FAMILY

HUGS

KISSES

SMILES

LAUGHTER

SILLY

TALKING

HAPPINESS

CUDDLING

RELATIONSHIPS

CHILDREN

LOVE

TOGETHERNESS

FAMILY.....
          There is nothing more special that I can think of right now than a group of people in one room enjoying eachother's company.
FAMILY
           What else is there to say........
Thank you Lord for my family and loved ones.

Thankful Thoughts

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I'm thankful for my family, my health, my friends

I'm thankful for the woman's bible study at church.

I'm thankful for MOPS, its allowed me to be apart of the MOPPET program

I'm thankful for the words I read in the Bible

I'm thankful for my husband

I'm thankful for my children

I'm thankful for the beautiful nature that surrounds me

I'm thankful right now to be surrounded by those

Whose lives touch me more than they'll ever possibly know

Thankful Lord, that You've blessed me beyond measure

Thankful that in my heart lives life's greatest treasure
That You, dear Jesus reside in that place

And I'm ever so grateful for Your unending grace

Thank you

A Legacy of Love

Leaving a Legacy of Love behind.....

Passing down a legacy of love, not money, not possessions, not things with history.  None of those things last forever.  You can't' take them when you die.  Why should our focus be on giving those items?  Figuring out what to do with them.  Who gets each item.  Making room for them to display in our homes.

Focus on Loving the Lord.  Focus on loving, helping and serving others. Love is everlasting.  It does not have be moved around like a piece of furniture.  It surrounds.  It consumes.  Its held in the heart.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient; love is kind.  Love does not envy; is not boastful; is not conceited; does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrong; finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

The two greatest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbors.

When its my time to go see the Lord I hope that my children, family and friends, I've left behind know and love the Lord,  love their neighbors, enemies, and each other.  I hope the message of love is what I've left behind for them.  I hope it consumes them deep within their hearts.  Letting the Holy Spirit reside in them.  Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead them on their continued journey on earth as they take another step forward in this world.  I hope the glow of the all-loving God flows out of them into the next person they come into contact with, leaving the legacy of love.

1 Corinthians 13: 13
Now these three remain: faith, hope and love 
But the greatest of these is love.

Never Hopeless

After last week with different things going on inside of me I continue to learn that there is always hope.  Things do work out how they should.  Hope is a small word but a word that I  keep close by.   Love, Hope & Faith

A friend of mine gave me some questions and verses to look up.  By the time I was finished the ray of hope was shining so bright that it was almost blinding.

She first asked me read Psalm 46 then asked these questions:

What do these verses say about God?

What circumstance are described in these verses?

How are we to respond in the midst of impossible circumstances? (verse 10)

What is mean by "be still" & "know that I am God"?

What do these verses say about God & how he helps me in my difficult circumstances:

Deuteronomy 1:29-31

Joshua 1:9

1 Chronicles 29:10-13

Psalm 31:7-8

Psalm 147: 3-6

Jeremiah 32:17, 26-27

What can you apply to your current circumstance based on what you read in these verses?

in a general summary....

He will carry me, and not leave me.  To be strong and courageous not to be discouraged.  He gives me strength to carry on in my troubles.  He is with me wherever I go.  He knows what I'm going through and dealing with.  God heals.

Hope There is Always Hope

Never Hopeless

Helpful verses for me this past week

Past

Isaiah 43:18
"Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old."


Psalm 37:37
.....the man of peace will have a future.

Future

Jere 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you..."plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Trials

James 1:2
Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

Hope

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.

Prayer

Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope; be patient in afflictions; be persistent in prayer.

Comfort

Phil 4:6-7
Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with the thanksgiving, let you're requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When you know it, but don't see it, you say it then what?

(earlier this week)

Okay I know the title of this post might be a little odd but I hope you will see why I came up with it.

When you  know it but don't see it, then you say it and hear it come out of your own mouth then you know it and therefore you believe it.  For me I think that is when the next level of knowing it turns into applying it and doing it.

I've been trying all morning to shut everything out and everyone.  I have done a great job at keeping myself busy which keeps my mind busy but as the day wears on I'm becoming very tired.   It has become harder and harder to shut the world out since life happens.

So....

My phone rings and its my brother. His voice is not happy. He is slow to speak.  He announces that his truck was stolen from the shop he had it in.  He goes into how much he has put into the truck to get it just the way he wanted.  He talks about how much of a burden not having it will cause him.  He is conflicted by making some changes in his life and having good things start to happen that he doesn't understand the reason why this happened.

I started talking to my brother offering words of encouragement. We talked for a little while and then he had to go.  As I got off the phone with him it hit me!  I soon realized that as much as he had called me for my help and assistance he in turn helped me.  With his call I was able to hear it, know it and finally believe it.  After his phone call my spirits started lifting and I didn't feel like in was in a non-stop cloudy day.

I plan on calling my brother and telling him thank you.

Thank you Jesus for putting what I needed to know right in front of me.

Do you know what to say?

As a Christian some people I meet out in the world think that Christians are suppose to be strong all the time and have and know the answers to their trials or at least the right words to say.  I don't have the strength all the time.  I don't have know what to say at times.  I don't know!  I don't think I would want that total responsibility.  For me I know God is the only one who knows.  He has a plan for each of us.

I'm human.  I fall down at times just like the next person.  I make choices that shouldn't have been thought out more.  I do things that I shouldn't at times.  I have my own pity parties.  You know the ones....oh poor me....why me.  I struggle to lean on God for His understanding and His strength in stead of fighting with mine.

I have found that when I do fall and struggle and want to give in to my self and my pity party, I don't stay there long anymore.  I may fight it for awhile but as time goes by I"m being pulled out of my "dump of emotions" and being lifted up to a more peaceful, clearer and open mind set.  Ready to hear the Lord.

The Holy Spirit is within me, that I can not deny.  (working inside of me as I write and reflect)

The Spirit of Love

The Holy Spirit is the one who 

knows the song in my heart

and sings it back to me when 
I have forgotten the words.

How do people really change?

I can only change myself and that is with God's help.

God is the only one that can change someone else.

I can be a little helper in regards to loving that person as Christ loves me.(which may not be the easiest task to do)  I can pray for that person.  I can extend grace to that person.  God loves me and offers me grace when needed.  All these things that I can do can help nudge that person toward God.

People change with Love, Prayer, Grace and The HOLY SPIRIT!

This has been a little reminder that I play over and over in my head as I come across difficult people in my path.  It was suggested to me earlier this week to pray.   To simply pray for someone that needs God to lead them back  in the right direction with His spirit within them.  Just to pray.  It sounds simple enough but I struggle with it since my head thinks I could change this person (my intentions are good).  My heart is telling me otherwise and asking me to lean on God for this to take place.

I'm challenging myself in applying the first three as I go out and about in this world and my dailiness in life.  The only way I can do this of course, is by leaning on Him and not falling into my own understanding.