Pure Joy Journal

Priceless Simplicity

2012-01-27T09:03:00.000-05:00

Side note: I just ran across this on another blog and loved the sense of humour... click the button... but please come back!

As you can see, I don't blog every day, or even every week. I do try to at least post once a month. Usually more often than that. But I don't want my blog to become a drudgery, I don't want to become a slave to it, and I definitely don't want it to become a tool the enemy uses to keep me from my responsibilities and ministries.

"Let all things be done decently and in order."~ I Corinthians 14:40

***

Simplicity.

I love the sound of that word!

It's right up there with calm and peace!

I have a blue wipe-off board on my refrigerator. At times I write notes to family members, usually noting what leftovers are available in the fridge for them. Please eat the leftover pasta before it becomes a science project... Please and thank you!

Lately though, I've taken to putting up a Scripture or phrase of which I need to be reminded.

If you come into my kitchen, this is what you will see on the board:

The Simplicity that is in Christ

Some may consider that a strange "reminder" phrase. Let me explain. As most pink people in the world, I tend to be a complex, emotional woman! That's not all bad, because God made me pink for a reason! Just as he made my husband blue for a reason.

(If you're wondering where all the pink vs. blue comes from, read Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs... one of the best books on marriage! It helps you understand members of the opposite sex in general.)

Well, being pink, as I said, I can be quite emotional. And when I yield to those wobbling emotions over what Christ says, I can complicate life. This is what the enemy wants!

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. ~ II Corinthians 11:3

I'm a mess when I start telling myself a bunch of stories (about myself, about someone else, or about a situation). And things get complicated in a hurry.

Here's how this has worked at times in the past... Do you ever do this?

Someone doesn't say hi to you at church, so you think they are mad at you.
Then you wonder what you did.
Then you start to mull it over and try to figure out what you did.
When you can't come up with any offence, you become irritated. She always acts that way. I don't know what her problem is!
Next thing you know, you have a story built up in your head about how much this woman hates you.
Later you feel depressed for seemingly no reason.
You start crying at the drop of a hat. You lash out at those you love, or withdraw from them.
Your husband can't do anything right.
YOU can't do anything right or accomplish anything.
Your kids are a pain and inconvenience.
And the hobbies you used to enjoy just aren't fun anymore.

Now, what happened?

You just got taken down in a round by the enemy!

We need to start recognising these things for what they are: attacks of the devil! He does not want us to have victory in Jesus! He wants us to be miserable. He can render us ineffective and steal our children as well in this way.

Life in Christ is simple. Christ is not complex. I do not mean disrespect here. It's true that His "ways are past finding out," and we will never know it all until we get to heaven. What I mean here is that we don't need to run around like chickens with our heads cut off in life! Settle down. Calm down. LET the peace of God rule in your heart!

Let's work back through our scenario and see how we could have let His peace rule.

Someone doesn't say hi to you at church, and you may think they are mad at you.
You may wonder what you did.
You ask the Lord if you did offend this person, if you are imagining things, or if it's their issue.
When the Lord does not reveal any offence, you pray for the person.
You may go to her, privately, and ask in sincerity if she's okay (as appropriate to the person or situation).
She may respond and ask you to pray for her, and realise that she has a true friend who really cares about her.
Later you feel happy, free, and released because you have listened to the Lord's leading, not to your unstable emotions!
You are free to love those you truly love, and draw closer to them, as well as to this fellow church member.
You believe you have the best husband in the world! You are content and grateful for the blessings in your life.
You believe you are right where God wants you, accomplishing all the things that He wants you to accomplish. This is fulfilling.
Your kids are a joy, and you enjoy being with them and teaching them the principles of God, because you are truly seeking to practise these principles yourself.
You enjoy your hobbies to the fullest.
You have a greater sense of your God-given purpose in life.

See what a relief that is? Jesus is the answer. Yielding to HIM is the answer. Setting your affection on things ABOVE is the answer. Let's purpose to change our responses and not go down the wrong emotional track!

Next time we'll talk about an acrostic that has helped me: H.A.L.T.

Nothing Changes... Yet Everything Changes...

2012-01-16T13:50:00.000-05:00

Are you grateful for your life just as God has ordered it?

Sure, of course, I'm grateful. Right?

But am I really?

What if my family were taken away from me? Would I be grateful for the time I had with them?

What if my good health were removed? Would I be grateful for the relationships and tangible blessings still in my life?

You see, I've been thinking about gratefulness lately because I spent quite a few months this past year ungrateful and downright angry.

Yes, I'm not proud to say this, but I have to be honest. I was inwardly railing on God for things He allowed into my life this year.

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! (Isa. 45:9)

I'll explain. I've never been a mom. For whatever reason, God never allowed me to give birth to my own baby. This, for years, was a source of pain to me. I would inwardly and later privately weep when I was caught in a group of women chatting merrily about childbirth and rearing children. I just could not understand why God had kept this from me when I desired children so much, having chosen names for three children when I was yet a very young adult. Actually as a teen, I had chosen one of these names, and it had never changed in my mind.

So, fast-forward to January 2011. One year ago.

After a long road, I felt I finally worked through the emotions of never having my own baby, and actually began seeing some of the reasons why God had chosen not to give me a child of my own. I literally felt it leave my emotional plate, and I began to settle into married life, just enjoying the freedom of being a couple.

Then with one phone call, everything changed. Suddenly we had a little two-year-old full-time... in the middle of potty training! And I went from wife to full-time caregiver... actually parenting.

Well, I didn't appreciate it. After all, this isn't on my terms, God!

This is a selfish statement, but I have heard it from other parents as well:

I felt that all my freedom was taken.

I once enjoyed hopping in the car and going to town whenever I liked. Now I have to work around morning and afternoon naps, and when I do go, I have to buckle-in-buckle-out a little tot at every stop. Every errand takes twice as long. I was not used to that.

And so, though I'm not proud of this, I admit I became angry and bitter.

This isn't fair!

Thankfully, God in mercy kept me from taking the anger out on this precious child, though I am not so naive to believe that she remained completely unaffected by my spirit of anger, and that saddens me!

Doest thou well to be angry? ~ God asked Jonah (Jonah 4:4)

After the dust settled from my ranting (when I actually became exhausted in my anger), God began to show me the blessing in the midst of the unpleasant. God, Who works all things together for good to those who love Him--for His purpose, not ours--began showing me the beautiful: His purpose.

Christ is the model upon which the Father is developing your life...

(Henry Blackaby)

Every event that God allows into my life is for His purpose: conforming me to the image of His dear Son Jesus. That's what the verse after Romans 8:28 says. His purpose isn't some pie-in-the-sky idea that I can just back burner if I truly love Him. When you love someone, you want what they want. And God wants to make me like Jesus.

What does all this have to do with being grateful?

By God's patience and grace, I am learning that this is a mindset. I do not mean fake. I mean a choice. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians, "Set your affection on things above." (Col. 3:2)

On a side note: It saddens me also that with my affections set on getting my own way and reclaiming what I perceived to be my own freedom, I made things hard on my husband as well. We have all heard the phrase, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" We women do set the climate in our homes, like it or not. (Check out Courtney's convicting blog on being a porcupine wife!)

Choosing to be grateful for the good--embracing the good--causes the nasty somehow to become less so. God began to show me the beautiful in this situation when I chose gratefulness.

Once I chose to be grateful in this situation--to focus on the good, to embrace the beautiful, God-given opportunity--my emotions (eventually) no longer felt angry, resentful, bitter, and vindictive. I began to see that God, for an indefinite period, has given me a little girl to dress in frillies and do her hair, just as I dreamed. And I began to enjoy things again... things that I used to enjoy but I quit doing, because I thought I no longer enjoyed these activities. I began to actually enjoy the daily tasks of caring for a child, as well as daily household chores I thought I hated! Resentment is a horrible thief.

It's a daily choice: Gratefulness... Nothing changes... Yet everything changes!

Applying My Heart...

2012-01-02T15:48:00.000-05:00

Thank God for new beginnings! We don't even have to wait for a new year to have a fresh start with God, but I'm glad He allowed us to have a calendar so we could have a greater sense of a new start.

Many who have been in solitary confinement have sought to maintain sanity by keeping some sort of crude calendar, scratching notches into the wall, or whatever way they could find to keep track of their days.

The lack of sunlight and having no schedule and nothing to do was enough to drive them crazy. Nowadays and in our culture we feel enslaved by the calendar at times, but when you consider the alternative, a calendar and schedule truly are blessings!

While a New Year causes people look forward to many things and make goals and resolutions, for others, it can be discouraging, as they allow themselves to think and dwell upon their painful or sinful past.

God says:

Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert. ~ Isaiah 43:18-19

A friend on Facebook posted a reminder today that we not focus so much on our past that we miss what God is saying and doing in our present and what He wants to do this year.

God has new wisdom and knowledge for you and for me this year! I don't want to miss what He's saying.

Proverbs 1:5 says:
A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

Proverbs 2:2 says:
So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding;

Too many times I do not apply my heart (mind, will, and emotions) to understanding His ways. His ways are not my ways. His thoughts are not my thoughts. I want my fleshly defaults to become less and less my default; I want HIS way of thinking to become my default. I am His lamb, and He loves me so tenderly. Thank You, Jesus, for pursuing me.

Jesus and the Lamb, Photo credit

My prayer today: "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth..." (I Samuel 3:9) I want to incline my ear to Your wisdom. I want to apply my heart (my mind, my will, and my emotions) to understanding You and Your ways--the way You would have me listen, speak, move, breathe, live my life, and relate to others in my life.

Joy in... Cleaning?!?

2011-12-27T10:40:00.001-05:00

Miserable wife?

Proverbs 14:10 says, "The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy."

If I am bitter and mad, my heart knows it... and probably so does my family and other people around me! By the same token when my heart is truly joyful, no one can get in the middle of it!

Now I have had my share of days (quite often, in fact) when I did not want to do my job--clean or "homemake"--in any shape, form, or fashion! And I am coming to understand that my attitude makes the difference. It is always important to make time to rejuvenate my mind and body so that I can be my best as a homemaker, but probably, if I am honest, I just want to be lazy all the time!

Commercials on TV, billboards, and ads everywhere shout it out: You deserve a break! You're worth it! Self, self, self... take care of YOU. Look out for Number One. No one appreciates YOU.

I challenge you, along with me, to take a hard look at your motives as a wife. Take your breaks, yes! Drink your water! Exercise! Get a massage! Take care of your body. Go have a coffee with a friend. You do need time to recharge when you're a wife/mom/nana... but take inventory of how much and how often you tend to shirk your responsibilities or procrastinate (Ahem! That's me!) because you are indulging in an entitlement mentality! (Ouch!) Deep inside, do I often tell myself that everyone owes me, and since they don't "pay up," I'll just pay myself? I'll eat the chocolate or the chips no one knows about... I'll put off doing the dishes until later...

OK, I'm off the soapbox! :)

On a practical homemaking note...

Mirrors.
I love finding new ideas for homemaking--whether unconventional or conventional. One day recently I tried a waffle-pattern microfiber dishcloth (from a discount/dollar store) on my mirrors, using good old Windex. Amazing! Two or three swipes and I was done... no vigorous rubbing... no streaks... practically effortless! Love that!

Vinegar Uses.
Recently I discovered this on Pinterest:

(1) Remove bacteria andpesticide residue from produce - Use 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water, washproduce thoroughly.

(2) Clean windows andcountertops - Use a 50% water and vinegar mixture to clean windowsand countertops.

(3) Remove shower andbathtub film - Use vinegar full strength on an old wash rag.

(4) Toilet bowlstains - Use white distilled vinegar full strength with a scrubber.

(5) Furniturepolish - Use a 50% olive oil and vinegar mixture and polishfurniture with a soft cloth. Be sure to test furniture in an inconspicuousspot first because vinegar is acidic.

(6) Clean microwave -Utilize 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water in a bowl. Place in themicrowave and cook until boiling. Immediately wipe interior of microwave.

(7) Wash no-waxfloors - Add 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar to a half-gallon of warmwater. Mop or scrub floor.

(8) Clean kitchen cuttingboards - Use vinegar full strength on cutting boards.

(9) Wash grassstains out of fabric - Use a 1/3 cup vinegar and 2/3 cup watermixture. Apply to stain and blot.

(10) Remove molds andmildew - Use a 50% water and white vinegar mixture for light mildewstains, and full strength white vinegar to kill heavier mildew and mold growth.

All-Purpose Cleaner.
Found this online somewhere... The person who posted it said they use this cleaner on counters, tile floors, tubs, and toilets. I have tried it, and while it doesn't have the same wonderful smell Lysol disinfectant cleaner has, it is great and cheap! I tried mine with eucalyptus oil, since that's what I had on hand. Maybe I'll try some other oil scents I really like!

2 T.white vinegar (only distilled white vinegar)

1 t. Borax

Hot water

A few drops of a mild dish detergent

5 drops of essential oil (Lavender, Orange, Rose, etc.)

In a 16 oz. spray bottle addvinegar, borax and half hot water.
Swish around until borax has dissolved.
Add the drops of dish detergent and fill the rest of the bottle with hot water.
Add the essential oil… & Shake.

Happy Cleaning!

Yes... Happy Homemaking! Take care of the king of your castle! How about bringing him his slippers tonight when he gets home from work? Then give him a few minutes of rest and peace from the children's inquiries and your chatting :) before supper!

My John 17 Prayer

2011-12-12T15:03:00.000-05:00

It is powerful to pray God's Word. Because John 17 is Jesus' prayer, I believe it is a powerful prayer to personalise.

Today I'm sharing my personalisation of this prayer, mostly considering my calling as a pastor's wife, helping, encouraging, and teaching the ladies of our church, but also influencing, as I am given opportunity, my grown children and my grandchild.

(I do not mean disrespect, nor am I putting myself in the place of Christ by praying this prayer! However, because I am His daughter, and He lives in me, I trust that the true intent of my prayer will be clear.)

