...I do not remember having seen so much snow since I was a child. It is beautiful when it falls at night. I love to stand outside and just listen to 'NOTHING." The perfect view of this white fluff gently falling to earth conjours up songs of Christmas...Silent Night, White Christmas, Noel, you name it. But to watch this amazing event in February, makes no sense to me!
Driving to my mothers one day I noticed how the sun (yes, the sun was out that day) refected on each crystal of snow. Then I thought about how each flake is totally different than the others. Not unlike us as humans.
The field I noticed was like a diamond covered blanket of white....untouched, perfect. Driving along God spoke to me, this was a picture of what He desires w/us, His creation. A relationship that is pure, perfect, good, untouched/untarnished and new. The "each day" kind of new. You know the days. The ones you had a hard time sleeping for, the excitement of what is going to happen when you wake up kind of days. Some of my days w/God are like the week we spent in Disneyworld (Christmas 08) w/our kids and grands...late to bed, early to rise, not wanting to miss out on anything. Then somedays are like going to a dentist...pulling and tugging all the way. Glad I got there and then kick myself b/c I should of gone sooner.
Then He drew me to the sparkle of the field. A reflection of Him in us. Not so we should be seen but rather so others see Him in us. I know that some days the reflection of God is not entirely being seen in me. Days were I feel less than normal, days of anxiety, days of so much work (for Him) that I forget the little actions that could make a huge difference. How many times have I missed opportunities b/c I am to busy "doing?"
I need more of these R's in my life....the funny thing is, they are always before me. ALWAYS! I just need to choose "Whom this day I will serve." Who am I but a speck in this universe, yet God wants to live w/me every day!
(like the song states) "Not b/c of who I am but b/c of what You've done. Not b/c of what I've done but b/c of who You are." I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow, a wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind. Still You hear me when I 'm calling, Lord You catch me when I'm falling and told me who I am. I am Your's!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Happenings...
...."people come n go so quickly around here." (quote fom Dorothy on the Wizard of Oz) This is how life has been since Jan 12,2010.
I have missed my daily or weekly thoughts on here, why? B/C it helps keep me accountable to myself and it reveals to me where my strong and weak points are in thisbusy life. (You just happened to read in on it all.)
We lost our dad on Jan 31st this year, but are assured in our hearts of his home-going. Homer, Steve's dad's life finally ended in this world and now he is eternally new! It was a hard week but the unit of this family gave support to our mom and to each other, which is another example of God in us, the hope of glory. The graveside service started w/a beautiful snowstorm. And the snow remains one month later. We all are doing well, Annie (mom) is of usual strength, having had to say goodbye in this life to her husband of 34 yrs. And what we know is GOD IS GOOD!
I have missed my daily or weekly thoughts on here, why? B/C it helps keep me accountable to myself and it reveals to me where my strong and weak points are in thisbusy life. (You just happened to read in on it all.)
We lost our dad on Jan 31st this year, but are assured in our hearts of his home-going. Homer, Steve's dad's life finally ended in this world and now he is eternally new! It was a hard week but the unit of this family gave support to our mom and to each other, which is another example of God in us, the hope of glory. The graveside service started w/a beautiful snowstorm. And the snow remains one month later. We all are doing well, Annie (mom) is of usual strength, having had to say goodbye in this life to her husband of 34 yrs. And what we know is GOD IS GOOD!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Stability....
Israel's stability/my stability...Psalm 125 (the 6th step in the Song of Ascent)
V-1 states that those who TRUST in the Lord will be like Mt. Zion-never shaken-forever standing. And just like the mountains surround Jerusalem so God surrounds and protects us forever. He is our Father, we will always be His children.
Do I think of"protection forever" as being in solitude from all out side forces? Protected like a mother hen protects her chicks? As a parent I did protect my daughters, yet they (at times ) were in negating situations, some b/c of their own choosing & sometimes not.
God does not want me to live in solitude. He gives us freedom to choose & when we choose poorly (& we will) He makes available a way out-But do I always recognize the way out? If I keep my relationship w/Him open then the Holy Spirit reveals the way. God knew that we would forever be fighting the "old nature" so I believer the Holy Spirit/ God Himself is forever protecting me.
