Don't Give Up

God was very busy with visiting yesterday.  Seems He had a lot to say to me.  But these were visits of a different kind.  They were visits for someone else.  I believe there are times in our lives when we are so far down, so in the dark, that looking up and seeing light is not possible for us.  So the Lord comes to another person in our lives with the encouragement that is meant for us.  I have a dear friend who is going through a very difficult time, they are having trouble seeing hope.  So the Lord came to me with His words of encouragement to share with this friend.  These are most important visits to look out for in our lives.  These are the ones in which God is looking to use us to bolster someone else who's heart is hurting.  I usually don't share when something going on involves someone else, but I really felt that God wanted this message to go out.  There are so many of His children hurting and in need of some hope.

As I said, this friend is struggling on many fronts right now.  And as usual, I had my Christian music station on in the car as I was out and about yesterday.  A new song (at least to me) came on.  "Don't Give Up" by Calling Glory.  What an awesome song!!  With today's wonderful technology (the same technology that makes me want to throw various electronic devices into the pool some days!), I was able to send this song to my friend, hoping to give a little lift and let the music God gives offer faith and refreshment.

As for the next visit, the Lord came through an email (that amazing technology again) from Renee Swope.  Another friend and I had done a Bible study through her website a couple of years ago and I signed up to receive these uplifting emails.  I am not really sure if I am permitted to share the whole thing here without permission, so I will just hit the highlights.  I'm sure you can find the article on her website.

Renee spoke on how we feel beaten up by life, living with hurts and disappointments, physical pain and broken relationships.  And these troubles seem to come on and come on and come on.  She went on to say that when our lives seem to be a never ending series of trials we needed to remember that we are normal (there is nothing wrong with us) and we are not alone.  Our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing their own difficulties.  It's not that God doesn't love us or has abandoned us because we have made mistakes.  No, we are all in this together.  And He is there with us also.  Renee then gave a short prayer at the end:  "Jesus please use the hard circumstances in my life to make me stronger and let my hurts draw me closer to You. Amen."  She asked us to pray this prayer together. And I am asking for that as well....let's all join in to pray for trouble, even the hardest, the most unrelenting kind,  to make us stronger, to draw us to the Lord, as opposed to pushing us away.  And that we would NOT GIVE UP!  As Renee said, "DON’T GIVE UP! No matter what, don’t let go of hope.  Don’t stop believing that God is a Redeemer, a Healer, a Restorer and that nothing is too difficult for Him."

I'll end with the Scripture verse I gave my friend.  It reminds us to lay down the burdens we place on ourselves and join with the Lord follow His path through our lives.

Matthew 11:28  Then Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you.  Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."

I pray for us all, that we will never give up, never give in, stay on the path...the Lord goes before us, even when we can't see Him.


                                       

Decision Making Process, From Mom

Seek godly guidelines.

Psalm 16:7-11  I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.  I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.  No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts His praises!  For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow you godly one to rot in the grave.  You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.  

1.God's promises will guide me:

Psalm 16:11  You will show me the way of life
Psalm 32:8  The Lord says, " I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you.
Psalm 34:4  I prayed to the Lord and He answered me, freeing me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:10  Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will never lack any good thing.  
Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all you heart; do not depend on your own unerstanding.  Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct you paths.  

2.  God has given us a Godly Spirit:  the Holy Spirit:

Psalm 16:7  I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.  
(God gives me clear direction, He counsels me, Holy Spirit instructs me at night when I sleep.)
1 Corinthians 2:12  And God has actually given us His Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
(We have received the Holy Spirit.)
1 Corinthians 2:14  But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit.  It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. 
(natural nature, unsaved.  Saved, we have the Holy Spirit.  To seek God is wisdom.)

3.  Must watch for pitfalls:

Strong fleshly desires--Have we subjected these to the Holy Spirit?  or seek godly direction?

Wrong counsel--Seek godly counsel, but God also wants us to grow up spiritually.  Pray and seek God's counsel and His discernment.  Pray about seeking counsel from your pastor, elders first and wait on the  Lord for His answer.  "Lord, is this what you want, and is it Your timing?

Impatience--Patience says I am willing to wait for God's guidance.  Patience refuses to run and make something happen.   Sometimes when we don't wait it could cause loss, pain, confusion, disappointment.

Doubt--I'm not worthy.  It's not God, He didn't speak to me.  Why should I go to Him.  Misinterpret what God says.

God will turn it around for our own good, if we are sincere in seeking God's way.  Faith flourishes in the garden of gratitude.

