Abba's Girl

I spent about 50 years as a member of a liturgical denomination. There are a few things I miss, one is celebrating Advent. I miss some of the hymns which reminded me Christmas does not begin on Black Friday. Some years, I've found it easy not to get caught up in the commercial holiday hype, other years, I failed and was completely caught up in it. As we enter into the week before Christmas, I will now decorate the inside of my house. Today, the tree goes up as well as a few other decorations. Last year I cut back on the decorating and missed the 2 trees I normally place in the dining room; as well as other decorations around the house. I am going to determine this year if I will decorate more than 1 tree again. If I still miss them at Epiphany when I pack the decorations, I will resume decorating 3 trees and go big once more. I used to decorate the chandelier over my dining room table as well. I loved the results, but I do not see me doing that ever again! I used to spend the Th...

I love Christmas Carols! I feel joy when I listen to them, but occasionally, I feel sad when I hear them. At my age, I've said goodbye to most of my family and a good many friends. Maybe you are in the same phase of life. If the holidays cause you pain, if celebrating the birth of Jesus does not bring you joy, please ask trusted friends and or your pastor to pray with you. Try to get out and walk, even if it is in the mall due to weather, ride your bike, fly a kite, hit a bucket of balls at the driving range. Many times physical activity helps. Do something you enjoy - knit, color, crochet, paint. Manage your expectations for the season, especially if you are a perfectionist down to the smallest ornament on the tree (Words lovingly typed by a reformed perfectionist/control freak). Watch a few I Love Lucy episodes for a good, G-Rated laugh! Limit sugar and other foods/beverages which can cause your system to crash leaving you feeling worse after a momentary surge of energy. Ask th...

Advent has arrived. What a relief after the vitriol of November! Advent Calendars, Advent Hymns, Advent Wreaths - symbols of the season, the new year. Symbols are nice reminders, but what is the true state of my heart and mind? Do I have a heart of stone or a heart of flesh? Is my mind focused on Christ, looking to His return or is it focused on myself and things of this world? My prayer is this: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Instead of getting caught up in the hustle and bustle, my hope is to remain in the Word and in prayer, as Paul tells us in Philippians: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things - I want to live this way, focused on Him. 2017 is almost here, I look to ...

So far November has "delighted" me with a contentious election, warm weather, little rain, and post-election contention. People are still so bogged down in politics, whether their candidate won or lost, I've heard little talk about giving thanks about anything! I've seen the November gratitude posts on Facebook, and the poster's very next post is angry, hateful, and or filled with pride. If Facebook is causing negative emotions, sinful thoughts, and outrageous posts, maybe you should take a break from it. If Facebook does nothing other than cause negative emotions - give it up for a while. The world will still spin while you are off of it. Go outside, take a walk, ride a bike, read the Bible, talk to a neighbor...anything just quit expending energy and raising your blood pressure over politics and trash talk. Newsflash this election has come and gone, let us turn our eyes to the Lord, let us contend in prayer for our country, the elderly, the widowed, the poor...

An Open Letter to the KKK: The truth be known, I want to shout y’all are stupid and leave it at that, however, that accomplishes nothing. I truly do not know how a fraternal order or whatever you call yourselves can decide to hate everyone who is not white and does not buy what you are selling. From dressing up to conceal your identity (just like Jihadists) to your Sieg Heil salutes, you are nothing more than buffoons. Then we add your hateful signs, parades, and burning crosses to the mix and you morph from buffoons to hate filled people who need spiritual and mental counseling, possibly in-patient treatment. I can only imagine your lodge meetings and ceremonies. You and your hateful rhetoric are a blight on this land. I would like to write you off as an uneducated, raised by packs of wolves, people. If I came to know any of you, most likely I would discover some of you are educated and were raised by loving parents. Do you really think your ideals are right and just? Do you fe...

