A Sidney Girl's Reflection

Thankful Food for Thought!

2011-11-24T06:45:00.001-08:00

This morning is Thanksgiving and there is so much to be thankful for. Often times day after day I take for granted the things which I consider to be every day life- electricity, plumbing, shelter in a house that has more than one room, a job, a vehicle and the list continues to relationships, from my church family to my genetic family and the ultimate relationship that I have with God the Father through Jesus Christ.

Yesterday Psalm 27 popped into my head and was greatly encouraged by some of the words. The second part of Ps 27 states, "The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?" I looked up the word defense from the free-online dictionary and here is what it states, 1. The act of defending against attack, danger, or injury and from a sports view: 7. Means or tactics used in trying to stop the opposition from scoring. Talk about picking for a defensive team- if the Lord is on your defensive team, wow- and that is for our lives, what do we have to dread? I have been thinking about lies that we face. At times we might not even realize that we are believing lies- we may think our coworker has this negative opinion about us when that is not the case at all. We may think that some type or characteristic is true about our identity, when that is not what God says- by the grace of God I am what I am...we can never forget about grace. Later in Ps 27 it states "Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me and such breathe out violence." Again when I read false witnesses I instantly thought about those even being lies that we experience in our minds. Looking up the Hebrew meaning of false, this is what it states, "lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood" In the King James the word violence is actually cruelty- and it means violence, wrong, cruelty, injustice. Lies are injustice. As I was thinking this yesterday a phrase popped into my head- that the voice of the accuser will be silenced. I couldn't remember if there was a Scripture that stated that or not, so onto google I went. I couldn't find one, but then in God's goodness the Holy Spirit led me this morning as I listened to this broadcast- from Psalm 63 and verse 11 "But the king will rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him will glory, for the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped." Again the word for lies is the exact same Hebrew word that we looked at with the word false. Those who speak lies, those who speak deception, those who speak disappointment and falsehood will be stopped; including lies that we believe. Praise God Almighty for His glorious truth. As Jesus stated the Truth will set you free. Yesterday I flipped opened this little Promise Book and what did it open to, but John 8:31-32; Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed, And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." I love what it said at the end. Let God's truth lead you to true freedom today. God's promise of freedom is linked to putting His words to the test. Get to know His words better by reading, meditating on and praying about at least one verse of Scripture each day.

The Bride

2011-08-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

Lately God has been having me think about the bride of Christ- and how sweet it is envisioning yourself to be His bride. As I got to thinking about this, I was thinking first that God is His Word distinctively chooses the word bride and not wife. I thought- well, what is the difference and I thought there is so much excitement on the day for the bride. This is not only a special day for the bride, but also the bridgegroom. There have been multiple weddings where I have witnessed the bridegroom's face upon seeing his bride and he has been deeply moved, both where tears and an inexpressible smile. Jesus- this is what you think of your bride!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

2011-05-29T05:02:00.000-07:00

On Thursday this week I witnessed for the first time that I can remember a full arching rainbow. What a beautiful site! As I scanned from the beginning of the arch til the end of the arch I remembered the old saying that a pot of gold laid at the end of the rainbow. Then for some silly reason the song, "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" came into my mind. It's quite a catchy tune! ~ha! But, I've been thinking of the purpose of roads- it leads us to a destination. Many times in the Bible, God talks about His ways. Psalm 25:4-5 says, " Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day." Then in Psalm 119 verses 1-5 " How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of the LORD. How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
Who seek Him with all their heart. 3 They also do no unrighteousness; They walk in His ways. 4 You have ordained Your precepts, That we should keep them diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be established To keep Your statutes!" Truly walking on God's path is so beneficial! ....which I will term the Yellow Brick Road....for following this road at the end will be the true treasure (and really treasure for us along the way). Truly God has granted us His precious and magnificent promises!

Celebration of Life

2011-02-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

Today I went to one of the most impacting viewings that I have ever went to. I remember meeting this man at my place of work almost ten years ago. Despite his short stature due to having Down Syndrome, he had a huge heart. What impressed me about him was he was a TRUE gentleman; he always held the door, shook my hand and one time after some time had passed since our last meeting kissed my hand. Walking into the funeral home I was surprised to see a mass of bubbles being produced by a bubble machine. How fun it was to walk through the bubbles to see him one last time. In his hands were what looked like drum sticks; however, they were conductor wands as this was one of his passions. Music played in the background and my spirit was uplifted as this was a true celebration. Inside his casket, the embroidery read "In God's care." Today I celebrated this man's life- the bubbles, which to me symbolized the celebration there is in heaven! Jesus- thank you for this indescribable gift- Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3

Wait

2010-09-26T01:42:00.000-07:00

Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.
Psalm 24:17 Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.
Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him

Wow, I am thankful that the LORD expands our view on waiting with words that some (me) may not include: silence, strong, courage, patiently. I have to smile as I work with infants and toddlers. Snack time with the toddlers can be a difficult waiting time. I have to say though, I gained new perspective as I sat back one day and delighted in the ones that waited patiently. O Lord, may I be like those little ones. As I continue to learn about waiting on the LORD- it's that, needing grace to wait on Him and Him alone- I do not wait on my circumstances it's on His character. During the waiting, our faith is cultivated. By waiting on the LORD, we say- God, we TRUST in You- we TRUST in Your Hand. By standing on His promises, we can be confident that He moves on behalf of those that wait on Him. I delight in one of he Hebrew words for wait, which means to dance, whirl. One night I had to have a praise session and declared to the LORD all of His promises on waiting. In the midst of that I processed out loud- that in dancing, one really stays basically in the same area. It's not like running, walking or driving, where one travels a distance. But, the key is as one dances they are being led and having fun! O LORD for grace to continue to let you lead in the dance and enjoy the process. Truly WAITING is about TRUSTING that HE is the Good Shepherd- He knows what we need; He is good and He loves us. No good thing does He withhold from those that walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11

Hmmm Volleyball :)

2010-08-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

This past week I served as a cook for our local church camp, Tar Hollow. Wow, cooking for 240+ plus people is a job I had never done; of course I was not the only cook, and needed lots of direction on what needed to be done! I have much to say about the camp; however, this entry is going to be more specific to one incident: volleyball. On Sunday morning, the day after returning I found myself reflecting on being on the volleyball team. When I state these things I am not knocking myself- that is my disclaimer- I'm using this as an example. I had to chuckle as I was asked to play on what was to be the championship winning team. I am not a volleyball player; I have difficulties with even serving. Again I chuckled inside as people may have thought I look like a volleyball player. In junior high I loved volleyball and wanted to be on the team, but got cut. After that I really didn't play much volleyball. Since I hadn't been to Tar Hollow in 3 years I met some new people. Since I run, I have more of an athletic build; however, I was thinking on Sunday morning that does not equate to that I am a good volleyball player. I began to think about this simile with Christianity. We may have been trained in the Word, just like my muscles have been trained; however, if we are not exercising those muscles in the designated sport it really doesn't amount to much. I was equating this to outreach- the importance of actually playing the game, putting things into practice- working together as a team. Romans 12 continued to come to my mind even after camp, as Romans 12:2 was the theme verse for the week. As I read it again over the weekend the word exercise really stuck out to me- "Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;
7 if service in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;
8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality;he who leads with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. "Serve em up" ha, ha let's literally serve others :)

Gladiator

2010-03-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

After three attempts I finished watching the movie Gladiator yesterday. I recently heard someone mention it and I had never seen it. This piqued my interest and down to the library I went! My breaks in between watching the movie were not to a disinterest in the movie, but rather my schedule. This movie grasped my interest and left me thinking quite a bit. Viewing Maximas- I believe in the core each of us appreciate people of valor and integrity. We root for the good guy to win and for the bad guy to go down. I know corruption exists today, but in those days would have been shocked to see the actual brutality. As I watched the battles that ensued, my spirit realized how true this is of the spiritual world. Thankfully the Lord declares the battle belongs to Him. I have to say I closed my eyes on quite a few scenes because of the blood and gore. But, I did rejoice in seeing the sword come out- and in my spirit wanted to use the Sword of the Spirit not against people as our war is not against flesh and blood but against powers, principalities against the dark forces of this world. My heart hurt watching the scenes where people were enslaved into bondage, which ultimately would lead to their own death. My heart hurt even more realizing that this happens today- not in the physical sense but in the spiritual sense. However, today sin disguises itself as attractive, appealing, "fun" however, sin ultimately leads to death- there is nothing fun or attractive about it when the mask is removed. Another touching point of the movie was when Maximas raises up as a leader to unify the barbarians to fight together- he states we must work together to win. Oh- this is what we need to do- is truly be unified- not to operate solely; for we cannot achieve victory alone.

Realignment

2010-03-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine lately has been talking of a new chiropractor. She's been telling me how this man provides a lot of education and of course physical manipulation to gain realignment. I have never been to a chiropractor; however, I have been a recipient of misalignment. About two years I had my first bout of Illiotibial Band Syndrome, which the IT Band runs along the outside of your thigh. From that tightness, I had one hip higher than the other...so I went to an Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist who gave me stretches and exercises to complete. Lately I have been thinking of the spiritual aspect; I have heard one definition of righteousness of being in right alignment with God. Thankfully that is a relationship with His Son, but I become saddened as I think there is a misunderstanding about the word relationship. A relationship with Jesus doesn't just mean a one time prayer- it is ongoing; we need to continue to talk with Him. God has called us to a HOLY calling. "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness"- 2 Timothy 2:19. When we get misaligned we need to come back into alignment- and that may be in instruction according to God's Word; however, not knowing anything about chiropractic practice, I think of a cracking or a breaking. At times I believe the Lord allows brokenness to occur to get that alignment. Thankfully His purpose is not for pain, it's for a fully functioning spine- the stability of our body- without our spine we could not stand, turn, move- use our upper/lower extremities. O Lord- today may we be in correct alignment for Your beautiful purposes!

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

This week starts my spring break week! Yay- am definitely needing a break! Of course with spring comes the tradition of spring cleaning! Although yesterday was my regular cleaning routine- dusting, vacuuming, cleaning bathroom, laundry, etc. However, yesterday I guess I was a little more thorough in my cleaning. As I was cleaning my lamp, which sets on my coffee table beside my couch, I noticed this left over residue. I had remembered that awhile back, a friend had accidentally tripped and spilled their hair gel- well some of it unbeknownst to me still remained somewhat hidden on my lamp!! So down I went to scrape it off- that residue was tricky- very sticky and somewhat hidden! Then later in the day I grasped a hold of this word that is found in James 1:21, which states "So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls. This rampant outgrowth of wickedness in the Greek is perisseia; the meaning: residue, remains: the wickedness remaining over in a Christian from his state prior to conversion. Thankfully God's Word gives us a How To Guide- when we see this residue, we better not let it remain. This residue again could be hidden to us and rather sticky as some of it has been there for awhile. Then on the contrary we can in a humble spirit welcome and receive God's Word- His Word is the Ultimate Cleanser! Holy Spirit come and get out Your Divine Dust Rag and wipe us clean so none of that residue may remain that we may be spotless and beautiful in your sight- how you originally intended us to be!

White Tulips

2010-03-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today as I went out for my morning jog I saw my first spring flowers poking out of the ground. Not only was it just any flower, but my favorite- white tulips! Perhaps 5 years ago when I was working at a nearby nursing home, one of the ladies who I was working with had been given a solitary white tulip; it was so beautiful to me. Something about that flower grabbed me- perhaps it was its simplicity, the beauty or the representation of purity. Anyway, from that excursion, I feel in love with white tulips!

Today as I saw those beautiful white tulips- I was reminded of the unseen. I'm sure if I had run by the same place one week ago, I would have not seen any flowers. However, there was a lot of growth occuring underground- I just couldn't see it! Just as faith! Don't give up in believing without seeing- for faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen. God works in the unseen and that encourages me- so be encouraged today! I felt like I was doubly encouraged with that thought paired with my beautiful white tulips!

Let it Snow

2010-02-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

Waking up at 4 am, of course I had to get up and peer out of the window to see if any of the expected snow had started to fall, but no. So, I knew when I woke up again after 6, and there was still no snow I was going to work. Upon arriving to work, the snow decided it would arrive as well. First starting out as a little flake, but then it poured. What is the verb that you would use for snow, I guess fall- but let's say falling with exponential power! I have been reading and thinking of the word "rend" recently. Rend means to violently tear. I always thought it meant give; however, no. The verse from Joel "Even now," declares the LORD,
"return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning."
13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.

Isaiah 64: 1 states "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!"

And I guess as I saw the vast amount of snow- I thought of the word rend- rending the heavens- and the great outpouring, continually of mercy that the Lord has for us! He blankets us, covers us, makes us white as snow with His great continual, ever continual love! Love covers a multitude of sins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYbaW8LvOEA

BELIEVE = POWER

2010-01-31T17:36:00.000-08:00

I have to say I love the encouragements that the Lord gives me along the journey. I meant to post this picture awhile ago, but ran into computer problems. Well, on Saturday I was feeling discouraged and the Lord in His goodness directed my eyes to this sign, which is located at the Sidney YMCA. Can I tell you that I love this sign? When we believe God there is POWER! I love the placement of this sign right above the power outlet! May the eyes of our heart be enlighted to know the surpassing greatness of His power towards us who believe! Ephesians 1:19. Even when the circumstances and the physical evidence may discourage us, we CAN believe God! WE believe help our unbelief!

Snow covered

2010-01-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning the northern Miami Valley awokened to a beautiful sight; trees that were covered with snow and ice- a combination of frozen moisture on the trees- just beautiful. Reminded me of the verse from Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." The pictures are from later in the afternoon- not as amazing as the morning!

