This Is the Day...

One of my friends commented recently that I had not been blogging much lately...and that she missed seeing my blogs.  I was a little taken aback by that, as I thought I had been posting something at least once a week...albeit, some have been repeats, but it was still something.  But it got me to thinking that what she was saying was probably true...I haven't shared a lot of current original thoughts lately.  My response was that I've been busy, which is true.  So I decided to do a little review of my life and evaluate just what I have been doing...

Working...I do still work full time outside of our home as a Church Administrator (traveling 65 miles round trip 4 days a week) Although I am considered part time because I work less than 40 hours a week, my brain stays busy with the responsibilities of my job 24-7

One of the beautiful stained glass windows
in the church where I work

I am still married...quite happily, I might add, for almost 46 years...so that occupies an extremely large part of my time and energy, definitely 24-7!


My Hubby and Me...acting normal for us...




Bless their hearts, I still have two adult sons living at home...and that is another responsibility that I take seriously 24/7...even though they are mature, hard-working, and very helpful...a mother's heart is always thinking about her children...

My two ADULT sons looking for their Easter Baskets...

He found HIS basket...

Another Easter Basket found!

Add to that, my almost 92 year old Mother in Law stays with us most weekends...and that is also another 24/7 responsibility...(even when she's not here with us physically...we think about her 24/7)

Baking cookies with "Nanny"...

And then, on top of all of that, we have started a home Bible Fellowship, a.k.a. "church" in our home in the past few months...and that is another 24/7 responsibility:

Worship Time

And fellowship time

Now...where was I?  Let's see, I think I can count five different categories above that require my brain and physical participation 24/7 each.  (24/7 = 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)...every week...How is that possible?  

Oh, and then there are other relationships....friends, extended family, that we enjoy entertaining and communicating with on a regular basis...maybe not 24/7, but quite often....

Family gathering when our grandson came to visit from Maine

Ladies' Prayer Fellowship luncheon at our house

Wonderful "old" friends from the past here for lunch and visit

and THEN, there are my hobbies...besides writing this blog, I love to keep up with friends and family via Facebook and email...and my most favorite hobby is taking pictures of just about everything I see...mostly wildlife, flowers, clouds, sunsets, sunrises, birds, people,...you name it...if I see it, I will probably take its picture!

 

(Just a few of my favorite photos)

So,  Now I have to ask myself, "Why don't I write more often???"....and then I wonder, "How did I ever find time to write?"   Well, thankfully, God blesses us with 24 hours in each day, and somehow He gives me the strength and health and the desire to do all of the above, (and sometimes more) with joy and gladness.  

Now, this is funny...I was just trying to come up with a scripture to go along with this post, and the one that came to mind was:

"This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118:24

and as I was on my way to grab my Bible to look it up, I also picked up my copy of "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young, and opened it to today's (April 11) devotional reading, and guess what it said?  (I am not kidding you...this is exactly how it happened...)

"This is the day that I have made.  Rejoice and be glad in it."

But the "coincidental" (if you believe in coincidence...) part of this is beyond even that particular Bible verse...and again, I had not read this before I sat down to write...it is happening just as I am writing it now...listen to the rest of the devotional that Sarah Young wrote specifically for today, and see if you can see any similarity of thought...

"Begin the day with open hands of faith, ready to receive all that I am pouring into this brief portion of your life.  Be careful not to complain about anything, even the weather, since I am the Author of your circumstances.  The best way to handle unwanted situations is to thank Me for them.  This act of faith frees you from resentment and frees Me to work My ways into the situation, so that good emerges from it.

To find Joy in this day, you must live within its boundaries.  I knew what I was doing when I divided time into twenty-four-hour segments.  I understand human frailty, and I know that you can bear the weight of only one day at a time.  Do not worry about tomorrow or get stuck in the past.  There is abundant life in MY presence today."  

WOW!   I find this fascinating!  Why? Well, because as I was listing all of the responsibilities of my life above, I was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed with it all...not complaining or resentful in any way, but just overwhelmed. And then I read this passage from "Jesus Calling", and it was as though God was speaking directly to me...reminding me to find JOY in each day...and to thank HIM for each and every circumstance and/or responsibility...trusting HIM to give me the strength I need to live one day at a time...and to focus my eyes on HIM...not on my present situation.