The campaign is over, the ballots have been tallied, and the dust will settle. Hopefully, people who do not like Donald Trump will stop the violent protests and heed Hillary Clinton's words to be open minded and give him a chance. Many people have been praying over the candidates and our country for months. I urge you, please continue to pray. I don't care who you voted for or voted against, I don't care if he will never be your president, don't murmur and complain - pray for Mr. Trump and our country. If you supported him, continue to pray for him and our country. Don't stop now. Don't spend the next 4 years griping and whining. God is not a fan of murmuring and complaining. Don't spend the next 4 years gloating. With humble hearts seek the Lord and His will. Consult your Bible not Facebook, Twitter, the news media. I think it is fair to say many mainstream media outlets need to reflect upon their lack of journalistic integrity. In the words of JFK, ...

As you wait with a loved one at the ER, you hear many things. Machines whirring, carts being wheeled down the hallways, bells, alarms, people griping about various topics and the dreaded voice over the PA System announcing Code Blue. 2 people coded as I waited. One was a 35-year-old man brought into the ER by paramedics. One moment a nurse was taking my loved one's vitals, in the blink of an eye he was off to work on the man who was dying feet away from me. Earlier today, the man left home for work. I think it is safe to safe the day did not turn out has he planned. I feel for his family. He did make it up to ICU... If he could push the reset button for the day, the last month, or the last year; I wonder what changes he would make if any? If we pushed the reset button, what changes would we make? Eat less, exercise more - maybe...Spend more time griping about politicians - NO...Spend more time maintaining our spiritual health and with friends and family - Yes! We never know whe...

Tuesday is Election Day in the USA. I know millions of Americans, including myself will be glad it over even though I know millions will be dissatisfied with the winner. (I am not sure citizens win regardless of the outcome.) I will admit I am not a fan other either major candidate for various reasons. However, I consider it a privilege to vote and will exercise my right to do so. I pray for Hillary and Donald every day, not for my will to be done through them in Jesus' Name, but for them personally. The outcome of the election is important, but it is a blip on the radar in the big picture when you consider eternity. With the finger pointing, trash talking, overreporting of issues, underreporting of others, it would be easy to get into the trash talking, candidate bashing, judgmental, hateful rhetoric. I think our opinions are important as we relay facts and concerns. Name calling and wishing people dead is ungodly. I am saddened by the hatred coming from my Democrat and Repu...

The Man and I watched way too much TV last Sunday afternoon and evening. We began with John Wayne's Island in the Sky, when it was over we moved on to The High and the Mighty and as if that was not enough TV, we watched 2 parts of Lonesome Dove. I am not sure if we felt nostalgic or wanted to escape from all the bad news and political drama. We watched all this on a digital TV device - No Commercials!!! There is something wonderful about John Wayne movies, he might die in a few of them, but the good guys always win. Sometimes, I think we want God to show up like John Wayne with guns blazing and take care of the "bad guys", we do not want to wait patiently, we do not care about His timing. Do it now God is our attitude. Obviously, on occasion, we need an instant answer to prayer. But we do not need it in every instance nor should we expect it. My friend Norma used to say God answers all prayers with yes, no, or wait. I don't think we like no or wait. We want yes an...

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are." It is easy to judge and not take a good look at ourselves. It is easy to think well, she____________________ , he________________, or at least I did not_________________. At least I did not fill in the blank was a favorite thing to fling at my parents when I was in trouble as a teen. Seriously, I was not as bad as my cousin, their friend's child, or some teen on the news. As if ever uttering those words helped my situation! I think as a busy adult, it can be hard to take the time to measure where our heart is, where we are compromising according to God's Word, how we are sinning. And though confessing our sin to the Lord and repenting of our sin is not only crucial to our Christian walk, it brings immediately healing to us. And face it, maybe we don't want ...

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Eph 4:29 Christians in America would be wise to put Paul's words into action at all times, but especially now! I have never seen so much hatred and malice over politics. Many people refuse to disagree with one another and move on, instead they insult each other and insult the candidates. Nothing wrong with saying I don't agree with Mr. or Mrs. Doe's politics, but many don't leave it with that, many people start firing off curse words, casting stones, and political zingers. Much of the conversation is R rated. Eph 5:4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. Stand your ground in a godly way. Confess and repent, turn away from all the negativity, criticism, and judgment. Turn off the TV set. Don't tweet or post every salacious de...