Ephesians 5:15-17  So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.  Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do.  

From me:

God has given us clear promises and instruction on seeking His ways in our decision making process. Mom outlined them here pretty clearly.  Speaking from experience, when I have acted out of my own fleshly judgment and impatience, the consequences have ranged from difficult and uncomfortable to downright heartbreaking and life defining.  Thankfully I am learning to "follow the peace."

When we adhere to the guidelines given by God, and prayerfully seek His way, our decisions will keep us on the path of righteousness and peace God has planned for us.  This doesn't necessarily mean easy, prosperous by the world's standards or even our own.  It means God will complete His purpose, His perfect will in our lives.  And in that we will have peace and joy even if all around us is a storm of difficulty.

I am praying for better decision making skills for all of us.  It takes practice to learn God's way of doing this.  Yes, we falter, we make mistakes, but we have the promise in Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.  So I hold onto that, even in my errors of judgments, my downright disobedience at times (consequences, and discipline, yes they come, but God still weaves them into the tapestry of my life for His glory).  It's a learning process for all of us.

Lord, help us to seek You in all things, all decisions big and small.  Take our lives and make them a frame to show the picture of Your glory.  Let us learn how to follow Your leading, when to go, when to stay.  Give us godly counselors to help us along the way.  Thank You for the  Holy Spirit, our ultimate guide.  Teach us to listen to His voice each and every day.  Thank You.

Motivation

I've always struggled with motivation.  Why am I doing something?  Why am I acting in a certain way?  Being a person who has been on the low side of the self-esteem level most of her life, perfection issues and performance based self-value has been the rule of thumb for gauging my worthwhile-ness.  And while the I have been growing in this area the last few years, I still need reminders on a regular basis.   So when I read the lines. "Your own desire to look good can also drain your energy.  I am your Master, and I do not drive you to be what you are not." in "Jesus Calling" yesterday morning, I felt that familiar check in my spirit that I was straying to an area of self; a "performance based value, and working for the wrong reasons mentality."

I am thankful for the progress I have made in this area.  But I still have a tendency to look at how well I am performing according to MY standards to give me value, to prove I am worthwhile to myself and to others.  This is definitely not of the Lord.  My value is based on being in Christ, being His creation, a masterpiece that He is still forming and growing to mirror His character.

God visits are so awesome.  Whether they are comforting, encouraging, directive, or as in this case, correcting and reminding.  I am thankful for my Father's patience and continued willingness to work with His ofttimes wandering daughter.

Matthew 6:24  No one can serve two masters.  For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money.

Jesus teaches about not doing things just to gain worldly riches.  I want to apply this principle to my inner life as well.  I don't want to be doing things just to serve my ego, or expectations, or need for self-worth (at the same time telling myself it's for the Lord, it's what He wants).  It is all through Him and for Him.   NEWS FLASH !!!   It's not about me!!  LOL

Ephesians 2:10  For we are God's masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.  

I am His creation.  I am in  Christ, newly made.   Fashioned to walk in His will, for His purposes, to His glory.  HIM HIM HIM  not me me me.

Matthew 11:28-30  Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."

I was never meant to live, work or find value in the hard taskmasters of earning my own value, or winning the approval of others.  Never meant to set up my own standards, setting the bar to a point of frustration and exhaustion.   Jesus asks for us to just follow His lead, and make Him our Master. What a weight is lifted when we just learn this principle.  To do it all for the joy and glory of the Lord.   And that doesn't mean do everything, it just means do everything we do for His glory.

Thank You Lord for the reminder that I am to stay in You, remain in Your presence and just be.  My value is there, I need not strive for, nor even worry about it.  Maintaining peace in You is more important than completing the myriads of jobs on my to do list.  Thank You for the progress I have made and for the progress yet to come.  Thank You that we are all precious to You, just as we are, just because we are Your much loved and valued children.  Help us to live only for You.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.  



                                   

Praise Him In The Storm

We had a drenching downpour yesterday at work.  It didn't last long, but it came down as if God just turned the hose on full blast!  It kind of reminds me of the way life feels sometimes...like everything is pouring down full blast, one never gets out from under the pressure.  To us it feels like a never ending rain storm, but to the Lord it's a very short shower that waters His seeds in our lives.  I love how the Lord takes something as simple as a quick storm to show His presence and illustrate His ways.

