good! This is one of his great ideas...lying on the floor, he took a picture of himself! Bravo, Jake!

I wonder if God looks at me and cheers me on in my learning? When I learn a new attribute of Him, does He wink at me with a grin on His majestic face? When I show His glory by being kind to someone, does He give a God-sized thumbs up? Does He applaud when I finally understand that His discipline is meant for my good?

Why then do I fight for my will so much, when He is waiting with such great expectancy for me to learn His will? I don't know. But at least I am in good company with Paul, who said basically the same thing in his great "I do the things I don't want to do and don't do the things I want to" writing...or something like that. I always get it wrong :o)

Oh that God never give up on me! I DO want to learn more of His way! I DO want to know Him! I DO want a childlike love of "teach me just one more thing" when it comes to the life He has planned for me!

Thank you, Jake, for the reminder. You are doing great!

Romans 7:4-6; 14-27 (New International Version)

So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

A Year of Blessing - August 9, 2010

2010-08-11T12:56:00.003-05:00

When I was Jake's age, I remember I felt on top of the world with a new pair of shoes! (Who's kidding who! I still do!!) Jake got two new pairs for school. He put on his gym tennis shoes and literally flew thru the house! He jumped and twirled, rolled and ran, forward and backward! Finally his dad took them off and I convinced him to let me take a picture of them. He required that I also get the old ones in the photo too and lined them up neatly before sitting with his dad. He was proud, happy and ready to take on his new class with just his new shoes!

Now, fast forward two months, no make that two weeks. Will he still have the same zeal for those shoes? Will he still run crazy with joy every time he puts them on? I never did. By the end of two weeks it was business as usual in the shoe department and I was looking with envy at the kid that had just bought a new pair.

I struggle with contentment. I struggle with simplicity. I desire both but just when I feel I might have a grasp on the idea I complicate my life wanting something I don't currently have. Pete and I are now on a budget and lifestyle change that has given us the tools to live within our means. But just living with the paycheck God has provided doesn't put off the demons of desire. In fact, there are times they raise their ugly heads and whisper their enticing lies all the more because we choose to deny instant gratification for our long term goals.

One weapon I have used against the little imps with great success, has been gratitude for all the little things of life. In fact, the smaller the blessing from God the greater the impact on the demons of discontentment.

For example, I thought of what life would be without toilet paper. Right! My thoughts exactly! Yet when I prayed thanksgiving to God for the toilet paper we had, the voices of the demons were stilled. I am SO blessed! How about fingernail clippers? Clean water? Or a drive thru to buy food? How about a kind word? A hug? A smile?

It seems that the monetary cost of an item doesn't really reflect it's value at all! But it's overall value seems to become much greater when I think to thank the Giver of all good things for it!

A pair of new shoes - great! Thanking God for them - priceless!

1 Timothy 6:6-8 (New Living Translation)

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

A Year of Blessing - August 8, 2010

2010-08-10T14:00:00.004-05:00

I love books. One look at my bookshelves will convince you of that. Some of them are worn from the many times I have read them. Some still have the remains of 'handy' bookmarks stuck in them: a receipt from McDonalds, plane ticket, a grocery list, torn corners of pieces of paper, even a picture of Pete holding my daughter as a baby! Many of them I haven't read. Someday I will crack them open to browse thru their pages. Someday.

But I lost one.

Being restricted on the amount of weight I can carry reached places I would never have thought...my study Bible. Carrying it for any length of time is hard. So I started reading it while I was laying down. Flat of my back, holding it above my head, making notes or underlining verses while it is precariously wobbling over me...yes, more than once it hit me in the head or chest because my arms gave out while holding it up! (Warning: Wielding the double-edged sword above your head can be dangerous!)

Which bring me back to the lost one. I had a thin NIV Bible that was way more practical and I began to carry it instead of my study Bible. It has disappeared. Gone. Lost. Vanished. Missing. No where to be found!! I have looked everywhere! And I began my precarious study habit again in desperation!

My knight in shining armor saved me once again with the gift of all gifts! A new thin line Bible with LARGE print! Does he know me or what!?!?!! I love it! The smell! Opening it and finding pages still stuck together from the printers and not from my latest coffee spill! All the clean room along the sides for notes and thoughts!

A new beginning of sorts. But there was one other thing lost.

Over the past year of struggles, my assurance of His Spirit living in me has been challenged and taken some direct hits by satan. God has gently led me to recommit my life with a conscience choice and declaration of faith in Him, His Son and His kingdom thru baptism. My new birthday is today! A day of assurance of a life lived in Christ, for Christ and thru Christ!

The BEST new beginning ever!

1 Peter 3:21-22

..and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

A Year of Blessing - August 7, 2010

2010-08-09T13:28:00.003-05:00

Ever feel like someone is watching you? Not in the creepy way that Luke is right now (pretty cool pictures, though, eh?), but in a loving, caring kind of way. I love the 'stolen' glances from Pete. The ones when I look up and he's looking at me with a smile on his face and he mouths "I love you". It sends and thrill of love and adoration thru me!

I have found that God does that. I glance up and see a beautiful sky, and God mouths "I love you". I hear a song on the radio that encourages me to lift my eyes to Him and He mouths "I love you". I feel the comfort of a soft blanket when I'm cold and He mouths "I love you". But more recently, I feel the knife hot pain that shoots thru my leg and He mouths "I love you".

Stay with me now...that last one was a really hard lesson for me. But God provided an example in Pete. When the pain comes, he is quick to react with loving arms, words of love, and prayers of intercession for me. How can I not believe that the God who watched His Son die would not be watching me? Or my savior who felt not only the physical pain of the cross, but the sins of all people, not be watching? Or the Comforter within me not interceding?

All thru the New Testament there is a thread of grace woven in the suffering of Christ's followers:

Luke 24:25-27 (New International Version)
He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Acts 3:18
But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer.

Romans 8:17-18
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

2 Corinthians 1:5-7
For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Philippians 3:10-11
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Hebrews 5:7-9
During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him...

Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Suffering is not an option to check on the list of what you want out of life, it is a required standard. Any person alive will suffer. Christian or not. The difference followers of Christ have, is in the option to glorify God thru the pain and learn obedience and perseverance in Christ. Pain and suffering, coupled with joy and strength in God, creates a powerful weapon to destroy the fear and doubt satan throws our way. It is a slow process. One that is learned one day at a time, one hour at a time, and sometimes one minute at a time. But each time we include Christ in our suffering and catch the quiet voice of God saying "I love you" in the midst of it, the pain is transform into praise, the prince of darkness is obliterated by the light of glory, and we endure with Christ for the victory He proclaimed at His resurrection.

I don't like the pain. And more than once I have 'offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears'. But in hope I accept the comfort of my Christ, and thrill at the 'I love you' the Father sends me.

A Year of Blessing - August 6, 2010

2010-08-06T17:29:00.002-05:00

Or-ga-nize! Or-ga-nize! Or-ga-nize! This was my mantra today.

Taking breaks to walk around every 20 minutes or so to keep my angry sciatic nerve happy, I organized my way thru 3 months worth of photos. Wait, that should be 'I organized my way through most of May with 2 more months left to do'.

You see, I have 3 different cameras I work with on photos. Yeah, I know, it could be considered obsessive, but I always have one handy for cool, sweet, or funny pictures and I prefer to think of it as 'prepared' not 'obsessive'. So, with 3 cameras to upload, lots of files that I had already uploaded, and a few odd and end pictures, let's just say I have a bit more work to do on the organizing. In the meantime, I want to get the ball rolling again with the blessings I experienced today.

If you look in my closets you will find most of them really quite neat and in order. I love to have a place for everything and everything labeled in it's place. But it took me awhile to transfer this idea to my computer. Then I discovered...right click---new---folder---rename...and wha-lah! there's an instant 'shoebox' for pictures! And I didn't even have to go to Wal Mart to get it! (Or pay money. Dave Ramsey would be proud!)

I have 'boxes' and 'boxes' of these folders. So much that my computer started becoming very, very slow. I carefully packed my 'boxes' into color-coordinated cd's with matching plastic cases...all labeled of course. (Ok, this DID require a trip to Wal Mart. But I budgeted the money keeping Dave happy!)

All of that to say I am working on organizing my photos and carefully and lovingly putting them into their correct 'shoebox'. I will then begin the fun journey of Blast to the Past Blessings and see what God does with it. Until then, I will focus on the present, and the blessing of modern computerized organization!

Isaiah 14:24-27 (The Message)

God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaks:
"Exactly as I planned,
it will happen.
Following my blueprints,
it will take shape.
I will shatter the Assyrian who trespasses my land
and stomp him into the dirt on my mountains.
I will ban his taking and making of slaves
and lift the weight of oppression from all shoulders."
This is the plan,
planned for the whole earth,
And this is the hand that will do it,
reaching into every nation.
God-of-the-Angel-Armies has planned it.
Who could ever cancel such plans?
His is the hand that's reached out.
Who could brush it aside?

A Year of Blessing - Repented and Revised

2010-08-05T00:01:00.004-05:00

I started this year out with a promise: To photograph one blessing each and every day. I then added an accountability of blogging that blessing. I then discovered that people were actually reading what I wrote! And, I am ashamed to say, it frightened me. I took it as a great responsibility and found myself like the man with one talent...afraid of failing. So, when I was faced with a fairly serious heart problem (ventricular tachycardia) and a recurrence of my back problem in the form of two very angry sciatic nerves, instead of taking those blessings (and yes, they are blessings!) and writing THROUGH them, I hid them. Waiting until I was 'better'. Waiting until I didn't have to take so much pain medication. Waiting until I wasn't so frightened of what I would write or who would read it.

God showed me the truth with two events: One, the sudden death of an online friend close to my age, with the same back problems I have. And two, the beginning of another study on Max Lucado's book Fearless.

My friend and I had only met a few months ago through, (and don't laugh!) Facebook's Farmville! (you laughed!) Shellye used to work in one of the Texas school systems with the DARE program. She was one tough cookie who took one too many falls. One of them required back surgery. And this on top of a minor heart surgery earlier. She lived in constant stress taking care of her bed bound mother, and shackled with the guilt of past sins...big and small. Living through so much of the same recent events allowed us to talk about feelings others really didn't understand. We both loved Beth Moore studies and chatted about what we were learning. She was finding God to be merciful and loving, and praying through the pain as a way to give Him glory. It made us both feel a bit more sane and started a friendship that I didn't know could exist: one made up of typed words only...never meeting, never speaking, only 'chatting' and emailing. When I last 'spoke' to Shellye she was concerned with a change the doctors had made to her medication. She didn't elaborate much. Just said he had 'upped her dose a lot'. She had been dead 40 hours before her mother found someone to check on her. Me, in my ignorance, had sent her messages of encouragement and hope that her pain was less. God, in His mercy, knew she pain free and more importantly, free of the loneliness that drove her to constantly review her faults before Him.

I wept for a woman I'd never met, yet loved as if she were a close friend.

Then our small Sunday night group met to discuss what to study this fall. There was a re-occurring word from them: afraid. I'm afraid of ...what the doctor will say, ...committing to a relationship, ...what will happen to my kids and grandkids, ...what to do with my house, ...my health getting worse, ...government, ...healthcare, ...safety! Since Pete and I had taught the class on Fearless earlier in the year, it dovetailed into this small group nicely. The first night we discussed emotions and how they were...emotions! But they were NOT necessarily true. And they certainly should not get a vote on how we make decisions or even react to any given situation. God should be our 'filter' and our ultimate guide to truth. Then we wrote down the fears we currently have. Now I have taught this class. I have read the book. I have believed God's word. And I STILL have fear!

I was afraid of failure.