Jhn 17:1	These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: Father, please glorify Yourself and Jesus through me. The only glory I have is from You.
Jhn 17:2	As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. Thank You that because Jesus lives in me, You have given me, through Him, power over my flesh, all fleshly things, power for living this life You have given me to live. Only through that power, I can fulfill Your divine purpose for my life: learning to live for eternal values, sharing with others how to have eternal life in heaven, as well as sharing with others how to live with eternity's values.
Jhn 17:3	And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Thank You that life eternal--even the part here on earth--is to KNOW YOU! What a privilege You have given us to KNOW YOU and to truly intimately KNOW JESUS!
Jhn 17:4	I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. Help me to glorify You while I'm here and through Your might, finish the work You have given me to do.
Jhn 17:5	And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Father, the only glory I have is of You, so I ask that You would bless me with whatever I need to fulfill my purpose, which You predetermined for me before the world was. You have promised to give me all things that pertain unto life and godliness (II Peter).
Jhn 17:6	I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Help me to lift up Your name to everyone You bring into my life, because they are Yours, and You have given them to me to influence. I pray that they would learn to keep Your Word more and more every day.
Jhn 17:7	Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. I pray that they would always see that in me there is nothing without You--that anything good I have to share with them is because of You.
Jhn 17:8	For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received [them], and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. Lord, I have been teaching ladies the words You give me, and I believe many of them have received these words, knowing that You sent me to share these things.
Jhn 17:9	I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. I pray for these ladies, for my children, for my grandchild, for everyone You have given me to influence. You have given them to me. May I always remember that they are Yours.
Jhn 17:10	And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. Everything and everyone in my life is Yours, and Your people are my people. I take joy and pleasure in fellowshipping with them.
Jhn 17:11	And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we [are]. When it comes time for me to leave these behind and go to heaven, Holy Father, I know that You will keep them in Your care, because they are Yours, and that You will continue to teach them to be ONE, unified.
Jhn 17:12	While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. While I'm here with them, please enable me to encourage them to seek Your face and increase in their relationship intimacy and devoted discipleship with You. May my example ever lead them to seek You and not go astray, but I trust You to continue to lead them.
Jhn 17:13	And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I look forward to coming to You when it's my time, but I pray that while I'm still here the ladies will have Your joy fulfilled inside them--that they would truly learn the depths of the ways You can and will meet all their needs (physically and emotionally) if they will only continually yield themselves to You.
Jhn 17:14	I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not want to give them my own words, but Your Word. Help them when those in the world hate them... help them to remember this world is not their home and they are not living for this world.
Jhn 17:15	I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. I pray that You would help them while they are working and living in this world, that you would keep them from evil.
Jhn 17:16	They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. And that they would remember they are not of this world, just as Christ was not of this world. He lived for eternity. Help me to live for eternity.
Jhn 17:17	Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. Please sanctify them through Your Truth: Your Word is Truth!
Jhn 17:18	As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. I want to inspire and encourage them to go into the world to reach people, just as You have sent me.
Jhn 17:19	And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. For their sakes, I do seek to sanctify myself by yielding myself afresh to You each day, to receive from You what You would have me to share with those I influence...not just by active teaching, but by example, as they watch my life.
Jhn 17:20	Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; I pray also for those whom these ladies and my children will reach...
Jhn 17:21	That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. I pray for unity among our ladies, not fighting, arguing, jealousy... help them to be ONE as You and Jesus are ONE. Help us to be ONE in YOU, so that the City of Woodstock and the world around will see and come to believe that Jesus came to save them.
Jhn 17:22	And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: Help me to always give away the glory that You give to me... whatever good You give me in spiritual lessons... help me to give it away, so that we can learn oneness... with no bitterness, anger, evil speaking, or malice (Eph. 4).
Jhn 17:23	I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Jesus in us... You in me... so that we can become mature in unity, so the world can see YOU in us, and come to know that You love them, just as You love us!
Jhn 17:24	Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. Father, I want them to learn along with me, to become established in the faith, to mature more every day, not to stagnate...I want them to truly see Your glory, as You have revealed it to me, and continue to reveal it to me through Your Word... Thank you for loving me before the world began!
Jhn 17:25	O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. God, You are righteous! And the world doesn't know You! What a privilege I have to know You... and I want the ladies to know You even more!
Jhn 17:26	And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare [it]: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. I have been teaching them, and I have such a passion for Your Name and for them to learn Your love and the depths of intimacy that You desire with each of them!

I Corinthians 4:7

2011-11-16T07:51:00.001-05:00

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? ~ I Corinthians 4:7

Everything we have in life is a gift. E.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.

Nothing should taken for granted. I could lose my sight tomorrow. My hearing. My fingers that enjoy skipping across piano keys and harp strings. My voice that loves to sing.

http://pricelesssimplicity.blogspot.com/

Am I truly grateful? Have I thanked God for these instruments that I use every day, more than a thousand times a day?

A fellow blogger advocates keeping a running list of gratefulness... 1,000 Gifts. While I have not yet read Ann's book 1,000 Gifts, I am an occasional reader of her blog.

And I fell in love with her emphasis on gratefulness... So I join in...

1. A friend loses her baby. I still enjoy my little granddaughter every day.

Elaine Morie Bender, waiting in heaven

2. An acquaintance's spouse is about to go to jail. I have a wonderful, faithful man who loves and daily provides for me.

3. People around the world have no shelter... I enjoy the warmth of a fireplace on a frozen winter evening. They scrounge for food... I am warmed and filled. Their only clothes are on their back... I have a closetful.

Filipino boy starts his own fire.
(photo, Victoria Wonser, missionary in the Philippines)

4. Many around the world sleep outside because they have no bed or home. I have a warm bed with beautiful blankets I love.

Philippines graveyard:
Missionary friends saw a man sleeping here
and many living here in a graveyard.
(photo, Victoria Wonser)

5. A family of seven children including a newborn loses their mother at age 39. I am 39 and I can still call or email my own mother any time.

What are you grateful for?

Will you notice and give thanks for the thousands of gifts God has placed all around you?

Divine Appointments

2011-11-15T08:36:00.000-05:00

Last week while getting my hair cut, I met a Turkish lady who has immigrated with her husband to Canada... very friendly... just chit-chatted and then later as my haircut was finished and I was gathering my things and paying, I realised she had moved to the back at the sink to get her colour rinsed. I waved goodbye, and as I was driving away from the store, I thought, I should have invited her to church!

I just gave it to the Lord, thinking maybe He would orchestrate our meeting again at the hair stylist’s.

A few days later in WalMart, I was in the baby section getting some Goodnite pull-ups (I’m rarely in the baby section anymore), and a lady came up to me with a huge smile, brightly saying “HI!” I didn’t recognize her because her hair was normal, not full of colour foils! She told me where we’d met, and I immediately knew that God had appointed this meeting!

After talking a few minutes, I invited her to our church, telling her my husband is a pastor. She seemed interested and said that they might come visit. ☺ It may seem like a small thing, but it is so obviously God’s hand in our meeting in WalMart!

There are other seemingly less significant divine appointments, and I believe we many times don't realise that's what they are.

I think back to one day when I had three specific errands to run. I picked up the mail, went to the garage, backed out the car, and then, out of curiosity, decided to open a personal letter I had received and read it while sitting in the car in the driveway. I read it for a few minutes, and based on the message of it, had a little personal time with the Lord in the car. After I had wiped my tears enough to drive, I backed out. In my mind, I reversed my errand order due to one place being closed over lunch. I was only a couple minutes down the road, having made a decision to turn the opposite direction I had initially intended, when I came up over a rise in the road and saw a semi-truck jack-knifed across the road and a small compact car in the ditch.

Had I not stopped to read the letter and have that time with the Lord and changed the order of my errands, I might have been the victim. I later learned that the car crash was fatal.

Though I plan to go to heaven at my appointed time, I would like to go in a less painful way! I thank God for a divine appointment that kept me from the accident that day!

Have you noticed any divine appointments lately?

In the Closet

2011-10-31T07:33:00.000-04:00

But thou, when thou prayest,

enter into thy closet,

and when thou hast shut thy door,

pray to thy Father which is in secret...

Matthew 6:6

Lord, I have shut the door,
Speak now the word
Which through the din and throng
Could not be heard;
Hushed now my inner heart
Whisper Thy will
While I have come apart
While all is still.

Lord, I have shut the door,
Here do I bow;
Speak, for my soul attent
Turns to Thee now;
Rebuke Thou what is vain,
Counsel my soul,
Thy holy will reveal,
My will control.

In this blest quietness
Clamorings cease;
Here in Thy presence dwells
Infinite peace;
Yonder, the strife and cry,
Yonder, the sin;
Lord, I have shut the door,
Thou art within!

Lord, I have shut the door,
Strengthen my heart;
Yonder awaits the task
I share a part;
Only through grace bestowed
May I be true,
Here, while alone with Thee
My strength renew.

~ William Runyan

(public domain)

Have you spent time in the closet today?

photo: americanbella

Amazing Grapefruit Seed Extract

2011-10-14T15:12:00.001-04:00

I have been a believer in natural supplements for as long as I can remember. They are just what they are called: "supplements" to eating well.

While I'll admit I'm still working on the "eating well" part, I love the product GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract)! It has many amazing benefits. I have cured many a cold and sore throat with GSE. I think one of the greatest things about it is that grapefruit seed-extract remains effective even if the cause of an infection is unidentified, misdiagnosed, or unknown.

In my struggle against candida (yeast overgrowth in the blood), I enjoy the info from Sarah at her Candida and Food blog. Recently Sarah reviewed GSE and listed many household and personal uses that are, of course, all natural! No worries about synthetic ingredients.

You can read the entire post here. However I wanted to let you know some of the benefits right here:

Suggested Uses For Grapefruit Seed Extract

CAUTION: ALWAYS DILUTE! Do not use full strength. Do not put in eyes. Avoid all contact with sensitive areas. May cause irritation if used full strength on skin. If full strength contact or irritation occurs, flush with water for at least 10 minutes. Irritation is temporary and may last up to 48 hours. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.

Internal Uses

Internal Use: (Never use full strength)

Orally. Adults, mix 1-5 drops of Maximum GSE into a glass of water or juice (5 oz. or more), 1-3 times daily, with or without meals. Children (5 years and older), 1-3 drops mixed into a glass of water or juice (5 oz. or more), 1-2 times daily, with or without meals. Do not use full strength in mouth.

Throat Gargle. Stir 1 drop of Maximum GSE into a small glass of water (3 oz. or more). Gargle several times. Use as often as needed. Always dilute.

Ear Rinse. Thoroughly mix 1 drop of Maximum GSE with 1 oz. of glycerin or alcohol. Apply 1-2 drops of this solution in affected ear 1-2 times daily. Use as often as needed. Do not use full strength in ears.

Nasal Rinse. (adults only) Mix 1 drop of Maximum GSE with 6 oz. of water. Use one full eye dropper of the mixed solution per nostril. Tilt your head backward and release the solution from the dropper into your nose. Swing head forward and down (head is now upside down) to force solution up into the nasal passages. Return head to the normal upright position and allow nasal passages to drain. Do not inhale through the nose during this process. Always dilute.

Vaginal Rinse. Mix 3-5 drops of Maximum GSE with 6-8 oz. of water. Douche once daily for one week or as directed by a healthcare professional. Always dilute.

External Uses

External Use: (Never use full strength)

Facial Cleanser. Thoroughly moisten (splash) face with warm or cool water. With hands still wet, apply 2-3 drops of Maximum GSE to fingertips and gently massage facial area with circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with cool water and pat dry. A tingling sensation may follow. This is an indication of the deep cleansing properties of Maximum GSE. Always dilute.

Skin Rinse. (minor skin irritations) Dilute 1-3 drops of Maximum GSE with 1 tablespoon of water. Apply this solution directly to affected area twice daily. Do not use full strength on skin.

Nail Treatment. Dilute 1-3 drops of Maximum GSE with 1 tablespoon of water or alcohol. Apply this solution directly on surface of nail along the cuticle and underneath the front of nail, or soak nails, twice daily for as long as desired. Do not use full strength on nails.

Scalp Treatment. Add 2-4 drops of Maximum GSE to each shampooing (mix in hand or on head with shampoo). Massage into scalp and leave on for at least 2 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water.
Household Uses

Toothbrush Cleaner. Stir 2-4 drops of Maximum GSE into a glass of water. Immerse toothbrush for 15 minutes (or leave in between uses). Rinse toothbrush before using. Change water and remix every few days.

Vegetable/Fruit or Meat/Poultry Wash. Sink washing - Add 20 or more drops of Maximum GSE to a sink full of cold water. Briefly soak any vegetables, fruit, meat, or poultry. Rinse if desired. Spray washing - Add 10 or more drops of Maximum GSE to a 32 oz. pump sprayer bottle filled with water. Spray on any vegetables, fruit, meat, or poultry. Rinse if desired.

Dish and Utensil Cleaning Additive. Add 10-20 drops of Maximum GSE to sink dishwashing water or to final rinse. Add 10-20 drops to automatic dishwasher with detergent or to final rinse.

Cutting Board Cleaner. Apply 5-10 drops of Maximum GSE to cutting board and work into entire board with a wet sponge or dish cloth. Leave on for at least 30 minutes. Rinse with water.

All Purpose Cleaner. Add 15-30 drops of Maximum GSE to any 32 oz. pump sprayer bottle filled with water or cleanser. Use on all surfaces around the house.

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. ~ III John 2

*I was not compensated for reviewing GSE.
**This list of uses as well as the photo of GSE was copied from Sarah at Candida and Food.

Greatly Blessed

2011-10-10T20:09:00.001-04:00

Greatly blessed and highly favoured,

Imperfect, but forgiven child of God!
©2010, William J. Gaither, Inc.

We are so blessed 

By the gifts fromYour hand 

I just can'tunderstand 

Why You've loved usso much 

We are so blessed 

We just can't finda way 

Or the words thatcan say 

Thank You Lord forYour touch  

We are so blessed 

By the things Youhave done 

The vict'ries we'vewon 

And what You'vebrought us through 

We are so blessed 

Take what we haveto bring 

Take it allev'rything 

Lord we bring it toYou  

When we'reempty You fill us

'Til we overflow 

When we're hungry 

You feed us

And cause us toknow 

We are so blessed 

Take what we haveto bring 

Take it allev'rything 

Lord we love You somuch

This is the song that played as I walked down the boardwalk at our beach wedding ceremony to marry my love nearly four years ago.

We are still so blessed!

Grateful

2011-10-08T22:56:00.000-04:00

The late Sara Frankl

Gitzen Girl

Sara has inspired me to learn to choose joy every day.

