Blue Cloud ...

I am in love!  I am in love!!  I am in love!!!  Can you tell?  I am in love!!!   I am going to sound just like a wine connoisseur!  You know the ones who twirl the juice around in their glasses, the ones that sniff, and the ones that taste by swishing and spitting out the wine.  They then proclaim they can taste rain or some fruit or maybe it taste a feeling like maybe it was rustic.  I just cannot phantom all those tastes in some fermented grape juice!  That is until now....  that is what love is all about.

My house is full of multi beiges and this washed out beige pale sick green.  I lived 16 years of beige.  I want crisp white.  I like it stark and cool.  But for one room I want something different than white so I was thinking a grey that is all the rage.  However grey can be too boring or it can even have a base of green in it.  I was struggling.  See I have this really cool room that gets a lot of sun with vaulted ceiling.  It also has a sliding glass door.  It gets real hot in there. I want this to be my library and where I house my iMac.  I want it to cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  I want this room to inspire me.  I want to get lost in my thoughts and to be able to daydream all the while with my fingers dancing out my thoughts and dreams upon my silver keyboard.

I thought I would find a perfect grey but the paint cards I was bringing home were shades of dusty blue.    They would change to green in certain lights.   Some were too bright.  Some too dark.  Most not grey at all.  The days were counting down to my paint vacation.  I had to make a decision and fast.

I walked into my home improvement store and found an all in one paint.  Then I found the color.  I bought it and came home with it.  It is a bit DARK!  I thought my house was going to be white!  I hoped others would like it too.  I had taken far too long in deciding the paint color and I needed to power through!  I have got to get this house done.  I have to get the jeep inside the garage before winter.  I am taking far too long getting this done.  Never mind that I had foot injury keeping me out of the of commission for those first two months.

I put this dark blue color on the walls.  No turning back now.  In the midst of it I looked out into my living room and noticed this same blue in my furniture.  Then I realized this same blue is my white dishes.  Duh!  No wonder I didn't flip flop.  I picked this color and just went with it!  This is my ultimate favorite social color!  It is calming - something I hope others see in me.

This color that is on my library walls is called Blue Cloud.  I describe it as the color an oil artist would pick for those chilly mountain scene.  When the sun shines full on it is a bold strong blue.  When it night out and you turn on a low lamp, it has soft accent of purple.  If you turn on the overhead light, there is a rich red berry tone that echoes.  Creamy white window treatments and carpet gives a good pop.  Reds compliment.  Dark woods make it rich.  Silver makes it elegant.

Now all I need to find is a beautiful corner desk so that I can put the iMac there so that on side I have the window and the other side have the sliding glass door.  Then I can take it all in and then exhale through my fingers and onto the screen.

My brain is soothed and energized by Blue Cloud paint.  I cannot help but BEAM I am so in love!!!

paint here, paint there, paint on my feet...

What a difference it makes when you have a comrade in arms!  I have had the grumps this week and I think it had to do with just missing someone special.  I crave partnership and I have found that I work better about the house when I can do it with someone.  I feed off their energy.   I also know how to do the supportive undertones.  Mmmmm, duets fascinate me.  I love to harmonize.

I took the day off and I wasn't sure how today would end up.  I had Mom come over and we painted my craft cave white.  I should love painting because I love to paint on glass.  I just wasn't sure I wanted to do it with walls and have a mess.  I have these paint nightmares that you make a little mess here and when  you go to clean it up, the mess grows and grows...... Yikes!!!

With one gallon of white ceiling paint left by the previous owners, we had Menards spin the paint which they did for free.  I now have the start of white walls to my craft cave.  I must get another lamp.  It totally brightens up the place.  I wanted everything white so that I can take pictures down there.  My craft furniture and storage is mostly white.  I do not care if it is toooo much white.  I love it.

When Mom left I realized my brain had a wonderful vacation from over thinking and I am feeling pretty happy!  There is just something about having another person around helps lighten the load.  So as I look forward to a holiday weekend, I think I have enough fuel to put on a second coat of paint all by myself and maybe this time I won't get it on the bottom of my feet!