Which brings me back to my first paragraph. I have been afraid to blog about what I was going through because I didn't know where God would lead me. But with Shellye's death still fresh in my mind, I fear not having the chance to do something I truly love and want to do: write about God's blessings! I am choosing, now, to continue the journey. I have all the pictures. That much I DID continue. And I will be posting them in groups of 5 or so with their explanation abbreviated. I will be praying over each post that God give me the courage in His truth to continue and ask you to pray for me too. This step of faith, in spite of my fear, is made with great humility knowing I could fail again miserably. I am trusting my Maker. And investing my talent in His truth.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

A Year of Blessing - May 2, 2010

2010-06-03T15:31:00.003-05:00

May 2, 1977 was the day I began my journey as the bride of Mr. Peter E. Bowers. It is a journey of great adventure. Sometimes sad. Sometimes totally over the top hilarious!

I have learned SO much with my dear husband. Like how to garden and can our own food. In our early married years, we canned everything from green beans to pickles to tomatoes. Pickles were the most fun, or maybe I should say funny. We pulled one cucumber off the vine that was over a foot long and decided to pickle it. We put it into a huge jar and measured ingredients out and fixed it just like the recipe said. After waiting the appropriate time for pickling, we pop the jar open to taste the rewards of our labor. After spitting the pickle chucks into the garbage and drinking tons of water we realized we must have been off on how much salt should have been used. Somehow one tablespoon had became one cup. And the strange thing is, Pete remembers this story totally differently than I do! But this is my blog, hee hee!

As I look through the pictures we have taken through the years I am amazed to remember my man with long silky hair, overalls and a beard. He maintained the beard for probably 10-12 years and then decided to shave it while I was away from the house one day. When Theresa and I walked into the room, he turned around with his 'naked' face, and Theresa burst into tears and ran from the room. She had never seen her dad without a beard. He grew it back. Guess the women in his life had a bit of say-so about his looks!

With 33 years of marriage behind us, I still see Pete as a wonderful, loving, extremely intelligent man with great integrity and a love for His God. He has faced down the giants of his childhood and stands victorious with strength that God has provided him through it all. He has faced down corporate ways with honesty and respect for the law and excelled in his profession. He has loved me through all of my physical problems and let me know on every step of the way that he will always love me.

I pray God allows us to grow stronger in Him and closer to each other. That in the years ahead, we will provide blessings for all we meet, and our love will continue to grow until it is totally ridiculous!

Pete, you are my best friend. My gentle lover. The joy God gave me 33 years ago. You are the one I belong to, and you belong to me. I love our inside jokes. I love that our lives are so entwined with each other that we finish each others' sentences. Thank you for the laughter and the strength through the tears. Thank you for choosing me to be your bride. Thank you for being my man!

Pete, I love you!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (New International Version)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

A Year of Blessing - May 1, 2010

2010-05-27T16:10:00.003-05:00

The onions are in the ground and growing. They are the multiplying onions I wrote about earlier. They will be nice once they get established, and we will be able to eat on them starting early Spring to late Fall.

I just wish Wilted Lettuce Salad was as healthy as it was when I was a kid. It is made with fresh leaf lettuce, green onions, bacon fried crisp, with the bacon 'drippings' (as my mother called the grease off the bacon) mixed with vinegar and sugar and poured hot over the lettuce, onions and crumbled bacon. Mmmmm it was SO good! But the health department said it was bad along with many other staple meals I grew up with like fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy. The wilted salad was a great side dish served with them.

Guess I will have my grilled boneless skinless chicken with a side salad and low fat dressing. It looks better on my waist than my childhood meals. Just wish it came with the same taste!

Ahhhh...the joys of growing up!

Numbers 11:4

The riffraff among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, "Why can't we have meat? We ate fish in Egypt—and got it free!—to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic. But nothing tastes good out here; all we get is manna, manna, manna."

A Year of Blessing - April 30, 2010

2010-05-24T16:42:00.003-05:00

Another month gone. 2010 promises to go by faster than the years before. Each one seems like this. Time flies past! I see the years on my parents faces. I feel the years in my own body. My kids should be my grandkids age in my mind, and occasionally that shows up by me calling my grandkids by my kids names!

My daughter has taken my place as a mother. I have taken up my mother's place as grandma, and my mom has taken my grandmother's place as great-grandma. Life, in it's vapor-like passing disappears like the days on my calendar.

Yet there is a peace in time passing.

Patience is grown not in minutes but in years. As is wisdom. Both provide a solid peace in my life that I didn't have as a younger, less wise and patient person.

I find joy in the oddest places now, too. When I feel stressed, lonely, or hurt there is a deep, deep joy in God that I can choose to tap into, and like a deep, calm lake in the mountains, it is beautiful and serene.

Hope and faith, though, are working overtime on me. I still find myself wishing I were younger, wishing I had more time. But when I remember to lay aside my 'wishes' and lean on my faith in my Saviour, God comes blowing into my soul with the gentle breeze of Hope. The Hope of an eternity with Him in an unseen world where 'time', 'growing old', and 'dying' are words with no meaning.

Psalm 119:33-40 (The Message)

God, teach me lessons for living
so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—
my whole life one long, obedient response.
Guide me down the road of your commandments;
I love traveling this freeway!
Give me a bent for your words of wisdom,
and not for piling up loot.
Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets,
invigorate me on the pilgrim way.
Affirm your promises to me—
promises made to all who fear you.
Deflect the harsh words of my critics—
but what you say is always so good.
See how hungry I am for your counsel;
preserve my life through your righteous ways!

A Year of Blessing - April 29, 2010

2010-05-24T15:43:00.002-05:00

Ahhh....the joys of photography! I just love to grab my camera and get some shots of...well...blessings! Little did I realize the danger involved in such a hobby!

More than once I have braved a busy highway to get a picture of a beautiful sunset or a thunderstorm. I have gotten scratched from sticker bushes getting pictures of unusual trees and roses, gotten cockle burs on my pants and in my socks taking pictures of fall foliage, fallen off a log while getting pictures of a buck with his harem, laid in the grass and gotten chiggers photographing bugs, and almost fallen into ponds taking pictures of reflections in the water! More than once I have been asked 'What are you doing?' either by passer-bys or authorities.

I come home sore from most photo shoots from the bending and squatting to get the right angle. I have even gotten sunburned a time or two from not putting on sunscreen for fear of getting it on my equipment (or just plain forgetting!).

Then there were the falls from not paying attention to where my feet are. Pete finally ran interference for me while photographing hoodoos in Utah for fear I would step off a cliff in my enthusiasm to get a shot of these beautiful formations!

I talked my parent into driving through Monument Valley to take pictures of the Mittens and other famous sandstone monuments. It almost tore their Suburban up with the holes and ruts we went through. I was unrepentant because I got some BEAUTIFUL pictures in that valley.

I am called 'Mamarazzi' by some of the less tolerant in my family, but I still love the photos I get of family get-togethers.

All this to say...batteries are a blessing! I use enough of them in all my photography adventures, that's for sure!

Psalm 50:1-2 (New International Version)

The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.
From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.

A Year of Blessing - April 28, 2010

2010-05-05T12:02:00.002-05:00

While in a doctor's office, Pete showed me a magazine that had pictures of advertisements that were...well...a bit ridiculous!

The blessing? How many people do you see laughing in a doctor's office?!?

Romans 8:21-23 (The Message)

That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.

All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

(Disclaimer: By the way, I was NOT visiting my OB/GYN doctor!)

A Year of Blessing - April 27, 2010

2010-05-05T10:57:00.002-05:00

Here is yet another Spring blessing! The local Farmers Market...YEA! I just love the fresh, locally grown produce and the market in Broken Arrow has other enticements besides veggies. This time of year they offer plants they have sprouted to be planted in your own garden.

There was one man that already had leaf lettuce ready for sale. I asked him about fresh garlic, and he told me when to plant it, and when it will be ready to harvest (now is NOT the time, I found out!).

I mentioned I was looking for onions that would multiply. I had been given some 30 years ago when we lived in Arkansas and grew a lot of our own veggies. Our neighbor, and landlord, Mrs. Sullins, had a huge garden that she and her husband planted. Corn, okra, beans, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, carrots, squash, cucumbers, and of course onions were grown on about 1/2 acre of land. She would be out early in the morning tending the plants and pulling weeds. She never laughed or belittled our measly garden but encouraged us with her vast knowledge of planting, growing and harvesting.

One Spring, we had a thunderstorm roll through that dropped buckets of rain in a very short time. The creek that ran behind our rent house and the Sullins', started rising. It came over our garden and almost to our back porch! When I looked out at the Sullins beautiful garden, I saw that the back third was not only covered with water, but the current was running right across it! Her onion patch, three rows of corn (already two feet high), and her squash mounds were caught by the rushing water.

After the water receded, Pete and I went out and pulled debris off our fence and checked the outbuildings. Then headed to the Sullins. Corn was laying down with roots exposed to the now hot sun. Her onions were gone. We spend an hour re-planting and straightening their garden. Then I headed to the patch of onions Mrs. Sullins had given me. They survived the water and I replanted part of them back in her garden.

When the Sullin's finally came out to check on everything, they were very, very surprised, and so grateful, that Pete and I felt embarrassed by their emotional thank you's!

Thirty years later and back to the Broken Arrow man. He knew exactly what I was talking about, handed me his card and told me to come back on Saturday and he would bring us a bunch. I have been looking for multiplying onions for years and no one knew what I was talking about! What wonderful people God blesses me with, and what wonderful memories of a sweet, sweet woman.

Thank you, Father, for the reminder, and please say 'Hi' to Mrs. Sullins for me.

Matthew 13:18-23 (The Message)

"Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn't take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person's heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.

The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.

The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams."

A Year of Blessing - April 26, 2010

2010-04-27T21:08:00.004-05:00

My miniature Iris are up and blooming! I call them 'my iris' but I didn't plant them. I didn't fertilize them. I didn't even water them! They came with the house we bought, but when we bought it they were buried underground without even a sliver of a leaf showing. They started poking their heads up about this time last year and I promptly called them mine! My miniature Iris were and are delicate and beautiful.

How many other things has God blessed me with, but I claim as 'mine'. A plethora of things pop into my head and I haven't even thought hard (notice I said MY head)! My house. My food. My phone. My water. My car. My body. My husband. My kids. My computer. My blog!

Now...I don't want to seem weird and make people around me feel strange by saying God's house, God's food, God's phone, water, car, blog! But they are. All of everything is God's.

Maybe I should start praying like my three year old grandson who thanks God for absolutely EVERYTHING he sees. The reminder would do me good.

I need to put MY pride in the grave, and let God have His place back.

1 Timothy 6:11-16 (New International Version)

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

A Year of Blessing - April 25, 2010

2010-04-27T19:03:00.010-05:00

St. Johns is building a new hospital just around the corner from our house. It seems like it has taken forever for it to be built. Waiting for the land to be leveled, foundations poured, walls, drive, paint, lights, wind sock, and whatever went on inside, took a loooonnnngggg time! Now everything looks ready. The landscaping is even finished, complete with sprinkler system!

Obviously other people thought it was open too because they posted these big signs in front of the hospital. HOSPITAL NOT OPEN.

Jesus was born into a world needing a healer. But the world had 'signs' stating 'hospital not open' all around it:

The Pharisees made rules for the people that could not be kept: HOSPITAL NOT OPEN!

The Romans took over the promised land: HOSPITAL NOT OPEN!

The Zealots stirring up trouble: HOSPITAL NOT OPEN!

The tax collectors taking much more than their share of the peoples earning: HOSPITAL NOT OPEN.

Jesus arrived on the scene and called all people to come to him. He healed their sick, recruited their Pharisees, Zealots, and tax collectors. But still the sign read: HOSPITAL NOT OPEN.

Then he died, and it looked like the end. But Mary came to the tomb, and she saw the stone that was rolled away. And the lights came on! The tomb was OPEN! and Jesus brought healing for death itself!

I live in the Kingdom of the Great Physician! Where the OPEN sign is posted for all to come in!

Acts 4: 8-12

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.'
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

A Year of Blessing - April 24 , 2010

2010-04-27T18:52:00.003-05:00

I think I'm beginning to understand why the housing market is having so much trouble!