Sara faithfully shared her gratefulness to God in the midst of a terminal illness that kept her in constant pain for more than the last fourteen years of her life. She was honest, open, real. She, like Jesus, "learned obedience through the things which [s]he suffered."

I’ve learned to appreciate the simplicity in my moments. I’ve learned that being thankful in everything is more important than being thankful for something. I want to be grateful for everything in my life, not just the special moments. ~ Sara

Sara could not leave her home for years, due to the need for continuous purified air to keep her alive, and so she could not spend holidays with her family. She could not eat food brought to her from family gatherings, because she had so many food allergies that were deadly.

Yet Sara was grateful. Two years ago around Thanksgiving, she wrote about how thankful she was for the good things in her life.

I am simply grateful. I appreciate my life because it’s the one He has given to me, and I don’t want to waste a moment of it wishing for anything else. ~ Sara

Sara's acceptance of her illness from God's hand as His divine purpose for her, whether she understood it or not, is expressed in the following paragraphs. (Honestly, she sounds just like me in the first two paragraphs!)

I always believed I had that faith… but mine was a faith of conditions. I had faith He would take care of me, but I assumed that meant I would be cared for with good health. I had faith that I would prosper, and assumed that meant my career would follow a good path. I had faith that He wanted the best for me, and assumed that meant my life would unfold in a way I envisioned.

But as the years progressed and I lost more and more of what I thought defined me...I realized that being a servant meant all or nothing. A line was drawn in the sand and I had to choose my fear, or I had to choose to completely trust Him. It had to be an all or nothing choice because one cannot exist if the other is true.

I chose to trust, and I’ve never looked back. I can be tired, I can be frustrated by my circumstances and exhausted from the pain, but I am never fearful of what is to come because I know that He is in control. I have faith that He will take care of me, and He has given me fortitude and peace in my heart as I face the challenges my body inflicts on me. I have faith that I will prosper, and I have been blessed with plentiful friends who walk this journey with me. I have faith that He wants the best for me, and He shows me that daily by using my life in ways that serve others--being there in small ways I would never have been able to if my life had unfolded the way I envisioned...

If Jesus was a servant, if he lost everything to come to Earth in the form of a baby who had nothing more than love to give, why would I assume to deserve more? ~ Sara

Sara's doctrinal beliefs are far different than mine, but in the few articles I have read, she has taught me her one little word for 2011: Praise.

Sara is gone now, but her exhortation lives on. This Thanksgiving season, will you join me in the simple praise she modelled... by yielding yourself in new, tangible ways to the One Who knows best for you? ...The One Who has a purpose greater than your own plans? ...The One Who "will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ"?

“The world has yet to see what God can do through a man who is totally yielded to Him.” ~ D.L. Moody

Card Shower

2011-09-30T14:19:00.004-04:00

Will you participate in a card shower for Missionary Sheila Campbell during her fight against cancer?

I went to Bible college with Sheila. She, her husband Steve, and three sons, have been missionaries to the Philippines since 2000 serving with BIMI. She is now home in Maryland for treatment.

With the bone marrow transplant that she's going to need (which is 60 days straight, including holidays and weekends), she will have lots of expenses

such as gas, food, room and board, extra medical bills, etc.

We are encouraging people to send a card and include a gas card, gift card, or cash if possible. If not, at least a card of encouragement.

If you would like to send her a card or help with a monetary gift, you can send it to:

Sheila Campbell

C/O BIMI

P.O. Bo 9215

Chattanooga, TN, 37412

Please also help me spread this news to other churches or friends that you know would participate.

Thank you to Rhonda White for coordinating this.

Trying Hard

2011-09-26T08:26:00.001-04:00

"I'm trying."

How many times have you said that about your Christian walk?

"I'm doing my best."

I believe that this is many times my problem! It's "I" and "me"; not "He" and "Him."

Galatians 2:20 says, "...not I, but Christ liveth in me... and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God..."

It's not even my faith! It's His faith!

"That I may KNOW HIM, and the power..." Philippians 3:10

Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit {at salvation}, are ye now {in sanctification/spiritual growth} made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:3

When we got saved, it was all HIM, so why do we think now we can mature spiritually in our own strength and "trying harder"?

Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left [us] of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. Hebrews 4:1

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his {God's} rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his. Hebrews 4:9-10

One thinks, well, we have to try or else nothing is accomplished. Yes, it's true that I still have a choice to yield to the Spirit inside me when He tells me to pick up my Bible and read it. Yes, it's true that I still have things to accomplish in my day. In order to get them done, I do need to focus my mind and actually put one foot in front of the other--actually fill that cleaning pail up with soapy water.

It's not that "doing" goes away and we just lay around "enjoying God's presence" all the time! It's just that the "doing" is not ours to accomplish; our responsibility is just to yield and rest in His power, strength, faith, and love. I take my orders from Him, but--here's the key: He bears all the responsibility and burden!

My husband handles our finances, and I am happy that he does! Numbers are definitely not my forte! There is such a comfort and rest for me in this, because I trust my husband to bear the responsibility of the finances. He gives me a budget, and I follow it. Then I don't worry about the money. I have great freedom in this!

This is the way it is when I am in Christ. He bears all the burden and responsibility, and He takes care of me. All I have to do is listen to His voice telling me the very next step to take. His Holy Spirit lives inside me, and in Him, I have all the power I need to respond to that irritation in a godly way, to love that annoying person, to have patience with that toddler, to clean up for the millionth time after someone else!

Do I "get it"?

Today, as I peck away at my "to-do" list at home, I want to focus on "being"... "feeling at home in the presence of Jesus... laying way back in His love."

When I rest confident in His love and acceptance, I am so humbled by it, that I can extend grace to the next person.

I feel honoured to serve.

I feel compassion for the unseen hurts that cause another's insecurities, and I can show love to them in the face of their immature actions.

This is not an opportunity to put myself on a pedestal... when my attitude is right (remembering and being humbled that I am in Christ and His Spirit lives in me, I have no desire or reason to be proud!

Instead, I hide myself in the Secret Place of the Most High, and allow HIS life to flow through me. What a privilege!

Choosing Joy

2011-09-19T17:38:00.003-04:00

Sara (pictured here with her dog Riley) is dying of a hereditary, autoimmune disease abbreviated AS, but as her blog proclaims, she is "choosing joy."

This is the most inspiring, convicting, and sobering thing I have read in awhile. She writes...

“How do you manage to stay so positive? So happy? Don’t you ever just get really mad?”

I suppose the cop out answer, while true, is that I just don’t have the energy to be mad. Seriously. It takes so much effort and energy to wallow. And it’s not any fun. I live 99.8% of my time alone, and if anger was all I had to live with I would lose my mind.

I think, for me, it has been about learning to want what He wants for me more than what I want for myself.It's a tall order and I don't say that flippantly. But my joy has truly come from Him finding His joy in me rather than me finding my joy in what I desire. It doesn't mean I don't long for different, it just means I find peace in fulfilling rather than understanding. In the knowledge that this life isn’t about me, it’s about Him.

The thing I try to remind myself of, as I am without all the things that I wish I had to make me happy, is that my biggest need is Him. More than I need to be outside in the fresh air, more than I need to move without pain, more than I even need Dad... I need His will to be done in my life whether it is comfortable or not. There is not one thing that feels comfortable about my world right now, but I need Him more than I need to change my circumstances.

It's still brutally hard. I have to remind myself of these facts every day. It doesn’t always come easily.

But it doesn’t make the truth any less true.

And the truth is that I can choose the joy.

So I do.

~ Sara at Gitzen Girl: Choose Joy blog, http://gitzengirl.blogspot.com/

Update: Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2011...

Sara received information late yesterday afternoon that her body was beginning to shut down, and things have moved quickly since. Hospice arrived this morning and Sara is comfortable. Her family is surrounding her and reading her texts, facebook posts, and emails, so please feel free to contact her and share your love; she will not be able to reply but is taking great peace in your words, your heart. I know how thankful she is for each of you, how much joy you’ve added to her days, and what purpose sharing Him has given her. I will continue to post as things change and want to thank each of you for the ways in which you have loved sweet Sara so well.

Come Thou Fount

2011-09-06T08:44:00.004-04:00

Keukenhof Gardens, Netherlands

Have you ever meditated awhile on the words of the hymn "Come Thou Fount" by Robert Robinson? Would you take a few moments just to read carefully and dwell on these thoughts?

1. Come, thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Jesus is the Fount that pours out every blessing in my life. When I realize that everything I have is a gift from Him--whether perceived good or bad*--my spirit (which is redeemed) wants my heart (my mind, will, and emotions, which are still carnal) to be tuned into that fact! Then I want to sing and tell everyone I know about His grace and never-ending streams of mercy!

*"Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, e'er to take as from a Father's hand."
(from the hymn "Day by Day.")

2. Here I raise mine Ebenezer*;

Hither by Thy help I'm come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood.

Oh to fully realize and continually remember that it's only by God's help that I have come to whatever place I've matured thus far in my life. And to acknowledge that it's only by His grace and pleasure (because He desires it) that He will safely conduct me home to Heaven. I'm so grateful that He searched for me when I was a sinner--born in sin--and that he "interposed" His precious blood on my behalf!

*Ebenezer is a reference to I Samuel 7:12, meaning "hitherto hath the Lord helped." Other study helps indicate its meaning as "stone of help." It was a memorial stone erected by Samuel as a remembrance of the Lord's help in defeating the Philistines.

3. O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let thy goodness, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for thy courts above.

I am such a debtor to His grace! Because I was saved as a young child and did not dabble much in the world, at times I have not understood everything from which Jesus saved me. Now daily I can recognize more and more from which He saved me! I can recognize my proud heart, my arrogance in thinking I've been spiritual, my quiet rage and inward bitterness others don't see. Yes, He saved me from so much! And it's His goodness that makes me want to more tightly bind my heart to His! He doesn't force me to live for Him. I want to, because I'm so grateful for His grace daily shown in my life, ever willing to deliver me from my pride and arrogance, my anger and bitterness. My flesh makes me prone to wander away, to sink back into these besetting sins, but my spirit wants Him to take my heart and keep it close to His--a daily choice to walk in the power of the Spirit of God that lives within me! What freedom! Freedom to choose Him, not the destructive way of living!

Renewing the Mind with Good Christian Books

2011-09-06T08:02:00.001-04:00

It is so important to renew our minds with Scripture daily! Nothing can replace the Word!

But there is also a place for good Christian books that point us to Scripture. Often I am asked for a list of books that have helped me in my Christian walk, so I thought I would share that list here. I wish I had kept such a list years ago, because, naturally, I do not remember every book that has benefited me. Thus, this is a list to which I'm continually adding, as I remember them.

Note: I cannot give a blanket endorsement to theseauthors and books. As with anything, one must "eat the meat and throw outthe bones."

Book/Author

A Song for All Seasons/ Wilma Sullivan
Abandoned to God (biography of Oswald Chambers)
Abide in Christ/ Andrew Murray
Be Transformed/ Scope Ministries *
Breaking Free Bible study/ Beth Moore*
Climbing/ Rosalind Goforth
Created to Be His Helpmeet/ Debi Pearl
Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved/ Doris van Stone
Experiencing God daily devotional/ Henry Blackaby *
Hinds’ Feet on High Places/Hannah Hurnard
How I Know God Answers Prayer/ Rosalind Goforth
Humility/ Andrew Murray
Knowing God/ An Unknown Christian
Lifetime Guarantee/ Bill Gillham *
Living Free Bible study/ Beth Moore *
Love & Respect/ Emerson Eggerichs
My Utmost for His Highest/ Oswald Chambers
Reclaiming Surrendered Ground/ Jim Logan
Search for Significance/ Robert McGee *
So Long, Insecurity: You’ve Been a Bad Friend to Us/ BethMoore *
Streams in the Desert/ Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life/Hannah Whitall Smith
The God of All Comfort/ Hannah Whitall Smith
The Hiding Place/ Corrie ten Boom
The Silent Years of Corrie ten Boom/ Pamela Rosewell *
Whispers of His Power/ Amy Carmichael

Missionary biographies, Holocaust stories
Keswick Convention talks

*Does not use the KJV

Writers
Andrew Murray
Corrie ten Boom
Darlene Deibler Rose
F.B. Meyer
Elisabeth Elliot
Rosalind Goforth
Ruth Paxson

Wearied and Faint in Your Minds

2011-08-25T09:06:00.000-04:00

From my tea time with God...

I feel tired. Weary.

I know who I am. In Christ I am strong. I have power.

But my flesh is faint.

The words come to my mind: "wearied and faint..." What was the next part? "...in your minds."

My mind is part of my flesh, my body that has not yet been redeemed. It does not agree with my [redeemed] spirit unless I choose to align my it with the Truth that resides in my spirit.

"...lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."

What am I to do in order not to become weary and faint in my mind?

I go back to the beginning of the verse: "For consider HIM..." Jesus.

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Hebrews 12:3

He was sinless, perfect. Never had He known pain or worry. Yet he choose to endure it for our sake--the sinners.

Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. Hebrews 12:4

I sing a song in church at times, but I can hardly sing it without tears:

Compared to Calvary my cross is not so heavy,
Compared to Calvary my load's not hard to bear;
And it makes me ashamed that I ever complained,
I've had it easy, Lord, compared to Calvary!
Squire Parsons

His Word tells us to "consider Him" so that we don't REMAIN emotionally weary and faint.

We live in this body of flesh; we WILL become weary and faint. That's a given.

But what will we do when we get there? Wallow in it? Or consider Him?

Knowing Him more intimately is the greatest remedy for weariness there is!

Lord, I want to know You more,
Deep within my soul I want to know You;
O I want to know You!
To feel Your heart and know Your mind,
Looking in Your eyes stirs up within me,
Cries that say I want to know You!
O I want to know You more!
Steve Fry

His Ways Past Finding Out

2011-08-03T08:22:00.002-04:00

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! ~ Romans 11:33

Here's what I read this morning by Oswald Chambers:

We have no conception of what God is aiming at, and as we go on it gets more and more vague. God's aim looks like missing the mark because we are too short sighted to see what He is aiming at. Naturally, our ambitions are our own; in the Christian life we have no aim of our own. There is so much said today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament it is the aspect of God's compelling that is brought out. "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you." We are not taken up into conscious agreement with God's purpose, we are taken up into God's purpose without any consciousness at all.

