Beside Still Waters

Run After Jesus...

2010-03-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

"And He will give you everything you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the kingdom of God your primary concern."

Matthew 6:33 NLT

"Jesus is life, Girlfriends, Jesus if Life. Let's run after Him with every ounce of energy we have."~Beth Moore~

I've asked myself so many times what am I running after. In years past, I remember running every day working for Jesus and each day got busier and busier. One day many years ago, I realized that all the different ministries I was involved in kept me so busy that I didn't have time for Jesus. I have always been involved in a women's study, but to me that wasn't necessarily sitting at His feet sharing intimacy with Him.

I learned a very valuable lesson..it isn't so much what God wanted me to DO for him, but it's what He wanted me to BE. Doing and being both take energy..and at different seasons in our lives, God may ask us to do more for Him. God is always asking us to BE..Be in love with Him, Be in His Word, Be at His feet, Be hopeful, Be merciful, Be everything Jesus sets the example to BE.

Running after Jesus with every ounce of energy that I have, means being careful and being wise on how I use my energy. A friend of mine who also has chronic illnesses, says she has a teaspoon of energy with a cup full of things to do. That's how I feel...and if I didn't already have a cup full of things to do..there's plenty more things I dream of doing.

If you find yourself in this place today...Seek first His Kingdom...and run after Jesus with all the energy that you have. Run after Him and then you'll know what things He wants you to DO. But always remember..He always wants You to..BE!

God bless your day!

Jesus Can..

2010-02-26T16:44:00.000-08:00

"No storm is so great, no wave is so high, no sea is so deep, no wind is so strong, that Jesus cannot either calm it or carry us through it."

~ Anne Graham Lotz ~

When Life Unravels...

2010-02-24T08:08:00.000-08:00

"Weave the unveiling fabric of God's Word through your heart and mind. It will hold strong, even if the rest of life unravels."

~Gigi Graham Tchividjian~

Sometimes life does seem like it is unraveling when things hit us one thing right after another. Today in our world many people find themselves frustrated and discouraged when circumstances of life begin to tear apart and unravel every thing they have known.

I get frustrated when my knitting starts to unravel because I was careless how I put my needles down. I want to throw it in my knitting basket, rather than take my time and put the stitches back on the needle. I watch it unravel and I feel helpless.

We aren't helpless and can't throw in the towel when our lives unravel...we have to go on. God's Word always stands strong, it will always encourage, always refresh, always direct, always comfort us. Whatever our need is, God's Word will hold strong amidst the greatest difficulties that life can bring. All we have to do is pick it up and read it, asking the Holy Spirit to work and weave the words into our hearts and minds.

A friend told me years ago that when we have to rip out stitches..it builds our character. Spending time with the Lord in His Word when life is unraveling..well, that's where true character is formed. Building everyday on God's Word makes our charcater stronger and sronger...and then we are less apt to throw in the towel when the hard times come.

Have a blessed day!

Patty

Be An Encourager...

2010-02-23T07:56:00.000-08:00

" Be an encourager, a healer, one who helps restore the years the locust has eaten"