Some things are just too obvious!

Luke 12:32-34 (The Message)

"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can't go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being."

A Year of Blessing - April 23, 2010

2010-04-27T12:57:00.003-05:00

I have been ground from driving for five weeks now, so today a friend of mine called and said she was going to WalMart and asked if I needed anything. I said yes and she said she would be by to pick me up...but...she warned me she drove a convertible and if lightening struck it it would come through the top and electrocute us. The sun was shining so that didn't bother me.

She also told me that it was a little car and the big cars scared her so if one hit us we probably wouldn't survive. Now I was a bit concerned. But she offered to buy me lunch at Panera too so I figured maybe she could dodge the big cars.

Then she said she had bucket seats and for me to bring a big pillow because she knew I had back surgery and her seats would probably hurt my back. I thought about the pillow and decided if we got hit by another car the EMS people might wonder why I had a pillow and not treat me quickly enough... or if we were struck by lightening, pillows were quite flammable and that wouldn't be a good thing either.

At WalMart I found some cereal bars loaded with fiber and considered buying them but my friend warned me not to eat them while I was not at home because they had the same effect as prunes.

So let me see, if I ate the cereal bars and I had brought my pillow which caught fire when we were struck by lightening while getting smash by a big car...I think I would.... still have called it a great day!

I don't know who laughed the hardest...my friend or me! But thank goodness we didn't eat those cereal bars before we got together!

Thank you, M, for being my friend indeed!!!

Proverbs 27:9 (New International Version)

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.

A Year of Blessing - April 22, 2010

2010-04-26T22:35:00.003-05:00

Well, here we go. Spring weather is a brewin' and the weathermen and weatherwomen are getting their 'excited' voices on. It really is funny! But as funny as the meteorologists are when they get excited, they are very respected! It is a wise thing to listen to them here in Oklahoma. I have watched enough tornadoes to know I don't want to meet one close up. But I have to admit a certain fascination with them. (Most Oklahoma kids think that the tornado sirens mean 'run outside and look for the tornado'! and when I mean kids I mean...me...!)

How fierce winds are created by a severe thunderstorm is so complex, and new information is coming in every year...it makes me realize how powerful and awesome our God must be. The fastest winds on earth were clocked in an Oklahoma F5 tornado, and yet our God is not impressed with our turbulent weather findings!

I wonder if He looks at our 'discoveries' and says, "Finally found that one, did you?" then waits in anticipation of us finding another one?

Job 38:22-30 (The Message)

Have you ever traveled to where snow is made,
seen the vault where hail is stockpiled,
The arsenals of hail and snow that I keep in readiness
for times of trouble and battle and war?
Can you find your way to where lightning is launched,
or to the place from which the wind blows?
Who do you suppose carves canyons
for the downpours of rain, and charts
the route of thunderstorms
That bring water to unvisited fields,
deserts no one ever lays eyes on,
Drenching the useless wastelands
so they're carpeted with wildflowers and grass?
And who do you think is the father of rain and dew,
the mother of ice and frost?
You don't for a minute imagine
these marvels of weather just happen, do you?

A Year of Blessing - April 21, 2010

2010-04-26T19:46:00.002-05:00

After having back surgery, I realized that this tent God loaned me had gotten quite heavy. So as soon as my doctor gave me the 'ok' I started back to Weight Watchers with Pete.

We did really good until the cooler months came around and the vegetable stands closed down...and I went into hibernation mode.

We are back on, again, and really enjoy eating good food that is good for us! I can't wait for the Farmer's Markets to open up so I can get some fresh veggies! Plus, now we have a group meeting at church on Wednesday nights and I have lots and lots of friends that I am seeing less and less of every Wednesday night!! They are a great encouragement!

And I have lost a full dress size! Got a bit to go, but my back is saying 'Thank you!' already!!

Matthew 5:6 (Message)

"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat."

A Year of Blessing - April 20, 201-

2010-04-26T17:16:00.003-05:00

Hannah and I got to have some Mema and granddaughter time. We don't often get to sneak off and play...just the two of us. But we managed some computer time and talking without interruption.

I grew up with boys...1 brother and 4 boy cousins made up my play group. My girl cousins all lived out of town and visited once a year, if that. Even when I had my own daughter, she was surrounded by 4 brothers and 2 boy cousins. Her girl cousins lived out of town too, and we only saw them occasionally. Now Hannah comes along and...she has 1 brother and 5 boy cousins close by. Her only girl cousin lives in California.

All of that to say what a precious blessing it is to have a granddaughter! And although I am much better at 'boy' type games, she is willing to teach me all the girl-stuff she knows!

2 Timothy 1:5 (New International Version)

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

A Year of Blessing - April 19, 2010

2010-04-26T16:46:00.003-05:00

The boys wanted to plant a vegetable garden and were so excited when Pete and I bought some storage tubs and put dirt in them!

Jake wanted to plant beans. So I explained how to make a mound of dirt in the first tub, poke his finger in the dirt, and plant a seed in the hole. He planted 5 seeds then we watered them. I told him it would take some time for them to grow and we would keep them watered every day.

Zack planted lettuce in the second tub. I showed him how to make rows in the dirt and carefully put the seeds in the row. Then I poured some of the tiny seeds in his hands. He promptly put them in the middle row...all in one spot...brushed his hands off and wanted to water them. I managed to plant some more in the rows and cover them with dirt before he got to the hose!

The next two tubs needed more dirt. We told the boys we were going to get more dirt at the store and showed them the three bell pepper plants and two tomato plant we would plant in them when we got back.

The boys were already in bed by the time we got back from Lowe's, so we planted the peppers and tomato's while there was still a bit of sunlight left. We finished up with watering all of them in the dark and felt blessed to share a bit of 'farmin' with the Jacob and Zach.

Early the next morning I was startled to hear Jacob screaming, "Daddy! They grew! The plants! They Grew! THEY GREW!"

I think I have a bit of explaining to do...

1 Corinthians 15:41-43 (The Message)

You will notice that the variety of bodies is stunning. Just as there are different kinds of seeds, there are different kinds of bodies—humans, animals, birds, fish—each unprecedented in its form. You get a hint at the diversity of resurrection glory by looking at the diversity of bodies not only on earth but in the skies—sun, moon, stars—all these varieties of beauty and brightness. And we're only looking at pre-resurrection "seeds"—who can imagine what the resurrection "plants" will be like!

This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body—but only if you keep in mind that when we're raised, we're raised for good, alive forever! The corpse that's planted is no beauty, but when it's raised, it's glorious. Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful. The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural—same seed, same body, but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality!

A Year of Blessing - April 18, 2010

2010-04-23T09:44:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to Kristi and Dad!!

What a blessing you both are!

Kristi: I love your strength in the Lord and your overcoming spirit! You are beautiful inside and out! You are a blessing to all those around you, and you teach, not only your students at school, but all the people that come into contact with you, that Jesus is the provider of your life. You live as an ambassador of Him. I love you, Kristi! (Dont tell Grandpa...but you are my favorite!)

Dad: You gave me life. You helped me grow. And although your life was not always an easy life, you have lived it with integrity and honesty. You inspire me with your love of learning, especially with your church family, and the joy you are gaining in the Lord is...well... just awesome! I love you, Dad! (Don't tell Kristi...but you are my favorite!)

Ephesians 3:20-21 (New International Version)

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

A Year of Blessing - April 17, 2010

2010-04-23T08:34:00.002-05:00

THIS moment was fun!

Being a grandparent brings out the better part of me. I love just watching my grandkids play and listening to what they have to say. They are much wiser than I was at their age.

And even though I still wish I could sit on the floor and play or run around and wrestle with them, God in His wisdom makes me quietly watch from the sidelines.

From this vantage point I can pray over them a prayer of victory. I can no longer pray a prayer of safety and comfort for them (as much as my grandmother instinct wants to!!). Safety and comfort are not guaranteed in this life. So I pray for them to joyfully conquer every terrible dart satan may throw at them. I pray for them to find true strength, true safety, and true comfort only in the Lord.

Oh the hope I have for my grandkids in the victory of Jesus!

1 Corinthians 15:56-58 (New International Version)

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

A Year of Blessing - April 16, 2010

2010-04-21T15:42:00.003-05:00

Pete and I found a place we would like to live. It is out 31st Street...as far as you can go! It is a lot overlooking a beautiful valley. It has mature oak trees covering about 1.4 acres of land. A house could be built in such a way as to catch the valley below in every window facing the back of the property. Imagine what that land would look like in the Fall or Winter! Too bad it cost an arm and a leg just to purchase the land...much less to build the house I'm thinking of!

So I will settle for a picture and a dream. Those are much easier on the pocket book!

Psalm 46:1,4,7,10a,11 (New International Version)

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

"Be still, and know that I am God;

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

A Year of Blessing - April 15, 2010

2010-04-21T14:58:00.003-05:00

I am privileged to do a very wonderful job at our church. I get to edit some of the church's worship and sermons. This means I go through a Sunday morning with a fine toothed comb. I hear every song and see every part of the service several times before a DVD or CD is complete. It is like worshiping in surround sound and 3-D...with the ability to push 'instant replay' whenever I want!

I see good things in our worship...and a few not so good. I hear good things in our worship...and a few not so good. Sometimes I cry, sometimes I laugh out loud, I sing along, and sometimes I cringe. I edit out what I can of the cringing moments and try to make the DVD better, in some ways, than the service.

It makes me wonder how God views our congregational worship of Him. I think His editing is absolutely perfect because He edits out the physical and looks into the heart of our worship. To Him we look and sound like His sons and daughters...absolutely beautiful, clothed in His Son, and singing in His Spirit.

John 4:23-24 (New International Version)

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

A Year of Blessing - April 14, 2010

2010-04-21T08:13:00.002-05:00

I am standing with Godly people: people who show me God inside themselves by their kindness; by their love in the work they do; with the gentle words they speak.

I am standing with God's ambassadors; God's holy priests; His anointed ones. I see the light of the Spirit in their eyes and the strength of the Lord in their joy.

They are running a good race and encouraging others like me along the way.

They are holy, set apart to do good works and they praise God.

They are doing the good job that God had planned for them before the world was made...and they are doing it well.

They have peace. They have patience. They are good, gentle people.

They walk in discipline as disciples of Christ.

They are my friends.

They are Christ to me.

Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

A Year of Blessing - April 13, 2010

2010-04-16T14:42:00.004-05:00

I really can't consider blessings without some reflection. Oh, I could move from 'thing' to 'thing' and call them blessing (because they are), but some blessings are not tangible. Meditation, for example. I am becoming a friend of meditation. I used to fight it...I don't have time to meditate; I'm not smart enough to meditate (yeah...stupid, huh); I fall asleep when I meditate (which I do, occasionally); and meditation sounds too radical and, well weird. Now before I give the wrong impression, I'm not talking about the 'sitting-cross-legged-reciting-ohmmmm' kind of meditation, just the kind of meditation that takes a scripture or truth about God, thinks about it, then allows God to speak that truth into my life circumstance.

For example: Romans 5:1-5. I started studying that scripture many years ago when I discovered that the Holy Spirit lives within me. And now I am still finding facets of God's truth in the same scriptures. Recently it is faith, hope, and love. Sounds like I Corinthians 13. So I compared them. Then in prayer and meditation I brought my 'findings' before God and ask His wisdom on what I discovered. I waited. Thoughts relating to different areas of my life are brought up, and I think of them in the light of the scripture, and faith, hope, and love. Then I choose the one thought that seems most pressing in my life and I lift it to God. Right now it is the hope that the pressure Pete is under at work will be lifted. I was almost afraid to hope for that relief because what if it doesn't happen? I would be SO disappointed! But the truth is 'hope' doesn't disappoint because God's love is poured out into my heart. In faith I stand in the grace of God and rejoice!

