thankful for my every remembrance of you...

to my dearest,
Among the baby girl curls and baby giggles and three hairy boys so animated it turns any bad day into a good one, among family and friends and a million simple little things that hit my radar now, among 365 ordinary days that spans a year, among my continuous maze of thought and chatter, a 'you got mail' stopped me in my tracks and a prayer unfolded in an answer.

Thank you for risking all.  Thank you for your thoughts, for your intelligence, for your honor.  Thank you for your ears, for your study of His Word, for your love of God.  I greatly admire these traits in you and that you would share them with me.  God has truly blessed me with you.  That is heavy.

Philippians 1:3-11
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with JOY, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of Grace.  For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.  And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in the knowledge and all discernment,  that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the firsts of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

always keeper

Thanksgiving - language of respect

Thanksgiving for me has been a continue study for me.  It gives JOY the energy and fire inside.  But most recently I have found that Thanksgiving is the language of respect, honor, and nobility.  Thanksgiving is the language of kings.... more importantly stated as the language of the Kings of kings.  Ahhh, as believers of the One True God, we are royalty!  Imagine that!  Thanksgiving should be on the tips of our tongues

Psalms 92

1  It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night,


So why aren't we using more thanksgiving in our speech to our co workers and bosses?  to our friends and family?  to other believers in the Body of Christ?  Why have we become so lazy in our speech and let criticism be our first greeting?  Where is that "holy kiss greeting"?  Maybe that needs to be brought back into our culture...


Pride and criticism cannot be where there is a thankful heart.  Interesting...

his presence - my present ...

Do you know what makes me happy?  His presence.   He lives on the other side of the world but his presence is in his emails or in the his voice on the telephone or in a letter.  It is like he walks into a room full of people and I am there a wallflower of course.  He searches for me until our eyes lock and dance as we find home.  It is like a song that lifts me up and makes me walk a little taller with my feet walking on air.  It is like a hot coal that warms the recesses of my heart making my cheeks warm and revs up my thoughts.  It is like a breeze that ever so lightly touches the skin, like his hand that wipes away a fleeting tear and lifts my chin.  His presence makes me happy. {happy sigh} Just a little happy that I am thankful for.

bones need to be broken today!

In my little kingdom there is no assassinations shooting from the aggressive tongue to zap a happy mood and no invites that make the quiet and reserve go in a panic trying to say no in the most happy and gentle way.  All is well in my kingdom.  Even if the rains are staying for the four day, you are free to get down in some warm toasty sweats and brush out your hair.  Hot pea soup has been cooking just waiting for you to warm the belly.  Blankets are waiting to snuggle up with you.  You are free to read or crochet or listen to some oh so friendly 50's music.  If the music does the trick, you will be up on your feet swinging the blanket around as partner.  Don't you feel better?  I see that smile and your eyes have brighten.

