Hope

Tonight at Bible study someone asked where I had been because they had not seen me in quite sometime. As I tried to explain that I had been taking my mother to her church because she can no longer drive it occurred to me that I also had been absent from my blog friends. Just wanted to tell you that I am still here, but have found myself bogged down with so many things to do that something had to give. I think of y'all often and hope you are doing well. I know that God has us all in his hands and wants the very best for us. Sometimes we just need to quit talking so much and LISTEN to what He is saying. Sending hugs, Phyllis

Prayer

Colossians 1:9

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

It was so fun going to PC beach and seeing the girls have so much fun at all the extra activities we did. I don't think they will forget it. Seeing the dolphins was a treat too. Watching them grow has been the biggest pleasure. I think when my son was growing I was so busy just trying to get things done that I didn't enjoy him as much as I do the girls. Now I understand what is so special about being a grandmother. All the things you didn't have time to do for your own children you do have time with your grandchildren. What a fun time this part of my life is.

Keeping them in my prayers daily is a given. This week I'm also praying for our youth mission trips and inparticular Gunner Craft. God bless you Gunner.

Attitude

Numbers 11-1

And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

It's all in attitude. God wants to know our hurts but when we become just complainers He is angered. Who could blame Him. No one likes a constant complainer. We can choose our attitude. When things don't go as we like, we can choose to see those things in a better way than just complaining.

Just like this photo. It looks like a serious capture to me... how about you?

A wise investment

2 Chronicles 16:9 (New International Version)

9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."

It's true, I've been rushing around like a crazy woman and spinning my wheels in the dirt. I can't really say I've accomplished much. The fire at the house and still trying to keep up some committments I had made kept my schedule so full that I got way off my normal schedule. Sigh, part of the schedule that was pushed aside was my time to talk just to God. I've heard all my life that God waits for us to come to Him. I think that's still true but understanding why He waits is something that has become clearer to me since the grandchildren were born. When I am away from them my heart just aches. Who would have thought? Grandchildren ARE so special and just wiggle their way into your heart before you even think it's happening. I can't stand to be away from them. When I'm not with them, I'm thinking about them and how much fun we will have when we are together again. I'm thinking God is like this too. Nothing thrills my heart like the sound of my grandkids calling my name. I'm thinking God is like this too. What a surprise. :)

On the other side, my side, I miss God when I'm physically and spiritually away and haven't made time for Him. It's good to have one on one talks with God about everyday concerns, blessings, thanksgivings and just being able to connect.

This week some of the youth in our church are going on a mission trip and they have left behind wrist bands that have their names on them that we are wearing to remind us to pray for them specifically while they are away. Today I am praying for Gunner Craft his safety and to have a closeness to God.

Today is the Lord's day

Isaiah 58 13-14

13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

When I read words like this it makes me think back to how my grandmother planned for Sunday. She always cooked her Sunday dinner on Saturday and then we would have warmed up food after church. All afternoon would be spent sitting on the porch and enjoying the day. No work no fuss. Today we don't celebrate the sabbath like that. It seems to me that we don't celebrate it much at all. Going to church as become more about what it can do for us rather than what we can do for the Lord. Am I right? Do we ask more than we give? Maybe I should be speaking for myself. I think I do ask more than I give. It's not that I want to ask more than I give, it's just being truthful. Lot's to think about this beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Hope you have a good night tonight.

What He does

Psalm 37: 3-5

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

I like the idea of enjoying safe pasture. Hope you have a good night sleep trusting in the Lord with each dream that passes your way.

Relax - God is in control

Psalm 105-1-9

1 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.

2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.

3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

4 Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.

5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

6 O descendants of Abraham his servant,
O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

7 He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.

8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

9 the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.

Today my mind has jumped from one thought to another. My mind needed to be calm but it said not now. As I spend time in the Word I realize that I don't have to be in control as long as I remember who God is and what He does. His Word gives me the comfort and calm I need.