Has this election cycle made you tired? It has exhausted me. God will not be surprised by the election results, so we should not stress, He is in control. I quit watching TV several weeks ago to avoid political ads. I quit watching the news to avoid political stories. I check the networks' and local news stations' websites, I read the stories I want to read and skip the rest. When I want to watch TV, I watch movies and TV show via my Fire TV device from Amazon. Few to no commercials none of which are approved by Donald or Hillary. Not to wish away time, but come on November 9th! I realize a large number of people are going to be irate after the election no matter who wins, hopefully, they will not be as mad and offended as they are today. I pray for both candidates. I pray they are safe, their health is good, they know Jesus as Lord and Savior, they know the Bible is God's Word and it is alive and active, sharper than a double-edged sword. I pray they will make decision...

This week the news has been filled with stories pertaining to Hurricane Matthew which is a very strong hurricane. I live in an area which experiences the occasional hurricane, our last one was a Category 4 and made landfall just over 8 years ago. I understand what the people in the path of the storm do before, during, and after. When a hurricane is predicted to make landfall in our area, most of us make preparations. We board up windows, move birdbaths and lawn furniture to the garage so they will not become projectiles, buy bottled water, non-perishable food, batteries, and fill our bathtubs with water (so we can flush toilets). We fill our cars' gas tanks, go to the bank and withdraw some cash because we might be without electricity for a day or 6 weeks. Filling the tub with water is the last thing I do. My husband says it is not real until I fill the bathtub. After the last hurricane, we were thankful we had no major damage and were amazed by the quiet because there were no...

I had a few goals I wanted to accomplish before Labor Day, then I extended the self-imposed deadline to September 30, and here we are...I am not finished with a massive reorganization of business files which I began mid-August, though I did sort through 600 LBS of documents some of which I shredded and some of which I had shredded. Every 5 years per a client's contract, I can destroy hard copies of their orders and the results I submit to them. It feels good to have more room in my office, less paperwork in filing cabinets. Many clients allow me to store their work digitally, but not all do. Paperwork and clutter are like the proverbial snowball, they begin to grow, almost as if multiplying when you skip a day or 2 of handling them. The next thing you know, flat surfaces are no longer visible under the clutter and paper. The job is now big, time-consuming, and tedious. When we let our time with the Lord slide for a day or two, metaphorically speaking Labor Day has come and gone...

Wednesday night I discovered my friend and Sister in Christ is suffering terrible pain in her hip caused by Bursitis. It flared up a couple of weeks ago. Doctors have brought no relief. I looked up the spiritual root of Bursitis, it is repressed resentment. So, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I let her know. She burst into tears and wrote back to me: I knew it would have to come out someway. Sometimes people and or life smack us in the face with neglect, abuse, tragedies, and trauma. She had long buried abuse and trauma. It was deeply buried; but recently began working its way to the surface. We can paste a smile on our faces and respond with everything is fine, God is good - All the time. Yes, God is good all the time, but life is not always fine, everything is not always fine. I find Christian women many times other won't admit there is anything wrong or they are the complete opposite and think and tell you everything is wrong and it normally takes several 4 to 5 hour lon...

In Acts 9, we see a slice of Paul's life when he breathed murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went all the way to the high priest with them. After this, he encounters the Lord Who asks Saul why do you persecute me? His life was changed forever. He preached, he traveled, he obeyed, he wrote. We have God's message poured out through him in the Epistles. Our lives in Christ are enriched through previous generations' obedience. I hope I am always thankful for them and do not take the sacrifices they made for granted. Paul's ministry included many years and much travel. Today, he would be a frequent flyer. We know during Paul's ministry he was surrounded by people. I am willing to bet he was a people person maybe not when he lived as Saul, but definitely when he became Paul. People responded to the love of the Lord he exuded as he preached. He traveled, he worked along the way as a tentmaker. He developed relationships with people especially Timothy ...

