cutest little judge ever...

whose play-doh butterfly is the best?

after intensive examination...

mommy won!

He will

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Today, I’ve had an overwhelming need for the powerful strength of God. It’s difficult to express how I feel, to find the right words, to know which way to go, to face what will become, but, God knows my heart.

He will always and forever be beside me, He will tenderly hold and comfort me, He will show me the way to go. 

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Wake Up Call

I arise today through
God's strength to direct me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak to me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me.

—Attributed to St. Patrick,

from "The Deer's Cry"

(St. Patrick's Breastplate),

translated by Kuno Meyer

samuel...

impact a life today

While I was driving to the first of my errands today, I suddenly had a thought –
‘what if I’m considerate, kind, and helpful to as many people as I can?
Sort of like random acts of kindness.
Hmmm.
I’ll just try it.
It would be a great way not to think about how tired I am, about how my feet hurt, about how stiff I feel.
I’ll focus on others, and not myself.’
This day was a success. Tomorrow may be even better...

Be kind and compassionate to one another, Ephesians 4:32 NIV

go tell......

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A few weeks ago, the teens at my church attended a ‘Go Tell’ camp. (http://www.gotellministries.com/about.htm) A number of them made a decision for Christ while at the camp. Their first Sunday back, they went forward at the invitation to share their decisions and commitments with the congregation. Most of the kids made a brief statement about their experience.

Several of the teens spoke about being saved as a child, and realized they hadn’t been saved, they were scared of going to hell.

That happened to me. My church was having a revival, and the visiting preacher spoke to the kids before one of the services. He really scared me. I was terrified of hell. I was six, and went thru the motions of being saved. But, I was afraid of hell. Some of the other kids may have understood, and made a genuine personal profession to Jesus, but not me.

-->.

I joined the church membership, I was baptized, and I was afraid of hell.

Years later, as a teenager, I truly accepted Jesus and asked Him into my heart. I asked to be forgiven of my sins, I was baptized again, and I was no longer afraid of hell.

Church membership doesn’t save you.

Being baptized doesn’t save you.

Only Jesus can save you.

I am no longer afraid of hell....

God is speaking

When hubby and I first heard Mandisa on American Idol, we really liked her. She quickly became a successful Christian artist. I recently came across a song she’d done – God Speaking. It fits nicely into the ‘hear and listen’ category of my last post. Here are the lyrics...


God Speaking
Mandisa

Have you ever heard a love song that set your spirit free?
Have you ever watched a sunrise and felt you could not breathe?
What if it’s Him? What if it’s God speaking?

Have you ever cried a tear that you could not explain?
Have you ever met a stranger who already knew your name?
What if it’s Him? What if it’s God speaking?

Who knows how He’ll get a hold of us?
Get our attention to prove He is enough.
He’ll do and He’ll use whatever He wants to.
To tell us, 'I Love You'.

Have you ever lost a loved one who you thought should still be here?
Do you know what it feels like to be tangled up in fear?
What if He’s somehow involved?
What if He’s speaking through it all?

Who knows how He’ll get a hold of us?
Get our attention to prove He is enough.
He’ll do and He’ll use whatever He wants to.
To tell us, 'I Love You'.

His ways are higher, His ways are better, though sometimes strange.
What could be stranger than God in a manger?

Who knows how He’ll get a hold of us?
Get our attention to prove He is enough.
Who knows how He’ll get a hold of you?
Get your attention to prove He is enough.
He’ll do and He’ll use whatever He wants to.
To tell us, 'I Love You'.
God is speaking, I Love You.

i'm just saying...

note to self:

i've been on the couch

for way too long

when an ity bity spider

spins an ity bity web

across my arm

an opened Bible

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"I prayed for Faith,

and thought that some day

Faith would come down

and strike me like lightning.

But Faith did not seem to come.

One day I read in

the tenth chapter of Romans,

'Now Faith cometh by hearing,

and hearing by the Word of God'.

I had closed my Bible,

and prayed for Faith.