Throughout the day I am able to reflect on this truth and find strength in my Lord that would not have been there had I not taken the time to meditate and allow Him to quietly speak hope into my life.

What a blessing!

Romans 5:1-5 (New International Version)

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

A Year of Blessing - April 12, 2010

2010-04-16T09:13:00.005-05:00

Luke Skywalker. He was named before I got him, but with his whiney meow the name is appropriate. He is just one of many kitties I have had, the first one going back to when I was in first grade. His name was Snowball and he was solid white. He was the opposite of my Shetland pony, Blackout...which is another story altogether.

The next one was an inherited kitty by the name of Sonya. She would wake me up purring in my ear every morning. She stayed with my parents when I went to college and I never got her back.

Then there was Melanie. She was born on a farm in Arkansas and even though she was de-clawed she could climb trees and catch moles. She was given to my parents when we rented a place that didn't allow cats. But she was much happier in the country with them than in the city with us.

Sam was next. A HUGE Siamese. The vet called him 'maxie cat' because he was 22 pounds of solid cat. He would run through our house and make a leap on the back of our rocker only to knock it backwards on to the floor! Then he would fuzz up like it was attacking him. He got out of the backdoor one day and I never saw him again.

Next was Scrabble. A laid back Siamese that loved to get in the middle of anything I did. He got his name from climbing onto the Scrabble board as a kitten and knocking the pieces around the board in his own little game.

Scrabble was joined by Sassy, a Brindle Calico that my parents found abandoned on Green Leaf Creek. My dad, who swears he hates cats, who can't swim, and is terrified of snakes, heard Sassy on the banks of the creek. He waded weedy, snake infested, muddy, water of unknown depth, to rescue her out of a tree on the shore. David, my oldest son, was with him and my mom, and fed her coffee creamer and granola bars.

Scrabble and Sassy was joined by Simba, a grey tabby. She was a small compact cat but unfortunatly started having seizures. She lived about 8 years.

Scrabble and Sassy both lived to be 18 years old and were buried under some trees at my parents house. Scrabble in a casket made by my uncle. Sassy in a beautiful basket lined with a baby blanket.

That brings us back to Luke. He is my comfortable friend that I share with Pete. He has coffee-time with me every morning, follows me around during the day. He loves me unconditionally and doesn't know my faults. He is approaching Senior Citizen cat years and I know he will not stay with me forever.

My blessing? My feline friends, of course, but also the knowlege that life here is temporary. Yes, mortality is a blessing. A sobering one, but still a blessing. It is wonderful to think that some day I will shed this tent to soar in an eternal glorified body made by my Lord! Until then...I'm blessed here...with my kitty.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (New International Version)

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

A Year of Blessing - April 11, 2010

2010-04-15T08:18:00.003-05:00

I love the buildings of downtown Tulsa and the churches are my favorite. Some are simple and some ornate...tall and squat...colorful and monochrome...I'll stop before I sound like a Dr. Seuss book.

It's really neat to think of people gathering to worship in each of those buildings...but I didn't used to think that way. I used to think there was a right way to worship and a wrong way to worship God...and the closer I worshipped like the people of Acts the better God liked it. My worship had to be 'acceptable' to my God or it didn't count so I would have my check list ready to make sure I didn't forget to do something. Oh how very, very sad and fearful I was.

But the very number of churches are a clue as to what God is really all about. Each church lifting hearts to God in a tradition handed down through our culture. A culture made up of a melting pot of people from different countries. And a God of all cultures and continents. The people of Acts worshipped very differently than we do because they were a different culture, but rather than fight that fact, I take comfort in it! My God is bigger than any and all cultures combined! And He chooses to work and live in all.

I still have my check list, though. After all I have to make sure to do things 'right'. But there is only one thing on that check list now: the name of Jesus. Being in Him, I have no fear coming before my God in worship nor embracing others who do the same...and it doesn't matter if our 'buildings' are alike or not.

Romans 8:1-3 (New International Version)

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.

A Year of Blessing - April 10, 2010

2010-04-14T09:45:00.003-05:00

I LOVE garage sailing and junking with Pete! It is just one more thing I get excited about every Spring!!

We look through TONS of stuff that other people have decided to get rid of, and have seen everything from precious antiques to trash.

We have opinions about quite a bit of the stuff we find...what's good...what's bad...what exactly IS that?...

Once we held a competition: who could find the ugliest candle holder. We found candle holders made out of logs, lamps, shells, cups, dog bowls, turned wood, and an old stove. The competition ended in a tie.

Sometimes we have a goal. Right now it is to find inexpensive outdoor toys for the boys.

But the best part? We simply enjoy each other's company. A day of peeking into other people's trash to possibly find a treasure, but going home with the best treasure of all - each other.

Proverbs 3: 13-17 (New International Version)

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,

for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.

She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.

Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.

17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.

A Year of Blessing - April 9, 2010

2010-04-14T08:58:00.004-05:00

Daniel blessed Pete and me with a dinner at Ted's! The dinner was an unexpected gift, and a very sweet way of saying 'thank you' for opening our home to him and the boys. He called it a Parents Appreciation Dinner with an invitation to eat anything we wanted. His gratitude is evident everyday and we emphasis that our house IS his house right now. He is home, with the understanding that someday, he will move to a place that is his very own.

Home...waiting for a place of my own. That is how I view my life. I am living at home in a tent that God made for me. Living a life of growing into His son. With a purpose of doing good and giving glory to my King. Preparing for a wedding day with the Prince of Peace. Loving with His love. Living with His Life. Rejoicing in all He has given me! Knowing I will have a place of my own with Him some day!

I can't wait for next Sunday when I can have a Parent Appreciation Banquet with my brothers and sister to show Abba how grateful I am!!

John 14:2-4 (New International Version)

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.

(Again I am amazed how God has taken this blog...I was going to talk about the total OCD-ness of Daniel arranging the bowls of dip!!)

A Year of Blessing - April 8, 2010

2010-04-13T09:01:00.003-05:00

Zach has an ear infection and instinctively seeks comfort. So much so that when he was suppose to be taking a nap on the couch, he quietly snuck into my office and snuggled down near my chair. He slept on the floor, comforted by being close to another person.

Comfort. I like that word. It creates warm feelings and relaxes tight muscles. My soul longs for comfort and instinctively reaches out to my God creator. I follow that thread of comfort straight to the throne room of God where I can rest at His feet. Snuggled in warm love. Safe. Comforted.

Blessed comfort.

Psalm 23 (New International Version)

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

A Year of Blessing - April 7, 2010

2010-04-12T08:34:00.004-05:00

As I sat in a McDonald's drive thru, I noticed a pretty yellow tulip blooming all alone. It had been planted next to a very ugly pipe and really seemed out of place in that empty landscape. Yet it bloomed. With its God design built into it, the tulip continued to grow and flower even when the area around it look dead and ugly.

I continue to struggle against God in 'blooming' where He has put me. I really don't want to embrace the life of limitations! Yet here I am: Don't lift anything over 10 pounds; don't fall; don't run; don't drive; don't drink coffee (yeah...this one really hurts!); don't sit too long; don't stand too long...and on it seems to go. And after looking over that list, I just wish I had a sarcasm font! Seriously?!? When just a year ago I was hauling sod and chasing grandkids everywhere?

I feel just as out of place as that tulip. I am not used to being limited. I have things I would really, really like to do. I have things I put off to do later...and now I will never be able to do them. I grieve over what I have lost!

But, unlike the flower, I have a choice: to bloom or not to bloom. And the God designed joy within me say BLOOM! So I CHOOSE to spend the rest of the day growing within my limitations. I CHOOSE to look at the blessing of being alive and still able to see what I am typing, type what I am thinking! I know I'm not the one in control...and I relax into that thought. I am free to wonder how God will use me to bless others. Free to do the work He planned for me to do before the world was created. Limitations? What limitations!??! I live in Christ! And that is a beautiful life beyond imagination!

What a God I serve that can use the ugly to show how beautiful things really are!!

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (New International Version)

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

A Year of Blessing - April 6, 2010

2010-04-09T11:33:00.005-05:00

In my fast paced world it seems to be harder and harder to concentrate on the really important things of life: love and relationship. I find myself engrossed in the 'busy' to the exclusion of the people I love. I loose myself in the fictional, virtual world to ignore my pain in the real world. And in the process I teach those closest to me how to 'live'.

In a class on prayer, I learned the phrase 'wasting time with God'. The concept is a very anti-American concept of learning to let go of the busy-ness and sit in total concentration of the unseen. To all who would see me, it would seem I would be 'wasting my time' doing nothing. But in reality I would be listening to the mighty whisper of my Creator. And in His presence I learn the importance of myself and others. I learn God-love.

Then my blessing would have a picture of my children and grandchildren wasting time with God. I am learning.

1 Peter 4:7-8 (The Message)

Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God's words; if help, let it be God's hearty help. That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!

A Year of Blessing - April 5, 2010

2010-04-09T11:13:00.004-05:00

Jake learned to toss a Frisbee! He was fascinated with it taking flight and guiding it to Papa. Then he learned to catch it and it was even more fun!! They spent a long time in the backyard polishing up Jake's skill as a Frisbee thrower. (Although the next day, he couldn't remember 'Frisbee' and wanted to throw the 'Hockey Puck'!!)

Learning is a blessing we take for granted too many times. A friend of mine works as a special education teacher in the public school system. She has stories of the children she loves that warm and sometime break my heart. She has a range of kids from kindergarten to fifth grade. Some can talk, others can't. Some can sit in a chair, some have to be held down. Some color, some eat the crayons. Some draw, some scribble. Some play on the playground, some eat the rocks on the playground. She is diligent and loving in her teaching and guiding even when she comes out with cuts, scrapes, and bruises from the very children she loves and teaches. Her joy in her teaching shines with the light that only Jesus could give her!

So, Vicki, you are my blessing today. I tried to get a picture of you, but my phone didn't get your 'best' side. I will have to bring my big camera to capture such a huge personality! I love you, dear. Thank you for showing me the Spirit in all you do!

Ephesians 5:1-2 (New International Version)

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

A Year of Blessing - April 4, 2010

2010-04-09T09:40:00.005-05:00

Easter! The kids and adults alike love Easter! We hid eggs in the yard (in plain sight since we really don't have a lot of things in our new backyard yet) and the kids ran like crazy to find them! It didn't matter if they were older kids, or the youngest one, they ran to find as many as they could find. The adults? Cheered, laughed, and encouraged them on! It was as much fun for the spectators as it was for the searchers!!

The young, with all their energy, searched for eggs with surprises inside them. Zach, the youngest, expected candy. When he found a sticker instead, he threw the egg down and reached to open another in search of his 'expectation'. The more mature older kids, would look, gather their loot into a pile, find something that attracted them. Some liked the stickers, others found pipe cleaners and began to decorate the eggs with them or make animals out of them...creating really cool stuff to show the adults. Zach came around and watched them, and soon found the stickers were really cool because he knew what to do with them...decorate the furniture!

The adults encourage them with ooo's and ahhh's over their pipe cleaner creations, or with guiding them to decorate paper instead of furniture with the stickers. The day was a lot of loving fun and it didn't matter what your age was!

As a young person I was a lot like Zach. I persued my expecations of life, tossing out what I presumed was bad and keeping the good. As I grew older I allowed God to take the good and bad I had learned before, and use it to create my life in Christ. It was only then that I grew closer to HIS expectation and further from mine. And only then did I discover what a blessing He had ready when I allowed Him to lead my expectations!! He has Life...real Life...hidden in plain sight in the empty tomb!

It is so cool to grow in God. He allows us the freedome of choice to seek our expectations, with the Spirit guiding us to the best 'stuff'. As an adult (I heard that snicker!) I love cheering, laughing, and encouraging those younger than me. And I am learning to listen for the cheer, laughter, and encouragement of those older than me. Hmmm...I wonder if my spirit hears those that cheer from heaven? That's cool! So very cool!