He tells me I am His own...

A hot shower wakes up my brain but sadness lingers in my soul. Songs and hymns have always chased darkness away allowing Light to enter. A split second ticks ♪ "and He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own" ♪. How perfect!

I have Someone Who walks with me. I'm not alone! I have Someone Who talks with me. He knows my thoughts and isn't afraid! He tells me what to do even if it is to wait. I belong to to Someone. This misfit isn't an outcast! I had to pour out my gratitude to my Heavenly Father.

Dearest Heavenly Father,
This is where I struggle most.  I desire at the very least a mental soul partnership yet I am a loner.  I can't stand herds or going with the in crowd but I crave that one on one connection.  I was a melancholy until I realized that my voice needed to sing.  You brought someone into my life yet as he roves I am here alone with You.  Thank You for walking with me on my journey.  Thank You for listening and speaking.  You are comfort and peace to a heavy withering old soul.  Thank You for creating me even if everything I am doesn't fit that well.  There is a reason and a purpose for my life.  Thank You for keeping me.  You are the Great Keeper and Lover of my heart and soul.   Thank You for this blog.  I often meet You here as my thoughts form and fly out through my fingers.  Your Ways are secret and higher than mine.  I long to stop striving!  I long to simply and peacefully rest in YOUR ALMIGHTY ARMS!!!!
always Yours,
little keeper

Prayer of Salvation …

I heard this story second hand so I'll try to retell it the best that I can.

"A pastor said that no one gets saved without someone else saying a prayer for you.

A man boldly proclaimed that it was not true. He had no family nor friends that made that prayer for him.

Later when he got married his soon to to be parents-in-law welcomed him into the family by saying that they had been praying for him - the Christian man their daughter would marry."

How interesting and thought provoking!! I'm I praying for salvation for a lost dear soul that has no one else that will pray for them? I have some dear ones - lost ones. I can get weary and I must not!!!!

Contained ...

Lucy Swindoll asked her brother this question.  I saw it and thought it was an interesting question.  Of course, I love questions and I love to ask them and mostly like to hear the response.  So, I ask you - What is your favorite feeling and why?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think my favorite feeling would be 'contained'.  Maybe better words would be 'at rest', 'peaceful', 'calm', 'safe'...  I like crawling under the heavy covers and pulling them up tight to my chin or nose and turning down the dimmed lights to darkness.  I imagine God's Arm over me and everything else is shut down.  No more worries.  I can't stand drama.  It doesn't need to be that hard.  I deal with a boss that makes things bigger than they are.  I shake my head (when she isn't looking) and send a prayer.  I have a little brother that is a huge worry wort and gets dramatic about things.  I keep thinking that I have 10 years on him and maybe he will mellow out or not!  I do have those feelings of angst in me but I try to keep the outer layer calm.  I do go quiet when there is turmoil about or if I am in pain.  Keeping contained or calm is my coping mechanism.  Don't get me wrong, I am very passionate and I have some majorly strong feelings and they do walk about aloud.  I do have my moments that I am out of control.  I do think that they are less as I have grown up. {wink wink} But like we have uncovered I am still very much a girl with brainy moments.  I am a quiet person and I believe in being a good neighbor.  I have been an apartment dweller in a building of 8 where it was more like communal living.  I lived in someone's else cigarette smoke and violent rampages.  Yelling makes me shut down.  All this is what I call 'living outside your box'.  I believe the only thing you should do outside the box is creative thinking!  Yes, my favorite feeling is 'contained'.  

chaos & home sweet home!

Whew!  I am a new home owner all of three weeks plus an added bonus of a broken toe(s) or foot as well making it very difficult to unpack and carry heavy loads.  It has been hard to keep my little nose above the  chaos.