~Dr. David Jeremiah~

"I will restore to you the years the swarming locus has taken," says the Lord in Joel 2:25.

~~~~~

Oh, there are so many people out there that have been victims of what the locust has taken from them. Our Lord, is the Restorer of the lives that have been affected.

WE all can be an encourager. It would be our part of their healing process to encourage them. Our lives get busier and busier, and unless we make a conscious effort to have eyes that see and ears that hear the needs around us, how will we know how it is we can encourage them?

Are you someone that is in that place of needed encouragement? Have the locus been brutal through the years? With a Lord that loves you and wants to restore you..and a Lord that will provide the encourager's that you need, it won't be long before those years are just a memory.

And for those of us not in that place right now, let's all look for ways to encourage others. Amen?

Let's all be who God wants us to be and doing what He wants us to do....being an instrument of encouragement to those who need it.

The Father's Chisel...

2010-02-18T07:11:00.000-08:00

"The present circumstance, which presses so hard against you (if surrendered to Christ), is the best shaped tool in the Father's hand to chisel you for eternity. Trust Him, then. Do not push away the instrument lest you lose it's work."
~Streams In The Desert~

I can think of so many times in my life that I didn't recognize that the greater work would be done in me, if I just surrendered to the instrument that God was using to chisel me. One time in particular, I thought I was surrendered, but in reality I was just existing in a state of emptiness. I was empty because I was wounded and filled with hurt, self pity, resentment and bitterness. When wounds get that infected, God needs to take a chisel to scrape them before the healing can begin. I did as the quote above states, I pushed the instrument away....growth was delayed and the healing process took longer.

That was a long time ago, but if I could change one thing, it would be that I would soak myself in the Word yielding myself to the deeper work God wanted to do. I didn't fall away spiritually, I just didn't let the healing balm of Jesus comfort me. All I could think of was how much I hurt and wanting it to go away.

The deeper work was done. I let the chisel do its work and there was healing. Sometimes those deeper works can't be put into words because they are so profound in your heart. That was one of those times. I might have delayed the healing, but healing eventually came. The Father was waiting for me to trust Him....if you find yourself in this place today, won't you trust Him to use His chisel to shape you for eternity? The longer we put it off and push the instrument away, the more there will be to be chiseled and the longer it will take to heal.. Start the process...surrender.

" My heart trusts in Him and I am helped."

Psalm 28:7

Originally posted in 2008

Keeper of the Home...

2010-02-18T06:49:00.000-08:00

I love being at home. I like to putter with different things around the house. I can putter a whole day away. I enjoy it and I feel this is where God has called me to be at this time in my life. When I was 18 I read in Ann Lander's, "As women, it is up to us to make a husband's life what it couldn't be without us." I clipped that out of the newspaper and carried it around for years, tucked back in my wallet. I don't even remember when I took it out. I'll have to look, but it could be in my memory box. I am curious now if it is, and I'll have to check.

That one sentence holds a lot of wisdom and can be used in every area of our married life. How could this practically be applied? For me it was important to be at home. The more I stayed at home and took care of necessary things, the happier my home was. Oh, don't get me wrong, I am a people person and I thrive on fellowship with other women. Having girl friends makes me a better person all the way around. But my theory was, if I was going to be a stay at home wife/ mother then I needed to be the best one I could be. For me, that was staying home long enough to take care of home matters. It meant taking care of my home.

So, the question is...how can we make our husband's lives better, than what it would be without us? For each of us the answer may be different. Here are some suggestions.

* Pray for him, he should be tops on your list.
* Consider his needs.
* Be a keeper of his home.
* Don't over extend yourself outside the home or to outside commitments.
* Cook for him. Learn how if you don't know how.
* Work with him, not against him with money issues.
* Make him the most important person in your life.
* Smile at him. (o:

Maybe just one thought will help someone today to remember, home is where your heart is.

"An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life."

Proverbs 31:10-12

If You..

2010-01-27T18:50:00.000-08:00

Holland, Michigan

"If you always think the way you've always thought,

You'll always feel the way you've always felt.

If you always do what you've always done.

You'll only get what you've always gotten."

~Unknown Author~

One Path...

2010-01-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

"No matter what the problem may be,

no matter what trouble may ensnare us,

there is only one path to safety."

~~~

"Life is difficult and difficulty is the only path to wisdom."

~Dr. David Jeremiah ~

There always seems to be some kind of difficultly going on in our lives. Sometimes they are small petty things..other times they seem to take over our lives and seem overwhelming. Those same difficulties that trouble our hearts are the very things, that if we choose to go down the right path, will teach us wisdom. How do we obtain wisdom? By walking through the difficulties in our lives, with our hearts teachable, asking for wisdom for each situation and then allowing God to do the hard thing with us. Surrender.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil; for you are with me."

Psalm 23:4

Everyday Blessings...

2010-01-20T09:17:00.000-08:00

Recently in the last few months we began going with our children and granddaughters to a small church just two blocks away. It wasn't planned, I never dreamed we would all be at the same church again. It was a God thing. To worship and be in God's Word with her children is a Mother's heart's desire. To have her granddaughters run up and hug her legs..well, that's a double portion of heart's desire being fulfilled. I don't know what the future holds...but for right now I am taking everything as a blessing from God. I told a friend awhile back, " I don't know what God is doing." She said back to me...Sometimes the Lord just wants to bless us. Period. When things like this happen I'll say to myself, The Lord must really love me." Yes, He does, but some days He just wants to bless me. Period.

God does want to bless us in small things and big things. No, I am not in to the the Prosperity Doctrine way of thinking. Just like we like to bless our children, the Father wants to bless us. For Christmas I made my son a crocheted afghan. He wanted one and had hinted for a couple years. I was having such a hard time with one of my hands I didn't think I would be able to do it. But I really wanted to make one for him because I knew it would bless him. I started on it a year ago right after Christmas 2008. I did a row at a time so as not to tear up my tendons, which I did a few times. Well, I finished it and he loved it. He was blessed and I was too, knowing he was.