Painting, Preparation, Process

2010-01-02T17:53:00.000-08:00

I am starting 2010 in an unconventional way. I am not taking my Christmas decorations down this weekend- I just don't feel like it! Which, I typically like to get them all put away before returning to work after my extended Christmas break. Then, I wanted to write a 2009 year in review, but that may come on my next post... ha, ha! So today I painted my bathroom. That was the project I had during my break, which started on Tuesday. I always feel like projects teach me a lot about myself as well as about life! Painting truly is a process. Because it is a process, I could feel this impatience bubbling up inside, an anxiousness to get to the fun part. My dad came over and helped me remove all of my towel racks and taught me about caulking and spackling. That was the first day. Then I had to spackle a couple of times and then follow by sanding. Next up was getting the painter's tape all around the edges. Preparation takes a long time! I felt no where near what I wanted to see: Spring Waterfall on my walls! I love the Christmas song Joy to the World. Of course there is the verse that says, "Let every heart prepare Him room" and I have been thinking about the preparation process. Wow, what does that look like, the preparation of hearts? The preparation of a heart to receive Christ, the preparation of a heart to let Him reign, for changed lives by the Holy Spirit. Then I got to thinking about prayer- oh, do NOT lose heart in prayer! At times we cannot see with our physical eyes, it may appear there is no change in a circumstance, in a person; but may I pose the question....are you co-laboring with the Holy Spirit in the preparation period?!! Whhoo hooo! That gets me pumped! Faith is the evidence of things not seen, the substance of things hoped for. OK- good thing you are not here with me right now as I type as I am shouting! I looked up the Hebrews 11 verse to make sure of the correct wording, okay- wow, wow, and one more wow, verse 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. Oh Lord! So be of good courage! Trust in the LORD for He is good!!! And guess what....today was the unseen becoming visible- my first coat of Spring Waterfall is now on my bathroom walls- soon the fun will begin by accessorizing!

Columbus Marathon

2009-10-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

This time last week I was anticipating Sunday's race day. Looking at weather.com I was in deliberation of what to wear! When training, I had always worn shorts and the weather was supposed to be 29 degrees, but warming up to a high of 50- so I decided shorts it would be! Prior to leaving for Columbus on Saturday I went on-line to listen to Charles Stanley-he is a wise preacher from Atlanta. As I clicked on his link to the latest podcast, there was the title of his sermon.....Endurance! I chuckled at the thought-as this has been my theme- I need endurance to run this race! As I listened, Charles talked of the verse from Hebrews 12- to throw off the sin that so easily entangles that we may run the race with endurance. He noted that the Word said sin and not sins- that we all have a weakness towards a particular sin and then went on to talk about runners. Runners do not wear bulky clothes (hence me running in my shorts, :), pick out light running shoes so that can run the race. So with that Word I was off to Columbus. My friend Christy drove to my house and off we went together to Columbus. That night was a carb night and a Wii night! Went to bed at a decent time since we were getting up at 5:40AM!

Race Day!! With my only big races being the Indy Half, I was conditioned to be placed in a carrel, not in Columbus. You made your way to an open space. Since it was 29 degrees, I did have my sweats on until the race and then gave it the dramatic toss to the side- where many donated clothes were to be had. I remember the thought trying to come to my mind that I was about to embark in 4+ hours of running. Thankfully, that thought was quickly shot down- as I could not bear to think what was ahead. Rather by God's grace, I was able to enjoy the scenery! I absolutely LOVE to run in new places. Of course being a post Ohio State student, I am familiar with Columbus, but not running in it! My friend Mitsu was assisting me with being my coach. She was running the half marathon. As we headed around the bend in Bexley I looked over and there was this familiar face- our Governor, cheering on us runners. The trees were absolutely beautiful! There were bands and fans along the way. Around mile 11-12 my best friend, her family & boyfriend and my friend Christy were all stationed on the sideline cheering us on. I felt like I could smile for another two miles! Which did end about that time as Mitsu was heading left for her finish line and I continued. I about wanted to cry- thinking I was off for another 13.1 miles now by myself. So as I thought about spiritual principles- I thought how there is a weeding out of people- when the race ahead is long this is when endurance is imperative and if there is no endurance you are sidelined. As the half marathoners left, so did the number of fans, the bands and all of a sudden the race was feeling more desolate. Thankfully I knew my parents were going to be stationed around mile 15. Anticipating their smiling faces, I spotted them first and started waving- what encouragement is given from people, but especially those we love! Running through Ohio State's campus, it was very apropos that I "ran" into a fellow that used to be part of Campus Crusade for Christ when I was there. We chatted for awhile and he stated that he was now a grad student at Purdue. It was nice chatting as it broke up the monotony of the pounding on the pavement. Running by the new Ohio Union we commented on how much had changed. As Daniel ran ahead, I later met up with a man who had Proverbs 4:23 on the back of his shirt. As I came close, I told him that I liked the verse on his shirt. We talked as well- which again was nice. Then after the water station we went our separate ways. How true that is of life- there are times when we have certain people come in our lives and then they leave. After that water station, there came the longest stretch of the race. Absolutely no fans, a lot of wind, rather dull and lonely. There are times in life when this occurs, but the race must continue. After that stretch, hark there was another band! Now we were approaching 8 miles left in the race! Yippee! There were two additional times that the people that I loved cheered me on- yeah! This propelled me to the downhill stretch of the race. I remember thinking at mile 22- only four more miles! On that Monday I had run 5 and that was what I was thinking about- I had just done this! Then when 3 approached I thought- I just ran 3 miles on Friday. I was forgetting what laid behind- the past 22 miles, but pressed forward with great anticipation of the finish line! At mile 23 I was anticipating Mitsu's return and at mile 24 there she was! She was gearing up as she saw me approach and came back in to cheer me on. We had anticipated that I would be hitting the wall, but by God's grace and the prayers of the saints these legs continued with great endurance. A big thank you to all who prayed! As Mitsu came back, I was about to cry again! My emotions were on a high. Then at mile 25 my discipler and Bible Study leader at Ohio State, Carrie Walker, shouted my name and ran in with me and prayed for me. At this point I was somewhat of a daze; and she prayed for my last mile. Which led me to run the last mile at my fastest time: 9 min 19 sec mile! What a blessing to run the last mile with my fastest time- and the last .2 miles were all down hill- sprinting and then with raised hand in hand Mitsu and I crossed the finish line! Done at last! And a great endorphin rush as well! Praise be to God who allows us to run the race He has for us- oh Lord, it truly can be such a mental race at times- to have the right perspective. Help us to enjoy the scenery along the way and not be bogged down by the load ahead- You are the one that gives us strength! Help us to be thankful at all times along the way- thank You for your grace to run the race and not fall on our face!

Running in the Rain

2009-09-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

Marathon training is definitely not for the non-committed. Dedication from waking up early, enduring many pounding steps, tight muscles afterwards, which lead to many reps of stretching are all part of the gamut. Yesterday was the peak of my training as the official number of miles totaled, drum roll please, 22. So in the 22 miles ran, rain occurred. The first seven to eight miles the weather was clear and then a light mist fell. The mist then turned into rain. My mind wanted to focus on the rain and to think I had to run 14 more miles in the rain was almost unbearable. I couldn't stay there. Why not run in the rain? Well, I do prefer to be dry and I can't control the rain. Rain combining with sweat does create burning in the eyes and with a soaked running top, drenched hands- not an inch of dry space anywhere, leads to continued wet eyes. In the midst of this- my will had to kick in. Recently I had thought of the verse- Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. I've heard that the soul encompasses the mind, will and emotion. There is something about the word will. I WILL be thankful- or I will to be thankful. In the midst I started praying about the things that I was thankful for- this was instant mind renewal. Interesting (of course this is all God's design) when we renew our minds, you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. I knew there was no coincidence as I headed home from Columbus yesterday that I heard- Praise You in this storm twice on the radio. If you're not familiar with this song- the lyrics talk of praising God in the midst of our storms. It's easy to run in the cool peak of the morning when the sun is beginning to rise; however, it's another story when one has to run in the midst of rain. All of a sudden your senses are more aware of the heaviness of the rain as well as the hindrance of your senses- your sight. How true when the rain comes our sight is altered. However, God remains the same- He is worthy to be praised- He is our hope; He gives us the strength to continue to run in the rain. Oh Lord, we need Your grace to run, running in the times of rain, running in the times of drought, running when we are hungry.....but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31).

American Idol History

2009-04-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

I've been inconsistently watching American Idol, but I did see the results of which singer would be cut. This time Matt Giraud was the one who received the least amount of votes. However, this year the judges could save the fate of one of the contestants by saving them from being cut. As Matt sang to seek favor from the judges, the judges huddled together and came to the historic conclusion that Matt would be saved. The crowd went wild- his friends went wild and swarmed him with overwhelming hugs.
Overexuberant joy was flowing in this place. Salvation- means to rescue or safety....There is salvation in no one else (Jesus); for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12...oh the joy that salvation brings...as David said- restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation...My heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation. As we saw there is joy in salvation in the TV- but think of the magnification of true salvation....and we don't have to perform for it, it's given to us as a free gift.

First Butterfly Spotting

2009-03-26T05:28:00.000-07:00

All I can say is that the LORD contiues to make me smile :) He is about transformation! So on Tuesday I was visiting my grandmother and as I was getting out of my car, what beholds my eyes, but the first butterfly of the spring. I believe this is the one:
Cabbage White, which is the first butterfly identified in Ohio!
Here it is:

Cover

2009-01-19T10:31:00.001-08:00

This morning I was reading from 1 Corinthians 13. Yes, the love chapter. Does it seem like you don't think about the famous chapters from the Bible or the verses. It's kind of like reciting the pledge of allegiance or singing the Star Spangled Banner- it's become rote and then you don't think about it. Well, it was good to go back to 1 Corinthians 13. It's all about Love! Love is amazing! I thought I'd share just a couple of insights. Love never fails. Wow~ you can never go wrong with loving! I love how the LORD defines love. You can never go wrong with being patient, being kind. Then I was looking at how love beareth all. After looking that word up in the Greek it means cover- like a roof! A roof provides protection- keeps out things like rain, birds, snow that shouldn't be in our home! Wow- God's love is a protection for us. Love covers a multitude of sin. So, when we love others it's a protection as well- loving God's way. Love doesn't equate to being a people pleaser- it's truth and grace; it's Jesus. Hopefully I will be writing again this week- my reminder to myself: shadows.....

You are You!

2008-12-23T16:50:00.000-08:00

This song by Rick Pino has been going through my mind today, here are the lyrics: "stick your tongue out like when you were a child, cause it's raining. Stop trying to be the next who's who....only try to be the next you. Stop trying to be the next who's who...only try to be the next you. He loves me like I am, He loves me like I am. He loves like I am....repeat....come and see my ministry you don't care about your Father's will just if you'll be on TV. Your gift can move the body and your gift can move the soul, but their spirit stays dry as a bone - too concerned about what other people think and you're not concerned enough about what your Daddy thinks. You've got all the right words and all the right songs, but He'll even take you with your poopy diaper on. I could be the biggest mess in the world it doesn't change His love for me.

Today I read in Phillipians 3- as Paul wrote about that if anyone were to have confidence in the flesh, he did. I stopped to think, what are the things that bring significance- my job, my home, my car, my relationships- and Paul talks about how we are not to have confidence in the flesh, but in Christ- that everything else loses its signficance when compared with Christ. As we in America and probably around the world try to find identity- we try to find it in things that were never intended to define us. To be defined by being found in Him is a profound and glorious thought! To be holy and blameless, to be His beloved, His creation, that He is our helper- that He has created us to be a beautiful part in His body. There is no way that one person can be the whole body- that is Christ.

As I was reading tonight in the Master Plan of Evangelism: Robert Coleman states, "The fact that there is no record in the disciples complaining about the pre-eminence of the three (Peter, James & John), though they did murmur about other things, is proof that where preference is shown in the right spirit and for the right reason offence need not arise. " Henry Latham suggests that the selection of these three served to impress the whole company the need for 'self abnegation' (to deny oneself- had to look that one up). In his analysis it was actually intended to show the apostles that 'Christ gave what charge He would to whom He would; that in God's service it is an honor enough to be employed at all; and that no man is to be discouraged because he sees allotted to another what appears to be a higher sphere of work than his own.'"

So Lord, teach us who You have made us in the body- and encourage those other parts- and see that each of our parts are important in the unity of Your body!

Faithful

2008-11-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

This past week the word that I keep seeing is faithful. Multiple times this is used to describe God's character. When I looked up the definition of faithful it means: to be trusted, trustworthy. God is faithful. Even at times when it may not feel like it or seem like it to our human eyes; ah, but He is....He is Faithful and True.

The Body

2008-11-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been thinking about the body- how intricately designed our bodies are. Today I had the day off for Veteran's Day- thank you Veteran's, and so one of the places I went was to the optometrist. I have not been in 8 years! But, as I was driving I took notice of all of these doctor offices along the way- eye doctors, stomach doctors, heart doctors. I thought about how in the body of Christ- we have our own sicknesses- when the body (us in Christ) is not effectively working how the whole body is affected (If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 1 Cor 12:6) I was thinking about this as I was getting out of my car. Last year I participated in a three legged race and wrapped my arm around this man who was taller than I; well, he went one way and I went the other way and pop went my shoulder. That was a part of the body that wasn't performing what it was meant to do, and I had overextended this part of the body. I still feel it today. The good news- is there is hope. Our hope is in Jesus- the Great Physician- He supernaturally heals- by His stripes we are healed. When we inquire of Him, we can see where we fit in the body. I'm thankful that sickness was not part of the original plan. Oh Lord- we need Your healing touch, bring restoration to both our bodies and Your body in You Jesus. I love that Jesus is the head- as we think of our own heads- our brains send out the signals that healing needs to take place. Jesus does that for us- let's be connected properly to the Head- Jesus and rejoice for the body that is unified, properly functioning.

