focus on the goal ...

i need to forget the things that have hurt me ... people who have betrayed my trust ... or have turned something positive into a negative ... God knows all our hearts ... i need to try and leave my burden at the cross and PRESS ON ... pray for wisdom ... and continue on the path set out for me ... my JOY in the LORD has always been my strength ... and heavenward is my direction ... keep me honest before You - my Lord and my Redeemer ... 

my Rock and Deliverer ...

a reminder to myself ... for the days when it seems that the world might have it in for me, I am God's child - and i can completely trust IN HIM ... my Rock and my deliverer ... 

9/11 ... 15 years today ...

pray often, pray hard, pray for everything ...

from my morning devotions ... "Wonder of the Cross" by Chris Tiegreen ... if i can encourage anyone who stops by  here to PRAY ... always ... in all things ... that changes the course of history ... it changes the course of our own lives and hearts too ... Pray without ceasing ... 

Walk by faith, not by sight.

a reminder to myself ... to walk obediently, as GOD has commanded us to ... may my devotion to HIM never waiver, but may i be kept on the straight and narrow by God's grace ... 

go with God ...

Charles Price devotional thought ... i can say amen to this ... please use me Lord as i enter my senior years of life ... 

soon ... and very soon ...

beauty all around me ...

feeling blessed this sunday morning ...

 the flowers bathed in beauty

 the morning sunrise filled with promise 

and these apples ripening along the pathway that i walk ... if i let it, my cup will overflow with the goodness of God all around my everyday ... 

BE  YE  THANKFUL ... my answer, Yes Lord, i am ... 

sunday morning greetings ...

imagine, the last day of July ... and how this old world is creaking and groaning, as it turns on it's axis ... i'm glad for God moments ... for sundays ... for HIS Word that gives us hope ... may you find moments of peace and beauty in your everyday ... blessings on ya . ..

make peace, the Word says ...

just doing a self check of my heart ... adjustment needed ... 

prayer

i agree with this statement ... prayer does change things .. most notably, the one on their knees ... 

Protection? yes, God does that as well ... and so well ...

this was the heading on my devotional page ... those of us who are Jesus' followers need to know God is ABLE to keep us and WILL strengthen and protect us ... keep your eye on our Faithful Guardian ... He will never lead us astray ...

Words ...

the bible continually reminds us that words are important ... they are either a weapon to wound, or healing balm to the hearer ... it seems our out-of-control, crazy world, has forgotten this important message ...

Jesus' promises ...

i experience the constant trouble one for sure!!!  *smile* ... and when i am in tune to the Holy Spirit's leading - i feel fearless ... when i am listening to Jesus' words - i am absurdly happy .... how 'bout you?  BLESSINGS on you who stop by, this Lord's day ... 

p.s. the picture of the flowers was taken yesterday, from my overgrown flower garden (busy June, no time for weeding) ... the thought came from my devotional reading this morning .. 

Guard your heart ...

" ... Before the new birth, sin was clearly our master.  Now there's a vastly more powerful rival in the Spirit of God.  We have entered a war zone.

The front lines of the war zone are located in our hearts ... Worthless idols never deliver on their promises.  God always does.  It should be obvious where to set our hearts.

In your daily war against the sin that so easily infects your life, remember to guard your heart.  Watch where you set it.  Be extremely careful not to let it dwell on impure or unworthy things.  Let it be filled with God alone."

excerpt from "Wonder of the Cross devotional" by Chris Tiegreen 

graduates ... be blessed and live for Jesus ...

i was just thinking of the graduates this season ... the life that lies before them ... the many decisions they will need to make ... but if they get this one thing right - to do all for the GLORY of GOD ... then everything else will fall into place ... dear LORD, may it be so for the ones who love You!

It's not that our plans are bad, but that God's plans are better!

from Max Lucado's devotional ... i've read this particular page about 10 times (guess i need the encouragement, eh!) ... and i have to say a loud "AMEN!" after each reading ...

weep no more ...

when my  heart is heavy, i am encouraged by passages like this one in Isaiah ... God saying to weep no more ... that He hears ... that He will answer ... and tho' the sadness may linger for a bit ... HOPE starts to inch in ... and HOPE gives strength and encouragement ... so weep no more ... for God does hear! 

Queen Elizabeth quote ...

"It has always been easy to hate and destroy ... to build and cherish is much more difficult" .. 
  ~ Queen Elizabeth II

now there is no condemnation ...

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  John 3:17

Remember how we used to sing: ... and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love ... yes they'll know we are Christians by our love ... 

Lord, let them see my love ... because you loved me, when i couldn't love myself ... you died for me, when i didn't know i needed such a sacrifice ... you want me to live like you ... to be the light in my world ... let them see Jesus in me ... amen.

the hour is indeed late ....

eternity in our hearts ...

why the restlessness?   why the searching?

it's because GOD  has put eternity in our hearts ... we will never find rest, until we REST in HIM ...

John 3:16 still holds the key - that will unlock the door ... if you are seeking, start your search there ...

help build a bridge ...