Now tomorrow you shall be ready with a gentle tongue.  Keep your Defender close.  Send Him to the door.

~~~ ***~~~

"... a gentle tongue breaks a bone." 

Proverbs 25:5

"How can anyone enter a Strong Man's house and carry off His possessions 

unless he ties up the Strong Man?  

Then he can rob His house.  

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."  

Matthew 12:29-30

"Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children.

And walk in LOVE,

as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us,

an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma.

Ephesians 5:1-2

I know why I'm not a good speller...

You go about your life wondering why you struggle in an area.  You see it at a negative.  Nothing good will come from it.  Until out of the blue God lets you in on the reason.

I love English.  I enjoy a good story and a well crafted word picture.  I am a poet.  My best thoughts comes in by the eyes and through the brain and out through my fingers and onto a white blue lined paper or the white screen.  I have a BA degree in English Education. However, my biggest struggle is the spelling.  I can see the front letters and the caboose letters but in the middle they run together.  Unfortunately, phonetics was not the trend of the day.  I find it embarrassing in front of others.  I love the dictionary though and I am not afraid to use it.  I love the iMac and now the ios5 update for the ipod touch because the dictionary is right there at your finger tips and you don't have to run and lug out the dictionary. I have always meant to reteach myself in spelling but there are always more interesting things to do.

It was Saturday night and the curtain opens up on a scene where the church singles had gathered together for food (yuck), fun, and football (yuck).   One of the girls was commenting on Mrs. So & So from the Ukraine that had written 'Couch So & So' instead of 'Coach So & So'.  I could not believe my ears!  Not only do I like Mrs. So & So, I consider her a rising friend of mine.  First of all believers are not to make fun of other believers or others in general.  I work out there in the world and I am tired of all the backbiting.  Being with believers should be a place to relax and enjoy others.   Second, my life has been filled with multicultural friends.  My Vietnamese high school friend is always calling me asking me English questions.  English is one of the hardest languages to learn.  The rules are not always cut and dry.  I went home quite upset about the comments.  Then I realized why I am bad speller.

I am a quiet observer and a hearty listener.  I know how to ask the questions.  I ultimately want others to feel safe in my presence.  I don't want them to hide.  The real person is Eternal not some misspelled word.

Courageous

Ten stars!

I first saw the previews back in the spring and teared up.  I had to see this movie.  Then this summer while  having a play date with mom, I saw the book and pointed it out to Mom.  The author is a favorite of mine after reading "Deadline" by Randy Alcorn.  This definitely would be a good movie.  Mom was all excited to get this book for Dad.  I said I wasn't sure he would enjoy it.  Dad is a avid reader but not so much novels.  Mom got it and gave it to Dad on his birthday.  Dad loved it and he even asked why we got him the book.  I told him that I told Mom that I didn't he would enjoy it but so glad that I am wrong.

I haven't read the book YET but I did love the movie.  There is a great mix up laughter and even tears.  My favorite part was when Javier Martinez went to get a job and was turned down at the construction sight.  He is talking aloud to God and Adam Mitchell calls out his name.  Adam doesn't know Javier.  All Adam knows is that a Javier was suppose to help with building a shed.  My Dad's favorite scene is when Javier gets all crazy in the back of the cop car.  That is good too.  Oh, Dad says the book is better than the movie.  So of course, read the book too!

It is a story of fathers.  It is a story of loss.  It is a story of faith.  It is a story of making the right decisions even if it hurts and it feels like you are betraying a friend.  It is about making family memories and to cherish each moment you have with your love ones.  It is a story of commitment and not being afraid or being afraid but trusting God.

I recommend this for all fathers and for the women who stand with them.  Being a strong and honorable dad is tough in these last days.  They need all the encouragement they can get.  Girls, let them know they are successful my the light of your eyes and up curve of your smile.  Support good family friendly and faith building movies!!! Let them know we want more!

spirit for life's hard balls ...

Mom told me over the weekend that Dad is struggling with work.  The boss came in and wants to bring a younger guy to head up the team that my Dad is in charge of.  My Dad is very diligent and puts a lot of pride into what he does.  Now he has a weight on his heart.  I am frustrated.  He doesn't need anymore health issues to kick up at this time of his life.

Then I realized what Chuck Swindoll had said about Daniel ~ "The employer will notice your spirit before he will notice your diligence." ~ is right on.  When the hard balls or the fast balls come into your life, your diligence will not rise up and meet it rather it is your spirit.  You can cop a bad attitude or you can choose to be more relaxed and soft.  I totally got it.