So, last week my daughter and I were dropping some things off at The Salvation Army and decided we would walk around and see if there was anything that caught our eye. I walked back towards the blankets and bedding..I didn't need any so why I even walked back there was beyond me. There is was, my eyes went right to it..a crocheted afghan the same ripple pattern that I made my son, but it was aqua. I grabbed that thing before anyone else saw it! I checked it over and it looked like it was just made. The workmanship was beautiful....then I saw another little crocheted blanket as well. I smiled all the way to the cash register only to find out everything that day was half price! I got it for $2.50 I hardly ever find deals like this..but this day, in this way, God wanted to bless me.

Last week a man came to my door to see if we wanted him to cut up and haul away the branches that we had on our side yard. He wanted $100. My husband had cut them and it became too big of a task and he was whittling away at it a little at a time. It was going to take weeks. Two days later another man came to the door...he wanted $150. geesh. Saturday my husband was out snipping away at these branches and a man came and asked did he want help? He wanted $40.
What a blessing that was to have this man and his son cut these branches up and haul them away. We looked at it as a blessing from the Lord.

We aren't LUCKY...we are blessed! Everyday even in little ways, God wants to bless us. We are His children. Just like we like to bless our children, so does He. We have to see the every day things that happen in our lives as blessings. Then, we have to acknowledge them as such with grateful hearts and words of thanksgiving. Look for His every day blessings in your life today...you'll be amazed!

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting of shadow."

James 1:17

What We Say...

2010-01-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

"For whatever is in your heart determines what you say."

Matthew 12:34

I was thinking this morning as I read this verse how we talk to one another really gives a glimpse of how we feel on the inside. As I have been out and about, I have observed this verse in action. The way people talk to one another these days shows such a lack of respect for one another. Sometimes there isn't much of a difference between Christians and Non Christians on how we respond in conversations. In the age of Facebook, Twitter, texting...and whatever else is out there, we aren't only speaking rudeness, but we're writing it too.

Verse 36 of this same chapter, Jesus says we will give an account on judgement day for every idle word we speak. OUCH! That the words we say now will reflect our fate then, either we will be justified by them or will be condemned. Whoa, that is serious stuff concerning what we say.

We can say what sounds to be the right thing to say, but when the motive of our hearts is unpure and manipulating....well, that's what's springing up from our heart. It's scary to think that the more we talk, that much more of our hearts are revealed.

"The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the heart of a wise man is in his heart."

~Benjamin Franklin~

I challenge us all to choose our words wisely and kindly...but more so..make sure our hearts are aligned with God and we won't have a problem with what we say...SELAH

Faith...

2010-01-12T09:34:00.000-08:00

"Faith...I saw it with the eyes of my heart."

Joni Eareckson Tada

Scrap Book Journaling...

2010-01-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

Some times when I look back over 2009, I wonder what happened, that I quit doing so many things that I loved to do. I rarely blogged, I read the least amount of books that I ever have, I didn't write in my journals very often..... These are some of the things that I enjoy doing..it was a different kind of year and for so many reasons I am glad to see 2009 done and 2010 here.

My husband was off the first ten days of the new year so I didn't have a lot of time to think about what I would like to do with this new year ahead. One of the things that I do want to do more of is scrap book journaling.

This kind of journaling is different than most journals as it is made up of clippings of my favorite things from magazines or just pretty stuff that I enjoy. Journaling this way gives me a chance to be creative and journal all at the same time...for little money. Regular scrap booking supplies can be costly. I buy sketch books at Aaron Bros. The paper is heavy enough to glue pictures and write on. I got mine on sale for $12.00.

I write all diffeernt kinds of things in these journals..scriptures, my thoughts..to do lists and goals..

I thought I would share with you this morning one of the things that I hope to incorporate more of in my days in this new year...more thoughts later..have a blessed day!

40th Wedding Anniversary!!

2010-01-03T14:43:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary with our children and our four grandgirlies.

We started the day going to church together and going to Sunday brunch at a Southern California Mission. It was warm and sunny and we ate out on the patio. We have gone here before for other family milestones, including each our children's 21st birthdays. It was a special way to spend the day and both of us wouldn't of wanted anything more.

We both give God all the glory for our forty years together. My husband has given me an earthly example of unconditional love, showing me a small example of just how great and loving my Heavenly Father's unconditional love is. For that I am blessed and overwhelmned at times.

All of a sudden I don't feel very young....you can't be married 40 years and be young! That's okay, it's been a wonderful forty years filled with many of life's challenges. Whatever those things were, we took them hand in hand and walked them with the Lord as our guide.