Stuff is everywhere.  There is stuff in the basement and stuff in the garage and stuff in the little room.  I wouldn't mind so much if I wasn't hobbling up and down the stairs and out into the chilly garage with a bum foot.  My foot lets me know by throwing a very hot temper tantrum.  I finally popped the blood blister but the toe nail needs to come off.  So I am in for a few more weeks of discomfort.  Oh, how did I break my toe/foot?  Well, blunt force trauma from a 20 pound frozen turkey when I tried to help and empty out the frig and freezer for the move!

Then there were the verrrrrrrrrrrry dirty carpets!  My Mom has three boy dogs and a hubby that can track up a white carpet in a jiffy and her carpets are pretty clean.  I just can't believe how many spots that should have been an easy clean was left untreated.  We are tackling the carpets which means stuff is moved about which leaves me in a state of mess.  The master bedroom carpet was majorly a mud room!  The water was sickening very dirty!  Not sure if I will sleep in there or out on the sofa tonight as the carpets dry out.

After the carpets I would like to tackle the walls with fresh coats of paint.  I want white for most of the living parts and the for the craft room and a grey for the library and for the hallways.  I would like to tackle the craft cave as my first room to complete.  I already know what I want in that room.  All the white furniture is going in there with pops of blue.  Once I get my craft room organized, I can have a place to go to when it gets overwhelming.

I know this is all good.  I have been hearing "God Will Take Care of You" on BNNRadio.org a lot this week.  It sort of made me nervous but then I just took it heart that it is God just calming me down.  Don't get me wrong, I do love this place and the chaos will pass.  This is a huge feast and I plan on not choking!  I do have lots of blessings.  I am very happy that the spots came up in the dining room and I will be happy about the bedroom carpet too.  I have a pantry!!!  I love that!  No more excuses of over buying an item of food and missing out on another.  Once glance - ok, a looooong glance - and I know what to buy at the grocery store.  My cupboards are nice and everything is organized and pretty.  I do have a few drawers to figure out and some things to decide if I really need to keep.  These things are all lovely and I am grateful for but there is something that really toppings!

I have changed wildlife for God's wildlife!  I have bunnies eating Sunday breakkie with me.  A squirrel tapped the patio door and scared me but he stayed there a bit and then scampered off.  I was so happy to have that visit.  Then Thursday morning when I opened up the house for the day, I spied a silver tan girl squirrel with a brown ombre boy squirrel drinking from the birdbath like two lovers at the soda shop!  Then of course I enjoy the robins and the cardinal couple but not so much the big black birds.  Then there is this orange butterfly that is hanging out.  I just don't understand why I am seeing this butterfly in spring when I think I should be seeing caterpillars.  Dad says you have to have butterflies before caterpillars.  Yup.  Of course there are the flowers too that is a new surprise with each bloom like gifts at your birthday party.

I have taken advantage of eating on the patio step twice now when the weather has been warm enough to enjoy.  So who needs a vacation on a secluded sandy beach somewhere warm when you have a nice little home to make your own and a nice little patio to enjoy and some nooks to make an herb garden in?

boast in the Lord...

I will extol the Lord at all times;
His Praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exhale His Name together.

I sought the Lord,
and He heard me
and He delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
He saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him
and He delivers them.


Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.
Fear the Lord, you His saints,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Psalms 34:1-10

Old songs straight from His Word sung from an aching heart finds healing salve of peace.

I found fear was the enemy.  Then I found that when I sought after the Lord that He heard me and calmed the fear that rages within my heart.  I made the next step to see if a dream was within my grasp but I wanted a no if this dream was going to be a nightmare after all the bells and whistles faded.  That no is more evident and I need to graciously bow out.  My Heavenly Father not only asks for me to trade my fear in for faith but asks me to rejoice no matter which way the path goes....

clip the butterfly wings...

I got to see the condo on Tuesday.  I liked it from the pictures but the pictures did not do it justice and I love it!  I won't lie but I have been daydreaming of paint colors and room schemes.  I want all the greens and beiges out of the place.  I think grey along with white should be slathered on the walls.  Then I am wondering if I can get that all done at least for the main floor before I move in and make it mine.  Sighs.