I was a bit concerned because diligence is such a good word and such a good characteristic to have.  I am tenacious and I think it is a kin to persistence.  However, if you can keep love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control (Galatians 5:16-22) on the front lines then it makes room for the diligence and tenacity to cover the rear guard.

I've been whispering under my breath that a gentle spirit comes before diligence to keep reminding myself when the boss gets a bit feisty.  My prayer for my Dad during this time is for his spirit to reflect the Fruit of the Spirit along with that heaviness on his heart to go away...

Dolphin Tale

"Dolphin Tale" is wonderful story and a 9.5 for me.  It is a great mix of laughter and I must admit a smidgen of tears.  If you like an underdog story like me, this is for you.

I did go to this movie with a heavy heart.  I had just heard that a dear young lady that I had been praying for is finished with cancer treatments and nothing more can be done.  Her wish is to swim with the dolphins before she goes home to see Jesus.  I haven't met this girl but her smile is warm and irresistible.  So I was a bit preoccupied.

Good ol' Rufus just about steals the show from Winter, the dolphin.  Who is Rufus?  A pelican who loves mischief and will make you laugh.

So what is this story about?  It is about dealing with loss... and rising above it to smile again.

You will have a choice to see it in 2D or 3D.  I prefer 2D and why would you have to see it in 3D?  It is a story and it enough for me.

spirit before diligence ...

I was in a terrible state of mind.  The backlog of work and the cantankerous computer was weighing on my thoughts as I felt my world was sliding down the drain.  I was all excited with the new system update because I could do it.  I wasn't afraid.  I wanted to let it rip.  I had a week's work to put in the system because the higher ups didn't shut down production even with a shaky economy.  I would have done things differently so my employees could be more successful and happy.  Opps, I'm the employee not the boss so I had to work with what was given.  Last week I felt that this new update was like having a bright red shiny car with no engine.  The desk that I like leaving clean was messy with things not done.  Requests were filling up my conscious.  Would I ever catch up?  Would I ever be on top and ahead of the game so that the nagging would stop?

Needless, to say this gentle quiet spirit that dislikes drama felt the fire kicking up to a full roar.  It showed too.  Not good at all.  It has taken a long time to have this calm and here I was feeling the friction between the boss and me.  I was coming home mad at myself.  I knew better and yet I was letting this get to me.  I know that this drama would not matter in Eternity only how I handled myself would.

Yesterday I did catch up for the most part.  Today I feel even better.  I am back to the gentle quiet spirit. I hate having learned the long tough way and feel I like I have fallen backwards.  I think I discovered something.  Chuck Swindoll has been talking about Daniel yesterday and today.  Swindoll said something that really got me to thinking about my spirit and how my boss is seeing me.

I work for a very challenging female boss.  Her basic demeanor is gruff.  A lot of times she shoots from the hip and comes off in an accusing manner.  She can be abusive even though I am sure she doesn't mean to be.  I tried to get away from her and was able to work in another department for awhile until the economy tanked and I was let go.  In order to have a job I had to work for her.  I was hoping for a temporary time of it but it doesn't look like there will be any way of escape.  I have come to terms with it all by the language of thanksgiving.  When I thanked God for the job I hated and for the boss that was making the me seethe, then God gave me a calm.

So what did Swindoll say that got me to thinking about these past two weeks?  "The employer will notice your spirit before he will notice your diligence."  (Chuck Swindoll on Daniel's behavior)  I had to think about this and I still am.  See, I notice if I can stay even keel and calm and not respond negatively to the terse words the boss flings about like free candy thrown at the local fair parade, she doesn't get mad at me and let lose.  I think that just might be the spirit Chuck was talking about.  I don't understand why diligence would be second to spirit but I know when I pose this question to God, He comes with epiphanies and lessons to get excited about learning it.
（*＾〜＾*）

'precautious'

My life is a bit chaotic all because they updated the operating system that my work is using.  I have no fear when it comes to computers so that isn't the problem.  I do fear the boss.  I am under such a backlog that drives me insane.  So to keep my tiny nose just above the rushing water all around me, I keep my precious nose pointed towards anything that buoy's my sorry backside.  Last Wednesday it was the beautiful dusky sunset that my Heavenly Father gave me after the computer and the rainy dash to the stores.  This Wednesday morning it came in the form of the love or silliness of words.

I have started to catch up on news and such from DownUnder because the RadioAlarm App on my iPod has made it easy to stay tuned in to my friend's world.  I happened upon this little show called Adventures in English with Sue Belinda Meehan.  If I can't listen to it because it is early morning for me, I will catch it later online.  I get a kick out how fun it makes English and it helps that I am a bit partial.

Do you know what 'to poodle' means?  It is two words put together - putter and tootle.

put•ter (Brit. pot•ter) verb
occupy oneself in a desultory but pleasant manner, doing a number of small tasks or not concentrating on anything particular : late nights is the best time of the day to putter around the craft room.
