Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Monday, September 28, 2009

ABC's

Sunday was my parents' anniversary. Tuesday is my mother Barbara's birthday and Wednesday is my father Charles' birthday. When I was young I was so worried about getting the days mixed until I realized it was Anniversary, Barbara, Charles...ABC...

Sunday was a bittersweet day for me. Joy mixed with grief, laughter and tears. I decided this week I was going to concentrate on the ABC's of Who God is...

Just to name a few:

A) Abba, Alpha, Anointed One
B) Beautiful One, my Banner
C) Christ, Creator
D) Deliverer, Daystar
E) Emmanuel, Eternal One
F) Father, Faithful


I am going to praise Him from A to Z...I will admit the only thing I have come up with for Z - is He is zealous for my soul...let me know if you have something for Z.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

50 Years

Last year on this day, my parents celebrated 50 years of marriage. Today is the 1st anniversary my mother will celebrate without dad. We are going to 1 of his favorite, local restaurants for dinner. The staff loved dad, so many prayed for him and with him.

I am glad today is Sunday and we will be worshipping as well. While we kneel at the Lord's table to receive Communion...my dad is really dining with our King.

I miss him, I grieve, but I am also filled with joy and thanksgiving...join me in praising the Lord, please click on the words Holy is the Lord God Almighty below.

HOLY IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY

Friday, September 25, 2009

High Heels & Heaven

A few weeks ago, I blogged about my friend Carol...she had lung cancer which had spread to her brain. My last visiual of her will always be her smile, and the thought of her wearing PJ's, her coordinating costume jewelry and high heels as she sat in her wheelchair watching hummingbirds.

Carol went home to the Lord last night. I pray He pours out His comfort on her grieving family.

If there are shoes in heaven, I'm thinking she asked for heels...

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Anniversary & Birthdays

Sunday is my parents' 51st wedding anniversary...last year 1 of my father's main goals was to celebrate 50 years with my mother and thank the Lord, dad was able to do so.

My husband, mother, and I are going to eat dinner Sunday at a local restaurant. The staff loved dad, prayed with him and for him...always inquired about him on occasions I ate there without my parents.

Tuesday is my mother's birthday - I bought a card the other day and did very well, averted my eyes from the anniversary cards, I could feel emotions trying to rise. Then I turned around to exit the aisle and there were the birthday cards for fathers and dads. My eyes welled up with tears and I thought you better exit quickly before you look like Tammy Faye Bakker! Wednesday is my father's birthday.

As we progress through our 1st year without him, we experience the roller coaster of emotion. We have had much more joy than grief...many more laughs than tears...

I am so thankful for our Lord and Savior carrying me through the grief, I am so thankful for the mercy and grace He pours out on my minute by minute as needed. I am so thankful for the forgiveness He extends me. I am so thankful for the wonderful, earthly father He blessed me with, I am so thankful I will see my father again. My father is now whole, living in the presence of the Lord...

I hold dear our Covenant promises, I hope you do too...

Romans 10:8-10 tells us:

But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

John 6:53-55

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

Monday, September 21, 2009

God Moment

I have neglected journaling much of this year. In May, I finally looked to see what I wrote the day dad died...I have not picked that journal up again.

Last night I was at Target and bought 2 small spiral notebooks, I began pouring my heart out about love today...trying to write very neatly, as if someone might read it. (HA!)

I poured out the type of love our Abba Father lavishes on us, the love Jesus has for us - as best as a finite mind can describe; the type of love my mom has for me, that dad had for me, how dad learned to love my husband and entrust me to him. I wrote about love I receive from other family members and friends. I wrote about my husband's love for me and my love for him - how much healthier it has become over the years. I wrote about the love I pour out and the times I betrayed people or was betrayed. I wrote about time I used to spend in unforgiveness and plotting revenge.

It was fairly random in 1 sense and very purposeful writing in another sense.

As I meditate on my Siesta verses: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong.

I am thankful I am no longer easily angered and have not spent time plotting revenge in a couple of decades. I know vindication when needed must come from the Lord.

At lunch I sat outside watching hummingbirds and began to pray for neglecting prayer lately...I asked for forgiveness and had an amazing God moment - a butterfly landed on me and fluttered it's wings. It stayed on me for at least 5 minutes and returned a couple more times. It was close enough but not too close for me to see the colourful details without my glasses. The perfect distance for my imperfect vision to operate in a wholly focused way.