The daydreaming stops today.  Before I had let my brain race away in all the possibilities, I had asked God to say no if I couldn't do it and for me to accept it.  Well, I am 99.9% sure that it will be a no come Tuesday.  With all the upfront fees, it will wipe out my savings.  I don't think they will accept the loan for the amount I need and I could not feel safe in allowing myself no cushion.

So I must pack away the library, the patio, the kitchen, master bedroom and bath plans.  Now is the time to purge.  With all that daydreaming, I allowed the cramped space fuel the desire to get out and see if I could spread my wings.  Can you stuff butterfly wings back into the cocoon?  Nah, I don't think so.

investment vs. ball and chain...

No, I am not talking marriage here!  Marriage should never be associated with such confinement but rather should be home, a safe place.  Talking about a home and I hate to admit it but buying a home is a ball and chain.  I just don't see it any other way.

I didn't always feel like that.  My little girl dreams always had a home.  It just was a matter of fact.  That is what adults do.  They have a family and a family home.  They had a patch of land and of course, a picket fence.  Don't forget the pups.

Whoa!  My life hasn't ended up that way.  I have a single life and lifestyle.  I have just gotten to a place where I feel the money is just right.  I'm not scraping the barrel.  The groceries and the gas has gone up and yet I feel that for the most part that I can get by ok.  Yet with the rumors and the uneasiness out there, it is nice to have a cushion.  I feel like I have that.  Yes, I like to shop and my weekly shopping excursions are my only dependable social entertainment.  Of course, I not afraid to spend even though I do pretty well at pinching pennies.  I have this new feeling of being able to give money to God above and beyond my tithe.  I like this feeling a lot.  I don't want to go back.  I can't go back.

I am also feeling that Jesus is coming back soon.  Do I really need a house?  Why sock money into a house when that money could have a better use.  But then again, I don't know the time.  This world could have a few more spins around the dial even though there is a lot of shaking and rattling.  It just isn't the waters and earth giving way but governments, housing, gas, and the economies.  No body or country is immune.

I may be hitting the mid life crisis zone but I look young and feeeeeeeeeeeeel like a little girl.  Buying a house all by my lonesome is sooooooo out of my league!  I admit I am a shy one maybe not so much in my writing, but have a quiet personality and it suits me just right.  It is what makes me a goooood listener but when I have something to say aloud, I'm usually not heard or they put their own spin on what they think I am or on what I say.  I may be a first born and forge ahead on my own leaving the herds behind, but I have this strong wingman trait and it does NOT like to be a sole pilot in such huge endeavors.  Help!  This is way too much for me.

Like I said I am single and if I set down roots in brick and mortar then there are no more dreams of wings.  I have friends to the west and a couple of friends in other countries.  It would be cool to go see them if I could muster up strength in my wings.  I do admit that making a home out of a house is a dream too.  I love house magazines and blogs for color schemes, storage ideas, and layouts.  Having it become a reality is a bit scary.  I will have to make a go on my ideas and supposed talent.  I know I could never have a dream house, the house must it meet it in a general sense because this house will have to do until the end of my days.

Things have been getting a bit dicey  here in my apartment building.  Had a bad neighbor in December and things were getting bad.  I also deal with cigarette smoke getting into my home and I am allergic to it.  Then the apartment dweller below like to leave his bathroom fan on for weeks at a time and I can't stand unnecessary noise.  Besides being a crafter makes my little dwelling even smaller.  It would be nice to stretch out a bit.

My coworker who has been searching for house herself found me a house she thinks has my name all over it.  Argh!  So far she is right!  It is a condo with a garage.  It has a place for a library!!! Something I have dreamed about.  The basement is finished so it would take the place of having a cute upper floor.  I could see a craft room downstairs.  What topped it off because it was unexpected but right down my alley was the flag pole out front.

