Tag Archives: Religion & Spirituality

Connected

God Winks.

The moment you’re ready to quit is usually the...

 (Photo credit: deeplifequotes)

Miracle Moments.

The threads that bind us all together.

Touch.

God’s Sovereignty.

Providence.

********************************

Touched by these things.

People’s lives intertwined with others.

The decisions we each make, both large and small, all matter.

For it is those decisions that have us where we are. Right now.

********************************

We are not victims of our circumstance.

God has a plan.

The puzzle pieces all fit together…even if we don’t always understand how.

Realizing that it might never have been, had His hand not been in it.

********************************

The decision to go to the college out of state. The friend of a friend that introduced you to him. Saying, yes. Saying, no. Reaching out and making a friend with that quiet girl. Taking time to say “I love you”, not knowing it was your last opportunity. Picking that dog at the pound. Having a baby…or two…or three. Bumping into someone. Remembering a face. Taking a chance to meet. Moving out of state.  A kindness. Paying it forward. Crying tears of joy. Knowing the bite of pain. Choices we make, both good and bad, set us on a course. Each and every day.

God has a plan for me. He has a plan for you.

I don’t have all the answers, but I know the One who does.

There is a peace that comes with that knowledge.

I can’t mess up His plan…even if I try.

God works it all out, for my gain and His glory.

 

 

 

Related articles

Thoughts Weigh Heavy

102_4872

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have something on my mind. Thoughts weighing heavy…

All kinds of emotions intersect those thoughts.

Don’t we all have times like these in our lives?

The things life presents don’t always feel like a present.

Wondering what direction to take.

Not sure how the situation will work itself out…

or when…

or if it will work itself out.

Waiting to see…and it is not easy.

It never is, is it? The waiting…I mean.

And so, I struggle.

 

Related articles

I Will Be Here For You

 

 

 

 

I love the 5 minute Friday over at  The Gypsy Mama.

 

 

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

 

OK, are you ready? Please give me your best five minutes on:::

 

Here…

 

**************************************************************************************

 

I am present. I am here.

 

I promise that…..

 

I will never leave you, nor forsake you.

 

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6  NIV

 

I am here,  for you.

 

I love you.

 

Nothing, nothing at all can separate us.

 

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8: 38-39  NIV

 

The great I AM says “I will”.

 

I will be here for you…always.

 

Jesus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related articles

Being Still

I think I might go outside for a walk this afternoon, around the yard and down the dusty road, finding the quiet place…where I can slow down.

I crave quiet. The chance to think. An opportunity to evaluate.      

Are you anything like me? This world we live in, pulls at me. I am tugged by the minutes and hours. Chores to do, lessons to check, a blog to write, mail to read, a house to clean, a family life to participate in, problems to solve. The days start early and end late….and I get tired. So very tired and… soul weary.

How many times do I attempt to squeeze in my thanks, my prayer, my walk with God. The One who deserves my time most, and yet I find myself rushing through the day…out of breath, out of sorts, and out of relationship.

Being still is in order.

Slowing down with purpose.

Seeing my life for what it really is… not a sprint, where I am constantly out of breath and out of my mind. It should be, needs to be, more of a leisurely stroll,  stopping to appreciate all there is…

because of all HE is.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10  NIV

**************************************************************************

Congratulations to the winner of my Day Spring mirror give away! (April 11)  Check out her blog at journey bits.

Related articles

Quiet, Please!

Man reading Psalms at the Western Wall. Jerusa...

the gypsy mama

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Meet & encourage someone who linked up before you.

OK, are you ready? Give us your best five minutes on: LOUD

**********************************************

Loud makes me irritable. I don’t really like loud. I prefer quiet, not that I get a chance to enjoy THAT very often.

Three kids who can be (and usually are) loud. A television that blares a lot of the time. (why did my husband and I think “the open” concept would be so great for our house?)  Barking dogs, meowing cats, and now chicks in a cardboard box in the front entrance. The morning news is on right now. I listen to it as I clean up my breakfast dishes. The “loudness” of the news echoes in my head.

