first of all,

I am a child of God, I am a Christian, I have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.

‘For I know the plans that I have for you’, declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NAS

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. John 14:26 NAS

I asked myself a question today. I’ve asked it many times before. The Bible tells me what I must do, yet I fail miserably in so many ways and levels and aspects of my life. I often need to be reminded, as I was today, because the list is so very long.

The question?

Do I?...

obey God?
spread the love of God?
focus on God?
witness for God?
have faith in God?
praise God?
study the word of God?
listen to God?
suffer for God?
serve God?
follow God?
worship God?
live for God?
submit to God?
spend time with God?

do I? do I?

This must be my daily question, so that I may learn and grow in God’s will for my life.

it’s a lot harder on me...

What a pitiful little chubby face!

I can barely look her way
when she’s lying behind

an empty bowl.

(The vet has put her on a diet.)

:)

God created our hearts

and we each have a hole

that only He can fill

to make us complete and whole.

take my hand

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Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Precious Lord, take my hand,
Lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light:
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

When my way grows drear,
Precious Lord, linger near,
When my life is almost gone,
Hear my cry, hear my call,
Hold my hand lest I fall:
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

When the darkness appears
And the night draws near,
And the day is past and gone,
At the river I stand,
Guide my feet, hold my hand:
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

Words and Music by Thomas A. Dorsey

praise Him

never ever leave

"The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8 NAS

for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"

Hebrews 13:5 NAS

There are times when I have to remind myself that I’m not walking thru a valley all alone. And when there are steep cliffs between me and the mountain top, I’m not climbing up all by myself. I don’t have to be dismayed or upset or anxious or miserable or troubled or discouraged or frustrated or concerned or.. or...

God is here, He always has been, and He always will be. When I stop trying to go it alone, and focus on God instead, He leads the way for me to follow, and He is with me every step I take.

God will not abandon or disregard or avoid or desert or forsake or leave or forget or fail or .. or...

God is right here with me now. And He’s not going anywhere.

why? why? why? why? why? why?

When this little sweetie entered the enjoyable ”why?” phase, I tried to avoid answering “because I said so”. (But, there were times “because I said so!” was appropriate.)

I enjoyed our “why?” conversations. He did the asking and I did the answering. It became a game between the two of us, often played while in the car. We never knew how long it would take or how far we’d go before my final answer was spoken – “Because God is God!”.

We had lots of grins and giggles with our “Why?” game. We stretched our imaginations and learned a few things. There were times I'd ask why and he'd do the answering. Sometimes we acted plum silly. We saw some things in a different way, and other things with a different view. “Because God is God!” meant so much more. It was also a lesson learned.

No matter what we do or where we go, everything comes back to “Because God is God!”

God is the final and ultimate authority.

God is omniscient and omni sapient.

God’s word is the final authority.

Because God is God!

peace...true peace

When I became a Christian,
God gave me everything I needed to live for Him, and everything I needed to live within His will. God gave me the gift of faith. I had no faith until I accepted His gift of salvation. God gave me the gift of grace. It was by the grace of God that saved me. God gave me His word. The Bible teaches and guides and equips and speaks and explains and comforts and blesses and... so much more.

Because I know God and God knows me,
because I have a personal relationship with God,
because He will never leave me,
because Jesus paid for my redemption,
because He hears my prayers,
because God forgives my sins,
because He speaks to me,
because God is so awesome,
because of His love,
because God is God,
that’s why I can find peace in my life...

to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1:1-2 NIV

open the eyes of my heart

There’s a particular praise and worship song that’s been performed by Michael W Smith, Sonicflood, MercyMe, and others. Whenever I hear this song, and I close my eyes, it seems like I’m the one singing each word to Jesus, my Lord. This song inspires me, and thru it, I often find myself praising and worshiping Jesus, my Lord. Holy, holy, holy.

I love praise and worship songs...

...a few lines from its verses...

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You

To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy

We cry holy, holy, holy
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to see you

Holy, holy, holy

Holy, holy, holy

rest

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Come sit with me awhile LORD,

Let me rest my head upon you.

Take away the raging storm that flows within me,

That it may calm my troubled mind.

Let me weep upon your shoulder LORD.

Tears of sorrow but mingled sweetly with joy.

Let the cleansing tears flow out,

They can only come from resting with you.

Then LORD, may you sing sweet lullabies

To comfort me and give me rest.

Fill me LORD; fill me with your peace.

And hold me; hold me in your loving arms.

Let me rest with you LORD,

Just for a little while, this is all that I need.

So come sit with me awhile LORD,

And let me rest my head upon you.

Amen.

pause ‘n ponder

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For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

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Secure? Absolutely!

How awesome is this? Totally!

qt

Quiet Time - Be Still and Listen

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
James 4:8 NAS

I know I need to spend more time with God. Quiet time, time alone, just me and Him. Time spent studying the Bible, time spent praying, time spent listening. Quiet time, time alone, just me and Him.

I’ve always heard that mornings are best, but, I think anytime is okay. Just as long as I have a daily quiet time God. But, sometimes I don’t take the time. Why? I have plenty of time, yet sometimes I don’t spend that time alone with God? Why? The days I’ve missed, the days I’ve wasted?

Why? God created this world and God gave me life. He is the God of my salvation, He sacrificed His only Son to die for my sins, He sent the Holy Spirit to live within me, He gave me eternal life. And then there’s His power, His unconditional love, His gift of grace, His forgiveness, His blessings, His guidance, His protection, His Word, His provisions, His promises, His care, His presence, His glory, His Everything.

And I ask myself, why? Why do I let a day pass without quite time with God? Quiet time takes discipline, commitment, and devotion. Then why? Why do I ever miss my time of fellowship with God?

"Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him.”
~Hudson Taylor

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.