I need to get my brain and heart under the Great Shepherd's care.  The future can keep.  I must trade in the fear for trust and obedience.  God has proven Himself.  He has never forsaken me.  Not only has He been there in the little everyday things but He helped my parents with their house and He answered a big prayer of mine.  I cannot forget these answered prayers not only because they were huge but also because they are small and everyday.  He has been the Partner and the Pilot and I have been treating Him as such.  I bring things to Him.  I need to let Him drive this adventure and I just relax and go for the ride.  If I push or even if I pull (can't believe I just said pull but it is true - I can't pull back), I would usurp God's hold on my life.

Keep me safe, O God,

for in You I take refuge.

I said to the Lord,

"You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing."

~ Psalms 16: 1&2

Dear Heavenly Father,

I am going to share with my parents my feelings so that they know my fears but I will also show my Dad the link to that condo.  Most importantly You know my fears and dreams.  You know my personality and You know what I can handle.  This house might not even by mine.  You will be there in pain and in 

happiness.  Your Presence is fullness of JOY.  I must stay in Your Arms.  I am here for the ride.  I am putting in place Your Words to keep my mind stayed on You.  Thank You for keeping me.
always,
keeper

skinny comments ...

I was born skinny and have always heard the comments about my weight.  One thing that is really hard to forget was the comments at Thanksgiving.  I never was a big fan of bread.  It had its place like a sandwich or toast for a quick brekkie but at Thanksgiving I was never going to allow it to trump the good food.  I could have a nice plate full of food and even take seconds now and again but because I didn't take a biscuit my poor grandmother would go on and on about how skinny I was and why wasn't I eating.  She knew better too as she thought my father was too skinny and hauled him off to the doctor only to hear that he was fine.  Like father like daughter.

Now with 36 food allergies keeping my food intake in check, I still hear the comments.  I go to a church that likes to eat and when I don't, the ladies make comments like 'no wonder you stay skinny.'  I still have body issues like all women and feel like I have to keep my mouth shut so as not to offend anyone else but oh, I am treated like their comments don't hurt or bother me.  I am quiet person and keep my raging thoughts inside because I don't want to backbite.  Then when I am having a low day, all these little things pile up into how big of a misfit I am.

I happened across a verse in the Bible that encourages me.  You can say that it is a bit out of context but then again it really fits. I am thinking I should make up a shirt to wear on the food events at church but then again that would be too pompous of me right?

"For the Kingdom of God 

is not the matter of eating and drinking,

but of Righteousness, Peace, and JOY in the Holy Spirit."

~Romans 14:17

I know that fellowship seems to involve food but that fellowship is broken when the peace is crushed and the JOY is stolen when you make the bad choice of making a food comment that breaks a woman's heart in two.  Please fellowship with me by taking a walk and talking about God's Beautiful Handiwork.  Please fellowship with me by making something with our hands and encouraging others with homemade happiness.  Oh, how much more we all could get out of fellowship if we could get rid of the food!

Though one day I will be able to eat in fellowship with Right Ways, Peace, and JOY in the Holy Spirit and it will be all the beautiful brightly colored fruits and veggies.  I will look at you with a twinkle in my eye because truly this is my Bridal Feast and no skinny comment will hurt or break me again.

ps.  Don't get me wrong.  I am glad I am skinny but it still hurts to hear women make comments.  And I am glad you can't read my mind because as you fill your plate with four and five desserts, all I can think of is cancer...... or diabetes..... all the borrowing of health issues...... and by no means does that mean I am safe but why borrow trouble we don't have to...

Heavenly Snow in Heaven ...

sandboy: Looks soooooooooooo cold. I have to feel it before the Lord comes!! Might not be snow in heaven????


snowgirl: You are probably right about there not being snow in Heaven so you better start making plans. 

 But I have a couple wild thoughts - you know my speciality - where I see things from different sides.

 Maybe there will be snow because God describes our hearts that are cleaned through the blood of Christ as white as snow. When you you go through the dark rainy muddy days of November and see the world transform into a winter wonderland, you gave a new take on beauty.