Now what? I look forward to walking with this man for as many years as the Lord will give us.

Forty years was a big milestone. One lady asked me today, "Forty years with the same man?" Yep, forty years with the same man...and as many more that the Lord will give me.

Thanks to our children for making our day special and to my husband who makes me feel special every single day when he looks at me!

Gifts Of Faithfulness, Mercy and Grace...

2009-12-31T10:40:00.000-08:00

At this end if this day 2009 will be over ushering in the new year of 2010. How did this happen? Weren't we just concerned about Y2K? So much life has gone by and many changes have been made to each one of our lives the last decade. My mother and my father in law both went home to be with the Lord in this decade, I have four beautiful grand daughters, I 'm not in my forties anymore and my fifties are almost behind me. They say a woman changes the most physically in her fifties. Terrific. These past ten years have been some of my worst years and yet some of my best. I am thinking some of you might say the same thing.

We are living in perilous times of uncertainty. We are still at war and our sons and daughters are still serving in counties that their lives are in danger every day. Lost jobs, homes foreclosed, divorces, illnesses have become part of our daily lives.

And yet....

"...He remains faithful..."
2 Timothy 2:13

God gives us the gift of faithfulness everyday as a gift. In that gift of faithfulness is mercy and grace amidst whatever circumstances we might find ourselves and our loved ones in. We often times, fail to recognize these gifts when things are falling apart around us. I am guilty of this at times.

If I could wrap up a little gold box and give one to each of you to put where you could see it everyday, I would. Maybe you'll want to wrap a little gold box for yourself as a reminder...God remains faithful...no matter what!

Elisabeth Elliot said;

Sometimes when I was a child my mother and father would say. "Shut your eyes and hold out your hand." That was the promise of some lovely surprise. I trusted them so I shut my eyes instantly and held out my hand. Whatever they were going to give me I was ready to take. So it should be in our trust of our heavenly Father. Faith is the willingness to receive whatever He wants to give or the willingness not have what He does not want to give."

Whatever the Lord places in each of our hands this year, one hand should be open in trust to the One who loves us most. In the other hand, let's embrace the gift of His faithfulness, grace and mercy.

These gift are ours because they were bought and paid for by the precious blood of Christ. Will it be this decade, this year, this day that He will return for us? We can look forward with much anticipation to all the things God will do for us and in us because of His faithfulness.

God bless you, dear friends, may He bless your New Year!

Make Room For Jesus...

2009-12-29T08:16:00.000-08:00

Winter still waters...such a place of calm. The busyness of Christmas is past and all that needs to be done now is to put the decorations away and get on with what ever is next. I need a place of calm right now..to be still with my thoughts, seeking God and His voice. I've learned that I need to sit still so that I will hear His whispers when He talks to me. I am listening, Lord..I am trying to sit still so I can hear.

When the holidays are over sometimes we look back with such agony and grief that we didn't make room for Jesus. We bring Him into our Christmas by having mangers and stables in our homes and on our lawns, we wear lapel pins that say Jesus is The Reason for the Season, we sing songs about the birth, so yes, we bring Christ into our Christmas. The grief comes when we didn't make room for Him. We brought Him into Christmas, but in all reality we didn't make room for Him. The days flew by and one day could lead to another, and another, and maybe we found ourselves being spiritually starved for spiritual food.

There were some Christmases that I was so grieved that everything came before spending time with Jesus, that my heart just ached. I failed to make room for Him.

If that's what happened to you this Christmas..there was no room for Jesus...don't lose heart and let the Enemy of your soul beat you down. We are supposed to make room for Jesus every day of the year. Everyday is a fresh start and His mercies are new every morning. if we make a commitment to make room for Jesus now...well, next Christmas He will already have his bags unpacked and settled in to a heart that made room for Him!

Just a thought...If you have to, leave a small manger up as a reminder all year long..to make room for Jesus.

Lord Jesus, help each one of us amidst these busy days to always make room for You. Don't let us get distracted with the cares of this world that we fail to sit beside those still waters and listen for Your whispers. We can't do it on our own, stir Your Holy Spirit in each of us to a greater love and desire for you. In Jesus name we ask, Amen

A Heart That Dances...

2009-10-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

This is the bible study that I did during the summer. It's written by Catherine Martin who is founder and president of Quiet Time Ministries and is dedicated to teaching devotion to God and His Word. She challenges others to love God with all of one's heart, soul, mind and strength.

From the back cover;

Come dance with Me..