God's purpose has been on my mind a lot lately. I have been praying for certain people in my life for what feels like quite some time. And it seems like God just isn't moving. You know what I mean? Nothing is happening. At least from my point of view. (I already know that God wants them to walk with Him, but they are choosing not to, and He has given them that free will.)

At times I start to feel, "What good are my prayers when they have a free will to do whatever they want anyway?" And on the other side, "If God is sovereign, then what good is it to pray earnestly for these people?"

Of course, Jesus taught us to pray and not to faint (Luke 18:1). Paul taught us to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17). And "God is not unrighteous to forget [my] work and labour of love..." (Hebrews 6:10).

I have a long way to go in understanding the doctrines of predestination, foreknowledge, and sovereignty, but I do know that God wants me to pray. I don't know God's purpose. I don't always see where He is working in someone's life. And I don't always see what He is doing in my own life through learning patience in prayer! But I can be sure, He is good and up to something good! And He will work all things together for good (Romans 8:28). Why? To conform me to the image of His Son Jesus (Romans 8:29)!

There was a rough period in my life when my mom would often start singing this song to encourage me:

Though you cannot see and you can't quite understand,

Remember God is still in control;

He has promised to bring you through somehow,

And He's working even now!

God is working, He's still working,

God is working even now;

Though we often don't know just how,

God is working, He's still working,

God is working even now.

Carol Cymbala, sung by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego come to mind. In Daniel 3:17-18, they answered King Nebuchadnezzar, who had threatened to throw them into the fiery furnace:

"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. BUT IF NOT..."

What if we took this attitude toward prayer?

I am asking for certain things, God, and I believe You are able and willing to ________. BUT IF NOT, (if You don't choose to allow it to happen the way I would like), I will still love, live for, walk with You, and trust in You, because You are sovereign and You are good.

Bread Alternative

2011-08-02T15:25:00.001-04:00

I just tried this and it's good... albeit different. It's from my Yeast Connection Cookbook.

Yeast-free, Egg-free Buckwheat Cakes/Flatbread

1 C buckwheat flour

1 tsp sea salt (optional)

(I added a pinch of fructose... optional.)

1 to 1 1/2 C water (or more if needed to make batter thinner)

1 Tb oil

Make on griddle as pancakes on medium heat. (Don't forget to oil the griddle/fry pan.) These cook very quickly because they are very flat and thin. Flip each when bubble-holes form.

Use as bread for sandwiches for brown-bagging, or serve for breakfast with fresh fruit and yogurt on top... maybe even with maple syrup or honey!

Use wherever you would use bread.

I made an open-face sandwich snack with deli chicken (Naturals brand--no preservatives) and brown mustard on one buckwheat cake. Delicious!

P.S. I stored them between wax paper (saved from cereal boxes!) in a pita bread bag I already had. :)

I Can Trust Jesus

2011-07-28T14:16:00.001-04:00

God picked up a sparrow that could no longer fly,
He brushed off its wounds and then watched it soar into the sky;
If He's mindful of creation, on this I can depend,
I am His child, and I can place all my trust in Him.

I can trust Jesus, I can trust Jesus,

He never once has failed to meet my need;

He is my strong tow'r,
The strength in my weakest hour,

I can trust Jesus, He takes care of me.

I have prayed some prayers and felt they never were heard,
But I held to God's hand and kept right on trusting in His Word;
My wants and God's desires don't always agree,
But I lean on His will, for He always what's best for me.

I can trust Jesus, I can trust Jesus,
He never once has failed to meet my need;
He is my strong tow'r,
The strength in my weakest hour,
I can trust Jesus, He takes care of me.

Songwriter unknown; sung by the Collingsworth family

You will be blessed if you watch the song here.

It's a simple truth, but I need to be reminded today. I am so thankful that He takes care of me. I can trust Him. He's working all things together for good (Romans 8:28).

The Collingsworth family

Life's Rough?

2011-07-26T10:22:00.001-04:00

There are days when I catch myself thinking life is rough.

I have many challenges, just as most people have. And when I start to dwell on those hard things, and imagine how it could get worse, Jesus usually reminds me of Bible characters and people in history who had it tougher than I have it... Jesus Himself, the Apostle Paul, Esther, Corrie ten Boom, Jim and Elisabeth Elliot.

These perspectives help, but what gets down to where I really live is reading about or meeting someone who is living it right now... someone who is walking with Christ right now in the midst of more difficult circumstances than I have ever experienced.

Meet my virtual friend Sheri. She and her family are missionaries to Brazil. I have yet to meet Sheri in person, but by testimony of those who know her, she is a true Christian inspiration. Here's something I saw in her comments to someone on Facebook recently: "I just want to participate with God and what He's doing 100%!"

Sheri has gone through some unspeakable horrors as well as some very rough living conditions on the mission field, living in the jungle, seeking to be a godly wife and mother through it all. Most women who have been through something like that on the mission field would have come back home feeling that they have "paid their dues," and that "now it is time to relax." Not Sheri. She couldn't wait to get back to Brazil after their first term.

As I write this, they are sitting in their new home in Lages, Brazil, a home not as primitive as their jungle home, yet primitive by North American standards. When they set up housekeeping, they found out the water had been cut off. It's winter in Brazil, and they had no heat in the house for several days.

They are roughing it without any furniture except a small kitchen table, a small 4-burner stove to cook with and air mattresses to sleep on for now, as they wait for their container of household things to arrive and clear customs. Literally all Sheri has in her kitchen is a sink. Homes there do not come with refrigerator, stove, cabinets, etc. They lived like this for many weeks--indefinitely--not knowing when the container would arrive. (Thank God it finally arrived last Friday!)

How many would have quit and said, "OK, now I want to go home!"?

Yet Sheri is thankful. She is happy. You can see the love of Christ radiating on her face in every picture of her.

I am humbled in the midst of my own complaining spirit. There are so many verses the proclaim how good God is!

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. Hebrews 6:10

Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment. Job 34:12

Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Psalm 31:19

Do I beat myself up for complaining? Sometimes. But when I do, I am really just jumping from one ditch into another. I want to remember that is not the answer. I want to be on the balanced highway in the middle. Just resting in Him and walking with Him. Yielding every area of my life as He reveals it, and not worrying about the areas He has yet to show me. He will reveal them in His time. And I pray that I will always remain soft to His promptings to yield.

Life with God is good!

(Click here for Sheri's latest blog entry: Saturday and a Pillow.)

Once

2011-07-22T23:01:00.002-04:00

I remember listening to an old LP record of Lester Roloff singing this old hymn by A.B. Simpson (see below). It means so much more now than it did when I was a kid ... because through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come!

These dangers, toils, and snares have enabled me to understand the "grace life" more fully. The words of verse two are oh-so-true for me! "Once 'twas painful trying/ Now 'tis perfect trust."

And, believe me, I'm still learning to lean on Jesus. That's what it's all about: yielding to Him so He can live the Christian life through me. It's so much more peaceful than painful trying!

Once
A.B. Simpson

1. Once it was the blessing,
Now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling,
Now it is His Word;
Once His gift I wanted,
Now, the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing,
Now Himself alone.

CHORUS
All in all is Jesus,
Jesus will I sing;
Everything in Jesus,
And Jesus, everything.

2. Once 'twas painful trying,
Now 'tis perfect trust;
Once a half salvation,
Now the uttermost;
Once 'twas ceaseless holding,
Now He holds me fast;
Once 'twas constant drifting,
Now my anchor's cast.

3. Once 'twas busy planning,
Now 'tis trustful prayer;
Once 'twas anxious caring,
Now He has the care;
Once 'twas what I wanted,
Now what Jesus says;
Once 'twas constant asking,
Now 'tis ceaseless praise.

4. Once it was my working,
His it hence shall be;
Once I tried to use Him,
Now He uses me;
Once the pow'r I wanted,
Now the Mighty One;
Once for self I labored,
Now for Him alone.

5. Once I hoped in Jesus,
Now I know He's mine;
Once my lamps were dying,
Now they brightly shine;
Once for death I waited,
Now His coming hail;
And my hopes are anchored
Safe within the veil.

~ A.B. Simpson

Additional reading on the "grace life": The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life, by Hannah Whitall Smith; Charles Trumbull's writings; Oswald Chambers' writings; F.B. Meyer's writings; etc. Message me (or comment below) if you would like more info.

My New Diet

2011-06-27T17:10:00.000-04:00

Working with naturopathic and medical doctors, I am finding some health issues that require a serious, albeit temporary, change of diet (though I will have to keep certain things in moderation for life so the symptoms do not return). So I'm trying to gradually change over my kitchen along with my diet. Not easy! Here's what I made for supper tonight: Quinoa Casserole and a French Salad. Taste tests are good! We'll see what Peter and Kyla think! :)

Quinoa With Walnuts and Rosemary

Easy Quinoa Stovetop Casserole Recipe, With Walnuts and Rosemary

Quinoa, Walnut and Rosemary Casserole is simple and easy, a hearty & flavorful, light yet filling stovetop casserole recipe.

4 Servings: Preparation time, approximately 45 minutes from start to serving.

Quinoa Casserole Ingredients:

▪ 1/2 cup walnuts, soaked in water for 6 hours or longer - we soak overnight in the fridge, in a covered container, then drain and rinse

▪ 1 c quinoa, soaked 15 minutes, rinsed and drained in a colander

▪ 1 Tbsp olive oil

▪ 1 - 2 garlic cloves

▪ 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

▪ 1 stalk celery, diced

▪ 1 unsalted veggie bouillon cube

▪ 1 1/2 cups boiling water

▪ 1/4 - 1/2 tsp crushed dried rosemary leaf, or 1 tsp fresh

▪ 1 bay leaf

▪ Optional: 1/2 tsp salt

▪ 1/2 cup frozen peas (I used mixed vegetables.)

▪ 1/4 cup parsley, minced

▪ Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Soak the walnuts ahead in the fridge the morning or evening before cooking

2. Soak quinoa 15 minutes to an hour, rinse three times through a fine metal strainer, leave to drain

3. Heat olive oil on medium in a large sauté pan or frying pan

4. Crush, peel, stem, and mince garlic cloves

5. Wash and dice celery (slice lengthwise, then crosswise, in thin slices)

6. Peel and dice carrot (slice lengthwise in four, then crosswise in thin slices)

7. Stir fry garlic, celery and carrot until beginning to brown

8. Shake quinoa to get out any remaining water, add to pan, and sauté until dry

9. Add crushed rosemary leaf, and bay leaf, stir to heat through

10. Cooking Tip: To 'crush' rosemary, we whizzed whole dried rosemary leaf in our trusty spice grinder (aka coffee grinder). You can also use a mortar and pestle, or just crush it with your fingers

11. Cooking Tip: If you use a salted bouillon cube for this recipe, you'll need very little added salt. Check the label on the box.

12. Stir in 1 1/2 cups boiling water, optional salt and bouillon cube, bring to boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes

13. Add the frozen peas on top, cover and simmer another 10 minutes

14. Chop walnuts coarsely, mince parsley, and stir into casserole with the peas

15. Turn off heat, stir in fresh ground pepper to taste, then serve

French Salad with Walnuts, Beets, and Feta Cheese

(by Laura Calder, Food Network)

Ingredients

• 4 endives, quartered and cored (I used Romaine lettuce.)

• 1 medium beet, cooked, peeled and diced

• 6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (I used Feta.)

• 5 ounces walnuts, broken up a bit and toasted if you like

• 1/2 cup walnut oil (I used olive mixed with vegetable oil.)

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• salt and pepper to season

Directions

3. Separate the endive leaves and fan them out on a plate. Scatter over the beet, blue cheese, and nuts. Whisk together the oil and vinegar. Taste to make sure the balance is right. Season, taste again, then drizzle over the salad. Serve.

What To Wear...

2011-06-16T22:57:00.000-04:00

Recently, I read about someone's shock at seeing shorts and V*ctoria's S*cret sweatshirt sported at an evening wedding! My husband and I talk about this quite often--except we talk about it in regard to church. The question is so pertinent even to that arena: What do you wear to a wedding?

It seems to me that out of respect for the occasion, people would wear their best. (If that's shorts and a sweatshirt, it may be time to do some shopping!) It's sad to me that many people these days would dress up more for a wedding or funeral than they do for church. Why do they dress up for these occasions? Out of respect. {Key word.}

My question is: Why is everyone galloping full-speed-ahead toward casual, "come as you are" at church, when we are meeting with the King of kings? Would one wear shorts and a sweatshirt to meet the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of Canada, or the Queen of England?

Of course, we all know and quote, "the Lord looketh on the heart" (I Samuel 16:7), and obviously that's true. Those who come to church with the "proper look and attire" but are proud and arrogant inside make me sick (Matthew 23:27)--Jesus didn't like it either!

It's also true that we should continually cultivate a love relationship with Christ. Someone will say, "Well, I just think I should be comfortable with the Lord, because it's about relationship; not religion." True, one should always comfortable around their loved one. Yet, at home and in intimate times, isn't the attire different than when one goes to the office?

Isn't there something to be said about one's attitude showing through what one wears (Matthew 22:11-12)? Can we honestly say that a casual approach to church led to a greater respect for God in recent years?

Please, no eggs or tomatoes... It's just food for thought!

Loving or Unloving?

2011-06-09T14:08:00.000-04:00

‎"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (I John 4:7-8)

Knowing God is a continual process. The better I know God, the more loving I can become as I yield to Christ Who is living in me.

I have all the power to love already IN ME. Knowing and understanding God more and more causes the natural effect of my loving others even more than I ever thought possible--even unlovable people, unkind people, or people who don't love me back.

My love for others is not my love... it's Christ's love in me. The love I show indicates that I am "born of God" (saved), but also that I KNOW God on an intimate level... not just "believing IN God." "Believing God" is different than "Believing IN God."

So if I find myself unloving, I don't need to beat myself up and "try harder to love." I need to get to KNOW HIM more. HE is love.

Knowing You, Jesus
Graham Kendrick

All I once held dear, built my life upon,
All this world reveres and wars to own;
All I once thought gain I have counted loss,
Spent and worthless now compared to this:

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing.
You're my all, You're the best,
You're my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You, Lord.