I do not have a prayer closet in my home AKA War Room. I hope to convert a closet in my office over the next few months. Late last week, the Lord gave me inspiration for a portable War Room involving a tri-fold poster board. Where were these things in the 1970's when I was forced, I mean assigned science projects? I know the inspiration was Divine because tri-fold poster boards are not a part of my realm. I wrote out Scriptures on 5 x 7 tablet and binder paper. I wrote out name lists on sticky notes and stuck them on larger pieces of paper with Scriptures on them. I wrote names of countries and issues which need prayer on index cards. I used thumbtacks to attach everything to the board, so as I change out pages, lists, and index cards the board will not be damaged. One of the lists contains the names of school teachers, one list is names of people fighting cancer. You get the idea. When I finish praying, I fold it up and place it behind furniture. Below is a picture: Please ...

Yesterday my cousins from Ohio posted pictures of their trip to Wyoming and surrounding states on Facebook. I could tell the weather was very cool by their attire. If I had seen pictures of Texans from my area attired in jackets and hats, I would have wondered if it was that cool or was it 65 degrees F and felt cool to them because the day they left home it was 103 degrees F. Sometimes, the picture is worth 1000 words sometimes not so much. Autumn is closing in on parts of the United States. People in southeast Texas hope to see it by late November. We yearn for cool fronts, a few crisp days, air conditioners off, windows open, and low humidity. While waiting, we hang fall wreaths from our front doors, place pumpkins in the yard and around the house. We will pretend fall's arrival is imminent. It is all show, no reality. Is our Christian life all show, looking good on the outside with little reality on the inside? Are we faking it until we make it? Are we in a desert and we do...

Due to my age, I have seen much in life concerning race relations from outright hate to true love among people. While hatred pierces my heart, it especially hurts when I see it in the Body of Christ. White brothers and sisters (in Christ) spewing horrible ungodly words about people of different races. Black brothers and sisters (in Christ) spewing ungodly words about whites and people of other colors. It seems to grow even worse if that is possible when you add politics to the mix! I am not suggesting people not vote or support a candidate of their choice (though there is no one I want to support at this moment), but when a person spends hours a day railing against a candidate on Twitter and Facebook using derogatory language, my concern grows - especially when a Christian meme proclaiming love follows the political rants. Why the concern? The profanity, time, and anger exhibited in the posts for one. Also, the mentality if you support someone other than I support then you are my e...

I spent way too many hours in front of the Tube during the Olympics. Managed to squeeze laundry in during the long blocks of commercials. I carved out time for the rest of the housework around events and pretty much neglected the yard work due to heat and days of rain. It was easy to ignore. This week should be dryer which means I must attack the weeds in the flower beds after work 2 or 3 nights this week. Weeds - In southeast Texas, we have winter weeds, we have some winter weeds which only pop up on especially cold years, we have weeds that flourish during extreme heat and drought, we have weeds which grow by the minute when we have historic, epic, and Biblical (media description) rains and floods. Weeds are a year round problem to the gardener down here. This summer, to my dismay the weeds are green and lush. Have you ever thought of anger directed at someone as a weed? Have you ever thought of hatred directed at someone, maybe a political candidate as a weed? Have you ever thou...

I admit it, Summer has defeated me. It has not been a terrible summer, no extended heatwave, no drought, normal, humid 97-100 degree days. I am listless, I am bored, I have no get up and go to accomplish anything outdoors, and meanwhile the weeds grow in the flower beds. I've made a deal with myself - if I weed the front yard after work tomorrow and finish Saturday morning, I can sit in front of the Tube watching the Olympics as long as I want. We'll see (the royal we of course) if this works. Have you ever made a deal with God in the same way? Dear Lord, If You ______________________ fill in the blank, I'll ______________ fill in the blank? I used to pray that way as a teen. Dear Lord, keep the lights green so I won't miss curfew and I will not smoke tomorrow or something equally juvenile. We are not born mature Christians and mature prayer do not pour out of us until we've prayed many prayers. The language does not have to be eloquent a la King James. Pray wha...