A close relationship with God is not just a walk, it is a dance of the heart as you keep in step with the Lord. Many people search for religion, but God desires relationship; many people want to do but God emphasizes that His people should be. (Italics mine.)

Discover why God called David the man after His own heart.
Find out why God allowed Moses to speak with him face to face.
Lean about God's heart of love for the people of Israel.
Reflect on the relationships Old Testament prophets had with God.

A Heart That Dances will take you on a great adventure of intimacy with God. You will experience the firsthand joy of life with the Lord and the celebration it truly is.

I am really glad that I did this study. I found myself truly wanting to dance with the Father as I drew closer and closer to Him.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Oh, the joys of those who trust in Him."

Psalm 34:8

Happenstance...

2009-10-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

"Nothing happens by happenstance.

I am not in the hands of fate, nor am I the victim of man's whims or the devil's ploys. There is One who sits above man, above Satan, and above all heavenly hosts as the ultimate authority of all the universe. That One is my God and my Father.

~Kay Arthur ~

I was sharing with a friend the other day that the trial she was going through has come as no surprise to God. Sometimes those things come into our lives that almost suck the very life from us. It has been my experience that those very things can draw me closer to God and if I abide in Him and surrender to His will, a deeper work will be done in me. The work that was done that took me deeper and deeper with Him, wasn't anything I could put into words. It wasn't anything that I could teach on or write about or even explain...it was a hidden work of the Spirit. Oh, the change is there and people will see it, but yet they won't be able to put their finger on what it is.

Nothing happens to us by happenstance. Our Father is on His Throne and he has all authority over all things. What comfort that brings us in a world full of chaos and uncertainty.

"...If God be for us, who can be against us."

Romans 8:31

Joy In The Journey...

2009-10-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

I imagine most of you thought I had given up on blogging...No, I just felt empty of words to write about anything. So much was going on in, and around me, that I couldn't sort it all out on what to write, so I am jumping back in today and letting God sort it all out, as I start to write on my blog again.

For months and months I felt this dark cloud over my head. I don't know why. I couldn't hear God. I know that He never leaves us, but I couldn't feel His presence or hear His voice. I was in the Word, going to church, having fellowship...yet, this overwhelming sense of sadness just seemed to over take me at times. I know that living with chronic illnesses can do that at times. I have lived with these chronic illnesses for 18 years and every day it is a challenge to do what is before me. I know some of you know what I am talking about. Each day God gave me what it was I had need of. I may not have accomplished my agenda for the day, but I did get up each day and took care of the needs of my husband.

It didn't help at all to record breaking heat for weeks and weeks..it seemed like the hottest summer that I can remember. I am so thankful for air conditioning...but I did start to feel really closed in as the days went by. At the same time, there were the fires that were burning out of control and it always leaves you with a sense of where will it be next.

I have been to the doctor for the weirdest things the last four months..and a dentist appointment that went bad and found myself sitting in the chair for eight hours...not good for a fibromyalgia body. It took days to recover.

We have had extended family drama, the kind that cuts to your very heart. It's not behind us yet, maybe it never will be. The enemy would like nothing better. The enemy must be laughing his head off thinking, "This is a Christian Family." Some of us are walking with integrity.. some are playing right into his hands and are not. So sad. This has taken a toll on my physical health, stress usually does.

Well, I gave you the tip of the iceberg of the happenings around me...there is so much more...but today is a new day and it feels good just to be able to come here and say hello and share my heart.

I love the picture of this leaf at the top of this post...it reminds me that we are to stand out in a world of grey.

Today is a new day! Thank you to all of you who left me comments and sent emails inquiring about me. It encouraged me so much. There can be joy in the journey, because God is so faithful!

I Am Alive...

2009-08-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am alive. The other day someone was talking to my daughter and said they still saw my husband out walking, but what happened to the beautiful dog he walked with. She told them the dog was put down two years ago..then he asked..." Is your Mom alive or dead." Whoa..that made me feel kind of weird. Maybe he thought I walked with my husband..I never have. His legs are a foot longer than mine and I could never keep up with him. He also walks at 5:45 and I am still trying to figure out that time of day if I am still alive.

I am alive, but I haven't felt well this last month...okay, longer than that. I won't whine and tell you the details. I am on the mend, I think...

I got to thinking my blogging friends might wonder if I was alive too. I am posting today with hopes of posting again really soon. I want to tell you about a bible study that I have been doing this summer. I have really been blessed doing it.

It's sooo hot here. It seems to me to be one of the hottest summers for me. I don't know how all of you who live with humidity do it. My hair hasn't looked good since April.