Wishing you the best night and sweet dreams.

30 days

Deuteronomy 34:8 (New International Version)

8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

Well, don't think for a minute I'm comparing my garage to Moses, but turning to the Word today and thinking about how hurt I've been over the garage fire, I searched for what God had to say about weeping and mourning. That's when I found the passage quoted above. And then I found another:

Numbers 20:29 (New International Version)

29 and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for him thirty days

.

It occurred to me that 30 days is time enough to grieve over my material losses. Yes, it hurt me, but God has reminded me over and over that the sun has come up each day after that and a new day has been given to me. I praise God for His blessings. Praise Him for his protecting hand, praise Him for how much He loves us all.

Garage Fire

Psalm 5
For the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.

1 Give ear to my words, O LORD,
consider my sighing.
2 Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.

3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.

4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;
with you the wicked cannot dwell.

5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;
you hate all who do wrong.

6 You destroy those who tell lies;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
the LORD abhors.

7 But I, by your great mercy,
will come into your house;
in reverence will I bow down
toward your holy temple.

8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make straight your way before me.

9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with destruction.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongue they speak deceit.

10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

I had a house fire. Through it all I know that God has protected me and kept me more than safe. He has given me opportunity after opportunity to be the kind of person He wants me to be. People have been so kind and helpful during this time. I praise God each moment that my children and grandchildren are safe. Material things do not matter. What matters is our relationships and the circle that connects us all.

My garage is a total loss along with my car. All this can be replaced. My family and my neighbors who came to help are all safe. I praise God for I know He was at work and I can see the evidence of His love.

He is ALIVE

Matthew 6:28

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

Sometimes when you have good news you just have to share it. :)

Sealed

Ephesidans 1: 13-14

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Straight paths

Proverbs 3:6

in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

God calls us to a life of constant communication with Him. This is the only way we can live above our circumstances. Even though we sometimes wish for things to be simplifed, he just wants us to accept each day just as it comes and find Him in the midst of it all.

Talking with Him about every aspect of our lives brings us closer to Him. He wants to know how we feel and wants us to know He is listening. It is living by faith that we receive blessing beyond anything we could choose for ourselves. We may have times we think He is not listening, but He is. If we sometimes lose sight of knowing He hears us, all we need do is look into the lives of others and it becomes clear He does listen and does hear. I'm reminded of a lady that sat on the other side of the car and asked her husband what had happened to their marriage complaining they didn't sit close to each other any more. His answer was...I didn't move.

No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets

In 1904 William Borden graduated from a Chicago high school. As heir to the Borden Dairy estate, he was already a millionaire.

For his high school graduation present, his parents gave him a trip around the world. As he traveled through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, Borden felt a growing burden for the world's hurting people. Finally, he wrote home to say, "I'm going to give my life to prepare for the mission field." After making this decision, William Borden wrote two words in the back of his Bible: "No Reserves."

During his first semester at Yale, Borden started a movement that transformed the campus. One of his friends described how it happened: "It was well on in the first term when Bill and I began to pray together in the morning before breakfast. I cannot say positively whose suggestion it was, but I feel sure it must have originated with Bill. We had been meeting only a short time when a third student joined us and soon after a fourth. The time was spent in prayer after a brief reading of Scripture. Bill's handling of Scripture was helpful. . . . He would read to us from the Bible, show us something that God had promised and then proceed to claim the promise with assurance."

Borden's small morning prayer group was the beginning of the daily groups of prayer that spread to the whole campus. By the end of his first year, 150 freshman were meeting for weekly Bible study and prayer. By the time he was a senior, one thousand out of Yale's 1,300 students were meeting in such groups.

Borden's missionary call narrowed to the Muslims in China. Once that goal was in sight, Borden never wavered. Upon graduation from Yale, Borden turned down some high paying job offers. He also wrote two more words in his Bible: "No Retreats."