• [with adverbial of direction] move or go in a casual, unhurried way : the duck putters on the surface of the pond.


too•tle verb  (I thought Sue Belinda said this word came from England too)
[intrans.] informal go or travel in a leisurely way : they were tootling along the coast.


Sue Belinda said 'to poodle' has origins from England.  I think her mother would use the term a lot.  This is the first time I have heard it used this way.  I think it is quite enjoyable!  I now have three fun words that are related and I shall have a ball using them.

One of the questions posed to Sue Belinda had a running theme through out the hour.  Of course us bad yanks just messed up the language.  ARgh!  So is precautious a word?  The answer was no!  It is doubling up on a word.  If you are already cautious, how can you be cautious beforehand?  Ok, understood.  If you write the word, spell check says it isn't a word but it is in the American Dictionaries especially the older ones.  The newer dictionaries are moving away from them.  I did get out of my nice comfy bed to see if my dictionary had it.  It sure did.  I kept thinking about the word.  It is a bit weird on the tongue but I think I have heard it used in everyday language.  I know I have heard precaution and precautionary before and a lot.  I fired off a tweet but they didn't respond.  It was a hoot.  I think I will try to pay more attention to those silly words.

The other intriguing conversation was this blind man who was teaching young blind children a computer language program.  He was using a program from America and the kids were having a hard time spelling words because of the American accent.  My ears perked and my eyes rolled as a Yank hearing Aussies yack on about how they use 'r' and 'shaw' sounds as extras where in America we just pronounce the words with no extra sounds.  I am thinking how hard spelling must be in Australia with all those extra sounds that are not in the word.  They were making it sound that their extra sounds was the best and there should be no problems with spelling.  Did you know that Aussies pronounce calf with a 'r' in it?

Anyways I latched on what a delight it was to learn about English and the nuances that come from England, Australia, and America.  I love words.  I love learning.  This was a treat and a thanksgiving to carry with me though the stressful days I have been having.

One last interesting tidbit:
English is the most spoken second language.

Welcome Riley Jane

By the light of the oil lamp Jessica nursed baby Shalom.  The flickering flames streaked her hair in light and dark.  It cast shadows across her profile as she smiled tenderly down at him, and illuminated her bare shoulder and the top of his downy head.  She saw me watching and smiled.  "You never know," she said.
"What?"
"How much God loves you until you have one of these of your own.  Then you begin to understand."
~a conversation between two sisters, Jessica and Loralei in Brock and Bodie Thorne's book "The Gathering Storm."

I have been praying for a young mother and for the little girl that made her arrive afternoon today this very thing.  Baby Riley has made safe passage into this world and I am praying that her young mother and young father would be sooooo moved to be overwhelmed by the miracle of life and to seek out the Author of Life.

I received the welcomed news from baby Riley's grandfather.  I could just picture this 6'4" man holding this tiny bundle of 7lbs 12oz much like my own father and grandfather held the baby me so long ago.  There is a sense of time stopping and the an awe of something precious that tugs at the heart making everything still.  

"I was holding her most of the evening.  Riley fell asleep on my chest for a couple of hours."


oh!!!!!!!!!!

churlish

I enjoy a good word when I hear one.   The other day I heard this one and I had to indulge myself in a bit of word candy.

The word was used about Abigail's husband, Nabal who was churlish.  The use was a big give away and has a negative meaning.  I sure wouldn't want that label.  What I like about this word is the way it comes out over the tongue.

I was listening to Sue-Belinda/Adventures in English on 612 Brisbane.  She said that spelling needs to be taught in five ways.
1.  the way it looks
2.  the way it sounds
3.  the way it feels as you write it
4.  word family - what other words are related to it
5.  memory tricks

If I don't pay attention to the way it looks, the 'h' would hide and I would see curl and say it that way.  Opps!  I love the way it sounds and you really can push out the 'ch' and 'r' which makes it sound rude like its meaning.  I can hear the sneer.

churl  noun.  \ˈchər(-ə)l\   rude person
Churl used to mean an ordinary man opposed to royalty.


churlish adj. \ˈchər-lish\ rude


A memory trick for me almost sounds like vomit.  Instead of hurling how about 'churling'.  Ok, I know that isn't a word but it should be.  


Hope you like this word as much as I have!!!!

Call Upon Me

I am quite frustrated that the NYC mayor has decided to keep all religions out the 911 10th Anniversary Reflection Memorial. I do not mind all the religions part but the ultimate COST is the taking out of God and having a personal relationship with the Almighty in a great time of need.

Who better than God to call on when fire and destruction are licking at your heels? Why take Him out of the equation when He still can be found? What a disservice to our founding fathers and those who ran through the man made fire and hell here on earth and straight into the Mighty Arms of God because they had a personal relationship with the God of Salvation?