I'll close for now and tell you all that I will be back, hopefully in the next few days!

Glimpses Of His Glory...

2009-07-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

We have been home a week from vacation, it feels now like we never went. Isn't that weird how that happens? It all seems like a blurr. This year as a family, we went back to our favorite family vacation spot, Pismo Beach, located on the Central Coast of California. There were ten of us..my husband and me, our daughter, son in law and my youngest and oldest grand girlies, our son and daughter in law and my two middle grand girlies. Oh, and Molly, our son's family's chocolate lab puppy.

I was weary and tired as our vacation time approached. It had been a busy year and especially the last few months with health issues and busyness in our Women's Ministry at church. Busier actually, than I had been in years. I was so looking forward to relaxing and all of us being together making new memories.

I had to make trip to urgent care two nights before we left with an ear infection. It seems every time we go away together I get sick..so I was a little discouraged. I have learned to roll with the punches but I was blind sighted the first day we arrived when my foot froze up and I could barely put any weight on it. This happens periodically, but it hadn't happened for awhile.

The drive takes 4-5 hours depending what the traffic is like in Los Angeles. On the drive up to Pismo, I said to my husband, " I have an assignment for us while we are gone. Let's look for glimpses of God's glory this week." So we talked a little bit about it and several times during the first day my husband asked, "Any glimpses?" I would just smile... not yet.

Here I was at a beautiful stretch of California coastline.....I saw dolphins, sea lions and I think I spotted a whale one day...reflections of the sun through evening fog coming in...rolling hills of Vineyards...the majesty of my Creator was all around me. Nothing wowed me as a glimpse of His glory. I guess what I wanted was....Oh my goodness, would you look at that! I would sit on the balcony of our room looking out over the ocean..just saying to God, " Show me Yourself in a special way." Here I was soaking in all the beauty and fresh air and yet I didn't feel I'd seen anything I was looking for. I have never been one to look for the big hype or emotionalism of Christianity and I still wasn't.

The night before we were to head for home our son's car wouldn't start and he had to be towed to another city. They were going to have to stay behind and wait another day. You know how that sets with a Mom. I was thankful that the car didn't break down somewhere with those darling little divas and a puppy in 105+ heat. And thankful my daughter and her family stayed behind with them one more night.

Please don't take me wrong I did praise God while I was there for His beautiful creation and the blessing to be able to come one more time with my family...I did worship Him and praise Him!

When it was time to leave we did our hugs goodbye, yet at the time, I was somewhat anxious to leave them all behind and then it hit me. The glimpses of God's glory that I had been looking for all week was in the faces of each one of my kids that day. I wasn't expecting this....I fought tears all the way out of town. I had asked and asked for 4 days for a glimpse of His glory...and once again He was faithful. I was wowed and I knew, that I knew, this was the glimpse God wanted me to see.

Steven, Rachel, Grace, Darcy, McKenzie, Robbie, Hannah, Haylee and Papa

and Puppy Molly

Isaiah 43:7 says, We are created for God's glory. I have learned there are two truths to those who are called by His name..1. God wants to make Himself recognizable to us and 2. He also wants to make Himself recognizable through us...

That's what I saw one day last week..glimpses of His Glory through my family! Pretty cool stuff.

Patty's Pantry...

2009-07-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

I have been adding new recipe's to my recipe blog, Patty's Pantry.. come on over and check them out. I'll be adding more in the next few days. Enjoy!

His Grace Sustains...

2009-06-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

"You and I may indeed find ourselves overwhelmed at times – at the end of our rope and beyond.But we will never fall farther than the palm of His hand.

And where He has called us, His grace will sustain us."

~Joni Earekson Tada~

I was thinking this morning that I just couldn't get caught up and thoughts of being overwhelmed set in. Living with chronic illnesses can feel like your feet are stuck in the mud and every step can be an effort. That's where I am at and I fee like I have been for weeks..ever since the tea. Wait, maybe since Christmas. I manage to keep on top of things, but I want to do more...I want to reorganize the entire house, spring clean..it would be summer clean at this point, read, study, socialize, be more involved, have unlimited energy for my grand girles, answer emails promptly, ride my bike....Sounds of discontent are echoing, I hear them. The thing of it is..I didn't feel completely this way yesterday. So, it's the fatigue talking and maybe a few whispers of the enemy.

This quote says, where God has called us His grace will sustain us. I know I am where I am suppose to be, doing what I am suppose to be doing...His grace is enough and tomorrow will be another grace filled day.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

2 Corinthians 12:9

Reflections Of You...