How about you? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed with all of your responsibilities? I can imagine that many of you have much bigger and more difficult issues to deal with than I do. Mine are really not hard at all...they are a joy and a blessing as long as I don't allow myself to do everything in my own strength. That is the key to survival in this life...let God be present in your life...let His strength carry you through your busy 24/7 schedule. Stay focused on Him, be thankful...and enjoy abundant life in His presence!

Okay, now I've written something...I can cross that off the list for today!  Just kidding...this is my joy and act of thanksgiving...sharing what God is doing in my life today.  I hope it was encouraging to you in some way.  Have a joyful day, my friend!

The End!
(courtesy of the Red Bellied Woodpecker in my neighborhood, this morning)

Being "Clothed with Humility" - Random Journal Day Update

It is Random Journal Day again...the first Friday of the month, when several of us here in the blogosphere randomly choose a journal entry from our past...and dare to share it with you. (Click HERE to read what blogger Wendy Roberts is sharing today as our featured writer.) 

So I thumbed back through some old stuff, and discovered this previous post from one of my old journals.  Interestingly, it also coincides with Easter. I offer it to you again today as my Random Journal offering for this month.  (Originally Posted  8/3/10, but written many years previously)


I Peter 5:5 "....Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'"

Proverbs 16:19 “Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”


Back in the early days of our ministry it seemed that our finances were always a bit tight. I won’t say that we were ever destitute, for God would not allow that to happen. But we always had to watch our spending very closely. However, the pastor’s wife is often called upon to perform certain duties and to attend functions where she needs to look her very best. I have always bristled at the thought that a minister’s wife shouldn’t have stylish clothes or nice things. I’ve seen too many pastors’ wives having to make do with other people’s hand-me-downs or homemade outfits that looked homemade. And then when they do buy something really nice, they are criticized for not being very frugal, and putting on "airs"...  

"The Dress"
Funny...Today it would probably be
considered very stylish!

I’ve been the recipient of many such “gifts” in the past myself, and I have always graciously accepted those gifts outwardly, but oftentimes inwardly have groaned that I would have to wear that thing or someone would have their feelings hurt! On one such occasion a dear relative brought me a dress purchased at a thrift store thinking that I should wear it for Easter. Not only was the dress terribly out of style, but the bright flashy flowered print was just more than I could bear. However, I knew there was no way out since that particular relative would be spending Easter Sunday with us. I carefully made a few alterations to the dress and picked accessories that would help to downplay its garish design. Sunday morning I proudly wore the dress to church, much to the pleasure of the benefactor, and I actually received several sincere compliments from people at church. When I realized how much it pleased my relative to see me wearing something he had chosen for me with love, it helped me to put aside my feelings of pride and truly appreciate the gift and the giver.

Not long after this occasion, a couple from out of state was passing through our town and came to visit at our little church. They were friendly, but did not hang around very long after the service. That week I received in the mail a gift of $25.00 cash (a lot of money to me at that time!) with a note attached saying that I was to use that money to purchase a new outfit for myself and not to use it for my children or any other purpose! By the names signed on the note, I knew it was from the couple that had passed through earlier in the week, but there was no address or any way of contacting them to thank them. Even as I write this now many years later, I can only say thank you to the Lord, and pray that He will bless those dear people for their generosity and encouragement shown to me that day! And yet, I am reminded to also thank the Lord for the ones who gave what they could, even if it wasn’t something brand new, but yet it was given with just as much love and thoughtfulness.

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

How about you? What are some of the lessons in humility you've learned throughout the years?
And, what are some of the ways God has supplied all of your need during times of leanness...which may be right now for some of us...?  Sometimes we just need to stop and think about it...and then remember to say, "Thank you, Lord!" 

A Tree Planted by the Waters

I seem to be having difficulty sitting myself down to write these days. The last couple of days I have been on the verge of allowing myself to dip into a kind of depression...mostly because of the news on the TV this week...so many horrific things happening in our world...so difficult to comprehend how or why people do the things they do.  Depression, mental illness, anger, vengeance, jealousy, unforgiveness...all these attitudes and illnesses, left unchecked, can lead to such horror and terror.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 says:

"The heart is deceitful above all things,

and desperately wicked;

Who can know it?