Transformation

2008-09-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

My neighborhood

2008-08-16T17:37:00.001-07:00

The other day I went to Wal-mart to buy a garage organizer. So off I went and bought one of those plastic Sterlite organizers. I thought it was going be be already put together, but when I looked on the side of the box it said it needed 2 hours. Yikes! So, I thought- I am going to do this systematically. I pulled out all of the pieces in the box, organized them according to the letters and began the 10 step process of putting them all together. I started the process and got to step number 5. When I got to step number 5 I put the pieces on backwards. Well, the two pieces interlocked and because of that one person could not pull them apart. So, hark out appeared my neighbor- and off I went to ask for his help. He was able to use a screwdriver and push it apart- well, his wife was summoning him back home and I still did not have it completely correct! So my other neighbor- who had told me in the past if I ever needed anything, to not hesitate to ask. So ask is what I did- and I just appreciate learning from other people and appreciate the helpfulness from other people. So over he came and I have to say I do enjoy working together as a team- as he helped me problem solve of how to get the two pieces apart as well as put them together. I felt horrible as not once, but two times he injured himself to the point of bleeding. He warned me he is a bleeder; but that it is cleansing. Interesting- as I saw Jesus in him- as he sacrifically helped me and helped me to the point of injuring himself (of course not intentionally)- because he cared.

Your Grace is Enough

2008-06-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

I love the Lord's grace. I love how I can cry out to Him and He hears me- He delivers me....His grace is wonderful. It goes beyond our comprehension- it overflows, it's abundant- thank You Jesus. More and more grace!!!! If you have a relationship with the Lord- you will go through trials- and we are to consider it all joy when we go through them. There are times though when I find myself in the same trial- and I resort to past thinking. This is when I am in desperate need of my Father's grace. Thank Him that He will never leave or forsake me and therefore I can confidently say that He is my helper! In the midst of my trial- He is my helper! I trust in that! Cling to that! Then today I was encouraged by this verse, which reminds me of my dear college friend Danielle. Romans 15:13- may the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Did you catch that ending- not in and of ourselves, but BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. When I look too at how depression and anxiety can go together- I look back to the verse of joy and peace- the opposites of depression- that God gives us joy (by hoping in Him)- and anxiety- that God gives peace (by hoping in Him)- BY HIS POWER! Thank you Lord!

Summation

2008-05-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

Psalm 139: 23-24

Isaiah 6:5

Psalm 51

1 John 1: 7-9

Romans 5:9-10

Colossians 1:22-23

Timing of doors

2008-05-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

So as many of you may already know I'm an occupational therapist who works with children 0-3 who have disabilities. The LORD teaches me through these little ones! The toddlers have a classroom which joins to the gross motor room. OK- the gross motor room, would make anyone run to it! In this room we have multiple swings, a ball pit, a teeter totter, a trapeeze bar, and a toy house, just to name some- who could want more??!!! So the last half hour of class the toddlers enjoy a yummy snack. After the snack, it's time to close up and sit back in circle where we all join in the song....Bye, Bye, Baby, Bye, Bye- a catchy tune- seriously. Well, one of the little girls after snack just couldn't control herself and went running to where else...the gross motor room! Her mama retrieved her to come back to circle and I closed the door. I realized how God closes doors at times of us. As I closed this door- it wasn't time to play in that room. The LORD will close doors for us- to prevent us from going certain places- as He is our Teacher- directing us in His perfect timing!

Then on the flip-side is the open door. So a little over a month ago at Bible Study (which is at my home), it was still cold out. Everyone put their coats in my front closet and we closed the door. Well, as people got their coats out- the door would NOT shut. It was sooo weird. So, one of the guys in my Bible Study who is a chemical engineer was looking at the door. I went inside my closet and he stood outside as we peered at the latch. The latch was totally off- quite bizarre as just minutes before it was fine. We fiddled with the knob- and there was no explanation- yes, there is reason for me mentioning his job title of engineer (these people can figure these things out!). But, I felt like the LORD was telling me then- Lynnster- I can open doors and NO ONE can close them- it may make no logical sense. I love that about my LORD.

So Lord, may we submit to Your perfect timing. You are an ON-TIME God. Jesus- I want You to go before me and Your children- to open doors for Your kingdom- to close doors- lead and guide us oh Shepherd. For You are my Shepherd I shall not want (the gross motor room- ha, ha!) You are trustworthy. Hallelujah! Jesus- because of You we have an open door always- where we can approach You boldly and receive grace in our time of need. Thank You!

Psalm 25

2008-05-14T04:40:00.000-07:00

Psalm 25

Prayer for Protection, Guidance and Pardon.

A Psalm of David.

1 To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
Those[1][Or Let those...be ashamed ] who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
4 Make me know Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been from[2][Or everlasting ] of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
According to Your lovingkindness remember me,
For Your goodness' sake, O LORD.
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble[3][Or afflicted ] in justice,
And He teaches the humble[4][Or afflicted ] His way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth
To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
11 For Your name's sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
12 Who is the man who fears the LORD?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
13 His soul will abide in prosperity[5][Lit good ],
And his descendants[6][Lit seed ] will inherit the land[7][Or earth ].
14 The secret[8][Or counsel or intimacy ] of the LORD is for those who fear Him,
And[9][Or And His covenant, to make them know it ] He will make them know His covenant.
15 My eyes are continually toward the LORD,
For He will pluck[10][Lit bring out ] my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The[11][Some commentators read Relieve the troubles of my heart ] troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.
18 Look upon my affliction and my trouble[12][Lit toil ],
And forgive all my sins.
19 Look upon my enemies, for they are many,
And they hate me with violent hatred.
20 Guard my soul and deliver me;
Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.
22 Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all his troubles.

Confessional time

2008-05-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to publish this blog for the past couple of weeks- as these two pictures- no joke were up the same week at two different churches. Also this is what was talked about last week at youth Wednesday. This blog will be a confessional time. I don't know if you have ever heard of the ACTS acronym when praying; it stands for A- adoration, C-confession- T- thanksgiving- S-supplication. Tonight is a confession time. There are times- when I do recognize: Lord, my heart IS deceitfully wicked. The LORD has been showing me my pride- and my self-reliance. God is opposed to the proud. Pride when it comes to my work, pride when I feel like I'm "mature" in the LORD; pride in trusting in myself- yuck. And then bam- I see the condition of my heart- one that my pride is immaturity and secondly it's His Work in me- it's not my work. It's He who has begun the work and He will complete it- not me. There is freedom in that. Sin of selfishness- lately there are times that Lynnster- is putting Lynnster first- not setting my mind on His kingdom and seeking His kingdom first. Operating out of self protection instead of love. I can be a clanging cymbal. The thoughts I have towards others. I'm reminded of the parable in Luke: 18:9-13 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful[7][Or propitious ] to me, the sinner!' "I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Alright- now I'm emerging to the T- time- thanksgiving: thank You Jesus- that You say in Your Word- if you confess your sin He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Thank You for grace. Thank You for mercy to me a sinner.

Brakes

2008-05-13T04:39:00.001-07:00

So, yesterday I embarked on continuing my biking preparation for this Saturday. So, there is this ginormous hill in Sidney- yes GINORMOUS. I thought, Jesus, what would happen if my brakes give out? Brakes are important- if I didn't have my brakes I would go crashing out of control- causing huge injury. Or if I didn't brake, I could go zipping through in intersection and get nailed by another car. Yikes. But seriously, I realized how Jesus gives us brakes in our life- He doesn't want us zipping out of control. Holy Spirit- You're the Brake Master!

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T19:05:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day! These are pictures of the women who have influenced me becoming a woman. My grandmas and my own mama. Mothers are important! Actually if you could pray for my grandma in the picture with the flowers- she has been severely sick; pray that for the Lord's healing- thank you!

So today I went to the early service at church since I was meeting at my parent's today at 10:45 AM. Sitting in church today we talked about authority. How appropriate as the thunder rumbled as we sat there. God is a good authority- Pastor Fred talked about the police and how they are there for our protection and even more so is the God of the universe! So sitting in church, I was a little bummed as I forgot my umbrella in my car! Thankfully we have these huge umbrellas at our church- so I used that to get to my car, although I still got wet! So windy! I started my car, pulled it up to the church, got my own umbrella as I retured the other one- whew! So off I went- and while still in the parking lot it started to hail! Thankfully just momentarily. I started driving on my St. Rt. 29 :) and it was raining so hard. Then the Holy Spirit just started pouring in His wisdom. He was showing me- that at times when there are storms in our lives- it is hard to see. The rain is coming down, my windshield wipers are working hard, but my vision is impacted. How true that is, when we go through a storm in our life. I also thought about the hail- the hail of a storm, it is painful. There are periods of storms in our lives that cause us pain and hurt. As I was driving in the midst of the downpour, I was thankful for this white car in front of me. Again the Holy Spirit reminded me that He is in front of me and behind me- Jesus- I'm desperate for You. The storm definately wasn't as scary with this car in front of me for multiple reasons. One- I could fix my eyes on this car and just follow- I didn't have to direct my own way. Two- I was also thankful for the tracks the car was making- I didn't have to worry about hydroplaning. Jesus thank You- that I can fix my eyes on You and You will direct my path. Jesus when I follow You- I don't have to worry about getting off track or crashing, but You provide safety- You are the shelter in the storm. This week Clark county had a tornado warning and even as I was driving I was thinking if there were a tornado- I would have to pull over and get shelter. When the storm is SO severe- it IS IMPERATIVE that we find shelter. If I stayed outside during a tornado- I would be just like Dorothy and get carried away to Oz- but seriously- I could die. When there are storms in our life it is IMPERATIVE that we find shelter- because death could ensue. So if you are going through a storm, come to the One who gives shelter- may you be encouraged by Psalm 91: Security of the One Who Trusts in the LORD. God gave this Psalm to me a couple of months ago when I was going through a storm, and God ministered to me- receive His goodness and His safety.

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!"
3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
6 Of the pestilence that stalks[1][Or walks ] in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
7 A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
9 For[2][Or For You O LORD are my Refuge; You have made the Most High your dwelling place] you have made the LORD, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
10 No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent[3][Or dwelling ].
11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
12 They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and the serpent[4][Or dragon ] you will trample down.
14 "Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
15 "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble[5][Or distress ];
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 "With a long life I will satisfy him
And let[7][Or cause him to feast his eyes on ] him see My salvation."

More Waiting

2008-05-07T01:10:00.000-07:00

I wanted to write this excerpt from Waiting on God, which blesses me. God is trustworthy. Here it is:
Waiting continually will be met and rewarded by God Himself working continually. We are coming to the end our our lessons. I hope that you and I might learn one thing: God must, God will work continually, but the experience of it is hindered by unbelief. But, He who by His Spirit teaches you to wait continaully, will bring you to also experience how, as the everlasting One, His work is never-ceasing. In the love and the life and the work of God, there can be no break, no interruption.

Do not limit God in this by your thoughts of what may be expected. Do fix your eyes upon this one truth: in His very nature, God, as the only Giver of life, cannot do otherwise than every moment work in His child. Do not look only at the one side: "If I wait continaully, God will work continually." No, look at the other side. Place God first and say, God works continually; every moment I may wait on Him continually. Take time until the vision of your God working continually, without one moment's intermission, fills your being. Your waiting continaully will then come of itself. Full of trust and joy, the holy habit of the woul will be. "On Thee do I wait all the day." The Holy Spirit will keep you ever waiting.

Fishers of men

2008-05-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

So- OK- real quick- I made some additions to my previous post- if you already read it- I remembered other blessings.

OK- onto today. So from a half marathon to a triatholon- can you say crazy???!! Well, all I have to say is when you build up endurance, it's an amazing. Hmmm...I need to do more thinking about endurance. So, today it was onto biking training. My thinking today- was to bike an hour- and that is what I did. So I have this loop that I like- and I so wanted to bike through Tawawa Park and that is what I did. I loved watching the fisherman seated all around the pond there. I started thinking about being fishers of men, and I thought of this catchy song from Tar Hollow....follow, me and I'll make you fishers, make you fishers of men....follow me and I'll make you fishers, make you fishers of men. Alright- too bad I can't add a song on this (don't think this one is on you tube- ha!) But, anyway, I looked at these fisherman....and they all looked so peaceful. I have to smile as today my coworker talked of her kids and what they did over the weekend- how they hunted mushrooms and went fishing. Reminded me of my childhood, living in the country. When I went fishing with my family- I remember at times it could be a little boring, because nothing would be happening. I had to be patient; I had to (drumroll please....) wait. That's what I thought about being fishers of men. Sometimes we have to be patient....we have to wait on the LORD. Then I got excited thinking about Jesus and the passage from John 21: Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
5 So Jesus said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No." And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saidto Peter, "It is the Lord." So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish. So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught."
Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

Jesus....help us to wait on You- to listen to You when these fish are ready....patience.... Peace....it's Your work...may we listen.