Sometimes I feel like all life is about is weathering the storm, protecting myself from the storm, finding a way out of the storm....One problem after another, one battle ends another begins.   But then I sit here, in my prayer room and find respite.  I find the presence of Jesus and know I am safe, no matter what storms rain down upon me.  There is a song  by Laura Story called "Blessings" it has a line in it that says:  "what if your blessings come through raindrops"  And it's so hard to look at the hardships and the downpours in life through the eyes of faith.  Especially when they seem to go on and on.  But that is what we are called to do.

After this shower at work, I walked out to my car for break and God had painted the most spectacular cloud formation in the sky (Mom loved these clouds of the Lord!).  After the storms, His light comes through.  But we have to look up to see it.  I feel like I get focused on the mess the storm leaves behind and scramble to fix it, but that is not what God desires.  Always, looking up is where the answers to our storms are found.  I wish you could see the beautiful beams of light reaching down, but this was taken with my phone, so they may not be as clear as I would like.

Lord, help us to hold on through the storms, to see You at work even when it hurts so badly, and the hurt is unrelenting.  Let us have the faith to know that You are working on our behalf, for our good and continue to remember how very, very much You love us.

Hebrews 11:1  What is faith?  It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going t happen.  It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.  

God's Decorating

This is my God visit as I drive to work everyday lately.  I travel along the parkway as see the lovely Queen Ann's Lace lining the roadway and the beauty of it just lets me know that God is there.  Even on a  busy Long Island road!!  

Prayer Closet Peace

I get up in the morning and the day starts busily.  Dishwasher to empty, cats to feed, laundry to start, litter box duty, pick up a few odds and ends.....and all this while I am waiting for that first, eye opening, delicious smelling cup of coffee to come out of the coffee maker.  It seems the days start fast and furious almost as soon as I drag my tired old (maybe not that old....it's all relative LOL) body out of bed.  I am not by any stretch of the imagination a morning person.  Oh thank goodness for that wonderful cup of coffee!!

But then, cup in hand I go to my quiet space with the God.  Prayer, study, fellowship, even this blog, it's all done stretched out on that same bed I dragged myself out of shortly before.  Something I've noticed lately is the sense of peace that descends when I walk back in that room to start my time with the Lord.  As I go to "visit" with my heavenly Father I find a quiet, comfortable, beautiful peace.  I love this!  I think what's happening is that as time goes on, as my relationship with Him develops and deepens, I am becoming more aware of His presence, and therefore His peace.  I have to credit this devotional "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young as a tool God used in waking my mind up to think about His presence more.  The Lord has worked through that book, opening me up to the peace of just sitting with Him.

Each and every day, I look forward to this special tranquility at the feet of Jesus.  I'd love to bring it through my day...unfortunately that doesn't happen as often as I like....but it's a work in progress!!

I want to encourage you my friends, don't give up.  It's taken me many years to get to this point.  It's so worth the struggle, the hard work and perseverance.  You may not get this peace instantly on your first, second or even hundreth time. Everything, from stuff outside---noises, people, electronic interruptions, or in my case feline interruptions, to voices inside, problems, worries, guilt, to do lists (a big one for me)....will try to squeeze out this time and this feeling, this knowing you are with the Father.  But keep at it.  Continue to spend this time with Him, whether it feels fruitful and peaceful or like a complete wash...it's not, it's soil preparing, seed planting, sprout watering, looking forward to the harvest time.

Lord, thank You.  You have done great things for me!!  I am so thrilled with this development in our relationship.  I pray each of us gets closer and closer to You, knowing more and more how close we are to You.  Help me to take this knowledge with me throughout the day, I pray we all grow in this area.

Decisions, From Mom

Meditate on, pray on, to make a choice, to take action.

2 Samuel 11:4  Then David sent messengers, and took her, and she came to him and he lay with her for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.

We can make wrong decisions when we are ruled by our appetites rather than godly discernment.  As a Christian we should not make snap judgments when feeling:

hungry---->                  H

    angry     ---->               A    

lonely     ---->               L

tired   ---->                   T

Take time to weigh a situation's merits and drawbacks.  Don't give Satan a toehold. Keep yourself fed, rational , in good company and rested.