 Another thought that is really out there is that yes, we will know things but when we get to Heaven, I think we will get to discover more and more about God. What better why to Praise God than to get excited about learning more and more about Him. If I can't continue this discovery that I so enjoy here on earth, I'm afraid that Heaven would be a bit boring and God wouldn't have that! So what does this discovery look like? God has this huge library of HIStory. Not only is it full of books for the book lovers but it is out this world state of the art multimedia room. Better than anything Apple could dream up. You know how people describe it as a tapestry and we only see one side of it … well, I think we will get to see how God wove everything together but better yet I think we can step into that HIStory and experience how all the intricate details came together. Mind blowing!!!!! I can't wait!!!!!!! We will be able to see our part of HIStory but others too and how God worked all things together. Like Abe Lincoln or King David or Queen Esther etc. So why not experience the creation of things He created like snow. Again I think enjoying the snow like walking in it or throwing a few snowballs or making snow angels or snowmen or stuffing snow playfully down the neck of a loved one is enjoying God.

 I know that it is more likely that the new earth will be like it was before the flood but this girl has some wild thoughts and can't wait to see how He will reveal Himself to us.


sandboy:  I think you are right to assume there will be exciting days with our Lord; experiencing Him dwelling in us as One. And I think there are excitingly interesting things to do and see when we go to be with Him.

He is a creator. No; better; He is the Creator of creators. So I think it's fairly safe to say He will go on creating; it's His nature and character to create.   What wonderful things will He create, and what wonderful things will we create with Him? 

Wondrous times ahead indeed!!

As a side thought, if He is revealed in creation, and Creation is an expression of Him (Rom 1:20), and He has no end, then does it suggest that there will be no end to Him expressing Himself, and so no end to His creating?

beaming {v.}

I love words.  I put certain value on certain words that I hold dearly.  So what do you do when you feel sooooooo much adoration and feeling like it is growing in the pit of your heart to the extent that you just might burst into a million little pieces?  What do you do when you want to scream "I love you" or "you are making me fall in love with you, please don't stop!" and you really can't because you are a girl and you are waiting for him to declare first?   I have been saying everything all around the those three little words but I just wanted one word because it is all I can get out and I need it to say everything...... I need it to be a word that captures a 'pictureful'.

BEAMING has to do.  It is little o' me with bright eyes like big brown stars and a magawatt smile as wide as my face. It is me bursting with a happy glow and tingly electricity pulsing through my veins.  Maybe a little nervous giggle and bashfulness like you have a secret that is just killing you to keep.... ahh, beaming should do.... pretty much my state of being

Giving and Forgiving ...

What makes life worth the living

Is our giving and forgiving;

Giving tiny bits of kindness

That will leave a JOY behind us,

And forgiving bitter trifles 

That the right word often stifles,

For the little things are bigger

Than we often stop to figure.

What makes life worth the living

Is our giving and forgiving.

~ poem written by Thomas Grant Springer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ahhh, yes!  It is those little things.... those enjoyable things.... that are soooo huge.  Like his laughter.  Like his insight.  Like his love of God.  Like his gentleness with oh so shy me.  Like his words of encouragement.  I hold those so dear in my heart....  I will forgive to have all those precious little things back ... I did and phew! my heart has grown bigger than ever .... I think I shall burst!

I will wait for you ...

If it takes forever I will wait for you

For a thousand summers I will wait for you

Till you're back beside me, till I'm holding you

Till I hear you sigh here in my arms

Anywhere you wander, anywhere you go

Every day remember how I love you so

In your heart believe what in my heart I know

That forever more I'll wait for you

The clock will tick away the hours one by one

Then the time will come when all the waiting's done

The time when you return and find me here and run

Straight to my waiting arms

If it takes forever I will wait for you

For a thousand summers I will wait for you

Till you're here beside me, till I'm touching you

And forevermore sharing your love

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I heard this songon the Lawrence Welk show tonight.  I had to search for the lyrics... and note it here.  See I waited for someone.  I didn't think he would come back and was pleasantly surprised.  Now the question to why did I wait comes up.  Hard to explain.  It does have to be the right person.  I suppose it is only right that if I truly don't understand why he went away that he won't understand totally why I stayed.  I chalk it up to God's Knowing and His Doing.  I am so grateful because God made me better through his leaving and it could be possible that the one who left needed me to wait for him.  God's Ways are a bit mysterious yet I love that about Him.  

over the wall thief ...