Now my heart's desire is to know You more,
To be found in You and know as Yours;
To possess by faith what I could not earn,
All surpassing gift of righteousness.

Oh to know the power of Your risen life,
And to know You in Your sufferings;
To become like You in Your death, my Lord,
So with You to live and never die.

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing.
You're my all, You're the best,
You're my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You, Lord.

Personal Experience With Depression

2011-05-23T15:52:00.006-04:00

I have personally suffered from depression for years and took anti-depressants for more than 10 years. I have struggled, seeking answers.

Three years ago I was able to wean off of the anti-depressants (not without fear and trepidation!) by starting a daily regimen of Omega-3 supplements along with 5HTP capsules. The 5HTP helps me get into a deep sleep and stay there through the night, as sleep problems many times contribute to depression.

I highly encourage anyone suffering with depression or mental illness NOT to make anti-depressants and medications their first option. Seek to find the SOURCE, rather than just treating symptoms. This is what most anti-depressant drugs do: treat symptoms.

Seeing a naturopathic doctor helped me as well, to check for food allergies, etc. Sometimes a gluten or wheat allergy wreaks havoc on someone’s system! Until someone reaches “bottom,” he/she may be unwilling to change his/her lifestyle and diet, but trust me, once you reach that all-time low, you’re willing to try just about anything. It seems to me that it’s better to try healing your body naturally with the things that God created (herbs, vitamins, etc.) than to immediately jump to a synthetic solution. Too many times the cure proves worse than the disease in the medical arena. (I speak with all due respect to medical professionals. I believe there is definitely a time and place for their services.)

Another thing that helped me is an exercise regimen. I definitely see a difference in my mood and a lack of feeling hopeless when I’m exercising or active in some way.

Most important of all–-and above any natural health or fitness solution-–JESUS is THE medicine! Singing and choosing to be with people (instead of isolating) are areas that helped me also. But THE most important is the input of GOD’S WORD daily. Jesus IS the WORD (John 1:1). Play Scripture music. Play the Bible on CD. Read it. Post print-outs of Scripture around the house. Make your own songs up out of the Scriptures that are meaningful to you. Meditate and saturate yourself with Scripture!!

The Apostle Paul had a "thorn in the flesh, a messenger of satan to buffet" him. He asked God three times to remove it, but God told him that His grace was "sufficient." This is how I have come to accept my battle with depression. I do all the things that God has allowed me to find that help me, but if I fight a day or two here and there when I feel depressed, I accept it that God still wants me to remember I need to run to Him first. He is my hiding place (Psalm 32:7); not my Omega-3 supplements or exercise, or anything else outside of Him that I have found to help me. Those findings are good and important, and I believe they are answers from heaven. However, when it comes down to it, HE is all I need. HE is my all in all.

...And when it comes down to it, I have a choice.

‎"Lincoln once said that most people are about as happy as they decide to be. In the end, you may have to pray for the grace and courage to decide to say "yes" to life and, by so doing, prove to the world that you have indeed been saved: "by grace through faith." To make such a decision is not to be a Pollyanna. It is willing to will the will of God." ~ Tony Campolo

If you would like more info that I have found in my search for help with depression, please feel free to message me.

From the Holy Place to the Holy of Holies

2011-05-23T13:05:00.000-04:00

Roy Hession's words in Shadow to Substance resonate with me...

There was a time in my Christian life when I did not seem to have problems in my relationship wtih others. I imagined I went through the world smiling at everybody, with everybody smiling back at me. There were problems, all right but I was blissfully unaware of them... [when I went from the Holy Place of the Christian life to the Holy of Holies], I found there were many things in my attitudes to others that needed my repentance and God's forgiveness, and I discovered that not everybody had been smiling at me; they had seen and noted and remembered the wrongs I had done and the wounds I had inflicted. And I had the humiliation of having to take the place of the wrong one on this, that, and the other matter, as I entered the Holiest.

It's true. When we decide to go from just plain "living the Christian life" to living in the Holy of Holies, choosing complete consecration to God--total yieldedness in every area He reveals, we find so many things that used to be acceptable to us are no longer acceptable. We find that, as Roy Hession said, we may have hurt people in the past without knowing it.

As a teen, I carried around in the front of my Bible a little pamphlet entitled, "Others May; You Cannot." [See article below.] To others it may have seemed rigid. And to be honest, when I was a teen and a young adult, I harboured a great deal of pride in my heart at being "right" and living "righteously." I had a great deal of growing up to do--and still do! Yet, the older I get, the less I seem to know! The more questions I have!

Nevertheless, we all know that the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater. A desire for holiness naturally brings forth a different kind of living. Sometimes it's viewed as radical. Crazy. Ridiculous. Extreme.

OTHERS MAY, YOU CANNOT

By G.D. Watson

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. ~ Matthew 16:24-25

If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.
Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.
Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.
The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.
God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.
The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.
So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.

God will take you at your word. If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.
G.D.Watson (1845-1924) was a Wesleyan Methodist minister and evangelist based in Los Angeles. His evangelistic campaigns took him to England, the West Indies, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Korea. He also wrote several books. Source: www.BulletinInserts.org

If I'm going to be extreme about anything, I want it to be in the area of my love for God. Seriously, when you're in love, you are radical about the person with whom you're in love, are you not? Does my life show that I am crazy about God? That I am radically different than those who are not crazy about God? How does it come out?

I remember that, when I first fell in love with my Peter, he was constantly on my mind. I talked about him; ate, drank, breathed, dreamed PETER! Nothing and no one else could take his spot.

Think of how "different from the norm" my life would be if Jesus Christ was constantly on my mind. What if I talked about Him; ate, drank, breathed, dreamed JESUS CHRIST?! How radically different my life would be! How crazy I might seem to others--and sadly, even to other Christians who mean well and believe they themselves are truly devoted to Christ.

Am I really that radical? Do my neighbours and unsaved friends see that I am different? Do they know that nothing and no one is as important to me as Christ in my daily life (not just on Sundays)?

Am I truly yielded to the Holy Spirit in every little area of my life?

How regularly do I so hunger for the Word and spiritual food that I forego watching TV or pleasure reading just to spend the time with HIM?

Do people see a LOVE in my heart that only Jesus can give--a supernatural love for those who are unlovely or those who are merely different from me? Can I reach out and tangibly show love to someone who has hurt me or criticized me?

The truth is that with the Holy Spirit living inside of me, I have all the power to be all these things. It takes no effort on my part; it's simply my resting in Him and His power. He does all the work.

THAT is the way I want to live.

And THAT is living in the Holy of Holies.

Blogger Interview

2011-05-21T16:34:00.001-04:00

Meet Me... Dayna!

First, tell us a little about yourself.

I have the most wonderful teddy-bear husband in the world--though he likes to pretend he's a grizzly! I am Nana and full-time caregiver to the cutest, curly-topped grand daughter you ever saw! I have two beautiful daughters and one handsome son. My passions are ministry, music, graphic design, and editing, but frequently those are back-burnered to teach little Curly Top her ABCs and numbers!

If I’m not blogging, I’m…

cleaning, cooking, coaching--not just Curly Top, but also the choir and music groups at church!

Little known fact about you:

In addition to singing and playing piano, I also tinker around with a small harp.

Favourite top-of-your-lungs-in-the-shower song?

Different songs at different times... usually an upbeat Southern Gospel song that has blessed my soul recently... such as "I Am Redeemed" as sung by the Greenes.

Favourite way to spend family time:

Together... usually in our recliners either watching a movie, Fox News, playing on our laptops, or all three at once!

If you could be a member of any musical group, what would it be?

Probably a group like Sisters, Collingsworths, Perrys, etc... a Southern Gospel group.

Do you have a favorite TV show?

French Food at Home, WWII romantic movies, movies set in Victorian England, historical fiction, or an older girlie movie like While You Were Sleeping.

Favorite simple pleasure:

-Dark chocolate with almonds, chocolate ice cream with nuts, kettlecorn

-I love to drink a hazelnut coffee (preferably Starbucks Caffe Verona blend) out back at the picnic table as the sun is coming up!

-Watching retro Southern Gospel youtube videos for hours!

Real-life heroes:

Missionaries like Darrel and Louise Champlin. I can't wait to meet Hannah Whitall Smith, Rosalinde Goforth, Andrew Murray, Oswald Chambers, Jim Elliot, and many others in heaven!

What song would you consider your personal anthem?

It's hard to pick just one!

-"I Am His and He Is Mine"

-"Come On Home"

-"Did I Mention (That I Love Him)?"

Top 3 things you’d like to do in this lifetime:

-Publish a book(s)

-Go back to Europe with my Peter

-Visit the Caribbean with my Peter

What book is currently on your nightstand?

Meet Mr. Moody by Warren Weirsbe

She Always Wore Red by Angela Hunt

Favourite quote/motto:

"The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places." ~ Habakkuk 3:19

"Live the difference."

How long have you been blogging?

About three years

What was your original intention when you started your blog?

To have an outlet for things about which I'm passionate. I love writing.

How long did it take before you felt like you had a decent audience on a consistent basis?

Not sure I still do!

Where did you go for help when you needed it?

I google for blogs on topics in which I feel I need help: Christian living, homemaking, rearing children, etc.

What do you like best and least about blogging?

I love having a place to write and publish something that might bless someone else. I dislike the pressure I can allow myself to feel at times to live up to other bloggers.

How have you seen God in your blogging journey?

He pervades every part of my life as well as blogging journey. He teaches me a lot through writing. It's always been that way for me. That's why I've kept a journal since I was in 2nd grade.

If you had to start over from scratch with the knowledge and experience you have now, what things would you do differently/the same, in regards to blogging?

If I did not have any other commitments in my life, I would do more to get my blog link out more. (Link up to other blogs of like content more often.) I would have set up my Facebook blog link much earlier.

What are the top 3 things or tips you would like to say to newer bloggers to help them in their journey?

Link up to other blogs of like content often.
Consider choosing one blogging topic on which to focus... a theme.
Don't allow yourself to feel blogging peer pressure; commit your blog, no matter the outcome, to God on a regular basis.

Now it's your turn... copy/paste into the comments or into your own blog!

Meet Me... ________!

First, tell us a little about yourself.

If I’m not blogging, I’m…

Little known fact about you:

Favourite top-of-your-lungs-in-the-shower song?

Favourite way to spend family time:

If you could be a member of any musical group, what would it be?

Do you have a favourite TV show?

Favourite simple pleasure:

Real-life heroes:

What song would you consider your personal anthem?

Top 3 things you’d like to do in this lifetime:

What book is currently on your nightstand?

Favourite quote/motto:

How long have you been blogging?

What was your original intention when you started your blog?

How long did it take before you felt like you had a decent audience on a consistent basis?

Where did you go for help when you needed it?

What do you like best and least about blogging?

How have you seen God in your blogging journey?

If you had to start over from scratch with the knowledge & experience you have now, what things would you do differently/the same, in regards to blogging?

What are the top 3 things or tips you would like to say to newer bloggers to help them in their journey?

Mother's Day

2011-05-07T20:24:00.001-04:00

This weekend I am praying for all the women who desire to be a mom and for whatever reason are not.

I know how you feel.

Romans 8:28 seems trite, yet it is true. No matter the hurt, God will work it all out for good to those who love Him. Love involves trust, and you can trust the *good* heart of God. He knows why.

I am thankful for the three [step]children God has given me through marriage, and the granddaughter we have with us in our home, but for many years it was not so for me. I was alone, and I longed for children. There is still, at times, a little ache inside when conversations come up about pregnancy, carrying a child inside your body... and the statements--albeit true--that "you cannot understand until you experience it."

When I hurt like that, I must ask myself two questions:

1. Will I trust the good hand of God? That He knew best for me and that He allowed it to happen in my life the way it did for a reason? (Or will I choose to be bitter about it?)

2. Is there another area in which I do this to someone else? Another topic/area of life entirely where I may have been granted something that they have not. If God puts His finger on an area, am I willing to be more sensitive to that person (even if he/she is not sensitive to me), realizing the hurt he/she may be feeling? Am I willing to see him/her through Jesus' eyes?

He Is There

2011-04-07T08:45:00.002-04:00

He is there... in the sunrise moments.

He is there... in the precious moments of learning.

He is there... when I don't want to answer "What's that?" for the thousandth time! :)

He's in every moment of my life.

Do I see Him?

Do you?

“At the heart of the Christian message is God Himself waiting for His redeemed children to push into conscious awareness of His presence. That type of Christianity which happens now to be in vogue knows this Presence only in theory. It fails to stress the Christian's privilege of present realization. According to its teachings we are in the presence of God positionally, and nothing is said about the need to experience the Presence actually.”

~ A.W. Tozer

My Theme for 2011...

2011-04-07T08:13:00.000-04:00

Yes, I'm late in the game. Better late than never, eh?

The Lord has been speaking to my heart about one main thing in the past few months and has brought my focus onto one word: gratefulness.

In past years I have kept a Gratitude Journal, but I needed something more visual to remind me. I have a wipe-off board on my fridge. I have used it for chore lists, notes, reminders, and everything in between. This past week, however, I began using it for a new thing. I wrote at the top: "Grateful..." And I am endeavouring to write something for which I am grateful every day. It's just another way I can act upon what God is prompting in my heart--and a method in which I can get my family involved as well!

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" ~ Psalm 107:9

What's your praise today?

The Perfect Plan

2011-03-19T14:40:00.000-04:00

The Perfect Plan

Mine, yet not really mine—

I hold on, Lord, with open hands;

You alone are in control—

Help me trust in Your perfect plan.

Tiny hands and sweetest voice—

How can I simply let go?

Beautiful smile and tinkling laugh—

God, You see, and so well You know.

In my Bible I read, “For this child I prayed,”

Yet I do not know for how long;

You, Lord, alone hold my heart in Your hands,

I will trust, and through You, be strong.

I pour my very self into this child,

She may go, next month or next year;

I’m “the called”—I’m the one to stand in the gap,

I will rest in Your arms, not fear.

Mine, yet not really mine—

I hold on, Lord, with open hands;

You alone are in control—

Help me trust in Your perfect plan.

It's Not Fair!

2011-03-10T11:16:00.001-05:00

Why me?

I don't deserve this.

I deserve better.

What did I do to deserve this?

Continual questions flow through my mind. I feel I try so hard to "be good" and "do right." And things continue to go "wrong."