Hebrews 12:1-3 (New International Version)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

A Year of Blessing - April 3, 2010

2010-04-09T09:02:00.002-05:00

The rains came down and the flowers came up! (I know that is NOT the way the Vacation Bible School song goes, but for Spring blogging it seemed appropriate!) I am amazed at the intricate functioning of our world. I am not a science major or minor. Just a homemaker that appreciates God beauty in His creation and the way He made all things interactive with each other. Dependent on each other.

He wrote examples in the Bible of the interdependence of the human body and then equated the church, those who are in Christ, to be intricately functioning as would a human body, as the world He created does. A rhythm of life. A song played together on many instruments or with many voices. All in harmony. Beautiful when all parts blend and move as one song, but when a note or chord is sung or played that doesn't belong or is a bit off the whole...the WHOLE song is thrown off. Whether a little or a lot, the whole song suffers.

Just as in one body in Christ, when one suffers, we all suffer. But rather than try to eliminate that suffering, why don't I as a person, or we as a church, embrace that suffering as part of our lives. Move it into our center and allow Christ through us to heal it and use it with His power of faith and grace from the cross. What was meant to ruin a beautiful melody then becomes the grace notes of a bigger, better, tighter harmony, than it would ever have been if the suffering had not occurred.

Any who sing with a group knows how hard tight harmonies are. How the voice, hearing, heart, and mind ache right before a discord resolves into harmony. Oh but the beauty of the song because of the resolve!!!

I rejoice in the discords of life for I know that my Lord will be resolving any and all of the suffering I endure with His power. Not the power of force, but the power of grace. His intricate, interactive grace notes, resolving my life into His song.

Romans 5:1-5 (New International Version)

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

A Year of Blessing - April 2, 2010

2010-04-08T22:20:00.004-05:00

Thunderstorms in Spring are expected in Oklahoma. This one was a beautiful, fresh, and welcome one. It meant I didn't have to water the lawn after we had weed control pre-emergent put on it! Hey! Some blessing are just...simple, convenient, obvious! Like thunderstorms in Spring, in Oklahoma!

And the only scripture that came to mind:

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (New International Version)

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven

April 1, 2010

2010-04-06T03:17:00.004-05:00

April first! I have completed three months of blogging! That is a feat for me. I struggle with any type of journaling and for me to write my thoughts for three months amazes me.

But today is also amazing. It is a day in the middle of Passover week. One of the roots of my faith in God is connected to the Passover feast, the Seder.

In years past, the feast was the highlight of my year. Yes year. During all of the very strict ritual of the feast, I was brought closer to my Messiah, my Lord, in each of the symbolic acts. I became a participant in an event that happened almost 2000 years ago. The Seder involves all of my senses: Hearing the blessings of God and stories of freedom, seeing the candlelight and food prepared with great intent, the washing of the hands and the touching of the wine to the plate in representation of the horrible plagues on Egypt, smelling the pungent bitter herb and horseradish of slavery and the sweet of the charoset of freedom, and, of course, the tasting. Tasting each of the foods representing the passage from slavery into freedom, taking it in with all of my senses. Making it a part of me.

Then understanding that my savior took this meal, with all of the ritual representations of his life and death. He then fulfilled each, including the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, the giving of His own life...for me. For all. And moved me from bitter slavery to sin, to the sweetness of forgiveness and a life of victory! I will never be the same again.

Remember Christ's Passover words...Easter is coming!

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (The Message)

Let me go over with you again exactly what goes on in the Lord's Supper and why it is so centrally important. I received my instructions from the Master himself and passed them on to you. The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. Having given thanks, he broke it and said,

This is my body, broken for you.
Do this to remember me.
After supper, he did the same thing with the cup:
This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you.
Each time you drink this cup, remember me.

What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt.

March 31, 2010

2010-04-02T13:08:00.003-05:00

I was planning my normal 'calender' shot for the end of the month, but was interrupted by a Mockingbird singing his extensive medley of songs from the rooftop of our neighbors house. The wind was blowing so hard that he would move down the roof a bit followed by moving right back to the top! A very determined bird! With a song to sing!

Singing the songs He gives in the winds or the storms of life gives grace to those around. A grace from God that gives strength to those who sing. Sing on!

Isaiah 12:1-4 (The Message)

And you will say in that day,
"I thank you, God.
You were angry
but your anger wasn't forever.
You withdrew your anger
and moved in and comforted me.
Yes, indeed—God is my salvation.
I trust, I won't be afraid.
God—yes God!—is my strength and song,
best of all, my salvation!"

Joyfully you'll pull up buckets of water
from the wells of salvation.
And as you do it, you'll say,
"Give thanks to God.
Call out his name.
Ask him anything!
Shout to the nations, tell them what he's done,
spread the news of his great reputation!"

A Year of Blessing - March 30, 2010

2010-04-02T11:43:00.004-05:00

I warned you about flower blogs in Spring! And here's another. Jacob came out with me to look at the flowers. He is facinated how they come up out of the ground and then grow buds and then flowers. But in his 5 year old understanding he ask me "Mema, what's up with that one?" pointing to the bush on the left. He wanted to know why it didn't have flowers...in essence, what was WRONG with it.

In explaining that some plants take longer to flower than others, I started thinking how time comes into play with plants. They require the right time of year to bloom and grow. The right amount of time growing to produce leaves and buds and blooms. At one moment they look like dead sticks with sallow yellow leaves, then more growth occurs and the leaves are greened, but only at the right time will the flower appear. Not before its time, and not after its time. Only at the RIGHT time.

Looking at Jacob, I can imagine the man he will become...at the right time.

So why is it that I can understand all about timing of plant and people growth, but miss God's spiritual growth timing? I am impatient when it comes to spiritual growth: wanting to bloom with patience before I grow in patience, wanting to bloom with wisdom before I grow in wisdom, wanting to bloom with kindness before I grow in kindness, and on I could go. I expect to be able to spiritually bloom before budding occurs, bud before growth, and grow in the middle of a spiritual winter!

I think it all starts with the seed (duh!). But right beside the seed in importance is the planting. My friend, Terry, uses this illustration at funerals sometimes. The seed must be planted and die before the beauty of the plant and flower are seen. So it is in death. The body is buried in the ground, with the assurance of the resurrection in Christ, to become like Him. But so it is in life right now! The seed of Christ is planted in our earthly body, His Spirit in us, and as we die to self, His Spirit grows from the inside out! To produce the shoot, leaf, bud and bloom of the Spirit, and ultimately the fruit...at just the right time.

So I will continue to keep watering and nurturing His Spirit in me...and quit asking God "What's up with that?"

Galatians 6:7-8 (The Message)

Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

A Year of Blessing - March 29, 2010

2010-04-01T16:40:00.004-05:00

Someone left me a message on my desk. It is a precious message, one that holds great love and adoration. It is a message that warms my heart and brings a tear to my eye. It is beautiful. It is kind. It is from my grandson.

Many times I miss the blessing because of the simplicity. I expect greatness and complexity to hold the most meaning, but the opposite is true. It is in the simple that I can accept myself as who I am, and can accept others as who they are. I try to hide behind a mask of beauty, intelligence, rightness: but the truth is I am none of these. Strip them all away and I am simple: not beautiful, but nice looking in my own way; not intelligent, but I study hard to grasp as much as I can; the only rightness I have was given to me by Christ. Pretty simple, eh?

But God intended it to be that way and I am satisfied with it. He looks at His creation as a Creator. It was simple to Him to make me, though it cost Him much. And because he knows me inside and out I can relax in who I am. He left me a simple message to live by: love. Love God. Love myself. Love others. That's it. Kind of a stick-figure life, isn't it? But precious. A life that warms the heart of The Creator, that is beautiful and kind. A life lived as the daughter of the King.

Micah 6:7-8 (The Message)

How can I stand up before God
and show proper respect to the high God?
Should I bring an armload of offerings
topped off with yearling calves?
Would God be impressed with thousands of rams,
with buckets and barrels of olive oil?
Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child,
my precious baby, to cancel my sin?

But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don't take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.

A Year of Blessing - March 28, 2010

2010-03-29T15:36:00.004-05:00

Aha! Caught ya! This is the ornery culprit eating my flowers! Isn't he cute?!?!

Yeah. I think this is a love/hate relationship here.

Now what kind of blessing is this? It is one of letting go of perfectionism...and I'm just gonna let it go. So eat up me hardy! The garden will just have to grow some more flowers to keep up!

Psalm 119:96-97 (New Living Translation)

Even perfection has its limits,
but your commands have no limit.

Oh, how I love your instructions!
I think about them all day long.

A Year of Blessing - March 27, 2010

2010-03-29T14:45:00.004-05:00

I think I know how Timothy must have felt in the presence of Paul. Trying to absorb every word and all the wisdom Paul was giving. Timothy must have felt exhausted and elated. He must have been a great student, though, to have received the praise Paul gave to him in the letters of I and II Timothy.

That is where I hope to be with Liz Pence. She has more wisdom in her pinkie finger than I have in...well...wherever my wisdom is stored. She comes with accolades like Paul, of the suffering she has endured. And like him, she says it is all worth it. She teaches as one being taught by God and praises Him for having a message from her mess. And, with the mercy and grace that God gives me, I hope to learn from her...as Timothy learned from Paul.

1 Timothy 12-14,18-19a (New International Version)

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience.

A Year of Blessing - March 26, 2010

2010-03-29T14:00:00.004-05:00

The Tulsa Workshop...wow what a blessing! I cannot tell you how long I have been going to it. I remember being in the bus ministry at our church in Ft. Gibson and riding the bus back and forth to Tulsa to go. That was in the early 1970's. I remember Jimmy Allen preaching. I remember Just As I Am being sung...over and over sometimes. I remember crowds going forward and spending another hour going through responses. I remember controversies that I didn't understand at the time. I remember friends and family meeting for lunch. All of what I remember is, in my mind, positive.

When we started attending Memorial Drive Church 20 years ago, the Soul Winning Workshop as it was called then, was shared by Memorial and Garnett and we were pretty much loners when it came to working it. But with any living thing, (and the Tulsa Workshop is alive with Christ's spirit) growing pains were endured, maturing happened, changes occurred, until it is what God has made it today: a place of worship, renewal, education, fellowship, growth, acceptance for who and where we are in Christ. It is where we get together to tell what God is doing, with anticipation for what He will do next.

I am privileged to be asked to volunteer my time working at many different areas in the workshop. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for that opportunity. I see God at work in the faces of the people around me. And I praise Him. Oh how beautiful the body of Christ is!

Ephesians 4:11-13 (New International Version)

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

A Year of Blessing - March 25, 2010

2010-03-29T10:35:00.003-05:00

Photography is becoming a passion for me. And I guess this picture could represent how 'nutty' I am! God has allowed me to bless people with a snapshot of their lives, and in turn, it blesses me even more.

Some of the pictures I have are of people who have gone on live with Christ: Jimmy Sizemore, Bill Logan, Ed Hammons, Garrett Henley, General Gillespy, Linda Deckman, and those have become priceless. Jimmy and his quiet demeanor gave my daughter encouragement when Ethan was born with a cleft palate; Bill and his solid presence and warm hugs; Ed and his constant hunger for the Word of God; Garrett, gone too quickly; General, a leader in truth; Linda, giver, helper, loved kids. But I wonder if they look down at my collection as a butterfly might look at a worm. They are clothed in the glory of the Son of God now...and my photos are pictures of their tents here on earth. It's is like comparing cut diamonds to a lump of coal!

And here I thought I was going to talk about my blessing of photography, and wound up discussing the glorious saints of God. What a blessing!

1 Corinthians 15:50-52 (New International Version)

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

A Year of Blessing - March 24, 2010

2010-03-29T09:41:00.002-05:00

My mom gave me cash for my birthday because...well...I couldn't think of a good gift she could get me. I truly am blessing! So Workshop rolled around and I realized I didn't have a solid colored shirt to wear for the Memorial praise team (for the women of the team, what to wear is second only to practicing the songs...). Pete and I looked at all of my normal discount haunts and found a few nice shirts to buy with my birthday money but the only solid color was black. The backdrop is black so that wouldn't work.