2009-06-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

The last three posts have been from a message I gave at our Woman's Tea, entitled, Reflections Of Beauty. It's not the enire message but parts of what I spoke on. It's been edited just because it was too much for a blog post. Today's, post is.... Reflections Of You.

James 1:23-25 “ For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”

Some of you might have mirrors that magnify bigger than a normal mirror. I Have one that magnifies 8x’s larger. It’s really cruel to do that to myself. I see things on my face I can’t see with a regular mirror. I see things that were not there yesterday.

I’m one of those women that just can’t go without make up. Every flaw flashes like a neon light. If my husband comes home and I have make up on he wants to know where we’re going or did I go somewhere today. He calls it a miracle transformation when I put make up on.

We look in a mirror to see how we look on the outside. When we look in the mirror of God’s word it shows us how we look on the inside. It’s easier to cover up the flaws on the outside with a little makeup. When God shows us the flaws on the inside, it’s a work that can only be done from within. It too, is called a miracle transformation.

Even though, God’s word reveals to us the flaws in our hearts and our character; He lovingly shows us how to change. Even when I knew God was relentless in showing me my need for change….I was not condemned but lovingly convicted. It’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. Intimacy with God brings about change.

Many times we as women compare ourselves with each other. Satan wants us to compare..he wants us to think other women are better. He will taunt us to compare, envy and covet what another woman has. He especially wants us to think we can’t have that love relationship with God that others do….

He wants us to think something is wrong with us and it’s not attainable for us. But I am here to tell you that each one of us can have all we want in our relationship with the Lord. God is not a respecter of persons but the enemy wants you to think that. We all have the same opportunities to be intimate with God. It’s our choice.

Jeremiah 29:13 says…
“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

If we look in the mirror of God’s word not only will we find him but we will find ourselves. We are daughters of the Most High God; we are daughters of the King!!To God each one of us is uniquely beautiful. He fashioned and formed us to have a beautiful face that will reflect His love, beautiful hands that will help others, beautiful eyes to see his beauty that surrounds us and beautiful lips to tell of God and His love for us. I am not talking about physical attributes.

This is how God sees us. Your hands maybe calloused and wrinkled from years of hard work..but God see the beauty of those hands in all that they did for others in His name.

We may not see ourselves that way, but God does. We at times compare ourselves to the world’s standard of beauty so we don’t see the beauty God created in us. The beauty of “beauty idols” will soon be forgotten. God will work wonders in our lives to perfect the beauty he desires to see in us.

That kind of beauty will radiate to others and change lives. When God’s work is complete our

character will show off the beauty marks to all those who know us and love us.

Joni Earekson Tada says, “I will find in every person that facet of the Lord’s loveliness that only he or she can uniquely reflect.”

My reflection will always be me. Oh, when I look in the mirror over time, my physical reflection will change… there will be more wrinkles and the shape of my face could change, hopefully thinner…. my hair color probably isn’t going to change. I don’t want any physical reflection; I want the refection of Jesus. It’s the trials and circumstances of my life, the valleys and the mountain tops…that God will use to bring about that unique reflection.

It took me many years to figure out that God made me unique. That he made my personality just for me. There is such freedom in being who God made you to be, rather than who you think you should be..or be like. Never being happy with yourself and always wanting to be like someone else...Is a form of bondage.

By God’s transforming grace we can reflect beauty in our lives. Each day as we walk in the Spirit our faces will increasingly reflect the beauty of Jesus. When we have Jesus living inside of us nothing can dim the beauty that shines from within.

The circumstances and trails of our lives past and present do not need to tarnish our reflections. They can, but they don’t need too. I am not minimizing what those circumstances have been or are presently. We each have our own stories to tell.

It’s our choice what we want to reflect. We can choose to reflect all of our hardships and trials or we can choose to reflect the Jesus in us. Each one of the circumstances in our lives was designed to bring about that perfect luster that only God can accomplish through the buffering and polishing of His Holy Spirit.

You are Daughter's of the Most High God. You are His precious treasure hand made to reflect beauty. You have a unique beauty that the Father has only given you to reflect. The choice is yours in whom you want to reflect….Ourselves or Jesus?

It is my desire this morning that when you leave today that you will feel special to the Lord and see how just how beautiful you are. You are his chosen daughter to live right here and now to reflect His beauty to a world in chaos and to each other……Because we as women need each other.

So as we close this morning with our hearts hopefully challenged to be a reflection of beauty, a reflection of Jesus Himself.. Let me leave you with these few words….

May the Jesus in me, see the Jesus in you!

