God Thoughts No. Sixty

When life becomes about nothing 

but Jesus, 

the Rest becomes easy.

These days

I find myself being tempted

to second guess

everything I am doing in my life.

Then Holy Spirit reminds me

that I am doing things according to

Him

and all is well within me once again.

Jesus said, 

"Take My yoke upon you.

 Let Me teach you, 

because I am humble and gentle, 

and you will find rest for your soul. 

For My yoke fits perfectly, 

and the burden I give you is light." 

Matthew 11:29-30 

The world says, 

"You must do what you have to do in order to survive." 

But what I have learned to be True

is that all I have to do is

trust HIM

and He takes care of things.

His ways are as numerous as the stars in the sky

and as diverse as all of creation.

He knows the best ways 

to bring things about in our lives.

His ways are Perfect

and no one will ever convince me otherwise.

Hallelujah!

God Thoughts No. Fifty Nine

I presume to know nothing -

except...

Jesus

 And He is 

~ Everything!

Dance Recital Tribute

This post is a video of my youngest daughter's solo performance at her yearly dance recital.

It is a tribute to my mom, her Nammie (grandma) who passed away September 7, 2010.

I am very proud of her!

The song is "One Step at a Time" by Four Year Strong and I have included the lyrics below the video.

Sometimes it's hard to say the right thing

The right way on the hardest day of your life

Breathe in, breathe out, it'll be okay

Breathe in, breathe out, I know it's hard to say

And every year November gets closer

And every year it gets a little bit colder

Breathe in, breathe out, it'll be okay

Be strong, hold on, make it through the day

One step at a time

One foot in front of the other

I'm gonna get through this one way or another

Cause I know it's warmer where you are

Cause no matter how far the view

I still always look up to you

Sometimes it takes a second to sink in

That your life is never gonna be the same again

Breathe in, breathe out, it'll be okay

Breathe in, they say the pain will fade away

And every year November gets closer

And every year it gets a little bit colder

Breathe in, breathe out, it'll be okay

Be strong, hold on, make it through the day

One step at a time

One foot in front of the other

I'm gonna get through this one way or another

Cause I know it's warmer where you are

Cause no matter how far the view

I still always look up to you

I'll never forget the day my heart fell from my chest

It was the moment that I said goodbye

And I laid your body to rest

I'll never take this life for granted

I'm living it for two

And since you're always the one who sang the songs

And I'll be singing this one for you

One step at a time

One foot in front of the other

I'm gonna get through this one way or another

Cause I know it's warmer where you are

Cause no matter how far the view

I still always look up to you

I'll always look up to you

Bridegroom

Wednesday evening has become the evening that my husband and I look forward to.

It is the night when the children are out for a few hours 

and it’s just the hubby and me 

(and the animals of course).

I have never been a woman to plan time away from her children, 

but instead, have learned to treasure and covet every moment with them 

(that’s another post for another time),

 but I do enjoy Wednesday evenings with my hubby!

Some Wednesdays we have really great conversation 

and catch up with each other on all that’s been going on in our lives;

 comparing notes, laughing, and sometimes crying together.

Some Wednesdays are “one-sided” conversations 

with one of us venting while the other listens.

And some Wednesdays are spent side-by-side on the sofa 

silently watching a movie while holding hands and simply “being” together.

Last night was one of the holding hands, movie nights. 

As my hubs reached over to hold my hand 

I looked at him and mentally poured my love out to him. 

He must have felt it 

because when he looked over at me, 

I could feel his love too. 

No words were needed. 

We simply sat, poured and received 

(all while watching a movie!).

As I was reflecting on it this morning, 

the Lord reminded me of how my marriage 

reflects my relationship with Him.

Some days the Lord and I  have great two-way conversations 

and some days I spout and vent.

Sometimes He does all the talking to 

(and through) me 

and sometimes we simply sit and “be” 

while pouring out our Love for one another.

In His infinite wisdom, 

God sent Jesus so that we could relate to Him 

and have personal relationship with Him.

 Jesus calls Himself the Bridegroom 

because a marriage is designed to be the most intimate of all relationships.

 And He desires intimacy with each of us.

Jesus is amazing!

He is Lover, friend, husband, daddy, healer, counselor;

 He is our All-in-All.

Do you know Him in this way?

If not, 

you can!

 It is never too late. 

He remains constantly by your side, 

waiting for you to tell Him 

that you desire to know Him more.

You won’t be sorry –

Simply say,

"I do"!

Turn About

Mistreated,

Lied to,

Lied about,

Slapped in the face,

Betrayed

The world says to write you off;

To stop enabling you to cause me pain.

Jesus says to turn and offer the other cheek.

So, pardon me while I stare intently

And see through the eyes of the Father’s love.

Excuse me while I make a spectacle of myself

And weep at the brokenness within.

Rejoice with me in praising God for

Who we both are 

because of Jesus’ completed work on the cross.

And as I forgive,

Look upon me

With wonder and awe

As we turn our backs on the things

Which once kept us at odds.

God Thoughts No. Fifty Eight

For those who know Jesus ~

Every year is Leap (for joy) Year.

Every week is Holy Week.

Every Friday is Good Friday.

Every day is Christmas AND Easter.

Every minute is Thanksgiving.

~Because a real relationship with Him 

& a true knowledge of who He IS

results in True peace & unending Joy!

He IS Risen!

Hallelujah!

Loving-Kindness

Yesterday afternoon and even early this morning, 

I was tempted to give into feeling 

defeated & overwhelmed 

by life’s circumstances.

But each time I have been on the verge of uttering 

(to the Lord),

“I can’t do this anymore. I cannot go on one more day”,

 Holy Spirit whispers, 

“Not by power. Not by might. 

It is by My Spirit that you can endure.

 It is not you who must go on,

 but I, the One who is carrying you that will go on.

 It is less about (your) running the race 

and more about (you) allowing me 

to carry you to the finish line. 

It was never you to begin with.

 It has always been Me.”

Wow!

What a Loving, gracious God!

There’s an old hymn which says, 

“Thy loving-kindness is better than life.”

But what I have come to realize is that 

His loving-kindness IS life.

Without it, we would never survive this world.

It is His Grace which allows us

to function on any level to begin with.

It is not our might or our power, 

but HIS Spirit who enables us 

to endure, live, succeed, prosper…breathe.

This takes the pressure off of us

and allows us to lean into Him.

What a Loving, gracious God!

Another thing He has been teaching me 

(for the past several years now) 

is that He relates to each of us on a personal level.

As a loving Father, 

He knows what each one of us needs 

based upon our 

lives, circumstances, upbringing, personalities, etc.

It is not our right to judge 

or discount another’s experience with God 

just because it does not measure up to 

our own experience with 

or perception of God.

God is bigger than that.

He is all-powerful, all-knowing,

 holds the world in the palm of His hand 

and He is never wrong.

Who are we to say 

that He must operate 

within the bounds of our own narrow-mindedness?

Besides, we’ve been given the mind of Christ, 

so why not use it?

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for reminding me.

Thank you for your faithful, loving-kindness!

What a Loving, gracious God!