Indianapolis Mini Marathon

2008-05-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

So the pictures you see are my running apparel for the largest mini marathon in the nation: 35,000 people. That's more than the whole population of Sidney! Wowzers! What an event! I've been training for the last 10 weeks in preparation of what took place yesterday. Mitsu, Stephanie and I headed to Indy the night before- they were the ones that encouraged me to be part of the race - here we are prior to our race!
I was hyped; my goal was to cross the finish line. Walking to corral "F"- there were 26 corrals- each letter of the alphabet. The purpose of the corrals was organization from the fastest legged people starting in "A" to theoretically the slowest in "Z"- but for those who did not submit a time they were placed in the back. Thankfully I submitted a time! Going back to my running apparel for the morning-I wanted to write this verse on the back as an encouragement to people, but I was not expectant of how many people encouraged me because of my shirt. The first person to talk to me was Joe who was also placed in corral "F." Throughout the race, I had many people who said- I like your shirt- and each time I was encouraged- their words blessed my soul. As I ran, I enjoyed praying for people. We ran over many railroad tracks- and I began to pray for people not to get stumbled in their footing. I also noticed a couple people with bandaged calves- and I prayed for them- I was reminded of the verse that talks about the LORD binding the brokenhearted. I must say I LOVE the LORD for His super abounding lovingkindess- I felt so loved by Him yesterday as I ran. Along the 13.1 miles there were supposedly 106 bands ( I don't think they all woke up in time!!). One of the bands played Hillsong's Salvation is Here. It was fun as I ran- I looked at the singer and responded by raising my hand looking at him and saying "it's going to be alright!" My spirit was encouraged. Then I saw a man dressed in a spiderman costume and another wearing spiderman socks. I do really like that movie, and just was encouraged. Then we approached the actual 500 speedtrack from mile 6 to mile 8 and while running I heard a song that I had just talked about to my co-worker Sue- as she has just become a grandma. Sue said she is called Mama Sue- which reminded me of the Michael Jackson song- Wanna Be Startin' Something- where they sing mama se mama sa- so I termed Sue Mama sue...ha, ha. That might have been really confusing, but I can't tell you when the last time I heard that song- and I just smiled at the LORD. As I ran I looked at the sky several times and saw 3-4 jet stream crosses in the sky....again, I smiled at the LORD. Around mile 9 a man passed by and said- thank you for that verse- that is just what I needed as he exclaimed "Hallelujah". Again I was blessed by that. Running by this building I noticed it said children ministry and I started to pray for that building and noticed that it had the names of the LORD on the outside. I spotted my two favorite names of the LORD- El Roi- the God who sees and Jehovah Shammah- the God who Hears- again more smiles on my face- thank you LORD!! Then at mile 11 I heard a voice behind me say- we run into each other again and it was Joe!! Joe who was at the beginning of the race. What an encouragement. We talked about the goodness of our LORD for the remainder of the race- we exchanged how the LORD has taught us through our illiotibial band injuries. Joe shared how he runs in the morning before daybreak, but saw a beautiful sunrise and was reminded of the Chris Tomlin song- Indescribable and ran with his hands opened up in thanksgiving. As we neared the last tenth of the race- Joe said- are you ready to open it up? He allowed me to go first as we sprinted with our hands open in thanksgiving to our LORD to the end and I could hear his words of encouragement behind me. I have to say- words of encouragement are huge! What a blessing this training has been. I enjoyed the accomplishment of finishing the race well. Yes- may I hear- and all of us who follow Jesus hear- good and faithful servant- you have run the race well and with endurance- I need to continue to fix my eyes on my beautiful and faithful Jesus!

Sweet Mercies!

2008-04-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

"Let Your Mercy Fall From Heaven, Sweet Mercy Fall From Heaven." I don't know if you have heard this song before, but it is sweet! Because God's mercies are sweet! Lately I have felt so underserving of His mercies- our God is so GOOD! He's been showing me my sin- the grossness of my heart- the need of Jesus I have- mercy! So, today- praise the LORD most high! The Holy Spirit is my Helper! I completed 10 miles of running- my last long run until race time. So, as I ran- I did the same 5 mile loop twice- my first 5 mile break I tried this liquid power bar with water- and it did work and no cramping praise the Lord! So, then with 2.5 miles left the rain came down! Last night- wow, I just have so much to share! God pressed Isaiah 45 on my heart- which I am so stoked about!!!!!!! So as the rain fell- one of the verses that stuck out was verse 8: "Drip down, O heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness; Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, And righteousness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it. Yes- LORD rain down Your righteousness- yes salvation!!! God is going to be doing amazing things in Sidney!!!! Then as I was running in the rain, listening to my Shuffle, I listened to Hillsong's Point of Difference: (Hang in there- You MUST read the last part of this blog entry- it gets good!)
The tide is turning
this is redemptions hour
in the midst of a world lost for love
You are all we have now
the lost returning
salvation is all around
in the midst of the world broken down
You are all we have now
for You are God and this hope is ours
so Father open the skies
flood the earth with Your light
this is love
to break the world indifferent

our hearts are burning
a fire that won't burn out
in the midst of a world that's grown cold
You are all we have now
the earth resounding
the anthem of your reknown
as we lift up our eyes
and look to Your glory

call us out
let the world see
You are God
and this hope is ours
so call us out
let the world see
You are God, as we sing

Yes- open up the skies flood the earth with Your light!!!

Then MORE mercy....as I'm running the last 2 miles I stepped on a rock and my left ankle majorly turned in- this is the ankle that I sprained in August and I took a couple of stumbling strides- and called out to My Father for mercy and my ankle is fine praise the LORD most High! Then I remembered at a luncheon I was at today the words of stumbling blocks....I was so not looking at the ground and that stumbling rock came up and grabbed me. At times, just like the sin I mentioned previously, can take me unaware- Oh Holy Spirit- quicken me and open my eyes to be aware of tactics of the evil one- the one that creates division- amongst me and my God, amongst me and His people. Yes- Unity- Yes- unity with the body and most importantly with My Abba.

Katie Abbott

2008-04-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

This blog entry is a tribute to the life of Katie Abbott. Katie entered into the gates of heaven this past Thursday and today friends of hers and her family remembered her life. The funeral service today was beautiful. I loved the variety of people in attendance from older people, to her friends from S and H Products and Joy Church here in Sidney- beautiful to see all of us united and Katie's presence united us. Truly as Katie was in a wheelchair, she did not let that limit the joy that she gave to people as countless people shared about her infectous smile; a smile that lit you up. I loved as one of the ladies of the church stated the entire Abbott family went on a mission trip; that initially she thought that Katie came along so that her dad could take care of her, but no- that Katie ministed to people- with teaching her boys about people in wheelchairs, to giving her smiles. I love that! Every life has 100% value- and I believe Katie's life truly has a special place in Jesus's heart. May we VALUE all people. Just because she could not talk as her speech therapist stated, Katie was one of the best communicators. We ended the service by taking communion and how touching that was...as Pastor Chris shared that Katie never could take communion as she could not safely swallow- but now she is partaking- fully. We got to celebrate with her as we partook communion. Lastly we sung Blessed Assurance- here's the last verse:

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Amen.

Multiple things

2008-04-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

Good morning! As I write, I'm listening to Misty Edwards- I am Yours- good song if you haven't heard it. It talks about hearing His voice, when He says our name, my heart it years. When I heard His voice, when You said my name...my yearns...in the middle of the night...my heart it yearns. May my heart always yearn for You O my LORD! I'm so thankful, soooooooo thankful for Him. I don't know if you experience the nights where the battle is real in your mind. But let me tell you- when you get up and meet with Him, He meets with You. I'm so thankful that He is my refuge and dwelling place. Psalm 91. I love when His Word becomes VERY real!

I've been reading the Daily Bread for our youth small groups and the days have been ministering to me! Today I read 2nd Corinthians 5. I loved reading these verses: For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Yes, Lord, may I no longer live for myself. I looked up the word control in the Greek- check this out....to hold together i.e. to compress (the ears, with a crowd or seige) or arrest (a prisoner). When looking at the ears- I imagine a riotous crowd- and picturing someone holding their ears tuning it out- so for our lives today- tuning out all the circumstances and listening to Him- ahhhh, i love it! Other meanings to compel, perplex (interesting), afflict- I really like these last two to preoccupy, to be taken with. Yes, may we be preoccupied with Jesus's love, yes, may we be taken with His love.

One last thought for today- yes, it's been a full day already! "The LORD is good to those that wait for Him. At our first entrance into the school of waiting upon God, is mainly set on the blessings which we wait for. God graciously sees our need and desire for help to educate us for something higher than we were thinking of. We were seeking gifts; He the giver longs to give Himselfand to satisfy the soul with His goodness. It is just for this reason that He often withholds the gift and that the time of waiting is so long."- From Waiting For God. Good things do come to those who wait. Wait....wait...wait...oh my soul...my soul waits in expectancy for my good God!!!!!!!!

stretching

2008-03-30T03:47:00.000-07:00

Yes....yes, LORD....I'm sometimes amazed how continual reminders are encouraging to me- even though at times, I'm like- are You serious? I'm surrounded by the word wait.

So, I'm trying to be faithful in my stretching, but sometimes it hurts and can be painful.......

Tenderness

2008-03-27T04:28:00.000-07:00

This morning I have to proclaim the excellencies of my God. It is so true that when we draw near to God He draws near to us. His tenderness is like no other. So I don't necessarily believe in Bible rush and roulette, but it seems like He's been directing my hands as I open His Word- ministering to me. I'm so thankful for Him. Psalm 59:14-16 "God in His lovingkindness will meet me;
God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes. Do not slay them, or my people will forget; Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.

But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;
Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my stronghold, the God[24][Lit God of my lovingkindness- I like this! ] who shows me lovingkindness.

Yes- be my stronghold- I want more of Your lovingkindness. May you be encouraged by His lovingkindness as He has encouraged and will encourage me. I praise You Abba!
Jeremiah 32:17

One more thought....so, I love how old songs will pop into my head. I think I sang this old hymn in my church growing up....love the words.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.

Decreasing for His Purpose- today from My Utmost for His Highest

2008-03-24T04:19:00.000-07:00

Wow- this is some good truth......

If you become a necessity to someone else’s life, you are out of God’s will. As a servant, your primary responsibility is to be a "friend of the bridegroom" (John 3:29 ). When you see a person who is close to grasping the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been used in the right direction. And when you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don’t try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we try to be amateur providences in someone’s life. We are indeed amateurs, coming in and actually preventing God’s will and saying, "This person should not have to experience this difficulty." Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, our sympathy gets in the way. One day that person will say to us, "You are a thief; you stole my desire to follow Jesus, and because of you I lost sight of Him."

Beware of rejoicing with someone over the wrong thing, but always look to rejoice over the right thing. ". . . the friend of the bridegroom . . . rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease" ( John 3:29-30 ). This was spoken with joy, not with sadness-at last they were to see the Bridegroom! And John said this was his joy. It represents a stepping aside, an absolute removal of the servant, never to be thought of again.

Listen intently with your entire being until you hear the Bridegroom’s voice in the life of another person. And never give any thought to what devastation, difficulties, or sickness it will bring. Just rejoice with godly excitement that His voice has been heard. You may often have to watch Jesus Christ wreck a life before He saves it (see Matthew 10:34 ).

Easter; Resurrection Day

2008-03-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

Ahhh....what a blessed day- although now I'm ready for some shut eye :) What an awesome God I serve- truly; that is truth! I'm so thankful for a God who can show love in no greater way- Jesus laying down His life for His friends. The huge number of people that he bore our sins- across the generations and the generations to come and that could not keep my Victorous Lord down- no way jose! That I may know Him and His resurrection power and the fellowship of His sufferings. Today we talked about the cross at church. I have found myself guilty of not wanting to go through pain, of not taking up my cross daily. But my God gives me grace- as I humble myself and ask Him for help He gives me His enabling power (grace). I do want to be found in Him! Lately I've been envisioning a vitamin- one of those gel vitamins! I want Jesus to be the outside coating, to be covered by Him! And Lord- use me like a vitamin- bringing health to others! More thoughts to come......

Lessons from a hamstring...who would have thought?!!

2008-03-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Seriously- I have to chuckle at my Lord teaching me so much from this hamstring of mine. First though- I have praises of my Jesus! Jesus- thank You that You chose to lay down your life in love- thank You for Your passion for us. I am thankful; I am grateful; I am humbled; I am tearful. Thank You. Praises that I got to attend the Good Friday service with my parents- which was really good. We were admonished about truth- that truth at times does bring pain, but it is good and it does set us free. Jesus You are truth! Things can be true, but that doesn't mean they are truth. Good stuff. Then I had a wonderful lunch outing with my brother at McDonalds. I loved it- and he admonished his big sis- which I was suprised about, but truly blessed. Thank you Mark. God is working in my brother's life- praise the Lord- Mark listened and heeded the Holy Spirit- yeah! Like I said I was extremely blessed by it. Then I headed to St. Paris- where I love God's reminders that He is a good provider, when you least expect it! So a couple days ago I got a phone call from my dad saying that the bank in St. Paris said I had two checks from interest from a CD from four years ago. It was $20- but what a suprise! Then I stopped at my grandma's and truly had a wonderful time talking about all the ways God has blessed us. We are blessed to trust Him. God does inhabit the praises of His people!

So as I'm at my grandma's my hamstring starts hurting- well, aching majorly. Have you ever worked out and then bam- the next day, or if you're like me- it's two days after it hurts like the dickens. Ok- where does that phrase come from? Hopefully that's appropriate- it just came to my head. Back to topic....ha, ha..... so I was thinking about why my hamy was aching. Well, on Wed I had my second physical therapy appointment. My hips were in better alignment, she observed me running- no overt problems and then she had me do exercises. Well, I was on this nautilus machine laying on my belly lifting this bar up with the backs of my legs- then I was to isolate the right leg and lower the bar down. Three sets of 10. Wasn't quite thinking clearly- as when I go to the Y- the most I do of anything is 2 sets of 10 and I never isolated one leg. So, today I'm paying the price. I was thinking how does this correlate to what God is teaching me. Waiting. So when we plunge in too fast and don't wait for the LORD- we're not ready, we don't know how to handle it- and it's too much, it's not healthy- and man, my body doesn't function the way it should as I'm limping. It's hard for us to wait. I was reminded as well as I was driving home- I was at the intersection of two St. Rts and I wanted to get home. Well, here comes this semi and I thought if I didn't wait for this semi- bam- it would be deadly. Of course I could go when the coast was clear- there is a time to go. So, Lord teach us Your kids how to wait- when to go- counsel us and guide us. I loved it today as I read- yes, when I acknowledge the LORD (in every situation) and He will guide my path. I acknowledge You oh God! I love You!

Simply Amazing

2008-03-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Ahhh my Lord is simply amazing. I love the little things He does as well as the big things. Today I'm drying my hair and praise the Holy Spirit that at 11:49 He reminded me that I had a 12:15 dentist appointment. Double time- I scarfed down some food and of course brushed my teeth. Arriving at 12:16, I sat down and started to read Good Housekeeping. I turn to this page where they were talking about good health. The first article was about oil- and how healthy extra virgin oil is- that it prevents clotting so in essence decreasing your chance for a heart attack or stroke. I thought about how God chooses to use oil for anointing. Oil is thick and healing. mmmm. Then seriously, seriously, one more time seriously!!!!!!!!! right on the same page was an article about stretching- I start chuckling out loud. The importance of stretching is that it only provides limberness but strength! Yes, LORD! This morning with my time with Him- we read Hosea 12:6- Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually. Again this word continually denotes stretching- makes me flexible and strong as I wait. In the process- I can observe my God's kindness and justice which enables me to wait patiently. Ahhh yes. Then God just wanted to give me one more entertainment piece....I'm watching the TV in the waiting room and I see this commercial from Hanes with Michael Jordan- I really wasn't paying attention, but all of a sudden this girl starts saying, "Noooooo" in this real deep voice, which reminded me of the first youth video. Have you seen it yet? Here it is:
God is a trip!