V-4 is a plea to God to "do what is good" to those who focus on Him. The Israelites quoted this psalm on the 6th step leading to the Temple doors. ...One voice united simply stating that God is our rock, our protector, our stability in a world filled w/evil.
So I answer my question this way...No , God does not want us to live in a protected solitude. We do not develope our faith in a protected shell. We cannot rightfully witness of His salvation if we are inside a shell. The Bible states that we are to be doers not hearers only of His Word. He desires us to live each day under His blessing of grace & His hedge of protection. And when times get tough, we need to call out to Him for guidance, love, wisdom, forgiveness daily. Although I am a sinner saved by grace (God's unmerited favor) I still sin. Not huge sins b/c there is no measure of sin, it is not plural. But some days when I fail in my quiet time or have a wrong attitude or choose not to help someone in need or carry a bad witness, I sin.
That is when I accept my failures, ask forgiveness, pray for wisdom & start a new day. Looking toward the future -forgetting the past.
God my protector- my theme for 2010.....Peace be w/Israel-Peace be w/you and I
V-1 states that those who TRUST in the Lord will be like Mt. Zion-never shaken-forever standing. And just like the mountains surround Jerusalem so God surrounds and protects us forever. He is our Father, we will always be His children.
Do I think of"protection forever" as being in solitude from all out side forces? Protected like a mother hen protects her chicks? As a parent I did protect my daughters, yet they (at times ) were in negating situations, some b/c of their own choosing & sometimes not.
God does not want me to live in solitude. He gives us freedom to choose & when we choose poorly (& we will) He makes available a way out-But do I always recognize the way out? If I keep my relationship w/Him open then the Holy Spirit reveals the way. God knew that we would forever be fighting the "old nature" so I believer the Holy Spirit/ God Himself is forever protecting me.
V-4 is a plea to God to "do what is good" to those who focus on Him. The Israelites quoted this psalm on the 6th step leading to the Temple doors. ...One voice united simply stating that God is our rock, our protector, our stability in a world filled w/evil.
So I answer my question this way...No , God does not want us to live in a protected solitude. We do not develope our faith in a protected shell. We cannot rightfully witness of His salvation if we are inside a shell. The Bible states that we are to be doers not hearers only of His Word. He desires us to live each day under His blessing of grace & His hedge of protection. And when times get tough, we need to call out to Him for guidance, love, wisdom, forgiveness daily. Although I am a sinner saved by grace (God's unmerited favor) I still sin. Not huge sins b/c there is no measure of sin, it is not plural. But some days when I fail in my quiet time or have a wrong attitude or choose not to help someone in need or carry a bad witness, I sin.
That is when I accept my failures, ask forgiveness, pray for wisdom & start a new day. Looking toward the future -forgetting the past.
God my protector- my theme for 2010.....Peace be w/Israel-Peace be w/you and I
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Commercial Break....
...Christmas post for 2009 was not forgotten. I wanted to post some pictures BUT my laptop went "ker-plunk" and now all my pictures are stuck inside and can't come out...so I sit tonight typing on our "old" computer desktop. I was complaining about this ancient thing but I am glad that we still have it and that it works.
I love the convenience of my laptop. I can take it anywhere, type anytime. Being w/o it this past week has been hard. Not having the access to a computer gave me withdrawals...(not really) But the point is: we are so accustom to the portable computer for everything, yes, even the one we talk on, that when they fail us, we complain. (note: Steve's phone even has an app to 'DROP BREAD CRUMBS" so you do not loose your way in the mall parking lot!)
I want a large flat screen monitor for this desktop. I want a newer upgrade laptop....but what I need is to be content w/what I do have. A warm house to sleep in, a desktop that actually works, health, family an so on an so on!
A friend once said "When life gives you lemons hand them back and ask for Chocolate!" I like that quote, but "make lemonade" is a better attitude about ones life.
I love the convenience of my laptop. I can take it anywhere, type anytime. Being w/o it this past week has been hard. Not having the access to a computer gave me withdrawals...(not really) But the point is: we are so accustom to the portable computer for everything, yes, even the one we talk on, that when they fail us, we complain. (note: Steve's phone even has an app to 'DROP BREAD CRUMBS" so you do not loose your way in the mall parking lot!)