"For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You." Psalm 86:5

"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.h Psalm 50:15

"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth." Psalm 145:18

"As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me." Psalm 55:16

"Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live." Psalm 116:2

"He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him." Psalm 91:15

"Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near." Isaiah 55:6

What a sad day it is when we remember the tragic day but refuse to remember the God Most High with our trust and obedience.

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You." Psalm 9:9&10

what a way to go!

Whew!  All the 911 stuff brings up a lot of feelings.  A question has come to mind as I hear the stories all over again.  If I had a hubby who called me to tell me good bye before he met the Lord, what would I say?

The answer comes quickly.  Psalms 23 seems top on everyone's list but for me it would be Psalms 100.  This particular Psalms gives such strength and gives you something constructive to do when chaos is raining down all around you and when you feel the fires heat bear down your neck and when you feel the foundations give way .....

Psalms 100
Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands.

The battle is the Lord's.  What is a joyful shout but a battle cry?  

Serve the Lord with gladness;

... even in difficult times, even in a blaze of fire, even when you storm the terrorist in a plane headed for the White House, even if you are all alone gasping for the next breath of air,...

come before His Presence with singing.

Singing changes your brain for the better even if all you can get out is a few whimpering notes... He hears you.  He is with you.  He is singing over you.  Can't you hear Him singing?

Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

We were made by His Hand and He has plans for us.  We are weak.  He is strong.  He is our Hope and all we have to do is trust and obey Him.  What a Great Shepherd He is.  We are NEVER EVER FORSAKEN!  Keep marching onward! 

Enter into His Gates with Thanksgiving, and into His Courts with Praise, be thankful to Him, and bless His Holy Name.

If is time to go on into Glory what better way to do so than with thanksgiving when meeting God face to face.  If is time to stay here and come before Him in prayer and all is taken from my hand, it is His plan not my own and I will come before Him and thank Him for what I did have and will wait upon the Lord for what is and is to come.

For the Lord is good; His Mercy is everlasting, and His Truth endures to all generations.

Yes, the kids will know not only their earthy father but their Heavenly Father as well.  God is both Protector and Provider.  We shall meet again.  I have the memories.  We serve and love the One True God.  Those who come behind us will know of our love for each other but more importantly for our Lord and Master.

The visuals are overloading my mind as I step into the 'shoes'.  I am sure the emotions would be raw and the cracks would be in my voice but what strength I find in Psalms 100 and would want to give it out to my loved ones whether or not it was me facing the my final (finest) hours or it was my loves ones.  

O to enter HIS GATES a shouting!!!!!  with all the JOY within me bursting out of all my seams!  What a way to go!!!!  

There Is a Mystery in Human Hearts

There is a mystery in human hearts,
And though we be encircled by a host
Of those who love us well and are beloved,
To every one of us, from time to time,
There comes a sense of utter loneliness.
Our dearest friend is 'stranger' to our joy,
And cannot realize our bitterness.
"There is no one who really understands,
No one to enter in all I feel";
Such is the cry of each of us in turn
We wander in a 'solitary way.'
No matter what or where our lot may be,
Each heart, mysterious even to itself,
Must live its inner life in solitude.
And would you know the reason why this is?
It is because the Lord desires our love,
In every heart He wishes to be first,
He therefore keeps the secret key Himself,
To open all its chambers and to bless
With perfect sympathy and holy peace,
Each solitary soul which comes to Him.
And when beneath some heavy cross you faint,
And say, "I cannot bear this load alone," you say the truth.
God made it purposely
So heavy that you must return to Him,
The bitter grief, which 'no one understands,'
Conveys a secret message from the King,
Entreating you to come to Him again.
You cannot come too often or too near.
The God of Mercy is infinite in grace,
His Presence satisfies the longing soul
And those who walk with Him from day to day
Can never have 'a solitary way.'
~author unknown


I groin heavily in my solitary way.  There is something distinctive about presence especially when it someone captures your mind, heart and soul.  When that presence is gone for too many days, an undertow pulls the heart down.  What a comfort that there is a PRESENCE that is bigger than any other.  What fullness of JOY.  What a pleasure to bask in His Smile and to have His Arms enfold me close.  {joyful sigh}  Psalms 16:11

keep the faith ...

Our new church of a year has celebrated its 175th birthday yesterday.  Hearing all the cool history was great and seeing it was cool.  This was back before Abraham Lincoln was known.  There was a 200 year old Bible from one of the members that was written in Old English.  WOW!!  As I was taking it all in a whisper kept calling me so much so that I had to tell it here.