JESUS said, "blessed are the peacemakers" ... i want to be blessed in that way ... amen ...

part of a plan ...

when others put you down, don't believe you, question your motives ... remember this, God knows your heart ... your bruised and aching heart ... and not only does He KNOW - He loves you and has a plan to redeem you ... because He wants you to be a part of His plan ... a part of His Forever Kingdom ... leave it with Him ... rest in the ONE who loves you for all eternity.

do you believe?

Easter greetings!

and all the people said:  Even so, Come Lord Jesus!

joey and rory

i've been following joey and rory's blog ... joey is in the last days of her cancer battle ... http://thislifeilive.com/ ...  she's fallen into a deep sleep in recent days ... so bittersweet for her loved ones ... joey and her family know Jesus ... there is hope in that ... eternal hope ... 

update:  Joey went home to be with the Lord March 4, 2016 ...

think on these things ...

i was just listening to a max lucado talk ... i can't really call it a sermon, it was just one of those informal types of encouraging chitchats he is known for ...  max was pondering about a hall of fame for scripture verses ... powerful ones like:  john 3:16, the Lord's prayer, Psalm 23 ... 

he wanted to add another to that illustrious list ... he nominated Philippians 4:4-8  ... he calls those verses the cure for anxiety ... 

my ears perked up and i took a good look at those verses again ... you see i have been bumping into them almost daily - and then some ... in fact, the above poster is one i used on my homemade calendar for February (homemade poster too!) !! ... 

i have had a heavy heart for a few months ... life hands out its fair share of sucker punches ... BUT GOD - knows all that ... in fact HE has prepared a word for any and every season in life we are going through ... 

i felt compelled to write in my blog ... to declare that the bible is more than a book ... it is a living Word, tailor made for those of us who long for the Presence of God to be with us through the hard times .... and through the sweet moments ... in fact through every moment in our lives ... 

read Max's nomination - Philippians 4: 4-8 ... and ... think on these things ... 

feeling thankful ...

i woke up - FEELING THANKFUL ... i gotta testify, GOD has been so good to me ... through it all, i would have no other - but Jesus ... my peace depends on HIM alone, not my circumstances ... to be saved, is to have it all ... 

drifting ...

Hebrews 2:1 says: "So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it." ...

drift away ... it sounds relaxing, non-violent ... non-committal, an easy option ... it is also a real danger to any believer ... making the follower of Jesus blend in with the world ... 

our world is a world of compromise ... a world where having strong Christian values are viewed as being close minded, old fashioned and no fun ...

drift away ...

BE CAREFUL!...

does  your anchor hold?

What is love?

how can something written 2000 years ago, still ring so true today?  i think it's because God was the author of it - even though he used a man named Paul to pen it ... no one has yet to come up with a better description of what we imagine love to be ... what we dare hope it to be ... what Jesus came to show to us - It Is In Him!

trouble ...

it's the day of trouble that teaches me the most about the way i should live ... and if in that day of trouble, Jesus is my Lord  and i am committed to that fact ... then He will give me an underlying peace that helps me to endure ... until that trouble no longer troubles ...  

the GOD Who sees ...

God sees ... truly SEES ... our hearts, our actions ... HE knows the future, and sees our past ... HE is in our present ... why, oh children, do we fear or fret ... the wicked will one day get their reward and the down trodden will one day be lifted up ... HOPE in the God Who Sees ... the help of man is futile ... 

in quietness and confidence ...

reflections ... last week of january ... the quiet month ... asking God to be my confidence and strength as i journey on ... 

the battle is WON!

this verse speaks to me ... sometimes we are in situations where there is nothing we can do about it ... if people refuse to believe us, forgive us, or love us ... there is really nothing we can do to change their already made up minds ... BUT if Jesus lives within us ... He is the ONE who has won every battle for us - already!  He sits on the Father's right hand ... mission accomplished ... 

if you are a battle weary soul ... feeling at a loss because everyone has deserted you ... remember - stand still and see the salvation of the Lord ... because we do not need to fight in this battle if we are positioned in Him ... watch and pray, for your redemption draws near ... 

the Word is never chained ...

the WORD of  God is not chained, said  the Apostle Paul ... he penned those words while in prison ... irony of irony's ... though Paul was physically chained ... the living Word of God wasn't ... 

evil men thought to stamp out God's living, eternal Word ... how foolish ... 

and the world that neglects so great a salvation is still foolish ... 

read the Word - it has the power to transform your life!

january, the month that needs a bit of tweaking!

december is a month filled with hope, endless possibilities and good will towards others ... 

then january arrives ... 

reality looks bleak, life seems routine and if you live in middle canada - the weather is bitterly cold!  that is when we need to walk by faith, not by sight ... and ignore any discontent or ikkiness inside us and offer to God the sacrifice of praise ... 

it is not always easy to be grateful (even when we should be) or to give Jesus praise (even tho' HE is worthy) ... on those days the fragrance of a thankful word may be all that much sweeter to a God who is always attentive to us ... offer to Him the sacrifice of praise ...  this is what proclaims our allgiance to the only ONE worthy of that praise ... 