I, the Lord, search the heart, 

I test the mind,

even to give every man

according to his ways,

according the fruit of his doings."

(Photos taken in April, 2012, on the banks of the Ocklawaha River)

I want to be like this man (woman) in Jeremiah 17:7-8: 

 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord...and whose hope is the Lord."

  I want to be "like that tree planted by the waters, 

which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."

Jeremiah goes on to say in verse 12-13:

"A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.

O Lord, the hope of Israel,

All who forsake You shall be ashamed."

God Says in response to Jeremiah in verse 13:

"Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth,

because they have forsaken the Lord,

the fountain of living waters."

Verse 14:

"Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;

Save me, and I shall be saved,

for YOU ARE my praise."

I love these little exercises in working through feelings of grief, depression, and/or fear.  When we begin to succumb to such feelings, it is always expedient to get into God's Word and find the pathway to praise and thanksgiving.  I know I can't stay down for long when I look UP to heaven. How about you?  Need some encouraging words tonight?  There is no better place to look than right here in God's Word.

"May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

May He send you help from the sanctuary,

and strengthen you out of Zion;

May He remember all your offerings,

and accept your burnt sacrifice.

May He grant you according to your heart's desire,

and fulfill all your purpose.

We will rejoice in your salvation,

and in the Name of our God 

we will set up our banners!

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;

He will answer him from His holy heaven

with the saving strength of His right hand.

Some trust in chariots,

and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the Lord our God."

Psalm 20:1-7

AMEN!

Keep Looking Up!

Interesting...Just as I was starting to write this post, I was attempting to come up with a good title, while in the background I could hear my 91 year old mother in law talking with my husband about our church service today. He asked her what she got out of the service, and she said, "We need to keep looking up!"  I almost choked, because she had NO idea what I was in the process of writing at that exact moment!

Please note the picture at the top of this page. Most likely you will notice the Osprey perched on the top of the dead tree branches immediately, and then if you look down you will see the dogwood flowers a little blurry in the forefront.  Let me tell you about this picture, and then see if you get the connection!

With the onset of daylight savings time last weekend and warmer spring days, I have determined to get out and walk more often, taking pictures of anything that "moves" me at the moment.  Yesterday morning I headed out early, camera in hand, looking for signs of spring.  The dogwood, azaleas, wildflowers, and berries are starting to bloom, the birds are actively building their nests and busily feeding their young.  As I was focusing on the dogwood trees in and around the edge of the woods, I glanced up at the perfect blue sky, and there, looking down at me, was this magnificent huge osprey!

Of course, I immediately shifted my focus (there's that "One Word" again!) to view the osprey for as long as he would allow... which was, as you can see by the pictures, obviously quite a while...and would have been longer but it was time for me to get going.

And as I stood there snapping these photos I couldn't help but think, "I almost missed this marvelous experience because I wasn't looking up!"

I wonder...how often in life have we missed out on some marvelous experience because we weren't "looking up"?  It appears to be in our human nature to focus on the here and now, the stuff of life that is surrounding us, oftentimes pulling us downward and blinding us to the bigger picture...the grandeur of the greater plan...the great panorama of the magnificent tapestry of God's design He intended for our lives.

 We tend to get "tunnel vision"...only seeing a very narrow view of life from our limited earth-bound perspective...and missing the higher viewpoint of God's perfect plan.

God said to Jeremiah the prophet in Jeremiah 29:11 ~

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

 We need to be more like the Psalmist who wrote:

 "I will lift up my eyes to the hills--from whence comes my help?  My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.  He will not allow your foot to be moved;  He Who keeps you will not slumber. "  Psalm 121:1-3

What's funny is, when my husband asked his mother what she got out of the church service this morning, and her quick response was "Keep Looking Up"...that actually had nothing to do with the service today at all...at least not in word or song or theme...and yet, that is what she heard and felt.  My thought is, yes, that IS the message of God's Word to us always, everyday!

KEEP LOOKING UP!  

Keep looking up to Jesus...Fix your eyes on Him!  Why? Well, because...

"The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day, 

nor the moon by night.  

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; 

He shall preserve your soul.

The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

from this time forth,

and even forevermore!"