I want a large flat screen monitor for this desktop. I want a newer upgrade laptop....but what I need is to be content w/what I do have. A warm house to sleep in, a desktop that actually works, health, family an so on an so on!
A friend once said "When life gives you lemons hand them back and ask for Chocolate!" I like that quote, but "make lemonade" is a better attitude about ones life.
Announcing 2010...
Like Dorothy in the Wizard of OZ "2009 went so quickly" What happened to this year gone by? What major life changing events took you to where you really didn't think you would be going? What ever happened to "I've got time!" Because now we are starting 2010...omgoodness!
When I was a young child I remember watching this really neat cartoon that premiered on Thursday nights...."The Jetson's" (George, Jane, Judy, Elmo and their dog Elroy) Remember this show came on television in the era before laptops and cell phones the size of your palm. Computers were so 'OUT THERE" back in the 60's. Well, actually computers were these monster machines that took up at least 500-600 sq. ft. of space. This sci-fi cartoon was simply that, way to far fetched for us to even think life could be as simple as the life we lived in the 60-70's.
We bought our first computer for $650 (a Commadore 64) in 1984 when Steve was in college. It was a huge investment and served us well...then the explosion of computer companies emerged. And here we sit, 2010, holding affordable cell phones, I-Pods, and a sundry of tech-no geek machines that can do even more than that monster of a computer back in 1972.
Our grands love the computer world, and enjoy listening to hundreds of songs on their IPods...learn phonics w/their LeapFrog's (yes, we bought them all one) and play bowling w/their parents on their Wii. I wonder what their children will have available to them for fun and learning?
I wonder what our friend Mr Bob in Mississippi thinks about walking into 2010 when he remembers being dropped behind enemy lines in Normandy! I remember Mr. Tyler in NLittleRock, Arkansas, who was born in 1900, got to experience the first flight of the Wright Bros., and also got to watch a man land on the moon. He told me he was amazed at the ability of man but was not surprised at the availability of God to give the ideas in the first place. I remember my DeeDee telling me that their first and only home only cost them $17.00 for 10 yrs then their last few payments rose to $25. In 1953 a baby could be delivered for $28.95 but today the cost is outrageous.
One day when I am old and gray (well.. sandy blond) I too will sit back and tell my great-grands about the time before color TV, cell phones, computers the size of a garage and cars that got 28 miles to the gallon or the fact that I had my babies in the military for only $25.00 each!
Will the future be easier for those kids b/c of technology in let's say, 2040? Probably not, b/c life is a cycle of ups n downs. All given to make us stronger as a person. No matter if we end up like The Jetson's we are still going to need one another to survive this beautiful life.
I pray that 2010 gives you time to give and receive joy....time to give yourself to others unselfishly...time to not worry about the next tech-no geek item that will come around the corner. (usually every 6 mos)....time to roll around on a grassy slope and enjoy "smelling those roses." I pray that 2010 helps you reflect on God's purpose for your life. Focus on Him this year. Although this time next year we will all say the same thing, "where did the time go?", we will be able to say 2010 was a grand year full of life's blessings and sorrows...but we made it thru to only start again fresh!
I am thankful for another opportunity to walk 365 days in the arms of my Savior and hand in hand w/ my husband! I wish the same for you and yours!
When I was a young child I remember watching this really neat cartoon that premiered on Thursday nights...."The Jetson's" (George, Jane, Judy, Elmo and their dog Elroy) Remember this show came on television in the era before laptops and cell phones the size of your palm. Computers were so 'OUT THERE" back in the 60's. Well, actually computers were these monster machines that took up at least 500-600 sq. ft. of space. This sci-fi cartoon was simply that, way to far fetched for us to even think life could be as simple as the life we lived in the 60-70's.
We bought our first computer for $650 (a Commadore 64) in 1984 when Steve was in college. It was a huge investment and served us well...then the explosion of computer companies emerged. And here we sit, 2010, holding affordable cell phones, I-Pods, and a sundry of tech-no geek machines that can do even more than that monster of a computer back in 1972.
Our grands love the computer world, and enjoy listening to hundreds of songs on their IPods...learn phonics w/their LeapFrog's (yes, we bought them all one) and play bowling w/their parents on their Wii. I wonder what their children will have available to them for fun and learning?