Read Psalm 51

 Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
    you who are God my Savior,
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.
18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
    in burnt offerings offered whole;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

From me:

Decisions can be hard.  I do not have the greatest decision making track record.  Like David, I've made mistakes.  Things I wish I could change or erase.  When we do that we need to, like David, go to the Lord for forgiveness and then move on in our service to Him.  Some decisions are small, the consequences mild...like overeating for a day...other decisions are life altering, the consequences and results are major, and not easily fixed, if at all. Life has no delete key!  It's times like that we have to refer to and remember God's Word.   Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  And Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword.  Romans 8:38-39  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers,nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor death, nor any other created things, shall be able to separate us from the love or God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.   1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  

I make probably a hundred decisions a day.  You probably do too.  What to eat, what to wear, what chore to do first.  Most decisions aren't life changing in nature.  Some are more profound.  Do I get angry over what so and so said or did, or do I forgive and extend the hand of friendship?  Then there's the biggies....what job do I take, do I buy this house, who do  I marry....life changing.  Or the biggest of all...Do I give my life to Christ.  This one is life defining and eternity determining.  We've all heard it said..."just follow your heart."  God says the heart is deceitful above all things.  I am learning...and trying to follow peace.  What option do I have a peace about?  Do I feel the need to persevere in the face of opposition (as I did on a recent large decision), or do I sense disquiet and unease.  A leading away from one thing or another.   Peace is from God.  And the closer I stay to Him, the easier I am led in the right direction.  Will I still make mistakes, and go off on my own path?  Probably.  But I also know that God's hand will be right there to lead me back onto His road.

I am praying for all of us, that we make good, godly decisions.  Help us hear Your voice Lord, see Your visits to lead and guide us on the path of righteousness.  And Lord, I pray especially for those facing the biggest and most important decision of all, "Do I follow Jesus, take Him as my Savior and Lord?"  Lord, help them to say "yes."  It is in Your most holy and precious name I pray.  Thank You.

Death, From Mom

Mom took some time to write down her thoughts, feelings and study notes on death.  It's a "coincidence" that I come to this place in her journal this week being as her passing was so vividly recalled on Sunday when we sang Amazing Grace-My Chains Are Gone.  Our dear friends and family in the Lord had beautiful sang that song (at my Mom's request) during her wake.  It's a bittersweet reminder of saying a temporary good bye and the blessed freedom we have in Jesus Christ, both in this life and in next. all because of His amazing grace.  The thought in that song that we are have been set free, free to dance, to praise, to worship, to live in our Savior eternally fills me with joy for her, and eager anticipation for the future, when I reunite with Mom and all my loved ones both present and past, in the place prepared for us by the Lord.  So here's Mom's entry on death. Seems as always, she was focused on how to help others.  It was her desire to be a comfort and give hope to those coping with death of a loved one or coming closer to that day themselves.

For each "today" we are given and for the inevitable "tomorrow" that will come, we don't have to be afraid.

Jesus Christ is with all who trust Him and He will have the last word because He is risen from the dead.

When we don't know what to say!!

Job 6:14a  To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend.  

We need from our loved ones, family-

Job 6:11  What strength do I have, that I should hope?  And what is my end, that I should prolong my life?  
Job 6:14...kindness

and above all else, show love.

2 Corinthians 5:1-11  For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down--when we die and leave these bodies--we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself and not by human hands.  We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.  For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies.  Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and have no bodies at all.  We want to slip into our new bodies so that theses dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life.  God Himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee He has given us His Holy Spirit.  So we are always confident, even thought we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.  That is why we live by believing and not by seeing.  yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.  So our aim is to please Him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body.  For we must all stand before Christ to be judged.  We will each received whatever we deserves for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.  It is because we know this solemn fear of the Lord that we work so hard to persuade others, God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too.

Mom referenced her journal entry on "Aging", which consisted of a page from Our Daily Bread devotional by RBS.  I will just finish with the end of that devotional  (You can read the whole entry on March 18, 2014 in the Archives)

From Our Daily Bread.

"He's gone 'to prepare a place for you,'

that where He is, 'there you may be.'

Our death is not the end of life--

We'll be with Christ eternally." --Hess

Death is gain because it means heaven, holiness and Him!

The Lesson Is Still Going!

I like a clean house before I go on vacation.  Not that we are going away, but I don't like to sit and look a messy place while I am trying to enjoy some relaxing time off from work and away from the frazzled time race that I call my life.  So my plan was to spend some time with the Lord and then start to clean.  Of course my husband starts cleaning up while I am with the Lord.  And yes I appreciate this....but then sneaks in the guilt.  The voices in my head start..."you are just sitting hear reading, you should be helping, you should do this now!!" 

And thank You my Lord and thank you Sarah Young for today's reading in Jesus Calling.  It addressed, specifically, right on point, exactly, to a tee, this issue!!  God is amazing!! 