I know that John 10:1 is about salvation but after listening to John Bunyan's Pilgrim Progress where Christian confronted the those who had come into the fold by the wall and called them thieves, I see marriage as a sheepfold of sorts.  As always my mind had many other strands of thoughts and this struck a cord with me and connected a dangling dot.  It gave me a visual.

Marriage is scared and God ordained.  I just cannot understand why gay people want marriage.   They are already living in defiance against God according to Romans 1 so why do they feel the need for marriage?  Just live in defiance, shake your fist against God, and live together.  These days you don't really need marriage with all the living together, right?  Lets be truthful - marrying the same sex would have more of a mutinous impact, right?  Lets show God who is god!

To enter the fold of marriage though the gate is to be a Christian man and wife following God's rules.  To enter into marriage any other way is to climb over the wall like a thief trying to gain all the goodies but without rules.  Just because you are inside the walls of marriage doesn't mean God will overlook how you got in over the wall.  You will be standing there in all your thieving shame.  See, God will always have the last word.  Your dirty rotten sniff-neck obstinate will be nothing compared to the passionate heat of jealousy from the Almighty.  If only you would look deeper into God's design for marriage.  He is showing you the picture of how beautiful our relationship can be with God.  Trust Him.

Needless to say marriage is different than salvation but I see marriage as a crown to cast upon my Heavenly Savior as well as a very important mission field in these deteriorating last days.  Be encouraged this visual goes both ways.  If you have entered though the gate of marriage, what an honor to give to the King of kings.

I guess what really caught my thoughts was that if within the fold whatever the fold it might be and their is someone in there that doesn't belong it is because they are a thief. What thief would steal garbage? They are going to steal the diamonds!  And maybe that is all that needs to be said...???