I wonder what our friend Mr Bob in Mississippi thinks about walking into 2010 when he remembers being dropped behind enemy lines in Normandy! I remember Mr. Tyler in NLittleRock, Arkansas, who was born in 1900, got to experience the first flight of the Wright Bros., and also got to watch a man land on the moon. He told me he was amazed at the ability of man but was not surprised at the availability of God to give the ideas in the first place. I remember my DeeDee telling me that their first and only home only cost them $17.00 for 10 yrs then their last few payments rose to $25. In 1953 a baby could be delivered for $28.95 but today the cost is outrageous.
One day when I am old and gray (well.. sandy blond) I too will sit back and tell my great-grands about the time before color TV, cell phones, computers the size of a garage and cars that got 28 miles to the gallon or the fact that I had my babies in the military for only $25.00 each!
Will the future be easier for those kids b/c of technology in let's say, 2040? Probably not, b/c life is a cycle of ups n downs. All given to make us stronger as a person. No matter if we end up like The Jetson's we are still going to need one another to survive this beautiful life.
I pray that 2010 gives you time to give and receive joy....time to give yourself to others unselfishly...time to not worry about the next tech-no geek item that will come around the corner. (usually every 6 mos)....time to roll around on a grassy slope and enjoy "smelling those roses." I pray that 2010 helps you reflect on God's purpose for your life. Focus on Him this year. Although this time next year we will all say the same thing, "where did the time go?", we will be able to say 2010 was a grand year full of life's blessings and sorrows...but we made it thru to only start again fresh!
I am thankful for another opportunity to walk 365 days in the arms of my Savior and hand in hand w/ my husband! I wish the same for you and yours!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
33 yrs ago tonight...
.
..I married my husband! This day is almost over for another year....another year to start off w/my true best friend. WOOHOO! It took me a long time to find him but finally we met...kissed and that's when I melted like butter. I tried for months to talk MYSELF out of love w/this guy but I kept coming back to my gut feeling that this was the right one for me. After all the other upsets in this area of love n trust....I didn't want to get hurt again....but something kept pulling at my heart.
I didn't know then but 1.5 yrs later I figured out that GOD was tugging at me to follow my heart this time. I am so very glad I did. Steve is simply the best for me, not for anyone else...but for me he is the best. I am so thankful for his desire to keep God first in his life, thankful that he always treats me as a fine princess at the ball. When we are in a room of people, I only have to see his face and he makes me feel like I am the only one there. It was wonderful to have children with this man of God. We parented as a team and many times he took duties of the household from me so I could "just rest." We have never had lots of money but we are so rich in the areas of trust, love, confidence, family and now a couple w/adult children and being grandparents together. What a blessing!
The bumps of life along the way has only given us more of the together-strength. Loosing a child, 7 straight yrs of schooling for him, raising teens, a couple back surgeries for me, making sure we were there for every grandchilds birth, every dance recital of our own girls and now granddaughters. Cars, jobs, moves to the many states we have lived in...I could go on and on.
It is a blessing to be able (in this era of marriage life) to look into your spouses eyes and honestly say "You have always been the one. I have always been true to you."
God if You sees fit, please give us 33 more yrs together! And may all the glory go back to You. For You are the reason we are together. We will keep that triangle tight w/You at the helm.
I love you Lord and I love you Steve.
Monday, December 21, 2009
A favorite part .....
..of the Christmas Story for me is located in Luke 2:25-35
NIV starts out like this " There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel's consolation, and the Holy Spirit was upon him."
All we really know about this man was that he was a "man of God" and possibly up in years. We also know that he listened to God quite often b/c he could quote the prophets of old. He was a man "in touch" w/God so much that God's Holy Spirit told him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah.
In my imagination, I think that he was a gentle man, rough large hands, maybe tall and lanky, but carried himself in such a way that others gave their respect and their listening ears. Some may have always looked at him as a crazy old man who never stopped talking about the coming Messiah....but he always knew better!
I like to think that he loved children. I don't know why but when I read V28 "Simeon took Him up in his arms, praised God" I can see the love in his eyes for this child he was holding. How he carefully handed this child back to His mother, letting her know that she was the mother of The Messiah. Smiling at Joseph with tears streaming down his face, knodding his head b/c he was so grateful to have held The Messiah!