Two sentences Sarah wrote:   "This time alone with Me is essential for unscrambling your thoughts and smoothing our the day before you."   "Be willing to fight for this precious time with Me."  These words just quieted the voices clamoring for activity.  I so needed to hear these truths.  Whether is our own desire to stay in bed (as Sarah pointed out), guilt for not "being productive" (from a human standpoint that is), the enemy sending a thousand distractions our way....whatever....it is imperative that we fight for this time alone with the Lord.  Our spirits need this the way our bodies need air. 

So I loved this reading.  It was so poignant and so reassuring.  It's happening again right now...I can hear all the busyness of the day going on in the house...but I need Jesus.  I need this time to connect to my heavenly Father.  Everything else will take care of itself, in His time.  I need not worry.  And neither do you reader!  Take your time with the Lord...whether it's a few minutes or a few hours or somewhere in between...take time to breath Him in, soak up His presence and bask in His love.  Then grab hold of His hand and let Him lead you through the day. 

Thank You for the encouragement and reminder Father.  There is no where else I'd rather be that with You, there is no where else that I need to be that is more important than with You.  When I stress over time restraints, let me refocus on You.  When things need to be done, remind me I can do whatever I need through You...and if it doesn't get done, then it will tomorrow.  Nothing is more productive than my time with You.  And thank You for teaching me this. 



 

Connection...continued

It seems to be a theme for me.  I think the Lord is trying to get me to the place where I truly am aware of our connection all day, everyday.  And I pray for this, to remain aware of this love tie to Him...in every second, every detail of my day...keeping Him in the forefront of my thoughts...each step, each task, each breath for Him and through Him.  This is an ongoing practice on my part. 

So from June 27th's Jesus Calling...the author tells us:  "The highest level of trust is to enjoy Me [Jesus]  moment by moment."

I keep going back to sitting quietly with Him.  The reference verse Psalm 143:8  Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.  What a beautiful painting of  a moment in time....of quietly focusing on the Lord in the early morning start of the day, waiting on Him to reveal Himself, to bring His loving hand to our souls, our day....I can think of no better way to start my walk through the next 24 hours!

Lord, we wait for You.  We start our day in Your presence.  Use us for Your purpose and Your glory.  In Jesus name.  Amen. 

First Love

Revelation 2:4  Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 

Our Elder John is preaching on the book of Revelation Sunday mornings.  It is a fascinating series....I mean who doesn't like to hear teaching on this mysterious, often confusing book.  So this was the section we were on this recent Sunday, where Jesus addresses the churches. 

So I come to June 24th's Jesus Calling devotional:  "Hold My hand--and trust.  So long as you are conscious of My Presence with you, all is well", was the first line.  And the two statements....the first from Revelation, the second from the devotional just clicked together for me...fitting like puzzle pieces into the picture of God's design. 

To stay "in love" with Jesus means to stay connected to Him, to remain conscious of His presence in my life, during my day.  So how do I do that?  Well, I got my answer from the first reference verse given:  Isaiah 41:10  Fear not for I am with you;  Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. 

It's something God does.  He stays with me.  He upholds me.  My job is to continue to take notice of that.  Also something that came up in my spirit as I was studying, meditating on all this was that I need to rid myself of the notion that sitting quietly in His presence, (basically practicing being in touch with the Lord, focusing on Him) is non-productive time.  These precious moments of quietly sitting at the feet of Jesus can open us up to more awareness of Him each day...get us more in tune with His Spirit in us and around us.  They set the very essence of the day. 

I love when God builds His visits to me. It starts with one line in a sermon, then a reading is layered a top that and a thought or feeling on that....it's a beautiful picture of God's hand reaching in our lives, directing, correcting, shaping and loving us.  Watch today for His building in your own lives!!  Let's sit at His feet for a spell and open our spirits up to His presence. 

Thank You Lord for You presence.  Help me to  stay aware, to make the effort to be in communion with You...You supply all my needs, You give me purpose and life.  Nothing compares with You. 

Psalm 62:5-6  My soul waits silently for God alone; for my expectation is from Him.  He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. 

Computer Problems

Hi.  I know it's been a while...I feel like I've been away for so long.  If anyone has read my little bio thingy you know how I am with technology....ugh!!!  My computer picked up some kind of virus and I was unable to use it, including doing this blog.  Well, the computer is fixed now.  The problem is they had to do a system wipe and reset...and now I have to figure out how to get back all my "normal" stuff on here....it's a love/hate relationship with me and anything electronic sans the coffee maker !! 

So thank you all for being patient with me...I  definitely have some sharing to do.  I hope and pray that those posts will bless and encourage you and help you know that you are not alone on this up and down, sometimes foggy up ahead path with Jesus.