God's Amazing Time

2008-03-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

God's timing is amazing. Why, oh why Lynn do you fret? I feel like Jesus is the one talking to me- oh, you of little faith. I am saddened how I don't trust my Savior, when that is the very essence of His character- is trustworthy. His timing amazes me. So I have to talk about my first phyiscal therapy appt yesterday. When I initially scheduled it, it was to ensure that the ankle I sprained back in August would be ready for the half marathon in May. Well, after scheduling my appt- I had pulled my hamstring pretty good. I hadn't run for over a week allowing it to heal. Yesterday was my first day to run in awhile and I pulled it again- but perfect timing as I headed to my PT visit. What they found out is that my hips are out of alignment! Amazing. She manipulated my hips, gave me some exercises, and guess what- I'm stretching 5-6 times a day. I'm excited to write more about stretching and what the Lord will teach me through this! Thank You my Lord for Your super kindness towards me~!!! I'm so grateful- I love You!

At church

2008-03-16T14:15:00.001-07:00

A Volcano

"Let the glory of the Lord rise among us...let the praises of the King rise among us....let the joy of the Lord rise among us...." singing this today- I envisioned a volcano- oh yes Lord- may Your Spirit rise up in us in a powerful way- spreading...our God is a consuming fire.

A Kite

Today sitting in my chair at church I was focusing on the cross and the Holy Spirit gave me the vision of a kite- that through the cross of Christ we soar- Holy Spirit breathe on me- send Your wind and guide me that I may effortless soar with you!!!!!!

One Word

2008-03-16T04:17:00.001-07:00

Relax.

God's Total Surrender to Us

2008-03-13T04:48:00.000-07:00

This is today's excerpt from My Utmost for His Highest.
Yes- Lord- this is where I am...more accurately where I want to be....grace.....grace...and more grace.....

Salvation does not mean merely deliverance from sin or the experience of personal holiness. The salvation which comes from God means being completely delivered from myself, and being placed into perfect union with Him. When I think of my salvation experience, I think of being delivered from sin and gaining personal holiness. But salvation is so much more! It means that the Spirit of God has brought me into intimate contact with the true Person of God Himself. And as I am caught up into total surrender to God, I become thrilled with something infinitely greater than myself.

To say that we are called to preach holiness or sanctification is to miss the main point. We are called to proclaim Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 2:2 ). The fact that He saves from sin and makes us holy is actually part of the effect of His wonderful and total surrender to us.

If we are truly surrendered, we will never be aware of our own efforts to remain surrendered. Our entire life will be consumed with the One to whom we surrender. Beware of talking about surrender if you know nothing about it. In fact, you will never know anything about it until you understand that John 3:16 means that God completely and absolutely gave Himself to us. In our surrender, we must give ourselves to God in the same way He gave Himself for us— totally, unconditionally, and without reservation. The consequences and circumstances resulting from our surrender will never even enter our mind, because our life will be totally consumed with Him.

Everywhere...waiting

2008-03-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

Ha- I can't get over my God- I term this in a good way. This is going to be a very short entry- but looking at my myspace layout, which I've had for a couple of months- I've just noticed the entitlement: Waiting for the Light- Elohim, Truly you make me smile :)

Stretching & Resting & Waiting

2008-03-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

So, for you faithful readers, thanks to the snow I am on a roll again on my blog writing! Yesterday I was able to leave work one hour early, so off to the YMCA I went to get my running in. Approaching the door, what do I see but a sign saying the Y will be closing early and will be closed all of Saturday. According to my running schedule, Saturday was to be my 9 mile run day. So, I thought- okay, Lord, today will be the 9 mile day, or so I thought..... I start my run out on the treadmill, not the dreadmill as my pastor calls it- ha,ha. After mile 5 all of a sudden my knee felt a little weird and then a shooting pain ran down my right leg. Oh, yes, I recognized that area: my hamstring! I am very tight when it comes to my hamstring. I am a determined one and tried to continue to run some, but there really was no way. So I got off and strecthed. Due to my past ankle injuries I know the importance of rest! My nature wants to keep going- I don't want to lose progress, but the reality is I need to wait for healing.

Hosea 12:6 states "Therefore return to your God, observe kindness and justice and wait on your God continually." So I love looking up words in the Hebrew- check out the rich meaning of these words!!! Wait: to bind together (perhaps by twisting) to expect, gather, look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon)
Continually: from a root meaning to stretch, continuance, constant, the regular (daily) sacrifice- alway (s), continual (employment), daily, ever, perpetual
Wow- STRETCH

Then as I arrived home what is waiting for me but my newest addition of Runner's World. Guess what was in this issue? Injury Free 5 Fixes for Bad Running Habits. Intrigued I open it up and read this very enlightening information! Here it is: "Your muscles get the most befit from strecthing postrun. Ideally, you'd tack on a 15-minute flexibility routine to your workout...'You're not hurting your workout- you're enhancing it'..'the benefits of stretching will do your body more good than could be done by running that mile.' Wow- the importance of stretching....the importance of waiting CONTINUALLY!

Here's some more info from a runner's world website: When runners take on a training program, they focus on building endurance and speed. Improving their flexibility never seems to make it into the game plan. Yet, a flexible body is more efficient, sees more gains in strength and endurance, enjoys more range of motion, is less injury-prone, recovers more quickly, and simply feels better. When we stretch or lengthen our muscles, the area strecthed will fill with blood and oxygen, which repatterns the neurological pathways, restores muscles that have become torn, and realigns postural imbalances.

Yes LORD- truly help me to stretch, rest and wait spiritually and physically!
Isaiah 40:28-31

ice ice baby....doo doo doodoo doo do do do

2008-03-07T15:44:00.000-08:00

Well, if you live around the Miami Valley you may have experienced the ice that came down and decided to stay awhile. Ice can be beautiful, but quite dangerous! So I was thinking about ice and what makes it pretty, because what they term "black ice" is not pretty b/c you can't even see it and then bam you're down. What makes the ice pretty is the light that shines on it! But, ice also causes damage- I heard many stories of trees and limbs that were breaking because of the weight of the ice. So, I then started thinking about our hearts. There is a verse in the Bible that says- today, if you hear His Voice, do not harden Your heart. I was thinking that when we go our own way and don't listen to God we harden- just like the ice- and we become weighty; brokeness occurs. Pride comes before a fall. But when the light comes and shines and warms the ice, beauty comes. Just like Jesus, who is the Light of the world, His loves warms our heart. And as I witnessed yesterday- shards of ice hit the ground from the warmth- the light, Jesus, creates beauty in our life.

Amazing Grace

2008-03-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

Last night I watched Amazing Grace, the life story of William Wilberfoce. Living in Ohio I knew of Wilberfoce University, but sad to say I didn't know anything about William Wilberfoce. How appropriate that I watched this movie last night as I feel like God is teaching me about grace. His grace is SO sufficient! He's been teaching me- Lynn, do you believe in my grace and rely on my grace? In the past I didn't actively believe in God's provision of His grace as I ended up relying on my own strength. Sunday, I asked for His grace- and I'm thankful I can come to my God for any reason- big or small! This weekend I helped with a sexual purity retreat. I do get excited to think that people committed their lives to be pure sexually- that God has good intentions for waiting! That was communicated well this weekend. So I got back on Saturday and had three high school girls for an overnighter. So, needless to say, Lynn didn't get a ton of sleep over the weekend- and since I'm following Runner's World half marathon training I was scheduled for my 8 mile run on Sunday. I had never run more than 6.2 miles before. So, at church I asked for prayer for grace to run (and for the next two months with my schedule)- because I know my body- that when I get little sleep and push myself physically my immune system will run down. When asking for prayer- I was asked do you believe? How appropriate. God's grace: SUFFICIENT! I felt good after my run and am well- praise the LORD- that is His grace: unmerited favor- divine influence straight from His good Hand! So- in the grand scheme of life that is little compared to what John Newton faced. He is the man that wrote the song Amazing Grace as he was in charge of a slave ship. Watching the movie, you could see how hurt this man was as he was part of people undergoing slavery. Grace- God gave him/me/us grace- a free gift- as He forgave us through His Son through faith- I'm getting excited about all of these correlations between faith and grace! Yeah Jesus! Please Lord increase our faith- we believe help our disbelief! I praise You for Your amazing grace- the grace that covers our sin, our mistakes- and even goes beyond that- to make changes- Your sanctifying grace. You bring Your children out of slavery of sin, to the freedom in Your beautiful Son- that's amazing grace!

Yellow Bananas

2008-02-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

So- I have to write real quick as every Thursday I go to Sidney Foodtown b/c the bananas are 18 cents a pound. And as you read from my previous post I like bananas! Since I go after work, usually the only bananas that are left are green ones- which is fine. But today....guess what....there were yellow bananas today. You make me smile Lord.....

Cry Out to Jesus

2008-02-27T14:02:00.001-08:00

Good Gravy- LORD, I can't get over You!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

OK- so a little while ago I was doing a study in Genesis about worship and while I was reading I thought I had read one of the LORD"s names- Jehovah Shammah- the God who hears. Literally- I believed my eyes to have read this statement in a sidenote in my Bible. But when I went back to read it I could not find it. This disturbed me and I also had told multiple people about this. I found out that Jehovah Shammah means God is there. Well tonight........I'm getting giddy as I'm about to write this: I read Psalm 106:44 tonight; which says: Nevertheless He looked upon their distress, when He heard their cry. Heard in the Hebrew means to hear (perceive by ear). Heard in the Hebrew is shama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I literally have screamed; I can't get over my God's kindness to me. He hears my cry! As I read tonight in Genesis with Hagar- the angel of the LORD told her to name her child Ishmael- God hears. God You hear! You are gracious- when we call out in our distress. Oh, how I am soo grateful for You; Your lovingkindess is great- You know my heart and how I love to be listened to- thank You that this is Your attribute!!!!!

You Never Let Go

2008-02-24T06:18:00.000-08:00

I've been walking with the Lord for over 10 years, but I still go through times, where I feel like my world can be turned upside down as I process through different issues. As I process these things-I'm brought to the foundation: Jesus! That's where I always need to be. When you process things- does doubt deceitfully creep in- I know this is true for me. Doubt for me breeds sadness. So- it's time to pull out the shield of faith- it's time to get out the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God- for this kind of sadness the one equated with doubt is not what we've been created for. So: Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. Yes- I want to rejoice in my LORD! That's a God thing to suffer and rejoice- but Jesus You have the victory- sin is gone- yes, rejoice, rejoice, rejoice- Your kingdom is here- You are inside Your children who are more than conquerors through you- more than conquerors! What I love about my LORD, my covenant LORD, is that He is after my heart, He's after yours too. Not 50%, not 89%, not 99.99%, He's after it all! I love that He wants all of my heart- yes LORD- and He will go about it any way He chooses because He jealously wants me, us. You never let go. I extol You today my LORD!

Psalm 46:10

2008-02-22T05:14:00.000-08:00

The LORD amazes me- yes- be still and know that I am God. Wow! God wants me (us- His children) to know that He is God. He is TRUSTWORTHY. Oh, Soul, would you truly believe that today b/c it IS truth. My LORD cracks me up- as I've dreamt about this pslam, I've heard it in a song, I saw it in a picture yesterday and what was the caption today for Utmost for His Highest- but Psalm 46:10.

February 22- From My Utmost for His Highest
Perseverance is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen. Perseverance means more than just hanging on, which may be only exposing our fear of letting go and falling. Perseverance is our supreme effort of refusing to believe that our hero is going to be conquered. Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated. Also, our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for— love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men— will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us. Then there is the call to spiritual perseverance. A call not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately, knowing with certainty that God will never be defeated.

If our hopes seem to be experiencing disappointment right now, it simply means that they are being purified. Every hope or dream of the human mind will be fulfilled if it is noble and of God. But one of the greatest stresses in life is the stress of waiting for God. He brings fulfillment, "because you have kept My command to persevere . . ." ( Revelation 3:10 ).

Continue to persevere spiritually.

obsequious

2008-02-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

So I've been into words lately!! Love it! So I found this word on my myspace account- curious, I had no idea what it meant. So off to dictionary.com I went. Here is what I found out:
ob·se·qui·ous /əbˈsikwiəs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[uhb-see-kwee-us
1. characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning: an obsequious bow.
2. servilely compliant or deferential: obsequious servants.
3. obedient; dutiful.

As I looked at fawn- I thought- I don't know this word either- off to another word search. Here is what I found out:
1. To exhibit affection or attempt to please, as a dog does by wagging its tail, whining, or cringing.
2. To seek favor or attention by flattery and obsequious behavior.

Yes- Lord- this is what I want!!!!!!!!!!! May I be servantly obeying you- I do want to exhitbit affection and worship you by obeying you- to please You in all of my ways.

He is such a good Daddy! I am so blessed by Him. Hallelujah; Be at rest my soul!

Waiting on God

2008-02-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

I love when the Lord teaches me new things and I'm now in a season of whole new terrority! Wow! Waiting....so much to talk about on this subject! In the US- truly we don't have to wait for anything- nuke it, fast food, fast forward, google it! Now, I have to say I am thankful for these ammenities! But, I am one that is impatient. In the past I'll be waiting in line in Krogers and finding myself impatient. Waiting- to be honest- I can get irritated in waiting! But, God has been showing me that there is gooooooooood that is in waiting on Him! So He's been giving me wonderful examples of waiting and the implications that result in rushing. So first- let's take bananas. So, if I have some green bananas, I have to wait for them to get to that nice shade of yellow- which is how I like my banana :) if I don't wait- I get to eat the crunchy green banana. Another example- chocolate chip cookies- yummm! Let's say I have to put them in the oven for 12 minutes for them to be perfect and I am soo impatient that I leave them in for 4 minutes- they will not be done and might even make me sick. Yes, my mama has taught me about salomenlla poisoning :) Then a real crucial example: a baby. If a baby comes early, there are serious implications for that infant's health. There is a reason why the baby is in the womb for 9 months- so that he or she is completely ready. Wow! Aren't those great practical examples. Waiting....My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. Psalm 62:5 Yes, my soul, wait....