The Lord can use much to show us something missing in our lives. There are times and seasons, life does not remain the same. I noticed over the last 2 or 3 years, I have experienced trouble in the motivation department. I was motivated in short bursts. Occasionally it seemed as if I was moving from the death of the dearest of friends to another death of a dearest friend or close family member. The wind was knocked out of my sails when my cousin Bill died last Dec. I did not realize what a huge impact his death had on my life until last week. Because I donate to a charity headquartered in Houston, I received an e-mail alerting me to a weekly podcast. I thought OK, I will listen to this manly podcast and see what I think instead of simply deleting the e-mail. There was a bit of colorful language between the 2 hosts and their guest. (3 former Navy SEALS) Their guest talked about motivation and passion. After the podcast ended, I realized I no longer had a zest for life or passion and al...

Time marches on...Our faces reveal much about our lives. Did we broil in the sun working hard or in my case for summer fun? Are we under stress, sad, or filled with joy? The answer is revealed on our faces. As an owner of a "mature" face - well over middle age, but not quite a fossil, what does my face reveal about my life? Just as the outward appearance of our faces change as time marches on, how does our life in Christ change? Are we maturing in Him? Have we been transformed by His love, dying to self, living to serve the Kingdom or are we a legalistic mess wearing our Pharisee hats? I avoided social media during the week of the Republican convention and most likely will do so again during the Democratic convention. So much hate spewed on social media in the weeks leading up to the convention. As Christians in America, we should vote and vote our hearts. However, where does the Bible advise us to bash candidates and their supporters? (Calling people vile names, seriou...

March is here, Spring is about to show up in her full glory, Rodeo Houston is in full swing, and the Time Change is looming. I am not a fan of Daylight Savings Time, but no one asked me. In the last 2 weeks there have been joyous births and bittersweet deaths. In the words of Truvy from Steel Magnolias, "Time marches on and eventually you realize it is marching across your face." (Which reminds me, I need moisturizer.) Changes are all around us. This political cycle is brutal and at the risk of annoying many, I think both sides of the aisle have lost it and few if any represent me in Washington D.C. The campaigning has been hellish so far and bringing out bad behavior in people. Social Media posts are numerous and cruel, not to mention slanted in some cases and utter lies in others. People post drivel which is what they accuse the other side of doing. I for one cannot wait until it is over! I would never presume to tell someone who they should support financially and s...

I had no more said this is a day the Lord has made; rejoice and be glad in it and entered into prayer when the telephone rang. (No one has ever called me before sunrise with good news.) I answered the telephone, it was a call to inform me my cousin Bill died. I was stunned. He was my older cousin by 3 years, my friend, my brother in Christ, a prayer partner. We shared many serious prayer requests over the last 4 1/2 years. I thought of his children, his grandson who turned one today. I thought of his parents, brother, and other siblings. His family would be rocked again when his father died a few days later. So...it was a day the Lord had made, was I going to rejoice and be glad in it? Through tears, yes I still rejoiced. My heart misses him, my mind has come to terms he is in his heavenly home and I will see him in the future. No more Texas Aggies - Texas Longhorn jokes between us. No more Dallas Cowboy jokes, he was a fan of theirs. No more making him laugh with TBT pictures...

Fire burning brightly in the fireplace. Coffee in hand. Dogs in lap. Sunrise is spectacular. Cardinals singing. Oh to sit here and while the morning away instead of tackling the to-do list. No matter how hard I try to clear a Saturday morning, there is always a little housework that must be done and maybe an errand or two. First thought today - put off the one load of laundry, cleaning the stove, and the errand until Monday. I will resist the urge because it will nag me and who knows what Monday will bring! If I am not careful, I can be the same way with a spiritual problem I need to take before the Lord. Instead of getting quiet and going to prayer, I think I'll pray later. I'll call Susie Q for godly counsel on this matter. A day or 2 goes by maybe a week, the problem is still nagging me, and I have not prayed or sought godly counsel about it though I've prayed for people and situations in the world, spent time in the Word...but procrastinated on the problem. Procras...