~~~ Huge photos of yesteryear blown up huge on either side of me on walls.  The eyes are drawing me in and I am trying to hear what they are trying to say to me. Can you hear what they are saying?  Could it be the same thing the early church said and echos through the channels of history?
"Keep the faaaaaaith....  Keeeeep the faaaaaaith ..... keeeeeep the faith..... KEEP THE FAITH! Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap a harvest if we faint not. " Galatians 6:9 ~~~

I know a bit "Dead Poet's Society" but that was what I was hearing inside my head.  Matthew 24 has been on my mind lately.  All around me I see the Love growing cold and it makes me shiver inside.  I don't know how are young are going to survive!

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,  but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  Matthew 24:12&13


What a tall order in these days but I must keep the faith.  I must keep the love.  I must keep the gratitude.  I want that crown of JOY.  I want those behind me to see His Path.... and want His Love for themselves....

presence ...

"Thy Presence is fullness of Joy."

When that special someone walks into the room, you feel like your insides are inside out beaming.  A twinkle flashes in your eyes.  A smile rests upon your lips.  After the flutter a peaceful calm overtakes your beating heart.  Everything is alright.

When the presence is gone for awhile, you begin to wilt and fade.  Life is harder.  Choices make no sense.  The feet begin to drag.  The eyes begin to weep.  

Today I knew that work was going to be a bit crazy and for some reason I am feeling a bit soft.  I think it is the stage of life I am going through and the allergies I am trying to get through this hot miserable summer make me extra tired and frustrated.  I am doing pretty good yet I feel a fragile crack could surface.  

I have a special someone that makes me feel full and 'purry' (made up word!) like a cat with a tummy full of milk.  I like the hearing him laugh through the email.  I enjoy him.  I love his presence.  He is a bit out of pocket at the moment but I don't want that add to the drag I am feeling.