Flabbergasted

2008-02-05T13:43:00.000-08:00

One Phrase

2008-02-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

Absolute Surrender; Confident Expectation

Being Clipped

2008-02-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

I guess you could say I'm on a blogging kick these days....three days in a row...I don't think this has happened for awhile :) Hopefully you are enjoying my posts as much as I'm writing them...as I think probably no one is even reading this...ha,ha. Two Weds ago I gave my testimony at youth night at church. Actually, I was inspired by a man named Tom Cole who was a speaker at OneThing who gave his testimony and his realness made me want to jump up and down- literally. I tell you what- I absolutely LOVE realness- I love when people are vulnerable and are just transparent and know that they can be that way because their identity is in Jesus! Jesus You are my refuge- You allow me to be real because I am safe in You! Well, at the end of my testimony I handed out flowers as a tangible reminder to the youth- of..what are you planting into your soul? Are you planting weeds (lies) or flowers (the Word)? God wants us to have beautiful gardens growing in our soul- His Word is living and active! Well- side note- God lead me to get the flowers at Krogers- go God! On sale- beautiful flowers. One of the bunches were crazy daisies! I didn't realize that by putting in food coloring, the flower will absorb it in its stem and then go out through the petals. One of the ladies told me this at church and that by cutting the bottom of the stem it will flourish. So, I've had my C-razy daisy for a week, and I thought- I'm going to clip the bottom of it. When I did this, the food coloring came out and tainted the water. God revealed how this relates to humility. When I clip myself, even though it may not be pretty- may hurt- it will be for my benefit. Then as I clipped my crazy daisy and saw the tainted water I thought of my Jesus- how His blood was shed for me- it was humility. "Jesus came to bring humility back to earth, to make us partakers of it, and by it to save us. His humility became our salvation. His salvation our humility. " Andrew Murray Ahh humility- truly I love this attribute. It's an attribute that I so appreciate in others and realize that I need more of it in myself.

Counselor, O Counselor!

2008-02-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

Father, first I have to praise You and say thank You for letting me have a day off today! Another day to rest- which is so appropro as I feel like you are teaching me lots in the area of resting and waiting. Your counsel is like no other- thank You! Thank You this morning that You counseled me- even when I was ready to speak and thought I was right in speaking. Yet, I could hear Your voice counseling me, not to speak....and because I heeded Your beautiful voice You blessed me. Holy Spirit- thank You!!!

So to any readers out there- I need your prayers as I am helping a friend tomorrow with an auction and believe me- I'm no auction attender- well, I've been to two- but find them kind of confusing. So, Holy Spirit give me ears to hear correctly and wisdom beyond my years when it comes to auctions and understanding. You are My Helper- I do look to You- for where does my Help come from?
God the Help of Those Who Seek Him
Psalm 121
1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills--
From whence comes my help?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.

8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Peanut Butter Pie

2008-01-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

Yumm! I love peanut butter pie from Night Sky, which is in Troy. Let me tell you, I've had most of their desserts and I do believe the peanut butter pie is my recommendation. First it's so tasty and second it is so big! Yumm. Can you tell I like sweets? So, I got myself a piece to go, asked for a plastic fork and started to eat it in the car. Now, I know that I shouldn't be trying to accomplish this in the car- especially since I drive a stick shift, but over the years I've become somewhat coordinated. However, when driving, all of a sudden my peanut butter pie fell onto my emergency break- don't be alarmed; I was able to retrieve it. The cool whip topping left its mark on my emergency break. After getting home, I went in and placed the little remaining pie in my fridge. The next day, I tried cleaning the topping with a kleenex- but it didn't come off, because it had hardened. And there is no excuse, I still need to clean it. But then God revealed to me- this is like sin- stick with me here. I've had good intentions of cleaning the cool whip, but it hasn't happened. Sin can be the same way- it's there and we may have good intentions of confessing it- or trying to "change" ourselves, but really the only way we are going to get rid of it- is to confess it to God and then even to others. The freedom that Jesus brings- that He is the one always with open arms for forgiveness. I love the parable story of the Prodigal Son and how the father was looking for him in a distance and came running to him when we spotted him from afar and embraced him. The joy that filled that father's heart. This is the heart of our Heavenly Father- He wants us to come back to Him. Jesus has allowed us to continually come to our Father- He has made us clean. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. Thank You LORD for your faithfulness and Your faithful love and abundant redemption. That pumps my heart!!! So, if you need to confess sin to Him today- come, tell Him your sin and ask for His forgiveness- He's waiting with open arms to embrace You and to clean You up through His Son- it's refreshing and good for our soul.

Babies

2008-01-27T11:27:00.000-08:00

So I feel like the LORD was wanting me to write my revelations, well, really His revelations about similarities of babies to when one becomes a Christian. I get the wonderful opportunity to work with and observe many babies as my vocation. Then today in church we talked about babies- how babies don't know how to talk or act. That may be true with someone young in their faith- they may communicate things that are not healthy. At work my coworkers have been sharing their experiences during their pregnancy. Quite interesting, that they said their milk did not come in until the birth of their baby and then bam- the milk arrived in a huge quanity. I was thinking of the spiritual parallels- that it is IMPERATIVE when people become new believers that they get fed- and get fed a lot! When I speak of "fed" I mean to receive the Word/the Bible. That's how we will grow- through His Word! I love to feed on His Word- it's so nourishing, which leads me to my next point. Breast milk is FILLED with noutrients! It's from the Mama herself. We talked at Bible Study that people who have cancer can purchase breast milk as a healing remedy. Very interesting. I never knew this! So hopefully I will remember more and continue to write revelations on this topic.

Speechless

2008-01-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

Speechless- words do not do justice, indescrible....Elohim- God Almighty. What an amazing day- really though- what an Amazing God!! He IS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nahum 1:7 "The LORD IS GOOD. He is a stronghold on the day of trouble. He knoweth those that trust in Him." In the Hebrew language good means: good, gracious, merry, joyous- that is my God!! He is a stronghold- which means a fortified city. Sit and picture that with me. I envision these solid rock castles located in Europe- nothing but protection from the attacks on the outside. My God Is a PROTECTOR, not only on my good days, but on my day of trouble!!! Then my favorite- He knoweth- knoweth in the Hebrew means observation, care, recongition. My God observes me. My God cares for me! My God recongizes me! Why- because I trust in Him. Trust in the Hebrew means- flee to for protection and then my favorite: confide. Yes- My God is my Confident. Let me tell you- there is no better friend, no better confident- how my soul is refreshed when I confide in Him. I urge you- come to Him today!!! Ask Christ to come in and dine with Him. He is a forever friend. He Loves you- Choose to Believe Him today. He proves Himself over and over......tis' so sweet to trust in Jesus
'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
and to take him at his word;
just to rest upon his promise,
and to know, "Thus saith the Lord."
Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him!
How I've proved him o'er and o'er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust him more!

2. O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
just to trust his cleansing blood;
and in simple faith to plunge me
neath the healing, cleansing flood!
(Refrain)

3. Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
just from sin and self to cease;
just from Jesus simply taking
life and rest, and joy and peace.
(Refrain)

4. I'm so glad I learned to trust thee,
precious Jesus, Savior, friend;
and I know that thou art with me,
wilt be with me to the end.
(Refrain)
Thank You LORD for Your confirmation

Refinement....

2008-01-13T03:42:00.000-08:00

Being in relationship with God truly is the best thing ever. I don't know how to even put it into words. I've been walking with Jesus for over 10 years- which boggles my mind. What amazes me is that He is always refining me- showing me new things about His character and shedding light in darkened areas of my life. He's been showing me lately- Lynn- I DO see you! I DO hear you!- every little detail!! There are no coincidences in God's economy. He is the grand weaver- which boggles my mind. My heart is saddend as I have had corrupted views of my God. He's been showing me faulty thinking that I've had of Him in the area of belief; that in certain areas I have chose not to believe out of self-preservation/ out of getting "hurt". However, I believe I've hurt the heart of my Lord by my lack of belief. My God is good- Hallelujiah! That is true today! I continue to need grace, which means the divine influence of the heart relfected in the life, I need His grace to continue to believe. Lord, I believe- help my unbelief! Oh Father, I come before Your throne and ask for more faith- I ask for more of You. I praise You- with the highest praise- I extol You- You know I always want Your praise to continually be on my lips. I want to always worship You. I want to know more of Your unfailing love. I want to swim in Your love- I do want to love You with all of my heart. Thank You that is why you have made that the greatest commandement- for our relationship. Father I ask boldy for people who may have a corrupted view of You, that those lies would be bashed- that Your name may be held high in honor and exalted. Use Your body to bring light to a darkened world. You are worthy to serve. In Christ's name, Amen
His Love is Dazzling!

A New Cell-y Phone

2007-12-26T19:18:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know me, know that I have had an archiac cell phone for the last four years. Yes- no flip phone, no camera phone, no voice mail- however it was not an analog phone :) ha, ha. So I finally decided that I was going to switch my cell plan service to a more extensive one- one covering the nation, one with voicemail, one with 450 minutes compared to 75! So- I got really pumped thinking about my new cell phone- one with all the accessories. So today I was on the internet tracking where my new cell-y phone was. It got shipped from Maryland, then to Tennessee and this morning it was in Vandalia, before it made its trek up to Sidney. As I was drying my hair I was looking out the window to see if Mr. FedEx himself was out there. But, then the Holy Spirit was reminding me- that I need to be watching for Jesus. I want to be expectantly observing His return. I don't fully know what that means- but I want to watch with that anticipation. And with that Mr. Fed Ex came with my new cell-y phone :)

Praises and thankfulness

2007-12-20T03:59:00.000-08:00

Good morning! As I was laying in bed this morning I was reflecting on all of the praises of my King and thanking Him this morning. I was sad- that I had waited until morning to thank Him for all of His doings. Here are the praises to the LORD:
- Thank You Lord for yesterday for all of the gifts and homemade gifts from my kiddos
- Thanksgiving for songs of praise- singing with Paula and the girls
- Thanksgiving for technology that worked! For LCD projectors!
- Thanksgiving for the body of Christ!
- Thanksgiving for teamwork- I love it!!!
- Thanksgiving to my LORD for helping me with leadership
- Thanksgiving for more gifts
- Thanksgiving for leadership of others
- Thanksgiving for how You were present last night at the youth; for the ones that came
- Thanksgiving for what you will do not only in Kansas City at One Thing but for the wonders of things to come!!

Thank You my LORD! Thank You that your mercies are new every morning!

O Come O Come oh Windshield Wiper!

2007-12-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

Clutching the steering wheel and keeping the gas pedal at a nice and slow and steady speed due to the snow I ventured home traveling on I-75 North from Lebanon Ohio. My windshield wipers are the most obstinate accessory of my Ginger (my Honda Civic). In years past I've been in downpours of rain and the wipers decide to come off. The wiper somehow gets out of its track and turns 90 degrees- so that the wiper remains on my windshield; however is not beneficial and makes a high-pitched scratching noise. So as I'm driving home I have my windshield wipers on a medium speed due to the snow and then the ice starts forming, so I put it on the high speed. As I'm driving on 75 I approach the diverging of the I-75 from route 4 and that is when my windshield wiper decides to act obstinate and come off its track. There is no where for me to pull over- so I continue to pray and shift my body to the right so I can see. As I'm driving I'm thinking to myself- how vital it is to see both physically and spiritually. When we can't see things how God sees them we are in danger; I can go off into a ditch and get off the course. So as I got off the road and repositioned my wiper and had my prayer warriors praying, the course became much smoother as I regained my sight. Oh Lord- would you help us to see You, open our eyes Jesus- give us eyes to see Your kingdom, for if we don't we get off the course and it becomes dangerous- we may not only hurt ourselves but others.

He Speaks

2007-12-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

God continually amazes me, in that He does speak. Sometimes I think we may have head knowledge of that statement, but do we really believe it? Do we really come with anticipation of Him speaking to us and directing us? This week I've been praying for direction on what to speak about- and over, and over He has confirmed what He wants to speak. Thank You LORD that You do speak!

Open the Faucet

2007-11-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

Prayer~

Oh, if we really would know what it means to communicate (to both talk and listen) to the God of the universe. He's so BIG, yet He is so tender and so desires us to long for His voice. He does speak and knows all things.

As I sat in the chair at church today we watched a video presentation for an upcoming event called One Thing. As the video started the screen showed a water faucet being turned on in the bathroom and then the water being used by a young lady to brush her teeth. As I sat there, God revealed that prayer is like a faucet. Get this....here's the definition of a faucet: a regulator for controlling the flow of a liquid from a reservoir. When we pray little, we open the faucet little and get little water in return. Oh Lord, I feel like this has been me. But when we open wide the faucet- an OUTPOURING of water rushes out. Yippee! God wants His reservoir to be poured out as we pray. Holy Spirit teach us how to pray- to seek first Your kingdom. To open up the faucet- and then that water allows cleansing to take place- as the gal brushed her teeth- or as we would drink from a cup.

Read Previous Post First

2007-11-14T04:54:00.000-08:00

"DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. 55 "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." From 1 Corinthians

stingy

2007-11-12T05:48:00.000-08:00

So here to your left is my shampoo. As I'm washing my hair on Saturday I had some shampoo trickle into my eye. Man- I was aware that there was shampoo in my eye as it started to sting. I couldn't see and my first priority was to provide relief to my eye. So I doused it with water- got my washcloth to get that shampoo out. Then I started thinking of sin- the things that we do that go against God's way- and how this was a representation of just what happened to my eye. Sin- causes stinging, hurt and if it is not removed, not washed by the water of His Word, you will continue to hurt, you will continue to not see correctly which will affect your path. So if I continue to wash my hair, which I will :)- and you will too- hopefully ha, ha, if I do not change how I position my head, shampoo will continue to get in my eyes. I have to proactively change how I will position my head. Same is true with sin. How will we change so we won't be affected by the sting..... stick with me.....