Reflections In My World...

2009-06-03T07:42:00.001-07:00

These are just a few thoughts from the second point in my message, Reflections of Beauty....Refections..In My world.

"For we are a fragrance of Christ to God,among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing."

2 Corinthians 2:14

Before my allergies took over and I could no longer wear any fragrances,I always wore the same cologne. You could smell it ever so faintly in my closet and bedroom. When Hannah my grand daughter was a baby, my son in law would sniff her and say to her, "You smell like Gramma, have you been with Gramma today"

So, it is with us, the world will know we have been with Jesus. Amongst the stench and decay of this fallen world our fragrance will be as evident as our reflection.

Many of you are in very hard places right now. There is such uncertainly in our world around us and there are crisis' and trials in our personal lives. Some days it is difficult tot look through spiritual eyes and see that all of this is going according to God's plan. Life hurts and at times is very painful. Even though our world can be a hard place to live right now, it's not impossible. We know God to be sovereign, control in all things.

One of the greatest affirmations of faith is found in; Habakkuk 3:17-18

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."

I will rejoice in the Lord!

This is the kind of reflection that a world gone mad with chaos and change needs to see from us as Christian women. We could read that Scripture this way in our world today.

Even though my health is failing, the checkbook is empty, the 401K is gone, the house is in forecloser and there seems to be no hope on the horizon....I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful on God my Savior!

As believers the more we suffer the more God comforts. For those that don’t know Jesus, where does their comfort come from? That’s where we come in...we comfort them with the same comfort God has given us.

Charles Swindoll says, “Our Father is preparing us to meet the deep inner needs of others by bringing us through the dark places first.”

He is bring us through those dark places first..why? So we can take someone, believer or unbeliever, by the hand and help them come through to the other side of whatever their crisis or circumstances are. And when we are showing compassion and comfort we are pointing them to Jesus by our reflections of Him and our sweet fragrances.

We are not here at this time in history to sink in the pool of self pity in our hard times. For such a time as this, we are here to show our children, friends and all whom God puts in our path how to live through adversity, illnesses, and whatever other loss you may have experienced or are experiencing presently.

Corrie ten Boom said, "Every experience that God gives us, every person he puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future only he can see."

It's not just non Christians that need to see this reflection of Christ in our lives., we need to see it in each other. We need to see how another woman goes through the hardships of her life and that gives us hope and encouragement to go through hard times of our own.We are encouraged by each other's reflection's!

We have to be careful that we don't show people crooked patterns in life. They need to see us walk upright and not wavering. We can't let crooked patterns be our example to the world. When we are willing God will strategically place us somewhere to be a blessing.

Are we being that example for others to follow? Do we reflect Christ and show others straight paths rather than crooked ones? Do we give off the fragrance of Jesus in a world filled with the stench and decay of a fallen world ?

Our refection might be the one thing that would draw another person into the arms of Jesus during what we think to be the last days. Something in our refection could be the one thing that influences someone’s first thoughts of Christ.

It may be the one thing that would cause them to even be thinking of Him in the first place. We need to be an example to each other; it gives us strength to go on.

"As in water face reflects face,

so the heart of woman reflects woman."

Proverbs 27:19

Reflections Of The Heart...

2009-06-02T15:16:00.001-07:00

These are just a few thoughts from the first part of my message at our tea, Reflections Of Beauty. There were three points and the next few days I'll share just tidbits of what was shared.

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart,

with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength."
Mark 12:30

Our lives mirror the condition of our hearts. The most evident refection of our beauty will come from a heart that is totally God's. Scripture and experience tell us that it is up to us, what level of intimacy we will have with God. The intimacy we have this very moment is exactly what we have chosen to have. We have to ask ourselves if it is discipline or intimacy that motivates us to have quiet times with the Lord. Is it a hunger and a thirst for intimacy with Him?

We reflect whom we are closest too. If we spend time with the Lord we will reflect Him, if we don't, what beauty will we reflect? We will reflect ourselves. It takes work to look good on the outside, but it takes relationship to reflect beauty on the inside.

Nothing can muddy up the reflection of our hearts more than unforgiveness, unconfessed sin, disobedience and pride. We are never more beautiful than when we are obedient to what God asks of us to do. On the other hand, we are never more unattractive than when we are disobedient and prideful. Both of these issues are matters of the heart.

J.Oswald Sanders says, " There are times when we would want to know a deeper intimacy, but when it comes right down to the point, we are not prepared to pay the price."

The choice is ours...will we choose to reflect ourselves or will we choose intimacy with God and reflect Him?