I kept whispering "Thy Presence is fullness of JOY" ~ Psalms 16:11.  I needed God today.  At nighttime I feel His Comfort when I remember that He will never leave me nor forsake me.  I will curl up under the covers and fall asleep assured of His Faithfulness every night. ~ Psalms 92:2  That is good for evening but I wanted to feel that glow of LovingKindness come walking through the door.  I want that Hello and that Hand in my hand.  I want His Mighty Arms around me.  That is why I am so thankful for the Most High.  Morning and evening He is Ever near.  I need to remember to greet Him with open arms every morning and pull Him close every evening.  

Thank You for loving me and keeping me, oh My Savior!

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

and to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High;

To declare Your LovingKindness in the morning,

and Your Faithfulness every night.

~ Psalms 92:1&2


You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with JOY in Your Presence,
with Eternal Pleasures at Your Right Hand.
~Psalms 16:11

taking a wife ...

Cancer took another wife today.  Yes, women are like a fine china teacup and men are sturdy ruff and tuff  fill a man's hand coffee mug but when it comes to death taking a spouse I always thought a woman could handle it better.  No, they don't want too but to be male and to be the left behind seems so painfully fragile.

"A wife of noble character who can find/
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value,
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
Charm is deceptive,
and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."
Proverbs 31:10, 11, 12, 25, 30

"A wise woman builds her house"
"those who plan good find love & faithfulness."
Proverbs 14:1, 22

who will help me?

An interesting conversation came up when I went down to help finish up the odds and ends of my little brother's classroom.  He is a counselor for emotionally challenged kids and this year they moved the alternative school to an abandoned elementary school.  He was excited to get a classroom where he could spread out a bit and to keep it a place where kids can come in and relax.  He cannot use any time to prep the room.  He has to focus his time on his kids.  I jumped at the chance to help him flesh out his vision on my days off from my job.

It was Friday before school started for the year.  I arrived 9:30AM and he gave me the low down of what he wanted to finish for the day.  So I set about cutting out maps and other things as he was dragged off to help newbies.  In fact he spent most of his time helping others out.  He was frustrated that he couldn't spend more time helping me get his room in order.  I kept telling him that was the reason I came to help.  I was that extra body.  We didn't finish until 8:30PM.

He still fussed a bit saying that "I am helping everyone else and I can't get my stuff done.  Who helps me?" What blurted out of my mouth was quite profound because I spent no time thinking about it.  "You help others and they can't help you but you have other helpers that come along to help you that you probably won't be able to help back.  You 'help' it forward like the pay it forward concept." The minute I said it I knew that I did not believe it to be true.  It just feels that you help and help and where is your help?  I truly knew how he felt.

Even two weeks since, I am still weighing it out.  I know myself well enough to know that I am a helper through and through.  I have the mother instinct and can sense danger before it happens and does something about it.  I have this mother protecter instinct and to think I have no kids.  I am a first born so it does come naturally.  Now that my siblings and I are adults I find that I am now a family keeper trying to keep us all together as life wants to pull us apart.  I notice that this helper instinct is my spiritual gift.  I can come along a leader or someone who needs help and know what to do to help bring their dream alive.  We all need help even helpers.  So what do you do when you are feeling empty and at wits end?

I know that God is my Help.  Hiding away His Word in my heart and resting in His Assurances is a must.  When I am full I can bubble over and fill others .... 

God Sent Me You

sung by: Blake Sheldon
lyrics by: Dave Barnes


I’ve been a walking heartache
I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be

But you stay here right beside me
And watch as the storm blows through
And I need you
Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
Gave me you

There’s more here than what we’re seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You’ll always be love’s great martyr
And I’ll be the flattered fool
And I need you

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you

On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo

Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you, gave me you.
He gave me you. 


~~~~~~~


{{{hmmm}}}