Thank You God for the time I spent in the heavenly realm with You. Thank You for Your love, Your grace, Your mercy and the shed Blood of Christ Jesus! I love You Father. I want to serve You with all my heart.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

How He Loves You

For some reason I cannot get a Youtube video to post in the traditional manner, so I am going to post the link - Annette G posted the same song this morning...Please click on He Loves US below..

It is vital we know this - He LOVES US!!!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Camouflage Hunting Gear

Last night, I accompanied my husband to Bass Pro Shop. He needed to pick up a pistol he won in a charity raffle and wanted to buy a rifle...apparently we do not have enough rifles already.

I wondered around the store and decided a pink T shirt was in order as well as a nice, Texas A&M fleece jacket. I looked at all the different types of camouflage outfits. Some were just the basic camouflage, some look like grass - I think they are called Gillie suits. One outfit looked like oak leaves were attached individually all over the jacket and pants- I think you wear it as you prowl around bow hunting.

All this to say, we know how satan prowls around looking to devour people at every opportunity, sometimes he is right out in the open, other times he is camouflaged. Be careful. Remain alert. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Arm yourself with the armor the Lord provides us in Ephesians 6 and call for back up prayer when you need it. Be quick to forgive, fast to love...and stay in the Word!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

How can it be time for another Siesta Verse???

I am stunned it's time for another Siesta verse, I chose one Sunday, chose another 1 on Monday, and let God choose 1 for me today. The verse kept showing up on things I was reading; including a young Christian man posting it on Facebook. I got the point, so here it is:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

I frequently blog about love...I think God really wants me to meditate on this for a while...I could feel myself wanting to do the I can't believe so and so did not even say anything to me when dad died, did not attend the funeral because she does not like them and did not so much as bring an chicken leg at the time. It's September and suddenly I am angry over what she did not do in January...that is the evil one talking. It does not matter I prepared food when her in laws died, when her husband died, when her mother died. It does not matter I sent cards for weeks when her husband was ill. I did those things because I love her, I loved her husband, her mother and her in laws (well 1 of the in laws)...I could feel myself making a list of what I perceived was wrong. She loves me, she suffered a lot of loss in a 5 year period and has not spiritually or emotionally recovered from it all.

The next time I feel anger trying to grab hold of me...these verses will be in my arsenal. In the Name of Jesus, I will not keep a record of wrongs because the greatest thing is love...

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Who Do You Say That I Am?

Mark 8:27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" 28They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." 29"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ.[b]"

I so identify with Peter in many passages in the Bible mainly because of his big mouth. He tended to blurt things out, so do I though not as often as I did when I was younger. This time, Peter got it right, he knew Jesus is the Messiah, the Promised One, the One the Jews had been waiting for for thousands of years. Sadly many of them were looking for an earthly messiah and were not interested in eternal life.

Who is Jesus to you? Is He you Saviour, Redeemer, your Lord, your King? Or is his name the name you utter when angry? It pains me to hear His name used as a curse word in real life as well as in movies.

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

He is our everything...is it easy to live out Jesus being our everything? No it is not! Our humanity gets in the way; but as our Saviour - He understands. Let us endeavor to live for Him and to serve Him...He alone is worthy of our praise, our worship, our adoration.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

A Pair of Heels and a Little Jewelry

I have a friend Carol who loves to dress up, wear high heels and always has beautiful costume jewelry to accessorize each outfit...I mean the woman wears hose for heaven's sake!

She was diagnosed some time back with lung cancer which had spread to her brain. Her sister in law went to visit yesterday, Carol was sitting in her wheelchair on the back porch enjoying the hummingbirds...wearing you guessed it:

PJ's
Heels
Earrings, Necklace, and Bracelet

In the midst of the sadness, what a great spark of joy...a visual which will stay with me for years, because in this visual I can see Carol's smile as well.

I pray for the peace of God to fill her and her family and friends. I pray for the Lord to pour out His comfort and mercy on us all. Most epecially, I pray for Him to touch her with His healing hand of grace on her and I pray for her spiritual, physical, and mental comfort.

I hold dear His Covenant promises, I know where she will be, I know He has not dropped her in the grease and He will never do so...

His Word says:

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.