William Borden went on to graduate work at Princeton Seminary in New Jersey. When he finished his studies at Princeton, he sailed for China. Because he was hoping to work with Muslims, he stopped first in Egypt to study Arabic. While there, he contracted spinal meningitis. Within a month 25-year-old William Borden was dead.

When news of the death of William Whiting Borden was cabled back to the U.S. from Egypt, "a wave of sorrow went round the world. Borden not only gave (away) his wealth, but himself, in a way so joyous and natural that it (seemed) a privilege rather than a sacrifice."

Was Borden's untimely death a waste? Not in God's plan. Prior to his death, Borden had written two more words in his Bible. Underneath the words "No Reserves" and "No Retreats," he had written: "No Regrets."

Portions reprinted from Daily Bread, December 31, 1988, and The Yale Standard, Fall 1970 edition.

Proverbs 3:6

in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Everlasting Love

Romans 12:2 NIV

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Do you ever get tired of the chase? I do. I get caught up in doing things I think is God's good, pleasing and perfect will when what He really wants from me is my time. Doing, giving, joining this church committee or being involved with ministries of all sorts is a good thing and we don't need to quit, but we also don't need to quit giving God our time. The last couple of months have taxed my time and energy and I know I haven't sat at the feet of Jesus like I should. There is a vast difference in the person I am when I give God my time and when I don't. The devil knows this and uses this weakness to get a foot into the life that He wants for me.

Yesterday Terri, Brent, Carley Ann, Anna Claire and I ate at Chili's. I was so hungry I all but forgot to say the blessing, but Anna Claire remembered. It was so sweet to hear her say the blessing rhyme she had learned. At two and a half she can say her blessing perfectly and while she was praying I kept thinking... yes, Lord, I hear you.

This morning as I take time to talk to Jesus I'm reminding how much I have missed and why my days just haven't seemed to feel right. I've been too busy and like Martha have forgotten what the best part is. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I'm reminded I don't have to chase God. He is always there.

Billy, my brother is doing well. He is off the vent and has taken a few steps down the hall. The four of us, Carolyn Billy's wife, me and Michael and Timmy his sons have taken turns sitting with him day and night for the last five weeks. Timmy and Michael take care of the weekends and Carolyn and I take care of the week days. Billy is getting so much stronger and there is talk from the doctors giving us encouragement that he can soon leave the special care hospital. This is such good news and I look forward to seeing him back to his old sweet self. This mornings prayers are prayers of thanksgiving.

Believe

John 5:39-47 (New International Version)

39You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

41"I do not accept praise from men, 42but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?

45"But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"

Billy Graham was returning
to Charlotte after a speaking engagement and when his Plane arrived there was a limousine there to transport him to his home..

As he prepared to get into the limo, he stopped
and spoke to the driver.

'You know' he said, 'I am 87 years old and I have never
driven a limousine.. Would you mind if I drove it for a while?'

The driver said,

'No problem. Have at it.'

Billy gets into the driver's seat and they head off
down the highway.
A short distance away
sat a rookie State Trooper operating his first speed trap.

The long black limo went by him doing 70 in a 55 mph zone.

The trooper pulled out
and easily caught the limo
and he got out of his patrol car to begin the procedure..

The young trooper walked up to the driver's door
and when the glass
was rolled down,
he was surprised to see
who was driving.

He immediately excused himself and went back to his car
and called his supervisor.

He told the supervisor,
'I know we are supposed
to enforce the law.....
But I also know that
important people are
given certain courtesies.
I need to know what
I should do because
I have stopped a
very important person.'

The supervisor asked,
'Is it the governor?'

The young trooper said,
'No, he's more important
than that.'

The supervisor said,
'Oh, so it's the president.'

The young trooper said,
'No, he's even more
important than that.'

The supervisor finally asked,

'Well then, who is it?'

The young trooper said,
'I think it's Jesus,
because he's got Billy Graham for a chauffeur!'