The day before we were to lead worship, the Angel of Extreme Discounts, namely Brenda, swoops in and helps me find not one but FIVE solid color beautiful shirts! She was my hero for the day!

Thank you, Brenda! You are much more than a friend, you are my spiritual sister! And my favorite!

2 Corinthians 9:8-15 (The Message)

God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,

He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.

Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians. It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God. This relief offering is a prod to live at your very best, showing your gratitude to God by being openly obedient to the plain meaning of the Message of Christ. You show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone. Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they'll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need. Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough!

A Year of Blessing - March 23, 2010

2010-03-23T10:36:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Jacob ran into the house quite distraught. "Mema! The flowers are all laying on the ground! Can you pump them up again?!?!"

The snow had melted and left the daffodills quite wilted. He was not happy when I told him they couldn't be 'pumped up', and we would have to see if new ones would bloom. I do not have a green thumb or I could have told him to wait a day and they would 'pump' themselves up...for here they are, beginning to stand on their own again as if yesterday was just a time for rest!

Thank you God for showing me the difference a day can make! I can't wait until Jake gets home!

1 Peter 1:21-25 (The Message)

Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It's because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.

Now that you've cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God's living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That's why the prophet said,

The old life is a grass life,
its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers;
Grass dries up, flowers droop,
God's Word goes on and on forever.
This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.

A Year of Blessing - March 22, 2010

2010-03-23T10:01:00.002-05:00

I love new things and, being married to a computer guru, getting a new computer is like bringing home a new baby...without the nighttime feedings! I was blessed with a new laptop (notebook...whatever they are calling them now!) to help out with video and photo editing...and blogging, of course! I now have the choice of where I work and I love it! Sunshine? There I am! Comfy chair? I'm there! Outside? Yep, there too!!

Oh and my computer's name? Miss Bea, from Beatrix...Latin for 'blessing'.

Revelation 21:4-5 (New International Version)

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"

A Year of Blessing - March 21, 2010

2010-03-22T11:50:00.004-05:00

There was a time when I didn't go to church. My mom was a Christian. My dad was not. And many times my dad's plans didn't take into account that my mom might want to go to church. And many times my mom was just too tired. I didn't know any better. It was normal for me to go, or not to go. That was just the way it was.

I always went Vacation Bible School and to Camp when I was old enough. I raised half of my own money for camp and my mom always pitched in the rest with extra for the canteen so I wouldn't starve. (Camp food was always good, but the candy and pop from the canteen was a treat!) At camp I learn that I wanted to go to heaven and be with Jesus, and was baptized not to go to hell. My dad was very angry when I got home, and I was allowed to play at my cousins for 2 hours while my mom talked with him. Later, the preacher came and talked to my daddy and he was baptized too. He was very strict from that time on and we never missed going to church, ever.

I was a teenager when I was baptized again. I was old enough to know what sin was, and that I had sinned. My mom was very happy to see me baptized. She was sad not to see the first time. My dad hugged me but said nothing.

Later, though, I found and accepted the grace and mercy God has planned for His children. The family above taught me that a life in Christ was more than not going to hell or having your sins forgiven, it was a life filled with joy, a life of wonder in Jesus, a life that God was so involved in, that every breath taken was a gift from Him to be cherished! Church is not a place we attend to stay right with God, it is a body that has been redeemed BY God. It is the body of Christ that is alive and exciting and working. It is the body that praises and gives glory to the Father that created it. It is a fellowship of love. The church is a necessary part of a victorious life being lived by a plan made before time. A plan that reaches out to a world of darkness with the light of grace, of mercy, and of Life beyond measure.

Now THAT is a blessing, my friends!

Hebrews 4:15-16 (New International Version)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

A Year of Blessing - March 20, 2010

2010-03-22T11:23:00.003-05:00

Today is the first day of Spring!!!! If you have read my other posts you already know how I have anticipated this day! I have been waiting for the warmer days, sunshine, flowers, and...snow?? Wait a minute! I did NOT order snow for the first day of Spring! It is cold! The wind is blowing like crazy! and it is SNOWING! Not at all what I had in mind for today!

Isn't that just like life? My expectations are of one thing...happiness, health, or wealth...and life gives me dreary days, sickness, and less and less money. Then I get snow on the first day of Spring!

Thankfully my life is not ruled by my emotions! Thankfully I don't have to be happy to be joyful! Thankfully I know a Father that can make the first to be last, and the last, first. God has always snickered at my expectations. So why not Snow on the first day of Spring! Maybe we will have flowers on the first day of Winter! Whatever happens, I know my expectations will have NOTHING to do with it! and that is just...like...God!...and I love it!!

Mark 10:26-31 (New International Version)

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"

"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

A Year of Blessing - March 19, 2010

2010-03-22T10:42:00.003-05:00

Looking at this picture I am reminded of a giant monster with glowing eyes. It is really St. Francis Hospital at night. Pete and I had been there to visit a good friend that had a lung collapse and wound up being a guest at the hospital for a few days. Another good friend of mine is his nurse. It was amusing to watch one friend taking care of another and listening to them talk like they were family members rather than professional to patient.

God's family is like that. When one member is hurting, we all hurt. We take turns being the patient and the caregiver. Our love is made perfect in our weaknesses and it shows in our actions to one another!

I love my Spirit family!!

Romans 12:4-5 (New International Version)

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

A Year of Blessing - March 18, 2010

2010-03-22T10:07:00.003-05:00

It used to bother me when my kids would enter the house and start shedding: backpacks in the entry, coat tossed on the stairs, shoes and socks in the living room.

It doesn't bother me so much now. Now it is a reminder of what I am shedding in my life: anger, spite, hate, impatience, unrest, hurry, want, disorder and discord. Things that are the grave clothes of mortality.

But in the shedding of the earthly, I must remember to put on the eternal. Things that are important to God and allow me to live a life of victory: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness...the clothing of the Spirit of Christ.

I love finding blessings in the mess!

Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

A Year of Blessing - March 17, 2010

2010-03-22T08:55:00.005-05:00

The power of words. With words God spoke the world into being. Jesus was called The Word and showed His power through meekness, mercy and salvation. With words actions are initiated and set into motion. With words people are encouraged or destroyed. Words are never idle. They are always active. Words are power-filled!

Think about the words that impact you life. Some of them are remembered from childhood: You're so smart (or dumb); Wow you're tall! (or short!); You're really pretty! (or really ugly!). Some are more recent: You're hired! (Sorry, you didn't get the job.); You're pregnant! (You will never have children.); I love you! (I hate you!).

All words have power and should come with a caution: Use wisely, can be fatal to others.

But the wise usage of words can be...wonderful!! I have been blessed with people in my life that have not only given me words of encouragement, but shown me how to become an encourager. Others have shown me the avenue of prayer...words brought before the very throne God to initiate holy power into any and all of the situations in our lives.

The big trick is remembering to use the good, wholesome, building-up kind of words! The words of blessing.

Proverbs 18:20-21 (New International Version)

From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled;
with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.

The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

A Year of Blessing - March 16, 2010

2010-03-17T10:53:00.003-05:00

I'm starting this post completely without knowing where it will go. The picture is one of Jeremy with an origami dinosaur that Pete had made. Pete has done origami since before I met him and has fascinated children, waitresses and many other people with his small paper gifts. Jeremy found this one on our entry table and asked if he could have it. He was so sweet in his request that I texted Pete and asked. Of course he could have it was the reply, and with a gracious 'thank you', Jeremy was off in a world of paper dinosaurs roaring and jumping! Amazing how such a little thing can mean so much.

Now for the unknown. I was hit today with quite a few 'issues' that are facing my family. 'Issues' meaning people problems. We are all in recovery from two divorces in the past year, and the fallout from that really...well...hurts. There are times I am stuck in the middle between the younger generation telling me all that I have to deal with, and the older telling me what I should be doing about it. My focus is, and will remain, what God wants me to think and do. But I am feeling a bit Jonah-ish. I don't want to think and do what God wants. Right now I am...mad. There I said it. I am angry in all the horrible terrible ways that anger is. Angry that my family has been torn apart. Angry that adults can't grow up and see what their immaturity does to the children involved. Angry that I was even called to bear this burden.

Mad. Angry. I'm sure you get it. Satan is a jerk...And I DO love all the people involved. Each and every one of them! And I know I am not perfect; and the field is a level one when it comes to sin. We all all redeemed, forgiven, given mercy and grace we don't deserve.

Origami. I am like the paper in origami. Flat, two dimensional, until God picks me up...and crease by painful crease, fold by weary fold, He makes me into something of more that three dimensions. Something that becomes more than me. Something that is included in a world of unseen forces, to be used by the hand of God Himself to roar and jump on the devils plans with a holy stomp of love.

I was not expecting this conclusion when I started. But there it is. The blessing in the bad. God is good, so good to me. Thank you , Father, for forgiving me, and using the little I have.

Isaiah 54:9-10 (New International Version)

"To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.
So now I have sworn not to be angry with you,
never to rebuke you again.

Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,"
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

A Year of Blessing - March 15, 2010 cont.

2010-03-17T09:56:00.002-05:00

This is a continuation of my previous post. My dear friend, Brenda, decided to bring a cake to my house and celebrate my grandmother's birthday with me! I was SO excited I forgot to take a picture of the cake before we devoured it! Brenda even was polite enough to look at a picture I had of grandma and listen to some of the funny stories I had to tell. Grandma would have loved you, Brenda, talk about a blessing...you are huge blessing! Thank you!

Proverbs 17:17 (New International Version)

A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.

A Year of Blessing - March 15, 2010

2010-03-15T15:47:00.003-05:00

This picture was taken March 15, 2006 and I honor my dear grandmother with this post today. This was Bonnie Kirkwoods last birthday celebration here on Earth and although it has been four years since her death, I miss her more today than ever. Oh the regrets of not taking more time to spend with her. Oh how I miss the times I did spend with her. She was a piece of my life, someone that was always there. I wish she could just tell me one more time about her garden, her birds, her dog, her life. I love that she lived simply. It is something I strive for now.

But my oldest grandchild is also in the picture and we were also celebrating his birthday! The Grand with the grand. A generation before me, and the one after me. Oh may I give my grandchildren some of what my grandmother gave me. A love of God, a love of life, a love of simple things, and the knowledge that we will all be together again, with no regrets, and having birthday parties for eternity!

Happy Birthday, Grandma! Happy Birthday, Nate! I dearly love you both!

Ephesians 3:19-21 (The Message)

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

A Year of Blessing - March 14, 2010

2010-03-15T15:32:00.003-05:00

Dear Daylight Savings Time,

I have missed you! And although I lost an hour of sleep early this morning, I have found some precious daylight hours to spend with my beloved husband and grandchild. We walked down the street in your later-houred sunshine looking for whatever we could find. We found ducks. Ducks waiting to be fed the breadcrumbs and cheerios we brought. Sweet sweet memories you have given me, dear DST. I just wish you would stay year 'round!!

Sincerely, your sun-starved friend.

Ecclesiastes 11:7-8 (The Message)

Oh, how sweet the light of day,
And how wonderful to live in the sunshine!
Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted.
Take delight in each light-filled hour,
Remembering that there will also be many dark days
And that most of what comes your way is smoke.

A Year of Blessing - March 13, 2010

2010-03-15T15:10:00.003-05:00

A good friend let me iron her laundry and she is paying me for it! I love it! Getting paid for something my kids used to make fun of me for doing! They used to call me the Little Chinese Laundry Lady because it seemed that I was ALWAYS doing laundry of some sort: sorting, washing, drying, ironing or putting it away, only to start all over again! Now I'm paying off some bills with my new found 'income'. What a sense of humor God has! Showing me that what I used to despise can be used to get out of, and stay out of debt!! (Dave Ramsey would be proud.)