After a pitiful night's sleep, I woke up to a foggy morning. Two cups of coffee are not going to do it today! The birds do not seem to be singing much this morning. The squirrels are racing around the yard and gobbling all the bird seed they can while the Hawk is hunting elsewhere. At certain times of year a hawk visits. I know he must eat, however, I prefer his fine dining does not consist of birds and squirrels caught in my yard. Satan is similar to the hawk. He lurks, prowls, hunts, and devours. We may put him on the back burner, we may think the concept of satan is archaic and is not worth a second thought, but that is contrary to what the Bible says about him. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the w...

January has flown by at warp speed! Just over a month ago, we celebrated Christmas. Well, to be honest, I did not celebrate it, I was in bed ill with walking pneumonia. (My body was unaware it should be walking that day.) Sometimes I marvel at how time flies especially in the Winter due to dreary days which seem long and endless. I also catch myself saying why is it sunny all week and rarely on the weekends? (Which is not true.) The Super Bowl (Sorry, I do not care about it one way or another.) and Valentine's Day are around the corner. I refuse to believe time passes quickly because I am older. (Anyone remember as a child on December 24th, thinking Christmas morning would never arrive?) Time passes, this transitory life is short. Don't put off forgiving someone, calling someone, serving the Lord, praying, reading the Bible, helping those in need, the lost sheep, enjoying a walk around the block, time with family...the list is endless. This is the day the Lord has brough...

I heard a repetitive noise as I filled bird feeders. I stopped what I was doing and listened, I found the source of the noise, a beautiful Woodpecker. So often we want to hear from God, but we never stop to listen. We remain in constant motion, we talk, we watch TV, log onto Facebook, Twitter etc. Be still and know He is God!

What do you think of when you see the name Ahab? I think wicked, married to Jezebel, spoiled, and weak - let his wife carry out his dirty work for him. I first read about Ahab in 5th grade when we studied the Judges and Kings in the Old Testament. Maybe it shaped my opinion pertaining to Ahab or maybe reading about him each year, somehow I zoned out and missed the end of the story. I Kings 21: Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of ...

We've been in a cold, wet, and dreary pattern the last several days. I have not been outdoors much except to feed the birds. We have winter visitors in our area. The Goldfinches have arrived. They are cheerful and fun to watch as they crowd each other to eat seeds. I hear Woodpeckers calling each other. I have not seen any yet. There are probably House Finches too. There is so much beauty all around us, but I think sometimes we get in a rut going about everyday life and see beauty without really seeing it. I think too we can see the poor around us and turn the blinders on because we are not prepared to deal with it at that moment or think what difference can one person make? The thing is, if we all work together we can make a difference. We are not the Lone Rangers of Christ. We are the Body of Christ. Do what you can with donations, volunteer if you can, and pray for the poor, the ill, and the lonely. Lord give us the eyes to see what we can do and a heart for those who need...

2015 was filled with many blessings and many trials, as it was for you, too. My heart is still reeling from my cousin's death December 20. God has comforted me and will continue to do so as my grief wanes. I rest assured I will see Bill again, he was a man of strong faith who trusted completely in the Lord. I pray in 2016 I grow more in Christ each day and keep my eyes focused on Him - not on family drama, terrorism, politics...Etc, Etc! My goal is to abide/remain in Him, running the race set before me. I want to have His heart for the poor, the grieving, the lonely, the lost. I don't want to judge, criticize, gossip, or become distracted with things of this world. Love is my word for 2016. (I hope I do not cross paths with an annoying driver when I leave the house today!) Ladies, I hope 2016 ia year filled with love, joy, and peace for each one you. Keep your eyes on the finish line! So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.