So last night I went to see Jeremy Camp perform. What an amazing man of God- and a gifted voice. Well~ prior to going my sting started raring it's ugly head- my selfishness. Yuck!! Not wanting to drive- I begrudgingly headed to the car with ticket in hand and as I got in the car all of a sudden my ticket was gone. I thought I put it on top of my cupholder, but it was not there. Our group thoroughly searched looking high and low. I prayed- Holy Spirit help me. Then I confessed my attitude to my friends. I then remembered feeling a little piece of paper in the slight sliver of a space of paneling, which is right above my cupholder. I got out my flashlight and started peering. In the midst of all of the wiring there on the bottom was....my ticket. I then tried getting tweezers and they were not long enough- my needle nose pliers would not fit on the side to grasp it. But my roommate then realized she could grasp it on her side and then ticket was in hand. So as I process with the LORD- I realize at times I do not want to give. I need to change the position of my head b/c this "shampoo" continues to get in my eyes. Oh Jesus, please forgive me of my selfishness. You have given me life. In Your Word it says- that the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom to many. Oh Lord, I can't change me....Jesus Your Spirit lives inside of me- please help me to serve and be a gracious giver. You inspire me- because You ARE a gracious giver- so Gracious, You gave me Your life. But I desperately need Your help and grace to change. Plant Your Word deep inside of my heart- b/c it is alive and active!!!! and Your Word cleanses me!! In Jesus's mighty name, Amen

Halloween

2007-10-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

Praise the Father- that He knows us more intimately than we know ourselves. And that through Jesus we are free indeed from wearing any masks- we can be ourselves and that is free!! Aren't you excited???

More Marathon Thoughts

2007-10-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

Wow!!

What a fun time I had yesterday. My friend Mitsu trained with Team in Training, a group that raises money for the leukemia/lymphoma society. The group met prior to walk down to the starting line. One of the men that I met from the group was running for fellow employees who were effected by leukemia or lymphoma. He had all of their pictures on his shirt and on the back of his shirt he had the names of those affected by the disease from those who had donated, whom he had never met. So touching to see his determination to run for these people. I was reminded of My Savior!! Jesus- you are my forerunner- the world's forerunner! (Hebrews 6:20). He completed His Father's business out of love and determination for us to be returned completely to the Father. Gets my heart pumped!!! I've probably written this before- but I love how God uses running in many of His verses- Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing[1][Lit looking to ] our eyes on Jesus, the author[2][Or leader ] and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and[3][Lit fainting in your souls ] lose heart. " Thank You Jesus!!

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore, I run in such a way, not as without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified." (I Corinthians 9:24-27).

Then as I was cheering on the sidelines- I got choked up- b/c I love cheering people on. Then I saw this man who had Loftstrand crutches finishing the half marathon- I cheered even harder- he was determined! As I thought about life- how there are people cheering us on. How when we cross the finish line- when we get to meet our Father in heaven- how the saints who have gone before us will be cheering us on!!

Oh Lord, You make me smile

2007-10-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

So I saw this picture en route to the starting line of the Columbus Marathon......

More thoughts on the marathon to come...

Acorns

2007-10-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

becomes an

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 "He who loves his life[14][Lit soul ] loses it, and he who hates his life[15][Lit soul ] in this world will keep it to life eternal. 26 "If anyone serves[16][Or is serving ] Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves[17][Or is serving ] Me, the Father will honor him.

Hello Fall

2007-10-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

As I welcome fall in this week it's been rather filled with good things:
Carpet cleaning!!
Time with the family eating pizza and looking at European pictures :)
Mexican dinner with an old co-worker with times of catching up
A good encouraging talk with my pastor
A massage- aahhh :)
Jesus- He's my forerunner, He goes before me and is my peace- my goodness rests in Him!
Anticipation: Retreat with my church

Obedience

2007-09-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was at the Farmer's Market and had the opportunity to watch many people pass by. Yes, I do love to people watch. One man and his pet not only obtained my attention, but others around me as well. This man had his chocolate lab walking beside him with no leash, yes- no leash. This dog was glued to his master; the dog kept his eyes in eager anticipation of his master simultaneously listening to his leading. Every time the dog listened out popped a yummy doggy treat. As I watched, a joy filled my heart to how loyal this dog was and how joyfully in tune he was with his master. As I mentioned previously, many people were smiling at this dog and the dog got a lot of attention. Think of a dog that is out of control, people don't watch and smile they get the heck out of that dog's way. Stick with me....Later the man talked with me and I talked of how well-trained his dog was. The master proceeded to tell me, this was not always the case. At one time this dog was so unruly he was about ready to put the dog to sleep, much to my surprise. He talked as well that once he and the dog went to obedience class- not only was the dog receiving training, but his master was as well. For most of this story, I thought of how this looks when we as God's children are obedient to our Father. Hopefully His light will be shining through us as we look to Him and anticipate His voice- that others may see and be drawn to it. We don't want to be unruly children- the ones that people want to get the heck away from- so unruly that severe chastisement may be there. Holy Spirit, please fill us with You- may we eagerly anticipate Your voice, that we may obey- for You know the right way. "To Thee I lift up my eyes, O Thou who art enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He shall be gracious to us." Psalm 123:1-2.

The Far Reaching Waters of Life

2007-09-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

September 6 Utmost for His Highest

"He who believes in Me...out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).

A river reaches places which its source never knows. And Jesus said that, if we have received His fullness, "rivers of living water" will flow out of us, reaching in blessing even "to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8) regardless of how small the visible effects of our lives may appear to be. We have nothing to do with the outflow- "This is the work of God, that you believe...(John 6:29). God rarely allows a person to see how great a blessing he is to others.
A river is victoriously persistent, overcoming all barriers. For a while it goes steadily on its course, but then comes to an obstacle. And for a while it is blocked, yet it soon makes a pathway around the obstacle. Or a river will drop out of sight for miles, only later to emerge again even boarder and greater than ever. Do you see God using the lives of others, but an obstacle has come into your life and you do not seem to be of any use to God? Then keep paying attention to the Source, and God will either take you around the obstacle or remove it. The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles. Never focus your eyes on the obstacle or the difficulty. The obstacle will be a matter of total indifference to the river that will flow steadily through you if you will simply remember to stay focused on the Source. Never allow anything to come between you and Jesus Christ- not emotion nor experience- nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.
Think of the healing and far0reaching rivers developing and nourishing themselves in our souls! God has been opening up wonderful truths to our minds, and every point He has opened up is another indication of the wider power of the river that He will flow through us. If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has developed and nourished in you mighty, rushing rivers of blessing for others.

Amen~!

My St. Route 29

2007-08-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

State Rt. 29

State Route 29

What direction? Turn here- follow here
Kind of windy- take the curves with caution. Most adhere to the

road signs. Pay attention.

It goes East and West There are One Ways- watch out.

Lyrics: Now, all I have is now To be faithful. To be holy. And to shine. Lighting up the darkness. Right now, I really have no choice but to voice the truth to the nations. A generation looking for God .For such a time as this I was placed upon the earth to hear the voice of God and do His will whatever it is. For such a time as this for now and all the days He gives I am here, I am here and I am His for such a time as this. You - do you ever wonder why it seems like the grass is always greener under everybody else's sky. But right here, right here for this time and place you can live a mirror of His mercy, a forgiven image of grace. Can't change what's happened till now but we can change what will be by living in holiness that the world will see Jesus.

Sprained ankle

2007-08-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

In the midst of thick humidity, there was a fun little group (mostly friends from the Catholic church) gathered to play Ultimate Frisbee. We randomly divided into two groups- with it working out the shorter ones on one side and taller ones on the other. But, that didn't discourage us shorter ones :) More than half way through the game, somehow my ankle gave out and I landed on the outside of it with the result ending in me landing on my rump. I am so thankful that I could get up- I was concerned that I had really damaged it. It was slightly tender- I should have stopped playing, but I played a little more. This morning I got up and my ankle was slightly swollen and some pain associated with my ankle. As I contemplated this swelling, I was amazed again at how God has made our bodies. My mind doesn't need to know the specific ligaments that were affected and for me to call on certain cells for the repair to begin. I love that about our God. Then I was thinking about the body of Christ. Even last night as I gathered with people from another church, I do get pumped about unity. That the body of Christ is made up of many people, many races, many nations, many denominations, many different doctrines, but with the essential foundation that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the Savior for the world. Looking at my own body, how the body is made up of many parts- as I experienced an injury to my ankle therefore other cells were called upon to help with healing as evidenced with my swelling. I want that to be true of the body of Christ- where we see a need that we will help, we will build up, we will do what is necessary to bring restoration, so that the whole body won't experience pain and can function properly.

Staining Time

2007-07-22T05:41:00.000-07:00

Monday I ventured to buy some semi-transparent stain. I stained my deck maybe 2-3 years ago and it was past time for me to stain again. Since it had been awhile since I did this, I decided to refresh my brain and did some google searching for tips in staining. I also talked with my parents and my dad talked about getting a darker stain and how the stain will cover, basically all those imperfections. My mind has lingered on that this week, I was thinking how the Bible talks about how love covers a multitude of sins. How Jesus has stained us, stained us with His perfect blood, a crimson stain and has removed all of my imperfections. Just as I stained the wood- the wood absorbed the stain, especially the areas of my wood which were bare. May you and I be bare before Him and let this, His perfect love absorb deeply into our very being, with the outward appearance being the essence of His character, LOVE.

In a Battle

2007-07-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gone through a day- where it's just been a really rough day? That after the day you feel like you've been in some kind of a battle. Of course, my days never come close to those who really fight in war. So, not so much a physical kind of battle- but a mental one. That was my day on Monday. Today, Tuesday- was quite pleasant, but it was strange how I was feeling the after effects of my battle. Then I was thinking about the armor of God. The only offensive weapon mentioned in the Word is the Sword of the Spirit. But in order to use the Sword- one must know God's Word to combat the mental battle or the circumstances that will arise. Monday I didn't use my sword- I didn't use my armor. So as I was thinking of someone in a battle who is not properly attired for battle; wounds are inevitable. If I wasn't using a sword in battle, or didn't have a breastplate- or was not using my shield from flaming missles, then of course there would be battle wounds. Funny as how I'm contemplating this right before Bible Study, and guess what we talked about? The Sword of the Spirit- I smiled as one of the ladies brings her son to Bible Study and guess what toy he brought along? His sword. Oh Lord, teach us how to use Your Sword to combat the one who seeks to devour us; that we might seek You and Your Strength.

Mulch Day

2007-06-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

Today was a major mulch day! Yesterday I was preparing for the mulch by pulling weeds. I love how God uses nature to show us parallels with our own lives. I think of the verse that talks about how God uses His Word, the Bible, which is represented as seed and depending upon the soil (rocky or weedy) is how we will grow. I was looking at some of my weeds in my flowerbeds yesterday. I noticed some tricky weeds as they were harder to see when it was closer to the flower or bush itself. I was thinking about how some weeds we don't see in ourselves when they are so close to our heart.

Then today I have some Golden Trivot bushes. Because of the late frost we had this spring, the bush for the longest time did not sprout any leaves. But the bush has started. However, the old limbs remained. So I began pruning. OK- I have to admit, I am starting to really like pruning. I was thinking how the Father calls Himself the vinedresser and how much He must like to prune us- to get rid of the dead limbs in us. Why do I like to prune, because my bush looks so beautiful afterwards. I think- this must be the Father's gratification as well to make us look beautiful. He wants to cut all those things that are not of Him- as I talked in my earlier post the things that are causing decay. Then I was thinking I have some pretty full bushes- but if I let them go- the bushes would look wild- limbs going here and there and everywhere. The bush needs defintion and shaping for its purpose- and I was thinking the same is true with us.

Heart & Soul

2007-06-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

As a little girl, I remember one of the first songs that I plunked out using just my index finger on our family piano was Heart & Soul. I was in the 3rd grade and had my dear friend, Joni, came over to my house and there she taught me how to play my part as she played her part of Heart & Soul. Wow- our heart and soul....what does that look like? I've been doing some thinking lately about our soul. I'm so glad God gives us the greatest commandment of loving Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. So I looked up soul- in the Greek- here's what I found...., just call me Sherlock :)...the breath of life, the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing; 2a) the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul etc.) 2b) the (human) soul in so far as it is constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end and secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life 2c) the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death (distinguished from other parts of the body).

So I was thinking how in our culture there is a movement to be health conscious- we are aware of what we put in our bodies. If I ate Big Macs with Large Fries and a Large Coke for three meals a day, seven days a week there would be an obvious effect on my body- not only outwardly, but inwardly. But, the obvious would be the outward effect. So then I was thinking about the health of our soul. What are we pouring into our soul? The world wants us to pour in unhealthy things into our soul (feelings, desires, affections)- perhaps the faltered view of greed, maybe unhealthy feelings of comparison and jealousy, perhaps the things we view that pique our sensualities. We may not think that these have an effect, because we can't see them. But as I read 2 Peter, Peter talks about the power and knowledge God gives and by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Guess what corruption means: decay. When we choose worldly things- our soul decays. Whenever I hear or read the word decay vivid imagery pops into my mind of skulls, death. Yuck. I want life; but that is where the deceiver comes in- we think these things fill our soul, or we may even be totally ignorant going along our day- but sin brings decay to our soul. But thanks be to God who has given us His Son- who is the lover of our soul- who breathes His breath of life into us everlasting. The Holy Spirit comes in and invades and grows our soul into beauty. So God asks us today: today I set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse; choose life so that you may life. Yes- my heart's cry: choose life.