V30-32 states "For my eyes have seen Your salvation. You have prepared it in the presence of all people, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and glory to Your people Israel."
V34-35 Simeon blessed them all and told Mary "Indeed this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed! A sword will pierce your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
I love to think of being a shepherd seeing the tiny babe...I admire the patience and travel time the Magi took to lay gifts at the feet of a small child....I so respect 2 young people in love for facing the insurmountable odds of 9 mos when they did nothing wrong in that situation all b/c they knew God was working thru them.
So when I read about Simeon, I am amazed! He had been waiting for this Messiah, this Savior for many years. No doubt many parents went in and out of the temple to perform what was customary to Jewish law...but Simeon knew the child at first glance! He scooped Him up into his arms and praised God for the Messiah revealed! He knew that his life could end that very minute b/c he finally got to see what God had promised all along!
What I can take from this? Well, I love babies, I love to give gifts (small or large), I admire anyone who perserviers thru trials and hard times....I understand the shepherds, Magi and being a couple in love-facing trials....BUT I CAN ONLY HOPE TO ONE DAY BE A SIMEON!
The true hope is: I don't have to one day be a Simeon, I have the Word in front of me, I have seen the child! I see Him in the kids we help at the schools near our church, the trailer court we support w/food, my small group of 4th-5th graders, my mother and Steve's father who both are ailing in their older years. The cashier at WalMart or a single mother trying to handle life w/an autistic child. I don't want to fail to mention our military. All these lay under the cross of The Messiah , including me.
Am I Simeon? Never will be but I am a believer of The Messiah, and have the Holy Spirit within me so may I never stop seeking and telling and helping others to know of the hope of the light of revelation for salvation giving all the glory to God.
Merry Christmas!
NIV starts out like this " There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel's consolation, and the Holy Spirit was upon him."
All we really know about this man was that he was a "man of God" and possibly up in years. We also know that he listened to God quite often b/c he could quote the prophets of old. He was a man "in touch" w/God so much that God's Holy Spirit told him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah.
In my imagination, I think that he was a gentle man, rough large hands, maybe tall and lanky, but carried himself in such a way that others gave their respect and their listening ears. Some may have always looked at him as a crazy old man who never stopped talking about the coming Messiah....but he always knew better!
I like to think that he loved children. I don't know why but when I read V28 "Simeon took Him up in his arms, praised God" I can see the love in his eyes for this child he was holding. How he carefully handed this child back to His mother, letting her know that she was the mother of The Messiah. Smiling at Joseph with tears streaming down his face, knodding his head b/c he was so grateful to have held The Messiah!
V30-32 states "For my eyes have seen Your salvation. You have prepared it in the presence of all people, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and glory to Your people Israel."
V34-35 Simeon blessed them all and told Mary "Indeed this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed! A sword will pierce your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
I love to think of being a shepherd seeing the tiny babe...I admire the patience and travel time the Magi took to lay gifts at the feet of a small child....I so respect 2 young people in love for facing the insurmountable odds of 9 mos when they did nothing wrong in that situation all b/c they knew God was working thru them.
So when I read about Simeon, I am amazed! He had been waiting for this Messiah, this Savior for many years. No doubt many parents went in and out of the temple to perform what was customary to Jewish law...but Simeon knew the child at first glance! He scooped Him up into his arms and praised God for the Messiah revealed! He knew that his life could end that very minute b/c he finally got to see what God had promised all along!
What I can take from this? Well, I love babies, I love to give gifts (small or large), I admire anyone who perserviers thru trials and hard times....I understand the shepherds, Magi and being a couple in love-facing trials....BUT I CAN ONLY HOPE TO ONE DAY BE A SIMEON!
The true hope is: I don't have to one day be a Simeon, I have the Word in front of me, I have seen the child! I see Him in the kids we help at the schools near our church, the trailer court we support w/food, my small group of 4th-5th graders, my mother and Steve's father who both are ailing in their older years. The cashier at WalMart or a single mother trying to handle life w/an autistic child. I don't want to fail to mention our military. All these lay under the cross of The Messiah , including me.
Am I Simeon? Never will be but I am a believer of The Messiah, and have the Holy Spirit within me so may I never stop seeking and telling and helping others to know of the hope of the light of revelation for salvation giving all the glory to God.
Merry Christmas!
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