But I think my politically correct title should be Gravitationally Challenged Oriental American Clothes Management and Refurbishing Technician!

Psalm 51:1-10 (The Message)

Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I've been;
my sins are staring me down.

You're the One I've violated, and you've seen
it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
whatever you decide about me is fair.
I've been out of step with you for a long time,
in the wrong since before I was born.
What you're after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,
scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don't look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

A Year of Blessing - March 12, 2010

2010-03-15T14:29:00.002-05:00

Ever have a moments of just craziness? The good kind, where everything you see is great fun! Today is like that. The air has the smell of spring in it.

I saw a rabbit eating my precious flowers and laughed. I would eat flowers if I were a rabbit! They are pretty!

The birds are beginning to come back and I saw a Robin and that reminds me of my third grade art teacher. She taught me what the birds were called and we all wanted to draw a Robin because it meant...you guessed it...Spring was close.

My huge cat stretched out in a tiny ray of sunshine. Ri-di-cu-lous!!!

Texting verses of a song to a friend which she in turn sends me one back. They weave a message of encouragement back and forth. We called it Spirit code!

Today is a day to celebrate. Yesterday is gone...can't do it again. Tomorrow isn't here yet...can't count on it. So celebrate today! And breathe in the fun and exhale the blessing of a day full of craziness!!

Proverbs 15:30 (The Message)

A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart,
and good news makes you feel fit as a fiddle.

A Year of Blessing - March 11, 2010

2010-03-11T13:59:00.002-06:00

I KNOW! I KNOW! The first day of Spring isn't until the 20th! I know!! But I can't help but celebrate it NOW! There are purple mini pansies all in bloom in my garden and now the first daffodil! That indicates Spring in my book! (I'm doing my happy dance!!)

But... my mind goes to the struggle I have had all morning. I often feel I have no great skill, talent, gift...that God could use. I know a little about a lot of things. But not a lot about anything. I go through my days, it seems, going from one project to another depending on the people around me to make it right.

My computer tech is Pete. He make my computer do what I want it to. Mostly. It still won't clean the kitchen. Then there is Jack. He makes my attempts at videography look good. Very good. But if it weren't for these two sweethearts in my life I couldn't do any of the things that I have a great time doing!

I love to embroider. I love photography. Both I know just enough about to do small things for people.

I can clean house, cook, and do laundry. But all of these could be done by other family members as well as I do them.

The glimmer of a thought that started to form when I began this post was that I, and maybe all of us, are in the beginning stages of everything when it comes to God. Like my flowers, taking their time to poke their heads through the ground, struggle to grow big enough, then the bud, then the bloom: Am I still in the ground? Does God view my life as I struggle to grow in Him? And as I push through the stuff of life, does He wait in expectation for the next stage of growth? Am I budding? Starting to bloom?

I have no great skill, talent, gift...but I DO know this. I am not where I was 20 years ago. I am not where I was 10 years ago! I am not where I was last year or last month!! I am always learning about Him and the wonder-filled life around me. I will always know just a little about a lot of things. But I hope it looks like Spring is almost here to Him...in my life. (I wonder if He has a happy dance...)

Psalm 52:7-9 (New International Version)

"Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!"

But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love
for ever and ever.
I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

A Year of Blessing - March 10, 2010

2010-03-10T15:08:00.003-06:00

Zach wasn't feeling good today so he and Daddy got to stay home. They played, read, worked puzzles and did some chores. While he was watching a movie and his dad was working on the computer, I mentioned that it was raining. Forgotten was his sickness! He ran out of the door only to stop on the front step. He looked down at the wet drips of rain that had just started. And he stared, fascinated with the way the water changed the sidewalk from light color to a darker color. We had to pull him inside when it started raining harder. He would have just stood in it and gotten wet watching the change of the concrete.

I love the reminders of newness. Rain to me meant achy bones and more potholes in the road. But to Zach it was a wonderful, outdoor experience that somehow transformed a common sidewalk into something better than a movie! May I never grow up to the point of forgetting the wonder of it all.

Psalm 9:1-2 (The Message)

I'm thanking you, God, from a full heart, I'm writing the book on your wonders.
I'm whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy;
I'm singing your song, High God.

A Year of Blessing - March 9, 2010

2010-03-10T14:41:00.004-06:00

Many people talk about spending time with God early in the morning. I love mine. It is a special time with just me and my Maker. I don't do the same thing every day: Sometimes I study, sometimes sing, sometimes journal, always pray, sometimes just wait, listening for His quiet answer. It is my strength time, and I feel lost without it. It is my spiritual vitamin that, when taken everyday, keeps me healthy and strong inside.

It is amazing how many times I have studied verses, or written down my meandering thoughts, only to find someone else has been studying or thinking something similar. If I wake with a song (which I always do!) the message of the song is like a thread in my day, weaving thought to thought, person to person, God to us. He's amazing! It's another one of those things about Him! How does He do that...except as our God!

Psalm 27:3-5 (The Message)

When besieged,
I'm calm as a baby.
When all hell breaks loose,
I'm collected and cool.

I'm asking God for one thing,
only one thing:
To live with him in his house
my whole life long.
I'll contemplate his beauty;
I'll study at his feet.

That's the only quiet, secure place
in a noisy world,
The perfect getaway,
far from the buzz of traffic.

A Year of Blessing - March 8, 2010

2010-03-09T16:15:00.003-06:00

It's....almost....SPRING!

I'm thinking that God must enjoy watching us patiently (?) anticipating... Like me watching the flowers out front. Waiting. Waiting for the first one to have a bud. Waiting. Waiting for the flower...

Maybe that's what Jesus Messiah is feeling. Waiting for one more seed of the Word to be planted. Waiting. Waiting for one more person to know Him. Waiting. Waiting for the Father to say....

Revelation 21:1-5 (New International Version)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"

A Year of Blessing - March 7, 2010

2010-03-09T15:50:00.002-06:00

Friends are hard to come by...at least for me. So I cherish the friendship that has developed between this sweet lady and me! Linda is a tiny woman with a giant heart for people. Her enthusiasm is contagious. Her smile is too! But for all of that, I have had the privilege of knowing some of her hurts, struggles, and weaknesses. For that I love her all the more.

I wonder why it is that I feel I have to wear my pretty mask, saying pretty things, doing pretty jobs and never let anyone see how I really am? I just finished a study on fear, and I have to say that that is my answer. I fear people knowing the ugly me. But when I do open up and allow them to see, something wonderful happens. My ugliness is swallowed up by His beauty. And it brings me closer to the relationship Christ died to give me. One that is full of love and acceptance.

Thank you, Linda.

Proverbs 17:17 (The Message)

Friends love through all kinds of weather,
and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.

(Now..about that guitar in the church....)

A Year of Blessing - March 6, 2010

2010-03-09T08:28:00.002-06:00

This photo falls very very short of the actual event. This benign announcement didn't tell of the life changing, heart wrenching, soul awakening message dear Liz Pense had. It didn't say that I would be reduced to tears only to be made totally aware of God's power and love! A redeeming love! It doesn't even hint that her message would give me a simple grammar tool that transforms my situation...any situation really, into a God event. It didn't say that I would be having discussions and conversations with family members, friends and some total strangers about the way God took this total atheistic woman and brought her to the point of total, abandoned dependence on the creator of all things.

No, the printed page fell far short in describing the day...but then even the Bible couches huge events in subtle terms..."In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Think about it. Roaring atoms of stuff coming together in spectacular pyrotechnic explosions? God created. And in the midst of all that event, God was thinking of us...me...and how I would be trying desperately to convey the wonder of His plan for all mankind. He, God, Father coaches his acts in such simple terms, but they have such life changing, life giving meaning for all his children! Oh that I could make a message that could truly give God the glory He is due!

Oh, wait! It would probably look like Liz Pense! And His glory is not written on the paper announcement but on a heart redeemed! Like your heart. Like my heart. Like Liz's heart! Be blessed today with the wonder of God!!

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 (New International Version)

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

A Year of Blessing - March 5, 2010

2010-03-08T15:23:00.003-06:00

I was able to do some embroidery work today! Now that doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is. Since my back surgery, I have been limited on quite a few things. Quite a few things that I really enjoy doing! This is one of them. The last time I tried (a few months ago) it was a very painful labor of love. Today it was lovely! No pain. A little stiff, but I can work through that.

Healing is so fascinating! Just when I am stuck and ready to give up, God comes through showing me my patience is worth it! Bit by bit. Little by little. From glory to glory. That's how He works. I'm so glad He doesn't do everything my way. Life just wouldn't be as sweet!

2 Corinthians 3:18 (King James Version)

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

A Year of Blessing - March 4, 2010

2010-03-08T15:10:00.003-06:00

I love it! The temperature is 60 degrees! I am out and about without a coat! If I could dance, I would! Winter is on it's way out, and Spring is just around the corner. And, no, I haven't forgotten about my post yesterday...but I still like warmer weather...and have plenty of other things besides cold weather that I dislike!!

Thank you, Abba, for warmer weather!

Psalm 111:1 (The Message)

Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I've got—
Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation.
God's works are so great, worth
A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!

A Year of Blessing - March 3, 2010

2010-03-08T14:34:00.002-06:00

Winter is not my favorite time of year. The cold is one part of it. The other is that the world just looks dead. Grass is brown. Trees are bare. No flowers. The days are short and dark nights long.

But today I noticed something in a neighbors weeping fig tree. I had always admired the shape of the tree with its long, trailing limbs covered with beautiful dark green leaves, but Winter had ripped it of leaves and left it looking lifeless. Looking closer, I noticed a nest snuggled in the interior of the tree where, in Spring, it would be safe and hidden. A home with the finest, downy feather lining.

God is showing me the things I tend to detest can hold sweet secrets that are only seen when I allow myself to look beyond my dislike.

Job 5:8,9 (The Message)

If I were in your shoes, I'd go straight to God,
I'd throw myself on the mercy of God.
After all, he's famous for great and unexpected acts;
there's no end to his surprises.

A Year of Blessing - March 2, 2010

2010-03-08T10:48:00.002-06:00

I started walking again not only for exercise but for some stress management. God and I have a few heart-to-heart talks while I walk and I can pound the pavement with my frustration, grief, and hurt and by the time I get home I am calmer and able to move on.

Today I put my ipod on Dennis Jernigan's This is My Destiny album and started my journey around the neighborhood. I had been praying for almost a mile with Dennis crooning song after song in my ear when I finally reached a point in my prayer that I asked God to just let me know He heard me. I really NEEDED to know that what I said mattered to my Lord. I can't go on with just my own strength! As I paused in prayer, I heard these words from the song I was listening to:

I would never make it one day
Without your love in my life!
You're my Rock
When the world sweeps over me!
Lord, so many times
I don't see a way
So just keep holding me tight,
For I know
That I need you desperately!

Looking down at that time I saw this huge rock sitting beside the sidewalk!

Hide me in the cleft of the Rock; (rock? the song continued)
Clothe me in the love of the Son.
Lord, surround me! Surround me!
I release the joy of my heart,
Flowing from the River of Life!

For you are my Refuge,
A present help in my trouble,
A River of Gladness
My help as the morning comes.
You are my Refuge
Though the world falls around me,
I will not fear, Lord,
For I have your love!

I cried in joy the rest of the way home! How God orchestrated all of the hope and absolute answers He gave me on that walk I will never understand! The rock was placed YEARS ago by that sidewalk! The song was recorded in 1999! Put on my ipod...several years ago! I had walked to just the right spot, prayed just the right words! At the right time I paused in prayer to listed to just the right words of the song, and recognized them for God's presence and love for ME!! Coincidence? I THINK NOT!!!

I will not fear, Lord, For I have your love!