It's not fair!

There's another expression of emotion that comes easily when I don't truly believe God for Who He is.

God is good. I have been taught that. I know that in my head. But do I truly believe it in my heart?

Recently, I had an epiphany of sorts over a familiar verse. I learned to quote this verse as a two-year-old child:

And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. ~ Romans 8:28

Yeah. I've read and quoted that verse so many times. But now I notice that it says, "the called according to His purpose."

I am the called one. The position in which God has placed me in life is for His purpose and ultimately for my good.

God has not maliciously placed me in this position. He has good reasons that I may not know now, but I will know one day. Jesus said:

What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. ~ John 13:7

So it is up to me to believe God is Who He says He is!

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him. ~ Nahum 1:7

Knowing God intimately is the privilege of those who trust in Him. If I know and trust that He is good, He becomes my stronghold in the day of trouble.

Countless Scriptures tell me that God is good. That God orchestrates everything in my life. That nothing happens by accident.

The question is: Will I trust in a good God today?

I will trust when I cannot see,

When I'm faced with adversity;

And believe Your will is always best for me,

I will trust when I cannot see.

~ John W. Peterson

God's a Good Housekeeper!

2011-03-01T08:20:00.000-05:00

Today I would like to share a portion of The God of All Comfort by Hannah Whitall Smith:

If I have a friend whom I know to be a good housekeeper, I do not trouble over the fact that at housecleaning time things in her house may seem to be more or less upset, carpets up, and furniture shrouded in coverings, and even perhaps painting and decorating making some rooms uninhabitable. I say to myself, “My friend is a good housekeeper, and although things look so uncomfortable now, all this upset is only because she means in the end to make it far more comfortable than ever it was before.”

This world is God’s housekeeping; and although things at present look grievously upset, yet, since we know that He is good, and therefore must be a good Housekeeper, we may be perfectly sure that all this present upset is only to bring about in the end a far better state of things than could have been without it. I dare say we have all felt at times as though we could have done God’s housekeeping better than He does it Himself, but, when we realize that God is good, we can feel this no longer. And it comforts me enormously, when the world seems to me to be going all wrong, just to say to myself, “It is not my housekeeping, but it is the Lord’s; and the Lord is good, therefore His housekeeping must be good too; and it is foolish for me to trouble.”

A deeply taught Christian was asked by a despairing child of God, “Does not the world look to you like a wreck?

“Yes,” was the reply, in a tone of cheerful confidence; “yes, like the wreck of a bursting seed.” Any of us who have watched the first sproutings of an oak tree from the heart of a decaying acorn will understand what this means. Before the acorn can bring forth the oak, it must become itself a wreck. No plant ever came from any but a wrecked seed.

Our Lord uses this fact to teach us the meaning of His processes with us. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but, if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

The whole explanation of the apparent wreckage of the world at large, or of our own personal lives in particular, is here set forth. And, looked at in this light, we can understand how it is that the Lord can be good, and yet can permit the existence of sorrow and wrong in the world He has created, and in the lives of the human beings He loves.

It is His very goodness that compels Him to permit it. For He knows that, only through such apparent wreckage, can the fruition of His glorious purposes for us be brought to pass. And we whose hearts also long for that fruition will, if we understand His ways, be able to praise Him for all His goodness, even when things seem hardest and most mysterious.

The apostle tells us that the will of God is “good and acceptable, and perfect.” The will of a good God cannot help being “good”—in fact, it must be perfect’; and, when we come to know this, we always find it “acceptable”; that is we come to love it. I am convinced that all trouble about submitting to the will of God would disappear, if once we could see clearly that His will is good. We struggle and struggle in vain to submit to a will that we do not believe to be good, but when we see that it is really good, we submit to it with delight. We want it to be accomplished. Our hearts spring out to meet it.

Space fails me to tell all that I might of the infinite goodness of the Lord. Each one must “taste and see” for himself. And if he will but do it honestly and faithfully, the words of the psalmist will become true of him: “They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.”

God is our PERFECT FATHER, and He can be trusted!

Psalm 116:7 says, "Return unto thy rest, O my soul [that's my mind, will, and emotions!]; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee."

Watch this video of the song "I Can Trust Jesus" by the Collingsworth Family:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcLBdlfkGJs

Tomorrow--Love It or Fear It?

2011-02-14T13:53:00.000-05:00

NOTE: To listen to this video, you will need to scroll to the bottom of this page and pause the automatic music player.

Have you been slammed with yet another jolt in life? Makes you wonder what tomorrow holds, doesn't it? Have you ever asked, "What else could possibly go wrong?!"

Sometimes life throws us curve balls that have us fearing tomorrow rather than loving it. (My apologies to Orphan Annie.)

A little song that I play for my two-year-old granddaughter convicts me:

Are you humbly grateful, or grumbly hateful?

What's your attitude?

Do you grumble and groan, or let it be known

You're grateful for all God's done for you?

No matter what is going on in life, we still have so many blessings for which to thank God. I woke up this morning with a roof over my head, a furnace heating my home, warm blankets, a warm shower, a loving husband, and a host of other blessings!

Whenever I enjoy a hot shower, God seems to bring to my mind all the persecuted Christians around the world who are in prison, have spent time in prison or concentration camps for their faith, or who just don't have the amenities we have in our western world. He reminds me of two things: 1.) to pray for the persecuted believers around the world, and 2.) to be grateful for the riches I have.

I may not be rich by this world's standards. I don't live in a mansion, or even a newly built home. I don't have endless money to spend. There are problems in my life that I wish weren't there. There are relationships in my life that I wish were better. But I am rich!

The church of Laodicea was rebuked of God because they were lukewarm. Why were they considered lukewarm? God said,

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: ~ Revelation 3:17

Does God want me to grovel? No. But He does want me to see that without Him, I am nothing. Because He wants me to rely completely on Him, and realize that everything I have is from Him.

What in the world does this have to do with fearing tomorrow? When I see life through the gratefulness lens, I don't fear tomorrow, because I have the assurance that God, the Almighty, my Creator, the Lover of my soul, has everything planned, purposed, and under control. When I see Him as a loving heavenly Father, a perfect one, I can lean back in His arms and trust that everything He is allowing--and will ever allow--in my life is for a perfect plan and purpose. That it's all for my good. That one day I will understand it all. It will all make sense.

The late Corrie ten Boom used the illustration of a cross-stitch piece. On earth, we only see the underside of the cross-stitch of our lives: all tangles and knots, not pretty. When we get to heaven, we will see the beauty of the top side: the completed cross-stitch He has made of everything in our lives. Then we will know why and we will be eternally grateful for all that He did allow--even the uglies--to make something so beautiful of our lives.

Fear not tomorrow! God is already there!

Daily Personal Application of the Bible

2011-01-10T09:30:00.001-05:00

I am convinced that many do not really know how to apply the Bible in their daily reading, and that is why they struggle with daily reading. This is not meant to be a judgment over others; quite the contrary. It is my passion for others to have a vibrant walk with God that includes daily, practical application of His Word! And it is possible!

Honestly, when I come before God each morning, expecting something for my heart and life, I am excited to read His Word! It's not a "have-to." I'm not claiming to have it all down pat, but I would love to share some ways that I endeavour to apply the Word every day. If you're struggling in this area, don't be embarrassed or ashamed. It's true that you may just need to develop the character and discipline to a daily schedule of reading God's Word. But perhaps it's just some practical "how-to" knowledge that would get you over the hump!

This is a very simple, basic example of one of the ways I journal my application of the Bible. I am presenting it unedited from my journals. During my morning time with God, I also include other devotional books such as My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers and Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman. However, for the notes that follow, I have read straight from the Scripture, with no notes from other sources. All these application notes are what God spoke to me about as I was reading this morning, in a very basic format.

January 10, 2011

Mt. 8:10-12. Jesus mentioned “great faith,” and verse 11 says that many shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Then verse 12 starts with a contrasting “but,” and talks about “the children of the kingdom” being cast into outer darkness. Does the contrasting word merely indicate the contrast between their destination: heaven or hell? Or does the contrasting word indicate that many will “sit down with” the saved here on earth, but they are not truly saved? {thinking about this!}

Ps. 9:16. “The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: {colon—the next phrase explains this further} the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.” There is a choice we make that will bring consequences. It is not a matter of a mean, surly God happily executing judgment on people.

Ps. 9:20. Prayer for the City of Woodstock: “Put them in fear, O LORD: that [Woodstock] may know themselves to be but men.”

Pr. 3:5-6 can only be claimed in the context of verse 1-4: “My son, forget not my law... keep my commandments…” Hold onto mercy and truth, both together; not one without the other. THEN you can trust in the LORD with all thine heart… lean not to thine own understanding… acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Too many people claim these verses for direction without realizing they have forgotten God’s law in many areas, they are not keeping His commandments (which are not grievous), and they are not holding to mercy and truth TOGETHER. Trusting must come along with obeying.

1. Forget not my law—get the Scripture inside your mind and heart!

2. Keep my commandments—obey Scripture!

3. Don’t forget that mercy and truth go together—you can’t have one without the other.

4. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding—don’t try to figure things out on your own.

5. Acknowledge Him in ALL thy ways—He should be central to your life, invited and involved in everything you are and do.

Note: The way I select these passages for reading is by using a One Year Bible--the entire KJV arranged in 365 daily readings. I do not hold myself to reading this entire Bible in one year, but I use it as a guide. If I get behind, I do not try to catch it all up in one or two days, because this causes me to speed-read, rather than read to apply personally, and it discourages me. I don't want to put God in a box; if He leads me to read different passages one morning, then I do. In the One Year Bible, I put a little checkmark at the end of each passage that I read, just to use as a record of what I have read. When I go through it next year, I can easily see the passages I have read, as well as those I have not yet read in this context of study. This may not work for others, but it is a way I have found that is not self-defeating. I don't want to set such a lofty goal for myself that I set myself up for failure, and I don't want my Bible reading time to become a formula. I believe it should be a wonderful communication time between God and me! However, I do want to have a plan to meet with God so that the day does not slide by without this important quiet time!

Journaling is not for everyone. But it is a scientific fact that writing things down (or typing them) helps one learn and apply things better than merely reading. By the same token, reading aloud is better than reading silently, because you are not just using your eyes; your ears are also hearing it, and your voice is speaking it. The more senses you use when learning something, the more you tend to remember and apply it in life.

Have a wonderful quiet time with God! He loves you and longs to meet with JUST YOU!

From My Journals... Ramblings From My Heart...

2011-01-07T15:41:00.002-05:00

Photo courtesy of Monique Tremblay

I am burdened as we start the New Year. I feel the church is passive. I feel that we as individual believers are passive and apathetic. I feel a burden to prayer and consecrated living more than ever… and I am not talking about religion or pious legalism.

What are we really living for? What is our purpose? To walk with Him. To have a relationship with Him that is real and personal! Not to “make it” or to have significance in this world! That search for significance is a bug that somehow I have been bitten by, even with my strong Christian upbringing. If Christ is “all and in all” as Colossians says, then why do we live for such shallow things?

I feel so ashamed that I have lived this past year (and years!) more for my own pleasure and comfort than in joyful abandon to God. Sure, I’m committed to God, to a vibrant walk with Him, and to the ministry to which He has called me. But looking at the saints of old like Hannah Whitall Smith or Jim Elliot … am I really? Looking at the saints who were persecuted for their faith, who lived (and even today live) under the constant threat of being arrested, imprisoned, beaten, or in some other way persecuted… am I really that devoted to God? Looking at my prayer life… do I pray for myself? To be relieved of sufferings or even for wisdom more than I pray to be humbled myself or pray for the souls of the unsaved or for the walks of my fellow believers to become more passionate?

What does walking “in His steps” really mean? Do I have any idea what it means to ask in everything, “What would Jesus do?” And then to do it? I feel my heart is apathetic; not just the hearts of others at church! I must be the change I would like to see in the church. I must not judge the next person, but allow my own passion for Christ—that which He alone can awaken in me—to shine through to inspire others to the same calling. It has nothing to do with my own efforts to "do better." I must merely yield to His Spirit in me!

If Christ is to be all, what does that look like in my daily life? How much more time in prayer would I feel compelled to spend—not for formula’s sake, not for show, not to look or feel more spiritual, but because I feel so drawn to spend the time with my Lord?!

How many more tears would I shed at the mere feeling of humility before my Lord? Not tears of grief for myself because of my sufferings and trials or things I dislike, but tears of humility, realizing that I’m the last one worthy and the first one grateful that He would even deign to walk or talk with me! That He would even desire to be intimate with me! That He would go to all the trouble of coming to earth and living in this painful world just to show me that He cares about the feelings of my infirmities! That He would even go through the beating and scourging and the awful death of crucifixion just because He loves me! Little me! A nobody who became somebody only because of Him!

God, grant me a heart to know You more… truly in a real, personal, and passionate way! Not just platitudes and pious prayers coming out of my lips, but a genuine grateful heart that understands more and more every day what Your Son did for me! That the things of this earth would grow strangely dim in the light of Your glory and grace!

If I only knew and understood the depth of what He did!

How Was Your Christmas?

2010-12-30T10:41:00.000-05:00

People often ask around this time, "How was your Christmas?"

Most reactions are: "Oh, we had a great time with our family." Or "It was great; I got a ___."

Rarely if ever will you hear anyone respond, "Wow, I am more in awe of Jesus than ever!"

Supposedly we are celebrating Christ's birth. That is what most Christians will claim as their focus. Yet their response about how their Christmas was rarely mentions His name. And sadly, if they did, they would probably be viewed as "hyper-spiritual" or "holier-than-thou."

"For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:" ~ I Peter 2:21

If Christ is "all and in all" (Colossians 3:11), and we claim to be His followers, would not His Birthday be all about Him? Would not every day of our lives become increasingly more about Him, rather than less about Him?

Here are some practical ways in which in this New Year, I want to endeavour to allow Him to be ALL. (And I would love for you to comment below on some practical ways He is leading you to allow Him to be ALL in your life too!)

1. Priorities.

I have to admit that many times my ministries at church take priority over my home (and thereby priority over my husband and family). God has been speaking to my heart about priorities; causing me to come to realize that better is not always His best. If I consistently have time to edit the bulletin, work on church flyers, facebook and email, etc., but my house is consistently neglected {ouch!}, my priorities are out of wack!