Praises

2007-06-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some occurrences over the last couple of days:
- Answered prayer in multiple ways
- My God's lovingkindness towards me always and even Him speaking to me in preparation of news for my heart
- The best treatment I've had with a patient, which resulted in her joy of dogs and the perfect timing of Regis and Kelly showing dogs on their morning show
- God's timing is perfect
- God's ways are higher than my own
- Blessings from people in my church

Pslam 89- "I will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever; to all generations I will make known Thy faithfulness with my mouth." v6"For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD, A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all those who are around Him? O LORD God of hosts, who is like Thee, O mighty LORD? Thy faithfulness also surrounds Thee."

Jesus, my friend, He calls me friend

2007-06-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

What an amazing week I've had with the Lord this week. I feel like He's really spoken to me and I think I've allowed my heart for that receiving. I am so thankful that my LORD is relational. That I can tell Him all of what I'm feeling and then I can claim His truth. That I am blessed in trusting in Him; how my heart can rejoice because I trust in His holy name. I praise my Father in heaven who brings His righteousness into my heart. Coming to a state of brokenness in His goodness not only towards me, but all of His kids.

This week, I've tasted just a small smidgen of His heart. How it's hard when you care for people and you are initiating, but you don't get a response back. To be honest, I've not had this happen before with people I've been in relationship for awhile. And my heart realizes, how many times, or like my roommate said- millions of times, that this happens to God. My God's compassion, which is likened to a mother loving her unborn child, is like no other and is amazing to me. His relentless unending love- thank you God for your love which never fails- His love remains- Hallelujah!

Water

2007-06-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

As I'm reading my World Vision magazine tonight- I realize that I totally take for granted my access to clean water. Here's some interesting or rather sobering statistics...

"Drink This"

"The world spends $100 billion a year on bottled water- a suprising statistic because most people who buy it usually have high-quality water piped to their homes for a fraction of the cost. Meanwhile, an investment of a mere $30 billion a year would halve the number of people who have no access to clean water (currently about 1.1 billon) by 2015."

"In Our Lives"

" At home the average American uses 80-100 gallons of water a day. Where some of it goes:

- Flusing the toilet: 5 gallons per flush

- Brushing teeth with the water running: 2 gallons

- Running the dishwasher: 12 gallons

- Taking a 5 minute shower: 25 gallons

Counterpoint: The average African family uses a total of five gallons of water a day."

10 K

2007-06-04T14:08:00.001-07:00

Once again, my feet hit the pavement along the roads in Troy Ohio for the annual Strawberry Festival 10K. This year I felt a bit more prepared; however, as I ran there were two distinct times that I wanted to quit. Running can be a mental sport. As I ran I recalled to mind "Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning the shame and sat down at the right hand of God. Consider Him who endured such evil opposition from men that you may not grow weary or lose heart." Renewing your mind is so important on this race of life we run. Amazingly, I was able to kick it in gear to give it my all to the finish line. What a feeling it is to finish and run well! I made my goal. But, I thought- how true it will be and so much sweeter when I finish this race of life by God's grace.

B.E.S.T. 5K

2007-04-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

The awaited moment arrived yesterday as I competed against my pastor in the 5K here in Sidney. My pastor is a runner, about twice my age and about 12 inches taller than me. So a couple months ago I gave him a registration form and the competion was soon to ensue. At church I had to laugh as he talked about it and mentioned several times that he was thought that I would beat him. However, the one who was nervous was me! Running on the treadmill this week to get ready I got nervous thinking about competing against him. Then Friday night arrives and I feel sick! Yikes. So people were praying that I would feel better and praise the Lord, I did. I went to bed early- woke up at 4:30 AM- hydrated myself some more, took another Echincia and went back to bed. Donning my BEST 5K T-shirt and placing my safety pins on my beloved #3 running tag, I read some running verses from the Bible. There are actually more running verses than I thought. The one I focused on was Hebrews 12:1- which states: "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." My prayer was that we would run together for the Lord's glory. Truly I wasn't praying the day of the race- let me beat Pastor Fred! So I parked at Tawawa Park and found the people from my church. As we lined up to get ready for the race, Pastor Fred stationed himself next to me. I wanted to run without focusing on his position. As the buzzer went off and the race began, off I went. Listening to my Shuffle I-Pod, I heard this heavy breathing behind me- and knowing that the good runner does not look back my gaze was fixed straight ahead. At one mile, Pastor Fred and I ran together. Looking back it brought back memories of an analogy a woman had likened when she was dating her now husband- that she was running for Jesus and looked over and he was too. Now of course, Pastor Fred is married and I'm single-so that's not what I am implying, but a good spiritual real example. It was neat as about half way through we both were fatiguing- Pastor Fred started quoting Scripture- that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. That all things work together for our good- and that good comes from the word prothesis- to restore. And I spoke of the verse that I had read that day- Hebrews 12:1. Very encouraging! He went ahead for a little bit, and I was starting to get tired. Then we were back together, but at the last tenth- Pastor Fred looked into the sky and boom- there he went. I had no more gusto- so he beat me by about 5 seconds. However I did come in 1st for my age and 3rd overall female! So, next year, perhaps I can beat my pastor :)

My El Roi

2007-04-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned this term in previous posts, but this is one of the LORD's names (one of my favorites). The meaning is: The God who sees. What I love about God is that He knows each one of the details of our lives, the thoughts of our minds, the desires of our hearts. He's such a loving God and I love those sweet little caresses that He gives to remind us- I see you- see those thoughts, I see those desires, I see you. He reminded me of this on Sunday- as I was struggling. I had three people from church give me encouragement in this area- He is a God who sees. How I need Him and His grace and to live in it.

In Christ Alone

2007-04-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

I watched the Passion again this week. Watching it brings mind renewal- to have in the forefront of my mind what Jesus did for us. I love Him. His humility, no defending of His name, His love, His determination and steadfastness of the cross. As I watched my Savior walking to Calvary, bruised, scouraged, crushed and His soul grieved to the point of death the verse that popped into my mind was- for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross. As I was driving today I heard this song on the radio:

In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay ,Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day, Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory, Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;

For I am His and He is mine—Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death—This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

2nd Corinthians 5:21 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Wow- to TRULY understand this- our LIVES WOULD CONTINUALLY BE RENEWED AND FOREVER CHANGED, FOREVER GRATEFUL. Thank you, my God, my Lord, my Savior, my righteousness.....

Spring highlights

2007-03-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

Highlights of today
- Warm weather
- The beautiful sky
- My grandma and her enthusiasm as she found out she returns home on Wed, getting a perm and her four visitors
- I not only will get to hear Shane & Shane, but also Shawn McDonald!!
- Getting an unexpected call from my friend Julie
- My initial bites of Doritos- haven't eaten them in a long time; however, as I continued to eat I felt kind of gross....
- The wave of hello from my neighbor
- My flowers are popping up- ones from my friend Kelly when I initially moved
- My beautiful centerpiece from my friend Mitsu's younger sister's wedding....isn't it beautiful...

Determination

2007-03-23T16:09:00.000-07:00

DETERMINATION....STEADFASTNESS......NEVER GIVING UP HOPE.....LEADS TO VICTORY!

Wow- what a game. I must admit I don't follow basketball like I do Ohio State football, but what a game last night. My limitless sleep was well worth it as I witnessed the determination of the Buckeyes last night. The first half was quite disappointing as the Bucks were down by 20 points. I walked dishearteningly back to my bedroom, thankfully the team was not disheartened as they proved themselves to come back from 20 points down to win by a point. As I think of this game and again the determination that was put forth, I think I pray I have that for this life. Jesus....determined to do the Father's will.....steadfastness in His love for us....the hope we have in Him, inexpressible and this leads to victory- our victory in Jesus in His determination over sin, over death. So, my readers and I speak to myself, when our circumstances are looking down....we may feel like we're failing and never going to win....may we recall Christ's DETERMINATION-as He continued to walk with the cross....people thought there was no victory, being crucified- a criminal's death....for there was a waiting period....three days. Then the rock was rolled away. Resurrection occurred- Victory- everlasting life in a pure and glorious place in the presence of our Father.

The Abandonment of God

2007-03-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

From My Utmost For His Highest: March 13th

For God so loved the world that He gave...

Salvation is not merely deliverance from sin, nor the experience of personal holiness; the salvation of God is deliverance out of self entirely into union with Himself. My experimental knowledge of salvation will be along the line of deliverance from sin and of personal holiness; but salvation means that the Spirit of God has brought me into touch with God's personality, and I am thrilled with something infinitely greater than myself, I am caught up into the abandonment of God.
To say that we are called to preach holiness or sanctification, is to get into a side eddy. We are called to proclaim Jesus Christ. The fact that He saves from sin and makes us holy is part of the effect of the wonderful abandonment of God.
Abandonment never produces the consciousness of its own effort, because the whole life is taken up with the One to Whom we abandon. Beware of talking about abandonment if you know nothing about it, and you will never know anything about it until you have realized that John 3:16 means that God gave Himself absolutely. In our abandonment we give ourselves over to God just as God gave Himself for us, without any calculation. The consequence of abandonment never enters into our outlook because our life is taken up with Him.

What a beautiful God

Plunging

2007-03-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I had to retrieve my handy dandy plunger- I have two since they work so well. I have one for the toilet and one for the sink; mixing is not kosher. So after using my sink I would hear some gurgles maybe up to 30 seconds later. So my dad who is a very handy man- kudos to you dad if you're reading this- suggested I start plunging. I tried taking apart my sink to remove the drain stopper, but that was too complicated for me and per suggestion of my mom started the plunging process with the stopper intact. Let me tell you what- my mom was right- it works. So as I'm plunging this filth comes to the surface. Nasty looking stuff. So I cleaned it all up. But I feel as if that can be representative of my heart. At times I know my heart can be deceitfully wicked- as it says in Jeremiah. There are times when I feel like sin has invaded me and the Holy Spirit works just like the plunger; bringing that junk out b/c it's impeding the proper flowing, the proper working. And then the junk needs removing- and thanks be to Jesus that He cleanses me from all unrighteousness- that I do have hope in Him and realize that I am in need of a Saviour. Amen

Ash Wednesday

2007-02-21T04:52:00.000-08:00

Well on Ash Wednesday I'm observing fog and ice and because of that spent time reading the Bible this morning. As I'm flipping through the Word, my eyes land on righteousness found in Romans 6 and I decide to read it, as my pastor talked about righteousness on Sunday. After reading Romans 6 I see two stark opposites: sin and obedience. It's strange how things come about in full circle. Growing up I always believed that if you were "good" you went to heaven. Then I heard it was about faith- and remember being confused when still reading about obedience resulting in righteousness. On Sunday Pastor talked about the quote from Isaiah that states our righteousness are like filthy rags to God. But I walked away convicted- I want my God's righteousness- not my own- I want His righteousness to last in me. So as I'm reading today- I have to smile as it goes along with Ash Wednesday- I had to look Ash Wednesday up on-line to really see what this means- and the ashes are a reminder of death that produces remorse for our sin. "If Christ died for our sin and we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed (acquitted) from sin. " Romans 5-7. "Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." So I choose to think: dead to sin- what does dead mean- no longer living and moving- unable to grow. That is what I want with sin- I don't want it living in me- for it's outcome is death. There are NO benefits to sin- the evil one wants us to believe there are benefits to our flesh- but no"Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death." Romans 6:21. "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts...and become an instrument of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." Praise God that sin shall not be master of you, for you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. " Romans 14-18. "But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit (fruit), resulting in sanctification (to be set apart, to be wonderful, wonderful deeds, miracles) and the outcome eternal life." Romans 6:22. God's kindness- how sad His heart is that His creation (us) can be so deceived by sin- by it looking so good- when sin has ruined His initial perfect plan. That creates in me repentance, remorse- for it is the beginning of lent- the beginning of my Lord's purpose- death, but the beautiful, beautiful and precious outcome of eternal life. The never ending goodness in the presence of our God. Help me to be obedient resulting in His righteousness.

Loving Well

2007-02-20T04:36:00.000-08:00

To your left is Beth Moore, my favorite Christian speaker. If you have never heard her, you're in for a treat. This weekend I participated in a one day conference at a local church entitled "Loving Well", in which Beth Moore was the speaker. Here are some highlights and some things to ponder:

1. Are we loving better than we did 5 years ago?

2. We have no higher calling but to love

3. God measures maturity in how we love.

4. Four Confessions of Love: 1. God is PERFECT love 2. Nothing can separate me from God's PERFECT love 3. God pours His perfect love into my imperfect heart. 4. Accessed, I can love anyone through anything.

5. If His love is not a feeling- it can't be regulated by circumstances. Love is part of God's godness.

6. If His love is ever present- and I am to dwell in His love- it's my choice to remove myself from His love- not His.

7. How amazing if we live in a constant awareness of His love.

8. Let's start loving because we already are loved, not to be loved.

9. God is The Loving Well- let's dip down with our container. It is an opportunity to love with no strings attached to receive love back.

Lord, help us to love like You. Help us to receive and dwell in your perfect and steadfast and unfailing love. Amen.

Stunned

2007-02-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was what I termed a "weird" day. I had gone in for a routine scan- not thinking too much of it. Afterwards I was doing errands, going to work out. While working out I thought I heard my name paged overhead. I thought- surely that's not me. But when I got home, I made sure I checked my messages right away. It was my doctor's office saying to call them as soon as I got home. I called- and they said I needed to go back to the hospital immediately for additional testing. The last message on the machine was from one of the leaders of the last Bible Study I was in- saying she heard I was going in for a test (the initial one) and that she was praying for me. What a comfort in the midst of the message from my dr's office. So back in I went- as I'm driving I'm calling people to pray for me. Prayers went out- amazingly enough one of the ladies in the Bible Study had called her husband to pray for me- he works in a nursing home about 45 minutes away and one of the other ladies from the Bible Study was there when he received the call. So she was praying as well. Talk about humbling. So then I got my test results back- and everything was fine. Whether it was a misreading or God healed me on the spot- I praise Him. What a day!