Psalm 46:1-5 (New International Version)

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

A Year of Blessing - March 1, 2010

2010-03-01T20:39:00.002-06:00

I'm really not sure how this is going to go. This is the only picture I took today. At the dentist office. Where I was getting my teeth cleaned...only to find out I will be back next week for a crown on a lower right tooth followed later by a crown on an upper left tooth. Now I don't think of going to the dentist office as a blessing, but I am glad to find cracked teeth before they fall apart. I have had that happen already and it felt like I was going through a living nightmare where my teeth all fall out. Maybe you haven't had that one...

So I suppose my dentist is a blessing. I know he certainly is compassionate. And tells me when it is really necessary to have something done versus waiting awhile. This is one of those hard blessings to accept. But a blessing none the less.

Colossians 1:9-12 (The Message)

Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

A Year of Blessing - February 28, 2010

2010-03-01T19:57:00.003-06:00

Another month gone in 2010! Wow how time seems to fly past!

I am still amazed how God can take my thoughts and transform them into a blessing He is wanting to give me. I am becoming more trusting of His guidance toward what He wants versus what I expect. Not all blessings are warm fuzzy feeling blessings. Some are really hard. And some are quite painful. All are blessing and call me deeper into a relationship with Abba.

Thank you, Father, for the blessing of February!

Luke 17:20-21 (The Message)

Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, "The kingdom of God doesn't come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, 'Look here!' or, 'There it is!' And why? Because God's kingdom is already among you."

A Year of Blessing - February 27, 2010

2010-03-01T14:47:00.001-06:00

The men of our church have a special evening they honor the women of our church. It is precious to see these guys dressed in white shirts, black slacks and ties come wheeling into the fellowship hall with trays on their hands to the tune "Be Our Guest!" from Beauty and the Beast! Some of them have practiced songs or skits for hours...I mean weeks...for our entertainment!

They choose one or two ladies each year to honor specially for their service and devotion to others. It's touching to see them read accolades and give flowers. The guys can be serious when they honor us, too, and it is all the more meaningful knowing they put thought and time into a wonderful evening!

Oh, and I almost forgot the food! Mmm mmm good!

Thank you, guys, for blessing us and letting us have a night to dress up and have a ball!

Romans 12:9-11 (New International Version)

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

A Year of Blessing - February 26, 2010

2010-03-01T14:29:00.003-06:00

Just look at those angels! You couldn't tell they had been screaming and fighting just moments before this picture was taken. But as soon as I said, "Can I get a picture of you three?" they put their heads together and put smiles on their faces. I wish I could say it lasted all the way to their home, but I knew they could behave now, and reminded them of it whenever they got loud.

Oh! that is SO like me. I need reminding, sometimes moment to moment, that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit I possess. Not one I hope for, pray for, or even work for. I have it inside me. All I have to do is allow the Spirit to work it from the inside of me, to the outside of me, where my smile and attitude can show that Jesus abides in me, and I in Him.

The blessing of a bunch of rowdy boys!

Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

A Year of Blessing - February 25, 2010

2010-03-01T13:53:00.004-06:00

My baby turned 25 today! How did that happen? It was just yesterday he learned to fold origami birds and took them to his first grade teacher. Now his first grade teacher is teaching my grand daughter!!

Derek: How blessed I am to have you as a son. You are so gentle. Intelligent. Kind to a fault! I am proud of you in many many ways! You love your nephews and niece and take great care with them! You have overcome a lot being the youngest of our family. I miss the times of making spaghetti with you, building flowerbeds and fountains, shooting Nerf guns at eat other, and how can I forget the mine bombs?

Happy 1/2 of 50 birthday, dear Derek!! You are still my favorite! And I found where you hid the angel...

Psalm 127:2-4 (The Message)

If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn't guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It's useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don't you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?

Don't you see that children are God's best gift?
the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?
Like a warrior's fistful of arrows
are the children of a vigorous youth.
Oh, how blessed are you parents,
with your quivers full of children!
Your enemies don't stand a chance against you;
you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.

A Year of Blessing - February 24, 2010

2010-03-01T13:35:00.003-06:00

Temptation. I am back on Weight Watchers. I am doing great! Why did I have to get these? They aren't even mine! I got them for someone else! But they wouldn't mind if I had one cookie. I am using my own gas to bring them home. They wouldn't mind then if I had another, right? They are a really great friend! And I will tell them that too! And three cookies would be alright...

I could really find a blessing in eating three cookies...but I think it will be a greater blessing to keep the box closed.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (The Message)

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.

A Year of Blessing - February 23, 2010

2010-03-01T13:10:00.002-06:00

Hmmmm....construction on Oklahoma roads are like a Dandelion in a field...one good breeze and the whole place is covered with them!

But dear Terry Rush once said in a sermon that construction meant improvement and should be exciting...ok...I'm excited.

And I have a bent wheel on my car from a pot hole...

So here's a cheer for the blessing of construction: not only does it slow down my hectic life, but it's improving my maze running skills!

Psalm 25:5-7 (The Message)

Take me by the hand;
Lead me down the path of truth.
You are my Savior, aren't you?

Mark the milestones of your mercy and love, God;
Rebuild the ancient landmarks!

Forget that I sowed wild oats;
Mark me with your sign of love.
Plan only the best for me, God!

A Year of Blessing - February 22, 2010

2010-03-01T09:07:00.001-06:00

Sometimes it is hard to see the blessings. Right now is one of them. Oh I know I can choose to see all the 'common' blessings: food, clothing, etc. But I am learning to search the day for the special. For the uncommon. For the one that the Lord sets before me...just for me.

You see, Kaleb is back in the hospital. He took his favorite toy, Platty the platypus, with him. When I go to play with K, Platty acts out some of the medical stuff Kaleb is going through himself. Today, Platty talked about blood draws, breathing treatments, and IV's with the 'Monster IV Machine'. He attacked the IV machine, somehow avoided the blood draw, and decided the breathing treatments were just something to do. After this, Platty went on to become friends with some aliens...and the medical disclosure was ended.

My heart breaks for Kaleb, his sister, his dad, his mom. Kristi endures what no mother should as her son endures what no child should. David and Hannah try to keep on a 'normal' schedule while they are gone, but that in itself is a struggle. I feel totally helpless and very unhelpful. At the same time, I love the time I get to spend with Kaleb and Kristi.

So what is that 'God given' blessing in all of the heartbreaking reality? I suppose it is the humility I feel in the presence of Kaleb and Kristi. Their dependence on God, their endurance, perseverance, and striving for joy in the middle of the awful. They give praise to Him. In all of this. They don't depend on their own strength, but on the one who knows what the future holds and is strong enough to carry them through it. I am humbled. And I love them, dearly.

Romans 5:1-5 (New International Version)

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

A Year of Blessing - February 21, 2010

2010-02-22T21:34:00.002-06:00

Today we were suppose to have Derek's birthday party at our house, but we postponed it because Kaleb and Kristi couldn't make it due to hanging out at the hospital. So I texted everyone on Saturday that we would have it the following Sunday. Everyone except my parents. They don't text. And I forgot to call them...

On the way to meet Derek and Michelle for lunch after church, I suddenly realized what I had forgotten! I felt terrible! I quickly called my mom's cell phone and my dad answered. I asked where they were and he said, "Oh, about half way to your house." I was literally sick to my stomach. I explained the postponement and asked them to meet us for lunch at Los Cabos...our treat for not telling them. He laughed and said they would be there shortly.

I fretted all the way to the restaurant. My dad has always been quick tempered. He has mellowed a lot in the past few years but I truly expected him to be angry, and I felt I deserved it. It was a long drive.

When we all got there, dad was quite happy! Joking and smiling. I mean, really happy! Didn't even kid me too much for forgetting. We had all gotten our meals when the waiter knocked over my dads glass of ice water...onto my dad! "Here it comes..", I thought. I winced waiting for the explosion. It never came. My dad looked shocked, laughed, and said, "Whoo-eee! That is cold!" Grabbed a napkin while the waiter apologized and apologized. He looked up and said, "That's okay."

My dad. I have always loved him, but was careful to stay on his good side. My heart grew huge with this new side of my father. One I realize has been growing for quite some time now, and when put to the test, was very, very sweet indeed.

Growth into Christ is absolutely beautiful!

Oh yeah, one more thing. He picked up the check, too. Wouldn't even let us pay. Wow...just wow.

Romans 8:1-4 (New International Version)

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

A Year of Blessing - February 20, 2010

2010-02-22T21:09:00.003-06:00

I will have to confess before I even start this blog. This is a contraband photo.

Pete took me out for my birthday to see the Celtic Band 'Slide'. Not like the backyard or playground slide...but Slide as in a cross between a Jig and a Polka with attitude! While waiting for the group to come out, they made their usual announcements and told us in no uncertain terms that we could NOT, under any circumstances, take pictures. So...I took one. I'm standing on the assumption that they meant pictures of the band while they played and since there was no band in this picture it was ok. Pete still asked me if I were going to worry myself sick over taking it. (I actually did that in a movie when I snuck in a bottle of water when the sign clearly stated I shouldn't, couldn't, and better not. Didn't enjoy any of the movie worrying about that silly bottle of water...)

The evening was absolutely enjoyable and lively! The fiddle player danced practically the whole time with jumps and twirls that should have scared the other members of the band. The music was really, really good! Toward the end, the youngest member and main singer of the group who normally played guitar or mandolin, was just walking around during a song. Suddenly he jumped to the front of the stage and started Irish riverdancing...in CHUCK tennis shoes! I reached for my phone to take a quick picture and realized I just couldn't! I almost cried! It would have made a really great photo to go with this story! But then I wouldn't be able to enjoy the rest of the show. I put my phone slowly back into my pocket and totally loved ALL of the performance.

Guess I have learned something in life!

And thank you Pete for a wonderful evening! I love you!

Proverbs 10:9 (The Message)

Honesty lives confident and carefree,
but Shifty is sure to be exposed.

A Year of Blessing - February 19, 2010

2010-02-22T11:45:00.002-06:00

Kristi loaned me this book quite a while ago and I just finished it. Why did it take me so long? Well...the story started out with the most horrible tale of an innocent girl being dragged into child prostitution and growing into a woman enslaved in the 'profession'. I couldn't take that. It hurts my heart to know children are hurt so badly. Maimed by adults for the sake of warped pleasure. I put it down...and only recently got the courage to finished it.

It is the story of Gomer (from the book of Hosea) set in the late 1800's in California during the gold rush. And although the lady's name is not Gomer (thank goodness...I always think of Gomer Pile when I hear that name) she doesn't use her real name until she is redeemed by God at the end of the book. Through all the horror she endures, the hand of God is on her life: Pursuing, guiding, loving, protecting her. Just like the biblical story...only with details that were not included in Hosea's telling.

The book made me realize that we are all Gomer's. We all have the horror of sin in our lives. We all endure a type of hell on earth. We all do...until the redeeming love of God breaks through. Then we can look back when we thought everyone had forsaken us, hated us, left us soiled, and see with His eyes that through it all He was Pursuing, guiding, loving and protecting us...and then He give us our real name: Child of God.

Psalm 103:2-4 (The Message)

O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don't forget a single blessing!

He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you're always young in his presence.

A Year of Blessing - February 18, 2010

2010-02-22T11:11:00.003-06:00

Kaleb is back into the hospital, this time with bronchial pneumonia. I have already written a little about how much he blesses my life but the blessing this time comes from someone I don't even know. I didn't even get his name. All I know is that he is in the 8th grade, loves Star Wars, and really knows how to be an encouragement to Kaleb.

I pass up way too many opportunities to bless people. It doesn't take much. A pencil drawing and corny note and wa-lah! a giggle...and an encouragement! (By the way, Darth Vader says "I will defeat your sickness!" in the picture. What a prayer from such a strange source!!)

Acts 20:1-2 (The Message)

... Paul called the disciples together and encouraged them to keep up the good work in Ephesus. Then, saying his good-byes, he left for Macedonia. Traveling through the country, passing from one gathering to another, he gave constant encouragement, lifting their spirits and charging them with fresh hope.