2. Patience.

The more I yield to the Spirit, the more I realize that I have no patience of my own. "In my own flesh dwelleth no good thing" (Romans 7:18). I have noticed that when I find myself becoming impatient with a brother or sister, many times I can find within myself the very trait causing my impatience! For example, when I am impatient with someone because he is acting selfish, I can usually find selfishness in my own heart.

"Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also hath received us to the glory of God" (Romans 15:7).

When I am more aware of the vast amount of grace with which Christ received me and that He continues to accept me by grace, I can fully receive others by grace, without judgment. Knowing and realizing how much I have been forgiven makes me more patient with the next person.

3. Pleasantness.

Who wants to be around a miserable person? Pleasantness comes from God through a grateful heart.

All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. ~ Proverbs 15:15

When my focus is continually on my afflictions or the things I wish were different in my life, I cannot fully appreciate the good things with which God has blessed me.

Blessed be the Lord our God, which daily loadeth us with benefits. ~ Psalm 68:28

Daily loads of benefits are ours, and yet usually we complain to Him more than we praise Him! As a parent, does an ungrateful child make you want to give him more or less? Yet God, the perfect, loving Father, keeps loading us down with blessings, even as the complaints come out of our lips! His patience with us and love for us--though consequences to our actions remain--knows no bounds!

I know that I truly want my New Year to be increasingly about Him. These are my three areas of focus: my priorities, patience, and pleasantness (which comes directly from praise). What are yours?

A Strange Phrase

2010-12-11T21:21:00.000-05:00

Paul wrote in Romans, "I die daily." What a strange thing to say! How can one "die daily"? If you're dead, you're dead! You can't die again the next day! Of course, it's a metaphor. Paul was not speaking literally, but he was definitely speaking spiritually.

This passage came up when Psalm 116:15 caught my eye in a different way.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."

In the past I always supposed that to be in reference to a martyr's death or the death of an old saint who had walked with God many years and was now called Home to Glory. However, when I read the next verse along with it, I saw it in a new light.

"O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds."

For me to be "truly God's servant," I must die to myself--my will, my desires--and surrender or yield to His Holy Spirit Who lives in me. When I do this (on a moment-by-moment basis), I am "dying daily," as the Apostle Paul said.

When I accepted Christ, "I yielded myself to His tender embrace, and faith taking hold of the Word..." as the old hymn says ("The Haven of Rest"). Then what happened? "My fetters fell off and I anchored my soul! The Haven of Rest is my Lord!" And look back at verse 16 again (Psalm 116):

"...thou hast loosed my bonds."

How did this happen? By my simply yielding to Him, to His Holy Spirit power that is already living in me. Not by my trying harder to be good or to do right. It is nothing about me! All I do is yield, and I am free! Look at verses 13-14 of Psalm 116:

"I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord" (first step: salvation). "I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all people" (next step, and every step on the way to Heaven: yielding to Him)!

The Psalmist repeats it again in verse 18:

"I will pay my vows..."

To die daily is to yield. To "pay my vows" is to yield to Him Who loves me unconditionally and has only my good in mind (Romans 8:28)! In this case, I'd be crazy not to lay down and die!

Thoughts from Psalm 71

2010-12-01T23:06:00.002-05:00

My God is a continual resort (verse 3).

Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

My mouth should speak continual praise (verse 6).

By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

I can have a continual hope (verse 14).

But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.

I love God's Living Word!

Photo: Strasbourg, France, by Brian J. Nibbe

Grateful

2010-11-17T08:41:00.005-05:00

In the midst of the gratefulness challenge sent out by Joy, this morning I read Psalm 116 and was especially encouraged by verse seven:

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.

Reminds me of Hebrews 4:9...

There remaineth therefore a rest unto the people of God.

That rest is for us here and now, on this earth. We do not have to wait until heaven to rest in Him! He IS our peace (Ephesians 2:14)! And He is right where you are--with YOU--right now!

If you're feeling anxious or more irritable than thankful today, go read Psalm 116. Then listen to this song by the Talley Trio. Hope it blesses you as it does me. Let me know...

My Outline of Psalm 107

2010-11-16T14:38:00.000-05:00

I think it's neat how this chapter can be divided in sections that represent areas and stages of my life:
Verses 1-3 Thankful for redemption
Verses 4-7 What I was before salvation
Verses 8-9 Thankful for the needs of my soul being met
Verses 10-13 Rebellion after salvation
Verses 14-16 Thankful for freedom from the sin of rebellion
Verses 17-19 Affliction due to sin (after salvation)
Verses 20-22 Thankful He still delivers even when I brought it on myself
Verses 23-27 Troubles allowed by God for a reason
Verses 28-32 Thankful He takes me through storms; does not leave me to face them alone, even though the storms are there to mature me!
Verses 33-41 Synopsis/summary of what God does in my life
Verse 43 Take heed and observe! Understand His lovingkindness!

God Says, I Remember...

2010-11-10T10:39:00.000-05:00

Last night, I lay in bed, praying. I started telling God that I had such a longing in my soul. I was feeling emotionally needy, and my husband was, well, "unavailable." My Peter was asleep!

As I was pouring out my heart to God (Psalm 62:8), I used the words, "God, I just have such a deep longing in my soul..."

He almost immediately brought this verse to my mind:

For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. ~ Psalm 107:9

Wow. That was all I needed. God doesn't just promise to meet my physical needs, but my emotional ones too--and being a woman, I have a LOT of emotional longings! I feel very deeply--God made me this way. But there are times my husband just needs to sleep! Ha ha!

This is not the end of my story... This morning, I opened my one-year Bible to today's reading. Yes, you probably guessed it: there was Psalm 107:9 looking back up at me! It seemed God was saying, "See? I remember. I'm here to fulfill your longings." God is such an amazing Best Friend! Who could have orchestrated that, but God?!

Photos: One-year Bible blog and King David blog

Anti-Procrastination Day!

2010-11-10T09:16:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to put into practice the housekeeping principles my mother taught me as a child and teen. Wow! About time, huh?! But seriously, many of us "learn" these things from our mothers, but until we actually have to "do" them all on our own, scheduling the time for them along with everything else in our lives, we don't really see how much of a challenge it can be to master the art!

Flylady is a great blueprint for housekeeping. It's very helpful to get email reminders that your fridge needs to be cleaned out--somehow we become blind to it!--or that the mopboards/moulding in your house need a wipe down. Though I'm an average height, I still seem to need the reminder to look up and see the cobwebs in the upper corners of the room!

Doesn't that spill on the fridge shelf just give you a wonderful appetite?! Yuck! I can't believe I actually took a picture inside my fridge!!! But yes, this is the ugly truth that I needed this Flylady reminder (below) today!

Who's going to join me in cleaning out the fridge and clearing out some unused kitchen gadgets today? I also have some other "procrastination spots" in the house I want to hit today... the forementioned cobwebby corners I always seem to "ignore." How about you?

Thanks to The Stay at Home Missionary for directing me to Flylady through her helpful blog!

Flylady.net Email Reminder:
It Is Anti-Procrastination Day...
We are diving into the refrigerator!

Grab your trash can and take it over to the refrigerator and throw open the door. First, toss out any leftovers that have gotten pushed to the back and have now started to turn into a science project. Second, check the fruit/vegetable drawers and toss what no longer is appealing to eat. Third, check the meat and cheese drawer, check the expiration dates on your items in there and toss what needs to go. Fourth, check out the doors of the fridge, toss the empty condiment jars and bottles that always seem to magically go back into the fridge when empty, LOL, but when full get left on the counter. Last, grab a damp rag and wipe down the shelves.

Do not take every single thing out of your refrigerator and then take the shelves out to clean them. Just wipe them down. How many times have we decided to tear the fridge apart and three hours later we would rather move out than ever do it again?!

Don't let yourself get sidetracked!! Have fun and enjoy your sparkling refrigerator!

~ Flylady Kelly

Decorating on the FlyZone
This week we are in Zone 2-The Kitchen.

This is the time of the year we begin our holiday baking and gift giving.

Let's work on retiring those unused, unloved kitchen appliances by blessing others with those "smart" gadgets that we still have not figured out how to use, as well as decluttering our junk drawers. Spend 15 minutes doing this.

If you have not used an item for over 6 months, chances are you will not in the next 6 months.

You may even find that you "freed" up some space for the items you douse. No more "mad searches" for that spatula in the middle of your stirring!! LOL

Have FUN and Happy Holidays!!!

~ Flylady Laura

http://www.flylady.net/

Autumn Pleasures from God

2010-11-09T14:33:00.000-05:00

My Little Buddy

2010-11-05T11:21:00.000-04:00

Here's my little buddy, Espresso. She follows me all over the yard and is a real companion.
Comment and tell me about a special "buddy" in your life.

Here are some other recent photos I've enjoyed taking...

Winter Crock Pot Hot Cocoa!

2010-11-01T09:53:00.001-04:00

Can't wait to try this when winter hits! This recipe copied from Comfy in the Kitchen blog.

Homemade Hot Cocoa
(Serves 10)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp salt
1 cup hot water
1/2 gallon milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1-8 oz whipped cream (Cool Whip)
*extra whipped cream or marshmallows to garnish

In a medium/large pot on the stovetop (medium/high heat) pour in hot water, sugar, cocoa powder and salt; whisk well. Add chocolate chips; whisk well until melted. Add milk and whisk again until well combined. Add vanilla and cinnamon then stir in whipped cream. Serve and garnish!

If you are making this in advance (for example, going caroling, etc.) simply place in the crockpot on low heat--it will be waiting for you when you come in from the cold!!!!

Source: http://comfynkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/10/homemade-hot-cocoa.html

I Am Redeemed!

2010-10-30T21:22:00.004-04:00

Do you really know what it means to be redeemed by Jesus?
Sometimes when I'm doing a word study in the Bible, it's meaningful to me to simply look in the dictionary. Thefreedictionary.com gives this definition of "redeem":
1. To recover ownership of by paying a specified sum.
2. To pay off.
3. To turn in and receive something in exchange.
4. To fulfill.
5. To convert into cash: redeem stocks.
6. To set free; rescue or ransom.
7. To save from a state of sinfulness and its consequences.
8. To make up for.
9. To restore the honor, worth, or reputation of.
Well, that was enough for me!
Lord Jesus, I thank You that You recovered ownership of my soul from the prince of the power of the air, the enemy of my soul by paying the price of Your death on the cross.
Thank You for paying off my sin debt!
Thank You for turning over Your body and life in exchange for mine!
Thank You for fulfilling me--that You are all I need. Ever.
Thank You, Jesus, for converting me from worthless to something worthwhile through Your indwelling Spirit in me.
Thank You for setting me free, rescuing and ransoming me from the devil!
Thank You for saving me from my sinful state and its consequences, which would have been to be eternally separated from God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and from you.
Thank You for making up the difference for everything in my life. All things are but loss for the excellency of Your power!
Thank You for providing me honour, worth, and reputation by allowing me to just BE IN YOU.
Thank You, Jesus, that I AM REDEEMED!

Note: If you have trouble playing the video, you may need to pause it until it completely loads. Then try playing it. It's worth the wait!

The Haven of REST

2010-10-20T09:08:00.008-04:00

"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." (Hebrews 4:9)

Most of us are familiar with the old hymn "The Haven of Rest" by Henry L. Gilmour (music by George D. Moore). Yet sometimes we sing these old songs ho-hum with little thought to the powerful words, theology, and doctrine that characterize them.

Consider these words slowly and prayerfully. Was this not each of us prior to salvation?

1. My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea,
So burdened with sin and distressed,
Till I heard a sweet voice, saying,
“Make Me your choice”;
And I entered the “Haven of Rest”!

Refrain
I’ve anchored my soul in the “Haven of Rest,”
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.

Yes, in Jesus, I am safe evermore! I never have to question my eternal destiny or whose child I am! No matter what storms come my way, I'm safe!

But now what? Daily cares of life start to crowd my joyous heart. My flesh is still bound by bad habits, wrong reactions, binding emotions! So what do I do? Take a look at verse 2:

2. I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
(He's TENDER with me!)
In faith taking hold of the Word,
(His Word is my only help, and I accept it by faith!)
My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul;
(Woo hoo! I'm FREE! My soul--mind, will, emotions--is ANCHORED!)
The “Haven of Rest” is my Lord.
(I'm at REST and in PEACE, because I've made Him my LORD. I've yielded to His embrace. I'm not fighting against His loving, tender control anymore.)

This is so powerful! It is THE KEY to the Christian life! Yielding my rights to His control. HE calls the shots; I am RESTING in HIS capable hands, which only act in my life out of PURE LOVE for me!

Now, what does this do to me? How do I now respond to His tender embrace? With anger? With striving? With trying harder? NO! By RESTING, I now feel free to SING the song of my SOUL, which is the OLD STORY, ever new!

3. The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,
Has been the old story so blest,
Of Jesus, who’ll save whosoever will have
A home in the “Haven of Rest.”

I want everyone to know this "old story so blest"!
"I am nobody, telling everybody, that Somebody died to save anybody!" (unknown)

4. How precious the thought that we all may recline,
Like John, the belovèd so blest,
On Jesus’ strong arm, where no tempest can harm,
Secure in the “Haven of Rest.”

Wow! We ALL have access to this grace wherein we stand (I Peter 5:12)! It's already available to us who are saved. It's there for the taking. Why, oh why do we struggle along through life, having no power, angry and bitter, or striving to do right on our own, when our REST awaits?

4. O come to the Savior, He patiently waits
To save by His power divine;
Come, anchor your soul in the “Haven of Rest,”
And say, “My Belovèd is mine.”

Refrain
I’ve anchored my soul in the “Haven of Rest,”
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.

"Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." (Hebrews 4:1)

If you have never heard this rendition of "The Haven of Rest," sit back and be blessed!

Tranquil garden photo: libraryhospital.blogspot.com

"Clutter Clear!" Celebration

2010-10-18T13:49:00.000-04:00

Courtney at Women Living Well is hosting an autumn challenge: Making Your Home a Haven. Being in the thick of fall cleaning, I think this week's challenge fits right in! Hope you'll go over and read the challenge along with Courtney's encouraging words.