His banner over me is love ...

as we continue into the new year ... the unknown ... if God is  your Source of all things ... remember He is also the ONE who goes into this new year with you - already knowing what it holds for you ... the challenges, the joys, the trials and triumphs ... go with confidence knowing that HE will take care of you and always always always have your back ... HE is our High Tower ...

new years challenge

yes, please ... help me, Lord ...  may i be a woman who builds up, not tears down ... who praises more than she finds fault ... may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you Lord ... 

go with God ...

"I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'"

"And he replied, 'Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.  That shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way.'"

~ King George VI on New Year's Eve 1939, the first months of WWII ..

O hush the noise ...

this quote from Edmund Sears sums up the season for me ... so much needless chatter about things that perish and that have no eternal value ... when will we ever learn to listen ... we need to still ourselves before the Lord and to hear the message that rang out clear from heaven 2000 years ago ... and still rings out ... the Saviour IS born!

God is not bound by time ...

In Jesus Christ, eternity embraced time ... 

so that those of us who are bound by time, 

may one day embrace eternity.  

~ David Jeremiah

light of the world ...

now is our opportunity to be a reflection of Jesus ... full of mercy, love, non-threatening, peaceful ... we cannot do anything about what people say or think ... our calling is to BE the light in our current darkness ... 

thank you Jesus ...

these are my poinsettias ... i've been enjoying them for 2 weeks now ... they remind me of Christ's sacrifice ... His blood shed for us ... yes, ESPECIALLY at this time of year - His atonement for my sins comes through all the tinsel, goodies and hype of the commercialism of what we  now call Christmas ... Jeremiah wrote "The Lord our righteousness" ... and immediately my own thoughts added:  has come ... 

thank  you Jesus for that GIFT of grace ... thank you that it is a universal gift ... thank you that YOU still speak to hearts, even though we wade neck deep in commercialism and unrealistic nostalgia ...

thank You for John 3:16 ...

reflection

i took this picture at our town beach this morning ... it reminded me that i want to reflect God like the calm waters reflect the morning sun ... may Jesus be seen in me ...

November share ... Max Lucado

for those of you, like me, who can be affected with seasonal sadness ... i want to share some uplifting thoughts from max lucado ... be blessed this month of november!

The most common word for “worry” is the Greek term: “merimnate.” The origin is “merimnao.” This is a compound of a verb and a noun. The verb is “divide.” The noun is “mind.” To be anxious, then, is to divide the mind. Anxiety chops up our attention, derails our purpose, and scatters our awareness in a dozen directions.

We worry about the past: what we said or did. We worry about the future: tomorrow’s assignments or the next decade’s developments. Anxiety takes our attention from the right now and directs it back then or up there.

The challenge is to keep our attention on the “right now.” Here is a resolve that I wrote and read often:

“Today, I will live today.
Yesterday is past.
Tomorrow is not yet.
I’m left with today.
So, today, I will live today.

Relive yesterday? No.
I will learn from it.
I will seek mercy for it.
I will take joy in it.
But I won’t live in it.
The sun has set on yesterday.

The sun has yet to rise on tomorrow.
Worry about the future? To what gain?
It deserves a glance, nothing more.
I can’t change tomorrow until tomorrow.

Today I will live today.
I will face today’s challenges with today’s strength.
I will dance today’s waltz with today’s music.
I will celebrate today’s opportunities with today’s hope.

Today.
May I laugh, listen, learn, and love today.
And, tomorrow, if it comes, may I do so again.”

Leave your problems with God. He does not need our help, counsel, or assistance. (Please repeat this phrase: I hereby resign as ruler of the universe.) When he is ready for us to re-engage, he will let us know.

© Max Lucado
November 2015

God's promise ...

another blog anniversary rolls around ... it is 11 years since i first began sharing my life and faith in this manner ... i feel blessed by the friends i've made ... and  shared life experiences  ... God is good ...

i snapped the above picture 2 weeks ago, during a walk in the neighbourhood ... and the verse is from Isaiah ... indeed, our Heavenly Father would never forget His own ...

blessings on all who stop by ...

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving 2015

we've enjoyed a balmy thanksgiving weekend up til now ... today the winds are gusting to 80 clicks - so i'm thankful i took this photo yesterday when the leaves were still on the tree!  LOL!!!

thankfulness is something i try to practice daily ... and being thankful for God's grace through Jesus - is where it all starts.

blessings to all who may stop by!

be prepared ...

i'm so glad that we have eternity to look forward to ... we are a prepared people, for a prepared place ... i get so impressed with the sunrises that meet my eyes in the morning (this being one of them, pic taken this summer) ... and the God who created the sunrise, has also created a home for those in Jesus ... how absolutely cool is that?!!!!  David Jeremiah said that "the days of surface faith and cowardly christianity are soon coming to an end."  yet, even if there will be bumps  in the road, the destination will have us forgetting the hardships - and rejoicing in the realities of heaven ... be blessed ...