Psalm 121:5-8

So, where are YOU going to look today?

Here is a link to another post I think you will like from Psalm 121:1-8  , entitled, "God is a Lot Like Mt. Washington".

Random Journal Day: The Battle Is the Lord's!

Here we are again...Random Journal Day - (click HERE for more info)...a day when we brave souls grab an old journal off the shelf (or out of the drawer), dust it off, and randomly select an entry that is worthy of sharing with the rest of the world.  We've been doing this for about three years now, and I am always amazed at how God reminds us of His love and care over and over again.  The words written in our past often come back to help us in our future/present time. That's just how God works.

So I dug out this beautiful old journal again...and God directed me to the following entry, written about fourteen years ago as I was preparing for some major surgery as well as going through some difficult times personally.  Thankfully, I had been reading from God's Word every day and writing down verses as He opened them to my heart and spirit. Here's what I wrote on that March morning so long ago:

"It looks like rain today.  I hope it will rain all day and all night~then my flowers and trees will grow and be happy!  Today's devotional comes from Exodus 32...verse 9 says:

"I see how stiff-necked this people is..."

I pray today, Lord, that I would not be stiff-necked like the Israelites were in the day of Moses.  Forgive me, Lord, if I am being stubborn and inflexible in any area of my life.  I pray You will help me to be pliable and usable for Your kingdom.  I want to be Your humble servant-ready to do Your will.  Lord, I do not understand this trial that I am currently undergoing.  The battle seems to be closing in on me from all sides.  Yesterday, my friend ____ called and encouraged me from Your Word, O Lord.  II Chronicles 20:12-22 is a wonderful testimony of how I ought to face these battles I am enduring.  

Verse 12:

"O our God, will You not judge them?  For we have no power against

this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know

what to do, but our eyes are upon You."

Verse 15:

and he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and your inhabitants of Jerusalem,

and you, King Jehoshaphat!  Thus says the Lord to you:

'Do NOT be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, 

for the battle is not yours, but God's!"

Verse 17:

"You will not need to fight in this battle. 

Position yourselves; 

Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord,

Who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!

(and me too, Lord?) (my note)

DO NOT FEAR OR BE DISMAYED;

Tomorrow go out against them,

for the Lord is with you."

Verse 21:

"And when he had consulted with the people, 

he appointed those who should sing to the Lord,

and who should PRAISE the beauty of holiness,

as they went out before the army and were saying,

'Praise the Lord,

For His mercy endures forever.'"

Verse 22:

"Now when they began to sing and to praise,

the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, 

who had come against Judah, 

AND THEY WERE DEFEATED!"

And then I wrote:  

"PRAISE GOD!  THAT IS THE ANSWER...PRAISE GOD!"

THE BATTLE BELONGS TO GOD!  I DO NOT NEED TO FIGHT IN THIS BATTLE.  I JUST NEED TO STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD---WHO IS WITH ME!

I JUST NEED TO PRAISE THE LORD, FOR HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER!  I DO NOT NEED TO FEAR OR BE DISMAYED...FOR THE LORD IS WITH ME!!  PRAISE YOU, JESUS!

AMEN!!!

On the very next page in this journal was written the lyrics to the worship song, "Shout to The Lord", which became my theme song of praise and victory:

"My Jesus, My Savior,

Lord, there is none like You.

All of my days,

I want to praise

the wonder of Your mighty love.

My Comfort, My Shelter,

Tower of Refuge and Strength,

Let every breath, all that I am,

never cease to worship You.

Shout to the Lord,

all the earth, let us sing,

Power and majesty, praise to the King..

Mountains bow down and the seas will roar

at the sound of Your Name.

I sing for joy at the work of Your Hand,

Forever I'll love You,

Forever I'll stand;

Nothing compares to the promise I have in You!"

Back to the present:  Wow! These words echo throughout my mind..."DO NOT BE AFRAID NOR DISMAYED BECAUSE OF THIS GREAT MULTITUDE, FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD'S!"

This can be applied to so many aspects of our lives right now on a personal as well as national and world level. Something to remember on those days when we feel overwhelmed and alone.  

"Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, Who IS WITH YOU!"  "DO NOT FEAR OR BE DISMAYED...THE LORD IS WITH YOU!"

Need I say more?