My clutter challenging spots are:
1. The small room where my deep freezers are. Here a coat rack with a shelf above it is the lucky spot in which our outdoor wear has accumulated, including a row of boots on the floor beneath. It's not time to completely "revamp" this space, but I want to straighten it up and clear out the items not being used.
2. My desk area! I'll be honest, this is a continual problem for me and has been ever since I can remember. As a teen, I always fought the messy desk syndrome in my bedroom. I want to make a more efficient system for the papers on my desk to be filed away quickly and easily so that things do not pile up quite so much.

Comment (or email me) and tell me what areas you're working on decluttering. Clearing clutter feels great! Especially clearing clutter from your heart! Don't forget the inside of you too!

Happy Autumn Organizing!

I'll close with another one of my favourite fall photos of late:

This is my grandbaby Kyla (23 months),

"asking" the kitten to smell her Chinese Lantern flower!

So precious!

Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings!

Autumn Joys

2010-10-13T09:24:00.010-04:00

Becoming a Minimalist

2010-10-12T11:28:00.015-04:00

I am becoming a minimalist. I'm simplifying my life.

A few years ago I read a book that made an impact on me: Simplify Your Life by Elaine St. James. Ms. St. James does not claim to be a believer or follower of Jesus, as far as I know, but she has much good to say about "keeping it simple."

It's impossible to implement everything at once, and it's not even logical to try to apply everything on her list into our lives. These are ideas that worked for her and her husband, or people she knows. We are all different. What works for them may or may not work for us. Yet her list will make you evaluate what you do or what you have and also why you do it or have it.

I took notes; here are some things that may help you get started...

Household Simplifying
Reduce clutter
Speed clean
Cut grocery shopping time in half
Buy in bulk
Plant a garden
Run all errands in one place
Cut laundering chore in half (mix and match; basics)
Stop buying dry-clean-only clothes
Leave shoes at the door
Go for patterned carpets
Use food trays
Keep outdoor plants only
Get rid of your lawn
Simplify pets

Lifestyle Simplifying
Move to a smaller house
Drive a simple car
Sell the boat (or other "toy" you rarely or never use)
Build a simple wardrobe (lots of basics that mix and match)
Reduce go-go (going out) entertainment
Rethink your meals with friends (how often do you "hang out" just to "hang out"?)
Turn off the TV
Stop junk mail
Cancel magazines
Stop the newspaper
Drop call waiting
Don't answer the phone all the time
Don't answer the door either!
Get rid of the cell phone
Bow out on some holiday gatherings
Stop sending Christmas cards
Simplify gift giving
Simplify travel (pack only items you will use; don't try to do/see everything!)
Take a vacation at home

Financial Simplifying
Get out of debt
Live on half of what you earn; save the other half
Rethink your buying habits
Change the way you shop
Reduce needs for goods and services
Get rid of all but one or two credit cards
Consolidate chequing accounts
Consolidate investments
Pay off your mortgage
Buy secondhand cars

Job Simplifying
Stop being a slave to your planner
Work where you live, or live where you work
Do what you really want to do (make financial adjustments if you enjoy a lesser paying job)
Turn your hobby into your job
Work less and enjoy it more
Stop the busy work
Include family in your work life

Health Simplifying
Simplify eating habits
Always split a restaurant meal
Fruit/juice fast one day per week
Make water your drink of choice
Eat a muffin
Pack your own lunch
Take a walk
Get up one hour earlier
Be in bed by 9:00 one night per week
Throw out everything but asprin or a multi-vitamin
Create your own rituals (i.e., cup of tea)
Learn to laugh
Slow down to the speed limit

Personal life Simplifying
Clean up your relationships: learn to communicate
Just be yourself as God made you
Trust your intuition (better: trust the Holy Spirit living in you)
If it's not easy, don't do it (Be careful here; not everything God asks us to do is easy!)
Stop trying to change (let God change you)
Spend one day per month in solitude
Teach your kids the joy of solitude
Do a retreat once a year
Keep a journal
Do one thing at a time
Do nothing
Take time to watch the sunset (or sunrise)
Just say no
Learn to reinterpret the past (let it go!)
Change your expectations
Review your life regularly to keep it simple

Special Issues on Simplifying
Ten minutes to drop-dead gorgeous (simplify your primp time!)
Take off plastic nails and throw out nail polish
Reduce size of purse
Minimize accessories

Hard Core Simplifying
Rent instead of own
Get rid of cars
Get rid of phone
Stop making the bed (Wow! I'm not sure if I can do this, but there are days I skip it, in order to simplify.)
Get rid of all extras
Build a very simple wardrobe (everything mixes and matches)

An area in which I personally am simplifying is choosing to display fewer knick-knacks and "things" that I have to clean or dust. Less is more. You'd be surprised how big your sigh of relief is when you just clear off your coffee table completely! Just let it be bare for a few days! Dusting becomes a breeze! Same thing in the bathroom: hair dryer, curling iron, bottles, hairsprays, etc. all hide in drawers or cupboards. Nothing is out on the countertop except the soap dispenser. Nothing is on the back of the toilet except a basket of washcloths and a can of Febreze. It's an amazing feeling to look into such a simple washroom!

The most important way I'm simplifying is by a continual choosing to turn things over to God's control. Someone did not do something I wanted them to do? Can I trust God has a reason for this happening in my life? Or do I get myself all mad and stressed out?

More and more I am seeking to remind myself that it's better to live one day at a time. Does this mean that I make no future plans? Absolutely not; but my future plans are to be made in the framework of yieldedness to His plans.

I don't know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day;
I don't borrow from its sunshine, for its skies may turn to gray;
I don't worry o'er the future, for I know what Jesus said;
And with His loving hand to guide me, I won't fear what lies ahead.
Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand,
But I know Who holds tomorrow, and I know Who holds my hand!

A word of caution concerning the "simplifying"
lists:
When you decide to simplify, there is a strong tendency to flipflop to the other ditch and completely live for yourself. One can become very self-absorbed. Be sure to pray about each change you implement, and be sure it is something that God will be pleased with, that will help you live for Him, and that your spouse is happy with as well. Don't adopt the philosophy: If it feels good, do it; if it doesn't feel good, don't. This slogan is only another of the enemy's lies.

Note: to watch the video, you'll first need to scroll down to the blue playlist at the bottom of the blog and pause that music. Then scroll back up and press play on this video.
If you have trouble loading it, you can view the song here.

My Gratefulness List

2010-10-11T22:21:00.008-04:00

This is not--and can never be--an exhaustive list! In fact, I plan to add to it as time goes on.

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving here in Canada, so I was reminded once again to cultivate a heart of gratefulness, and to express it!

So here goes. I am grateful for...

1. My Jesus who saved me and called me with a holy calling, and loves to walk with me "in the garden."

2. My wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally and is always honest with me.

3. That God setteth the solitary in families... that He has given me a family to love.

4. Music that encourages, inspires, and refreshes me spiritually and emotionally

5. Beauty all around me in God's world, and simple little joys such as a warm, soft blanket

Grateful to Be Back!

2010-10-11T15:40:00.004-04:00

I'm back in the blogging world! I apologize for the gap between my blog entries. There were issues that, as it turned out, related to my use of Firefox. Now that I have attempted an entry in Internet Explorer, I'm seeing success!

I will post soon... Today though... Thanksgiving dinner with our kids and grandbaby!

With a Grateful Heart,
Dayna

Here's the song that played as I came down the boardwalk at our beach wedding...

♫
We are so blessed, with the gifts from Your hand,
I just can't understand why You love us so much!
We are so blessed, we just can't find a way--
Or the words that can say, Thank You, Lord, for Your touch!

When we're empty, You fill us till we overflow!
When we're hungry, You feed us, and cause us to know,

We are so blessed, take what we have to bring,
Take it all, everything, Lord, we love You so much!

Ice Cream Date

2010-09-15T13:37:00.001-04:00

Kyla's ice cream date at McDonald's with Nana (me). Simple joys.

1950s Housewife?

2010-09-08T08:20:00.018-04:00

You have probably seen the list of housewife's traits that supposedly appeared in a 1955 home economics book. Though the source and truth is actually undetermined (according to Snopes), when you read about that era (and prior), it doesn't seem too far fetched. In truth, many of the 1950s housewives' ways were more biblical than the habits of the majority of modern-day women. We would do well to "eat the meat and throw out the bones" and not "throw the baby out with the bath water."

One admonition that comes through numerous points on this list is the importance of attitude. So many women today have a complaining spirit that is entirely self-centered. We want to tell Husband all our woes of the day the minute he walks through the door, and we continue complaining about everything that needs to be fixed or male jobs he needs to do around the house all the way until bedtime.

Think about it. Put yourself in his shoes. Would you want to come home to that negativity every night after a long, hard workday? Imagine Little Miss Office Chic, who never has a hair out of place, always has her make-up and hair done, and flirtatiously admires him every day. Now think of your appearance and the tone of your home. If you were your husband, would you look forward to coming home at night?

Does this imply that I should always just "put on" an act of happiness and never approach my husband with anything negative? Of course not. This is dishonesty, which never pleases God. There are correct ways we should approach our husbands with issues. This keeps our relationships healthy.

However, we need to think about the tone we set in our homes. You know the phrase, "When Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" Think about your own home. It's true! We mamas affect the mood of the entire household. We may not like it, but no matter how much we dislike it, it's still true.

I remember my mom getting us kids together and ready to shout, "My Daddy's the GREATEST!" when he came through the door. It was one of the greatest feelings I had as a kid, knowing that my parents loved each other and supported each other.

Scripture teaches that "All the days of the afflicted are evil..." (Proverbs 15:15). When you look on the bad side of things, that's all you will see and it's all you will talk about. Ever met a miserable woman? Every word out of her mouth is a complaint and all you can think about is how to get away from her and how to avoid her in the future? Yeah. Well, the rest of the verse says "...he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast." When your heart has made the choice to see the merry things of life, you have a continual flow of joy!

I have a friend from college who lives this so plainly. She has seven happy, contented children (ages 15 years down to eight months), she doesn't hide her adoration for her husband, and she herself radiates happiness! In her words, she "can't help but smile." And... her husband has been out of work for three months. She has made 50 pies already this week and will make 62 additional pies before the week is over, in order to help her husband from home! She is also working nights, full-time, as a front desk clerk at a hotel! And she's still oozing gratefulness!

Now, just picture her husband's response IF he came home to this...

She is on the couch watching TV or she's on the Internet... in her bathrobe... he steps over clutter... the entire house wreaks and it's a wreck... there is no dinner ready... kids are screaming and fighting...

Versus...

He walks in the door... she is dressed and has fixed her hair and make-up... the children are clean and dressed... there is soft music playing... the smell of dinner is in the air... the house is neat and clean (at the least, clutter is cleared)... the children are playing contentedly... she rushes to greet him at the door, overjoyed to see him, taking his coat, asking him about his day...

I ask you: Which scene would make her husband look forward to coming home?

Check out Courtney's post on her grandmother, a real 1950s housewife, at Women Living Well: Comparing Myself to a Real 1950s Wife.

How to Be the Woman of Your Husband's Dreams

2010-09-01T08:00:00.002-04:00

Calm or Defensive?

2010-08-26T09:04:00.005-04:00

There is a stillness that lets God work for us, and holds our peace; the stillness that ceases from its contriving and its self-vindication, and its expedients of wisdom and forethought, and lets God provide and answer the cruel blow, in His own unfailing, faithful love. How often we lose God's interposition by taking up our own cause, and striking for our defense. God give to us this silent power, this conquered spirit! And after the heat and strife of earth are over, men will remember us as we remember the morning dew, the gentle light and sunshine, the evening breeze, the Lamb of Calvary, and the gentle, holy heavenly Dove. ~ A. B. Simpson

On trying to see the face of Christ in those with whom I differ:

When this spirit actuates us we shall be preserved at once from a narrow bigotry and an easy-going tolerance, from passionate vindictiveness and everything that would mar or injure our testimony for Him who came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. ~ W. H. Griffith Thomas

Source: Streams in the Desert, Mrs. Charles Cowman

Does Acceptance Equal Peace?

2010-08-25T10:46:00.006-04:00

"In acceptance lieth peace." ~ Amy Carmichael

God has much to say about peace, and it's all about HIM. Acceptance is merely a yielding to HIM. Whatever my situation, when I believe that God is sovereign and that He is nothing but GOOD, I can accept my situation, because I know in my soul that He is always working for my good (Romans 8:28).

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." ~ Colossians 3:12-15

Did you read those verses carefully? God has called me, as the elect of God, to put on mercy, kindness, humility, etc. When offenses come--and they will come!--if forgiveness and love are my heart, though Christ's power within me, through that YIELDING to His Spirit, I can LET the peace of God rule in my heart. The result is not only an inner calm, but an outer thankfulness. An attitude of gratefulness comes when I am at peace on the inside. A grateful woman is so much more pleasant than a worried or angry woman!

"Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:6-7

When I am YIELDING to His Spirit within me, and not my own spirit, I will not be anxious or worried about anything. I will immediately bring my request to the God that I KNOW and BELIEVE I can trust (Isaiah 43:10). When I leave it at His feet--the best I know how--THEN the PEACE OF GOD beyond all understanding will KEEP or guard both my heart and my mind!

And it's all through Christ Jesus!

Acceptance does equal peace, but only if the acceptance is a yielding to God, not just a mere resignation to one's fate. Delighting in God and what He is doing in my life no matter what the trial is not easy, but that is what will bring me streams of water in the desert place.

"And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." ~ Isaiah 58:11

Let me know how God has been your personal spring of water! Comment below.

Completing Him Challenge--Final Rundown

2010-08-17T14:58:00.007-04:00

Well, I'll be honest... I got a quite a bit behind on this Completing Him Challenge! If you did too, here's the run-down from Courtney at Women Living Well.

#8's my favourite! :)
I'm still in love...

As you look ahead to the fall, do not lose your focus on building a strong marriage.

1. We must continue to remember those dating days and what made us fall in love with our husbands in the first place.

2.Remember our sacred vows.

3.Remember to ask your husband how you can be praying for him daily.

4.Remember to tell your husband how you admire him.

5.Remember to keep your priorities in line.

6.Remember to follow your husband's lead and vision for your family.

7.Remember to respect your husband.

8. Remember to keep kissing him like you mean it!

No matter what season you are in, God longs for you to follow His design for marriage.