I now opened my Bible,

and began to study, and

Faith has been growing ever since."
~D.L. Moody

speak

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Have you ever had a song that stays with you for awhile? I’ve had the same song four days now. I sing and I hum, and sing and sing, and hum and hum. In particular, the chorus ‘sings’ the loudest.

Word of God Speak (by ‘Mercy Me’)

(chorus)

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

To me, this song is a reminder that God speaks to me, but first, I have to listen. I have to open my mind and my heart to God. I need to be quiet, to be ready, to be prepared, to be focused, to be willing, to be trusting, to be obedient, to be eager.

What better place to be, than to rest in God’s holiness?

lilies and laughter

hear and listen

-->hearing from God isn't so much a matter of if He's talking, but rather, whether we're listening

When I pray, do I expect God to hear?

When I pray, do I expect God to listen?

Hear my prayer, O God;

listen to the words of my mouth.

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Psalm 54:2 NIV

When God speaks, do I hear?

When God speaks, do I listen?

For God does speak, now one way,

now another, though man may not perceive it.

Job 33:14 NIV

These are just a few items on my ‘hear and listen’ list:

• His Word
• the Holy Spirit
• circumstances
• my prayers
• nature
• my thoughts
• His peace
• my conscience
• music and songs

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conversations with others

Can anyone add to this list?

today we celebrate the little lady's birthday

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you must be made of sunshine

and some stars from up above

a little bit of sugar

and lots and lots of love

happy 2^nd birthday!

We love you very much,

Poppy and Nana

today we celebrate...love

“I love you”

can be said

in so many

different ways…

but it can never

be said enough.

Happy 29^th Anniversary

To my very best friend.

happy birthday

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son, may you always have...…

friends to share your journey,

hope to light each mile,

work that hones your talents,

love that warms your smile,

wisdom for your problems,

comfort for your griefs,

faith in your convictions,

strength in your beliefs,

goals that are a challenge,

dreams that take you far,

and days like this to celebrate

the man and son you are!

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we love you,

mom & dad

psalm 52:8

parenthood...

r - i - s - k

To laugh is to risk ... appearing a fool.

To weep is to risk ... appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk ... involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk ... rejection.
To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ... ridicule.
To love is to risk ... being loved in return.
To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk ... failure.

But, risks must be taken, because the greatest risk of all is to risk nothing.
Those who risk nothing ... do nothing, have nothing, are nothing.
They may temporarily avoid suffering and sorrow, but
They cannot feel, learn, change, grow, live, or love.
Chained by their certitudes, they become slaves forfeiting their freedom.
Only the person who risks is free.
~ Chuck Swindoll

a tiny little ant

While doing a study on some of the reasons God sent Jesus to live as a man, I came across a perfect analogy. It may be a bit simplistic, but it works for me.

"If all the world was a colony of ants, and you as a human wanted to communicate with them, how could you best do that?"

"Become an ant?"

"That's right! That's exactly what God did!"

So, why did God send Jesus to be born, to die, and to rise again?

God sent Jesus to:

show the world that He loves us

demonstrate what God is like

give us the gift of eternal life

be reconciled to God

be the atonement for our sins

be the Savior of the world

"The birth of Jesus was not, as in ordinary births, the creation of a new personality. It was a divine Person -- already existing -- entering on this new mode of existence. Miracle could alone effect such a wonder."

The Virgin Birth of Christ, by James Orr

By this the love of God was manifested (shown, revealed) in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (atoning sacrifice, payment) for our sins.

1 John 4:9-10 NAS

the Holy Bible

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God did not write a book and send it by messenger to be read at a distance by unaided minds. He spoke a Book and lives in His spoken words, constantly speaking His words and causing the power of them to persist across the years. ~A W Tozer

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d l moody

“Out of one hundred men, one will read the Bible, the other ninety-nine will read the Christian.”

~ D L Moody

“In our prayers, we talk to God, in our Bible study, God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”

~ D L Moody