Who will be the republican nominee? Why did the terrorist kill the Jewish teacher and children in France? And why do gas prices continue to climb?! The loudness of it all just gets to me.

I WANT QUIET!!! Peace. Isolation from it all?

I wander over to the kitchen window and look out at the sky changing colors, tinged with the morning hues of pinks and purples. Clouds scudding across the open expanse over the fields. I breathe deeply and am reminded of this verse……quiet for the soul.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth.”  Psalm 46:10  NIV

 

 

Related articles

God Doesn’t Know Hopeless

god

History is made.

Day in and day out, year after year.

A legacy is built.

Traditions abound.

Lives are changed.

Character is molded.

Babies are born, individuals die.

The families that we grow up in, shape us.

They help to make us who we are.

*

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— John 1:12 NIV

To be known.

To count.

To be a part.

Never abandoned.

Never hurt by Him.

With God, there are no orphans.

No homeless.

No hopeless.

No messed up, mixed up relationships.

No embarrassment. No secrets.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  John 3:16-17  NIV

God longs for each of us to join His family…to know His Son.

No one…..

NO ONE, is out of the reach of His grace.

 


 

Related articles

Trust Me

My mom bought me a gift for Christmas that suits me well.

It is a “flip” calendar with daily devotions by Sarah Young.

Today Sarah discussed learning a new habit.

Learning to say, “I trust you, Jesus.”  No matter what.

Those words lingered with me. I thought about them throughout the day.

I contemplated the meaning of “I trust you”.

I let it sink in.

I believe that Jesus loves me, more than I can humanly comprehend.

I believe that He has a plan for me.

I believe that He does not want to harm me, and only wants the best for me.

I believe that He wants a personal relationship with me.

Why should I not trust Him? Why not lay down the fear, the doubt, the uncertainty…

the things that clamor to make a wedge between the trust?

To trust Him…and to be thankful for all that He brings into my life,

that is a habit I need to have-

to truly live.

Related articles

Face To Face

Coming home……

The place where I feel safe, accepted, loved.

Morning View From My Front Porch

Traveling and going on trips is always fun,

but there is something comforting about coming home.

*

I love the house that my husband and I built and moved into in 2009.

Our home in rural America.

Open spaces. Beautiful sky.

There is much to enjoy about our new setting.

I am thankful. Deeply thankful.

*

Jesus talked about home.

A permanent home…one that moths and rust cannot destroy.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20 NIV

The truth is, as much as I love my house and all the stuff I have in it…

It’s temporary. It won’t last.

*

I am a lover of the past. I haunt antiques stores and “junk” shops.

I pour over antique pictures of other people’s families.

I’m fascinated to learn of family history. The stories enchant me.

And yet….

Things don’t last. Possessions get sold at yard sales, they break, they rust,

parts fall off, and switches break. Wiring gets old and floors need refinished.

Strangers pick over family heirlooms. Names are forgotten.

*

But, Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.”                   John 14:2 NIV

I can not even begin to fathom what it will be like to open the door of that place.

To walk in.

To meet Him face to face,

and to finally know home.

Related articles

Reflection

mirror

Image by Paul Keller via Flickr

When I don’t understand…

and for when I do.

For when I ask, why…

when the bottom has fallen out-

as well as with unexpected joys.

When the words don’t make sense

or the events take a turn I didn’t plan.

When the tears fall….

or when peace wraps around me like a blanket.

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.              1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related articles

Darkness Can Be Terrifying

Light in the night (Castelldefels)

Image by jcarlosn via Flickr

I set  it on the counter.

The flame in the lantern flickers. It sways with the current of air. I watch it as it dances, licking up the oxygen, giving off light.

Because…

darkness can be terrifying.

The unknown, the unseen–all fear.

Secluded.

One flame, but oh how it shines.

Darkness is overcome by the Light.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”         John 8:12 NIV

*********************

Are you facing darkness today? Are there things that are keeping you in the shadows?

You don’t have to stay there.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105  NIV

 

Related articles