Fav Movies 2011

* Dolphin Tale

* Courageous

* Faith Like Potatoes

* The Guys

~~~~
I can't believe these were the only new movies I watched this year!

Fav Quotes of 2011

"Don't postpone the JOY"

"Nothing is trouble unless you let it be." ~Orville Swindoll, older brother of Chuck & Lucy Swindoll

* "To serve God - what is better than that?"  - Gary Chapman

*  “The worst feeling isn’t being lonely but being forgotten by someone you can’t forget.” - unknown

* "The more time you spend alone with God, you will find out you are not alone." ~ Ravi Zacharias

* "A friend is one who carries your sorrows on his back." ~ American Indian proverb

* "When you love someone, you don't walk away from them.". 

~ Jodie Foster about Mel Gibson

* "Grief is the price we pay for love." 

~ Prince William shared his grandmother's wisdom to the earthquake shaken Christchurch, NZ

• "When a man loves his wife, he loves himself and vice versa." 

~ J. Vernon McGee

* "Every relationship begins with an invitation.". ~ Gary Chapman

* “How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand… there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep, that have taken hold.”

— The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

* "The condition for a miracle is impossibility.".  - faith like potatoes

* "All the darkness in the world cannot put out light, but one match can push back the darkness." ~ 'Riches Stored in Secret Places' by VDavis

* “It is not about finding the good life but rather it is living a true life.”

~Pastor Chuck Swindoll after studying I Timothy

* "A holy life will produce the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they only shine."

~ Dwight L Moody

* "Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength."

~  Charles Spurgeon

* "When God says 'thou shalt not,' He is protecting you. When God says 'thou shalt,' He is telling you to help yourself to happiness.".

~ Pastor Adrien Rodgers

* "A complainer does not believe in the Sovereign Hand of God."

~ Pastor Chuck Swindoll

* "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

* "As we tend to do with anything that hurts, the first thing we do in the face of depression is try to find ways to escape it-and if we can't escape it, at least to fix it. But, as with ass suffering, we must lean into the pain and pay the price for healing. ~ 'Riches Stored in Secret Places' by VDavis

* "Thy life is in My hands. I can only use what is available to Me at the moment." ~ Jesus (from 'Come Away My Beloved' by Francis J Roberts)

* "All I ask of you is five smooth stones and a sling of faith. I'll take it from there. You don't have to wear somebody else's armor. You just trust Me. And I'll strip you down to nothing but faith, and then I'll accomplish a victory where I'll get the glory. But as for you . . . you trust Me." 

~ Chuck Swindoll's paraphrase of what God was telling young David & us in our today battles

* "The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

* "By mixing a little truth with it, they had made their lie far stronger.

~ C.S. Lewis

* "Every Christian should be both conservative & radical; conservative in preserving the faith & radical in applying it. "     

~John Stott, 1921-2011

* "First, when God says no, it means He has a better way, and He expects me to support it.  Second, my very best reaction is cooperation and humility."

~ Chuck Swindoll from "Great Days in Great Lives"

* "When God sets out to multiply, Satan sets out to divide."

~ Adrian Rogers  

* "You cannot use what you do not have. So if you are shy, be shy. If you are outgoing, be outgoing. She may not want the whole truth but she wants the real you. She may not want to see it all at once but she wants to see it.".  ~ Hitch

* “How does one become a butterfly?” she asked pensively. ”You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”

• "The employer will notice your spirit before he will notice your diligence.". ~ Chuck Swindoll on Daniel's behavior 

• "Your journey is a part of you. You can put stuff deep in your pockets and take it to your grave or you can help somebody. Don't hog your journey; it's not just for you." 

• "I don't want to lose you." 

   "Then don't." 

~ Message in a Bottle 

• “Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” ~ Mother Teresa 

• "Every morn brought forth a noble change And every change brought forth a noble knight." ~ Winston Churchill 

• “Too many people write their blessings in the sand but engrave their sorrows in marble.” — ~Charles Spurgeon 

* Donald Grey Barnhouse wrote a “poem” on the power of love as expressed through the Fruit of the Spirit:

Love is the key.

Joy is love singing. 

Peace is love resting. 

Long-suffering is love enduring. 

Kindness is love’s touch. 

Goodness is love’s character. 

Faithfulness is love’s habit. 

Gentleness is love’s self-forgetfulness. 

Self-control is love holding the reins. 

* "Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds a man down or polishes him up depends on what he is made of."  ~ Josh Billings

* “Never ignore a person that loves you, cares for you, and misses you because one day you might wake up from your sleep and realize that you lost the moon while counting the stars.”

—Unknown  

* "Butterflies are God's proof that we can have a second life."  ~ from Nikita 

* “There are two ways you can get through pain. You can let it destroy you, or you can use it as fuel to drive you: to dream bigger, work harder.”

— Taylor Swift  

* “Better a cup full of JOY than a vault filled with riches.”

—Frances J Roberts 

*  "Is the boat going to go down with God in it?"  ~Mark 4:35-41

* “All you can take with you is that which you’ve given away.”

—on George Bailey’s office wall in It’s a Wonderful Life 

* "my Lifeguard walks on water."

- on a tshirt  

Fav Words of 2011

Churlish 

:   boorish :

Cooee (aus)

: prolonged, shrill, clear call or cry used as a signal by Australian Aborigines and adopted by the settlers in the country:

Fav Tunes of 2011

* "I Won't Let Go" by Rascal Flats

* "Crazy Girl" by Eli Young Band

* "God Sent Me You" by Blake Sheldon

* "Thunder In My Heart" by Leo Sayer

* "Start of Something Good" by Daughtry

* "Rescue Me" by Daughtry

Well, I think this year the songs that see to me most are those about holding on and being there.  You see he came back!  I am over the moon.  I still listen to the heartbreak songs only to remember that through it all God made it good and He made me better.  My arms are open as well as my heart.  My eyes are bright with such an embracing glow....  {happiest sigh ever}

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