Good Food...

 I love good food! By "good" I mean food made with quality ingredience; Food that someone has taken the time to prepare; Food that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat; Food that awakens all my senses. It can be simple, like fresh baked bread, or labor intensive like La Duni's Quatro Leche Cake.  A plate of delicious grapes, fresh mozorella and special crackers is a wonderful treat. Sounds picky doesn't it? The problem is...it takes time and effort to produce such a meal, or snack. Not only is the preparation a little more time consuming...the eating should be as well.  I love to enjoy what I'm eating.  First of all you taste all the flavors. Secondly, you actually stay satisfied longer.

The same applies to our relationship with the Lord.  The Bible says:

 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."; "I am the vine, ye are the branches:"; "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." ( John 6:35, John 15:5a & Psalms 34:8)

It is not just a quick "Hey Lord, how's it going today? Guide me today and keep me safe." or "Father, you are Holy. Thank you for today...bless me and keep me from harm.  Help me to do your will."  You see, even though those prayers are BOTH great, without a relationship with the Lord of Lords that you are praying to...do they reach much further than the ceiling?  Taste...that takes time.  Have you ever REALLY tasted.  When you do, you will hunger and thirst no more.  He is our portion and he is the "quality ingredience" we need to make life enjoyable.

Obedience Is a Heart Issue

“The Lord does not give me rules, but he makes His standard very clear. If my
relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with
Him – namely, myself. If I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random
circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of
God.” Oswald Chambers

I read this as a caption on a page yesterday. It touched me profoundly. The book I was reading was about parenting and the different changes in the Seasons of childhood. When I read this quote, I instantly thought about my relationship to my Heavenly Father, but as I read the chapter on transitions,sympathy, discipleship and not moving into legalism as a parent...I began to apply this quote to my children.

Our children need to know that we love them, no matter what. That we can, and do, validate their feelings. (Of course, this does not mean allowing them to get away with wrong actions because we "understand" why they may have acted out!) The point is that even the most compliant child may not be obedient because they love us. It could be that the quiet, compliant and reserved child we perceive as obedient and "good" has a serious heart issue.

If we, as parents, do not hold the hearts of our children, who does? Have you asked yourself that lately? Our hearts desire as parents should be to have our children obey or carry out our wishes when we are not looking because they love, and honor us...not simply because we have a hard swing or a loud bark.

Take time to KNOW your children, relate to them and earn their trust and their hearts....It's worth the investment!

Delight Yourself In Abundance of Peace

I have often thought: "If I could just get away and sit among the flowers or watch the ripples on the lake...then I could be peaceful."

Peace is not a fleating feeling or emotion. Peace isn't just a state of mind. It is a gift, a promise from the God of the universe to those who serve him and follow his ways.

Psalms 37:11 "But the meek (humble) shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."

Phillipians 4:6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Peace is readily available...

A Faithful God

I am so thankful that God is faithful!

Scripture says, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." (James 4:8) All I have to do is make effort and God meets me. It's the exact opposite of what we do as humans when our little ones are learning how to crawl, walk or even swim. The more steps they take, the further away we move. Of course this is to encourage them to continue on...but maybe that is why it is foreign to us that God actually draws near to us when we seek Him. Instead of the aloof carrot dangling in front of us, He actually comes closer and holds out His hand to us.

I am thankful that when I step into His will He is quick to move me forward.

Thank you to those of you who have sent many thoughtful prayers to the Father for me. I know without loving, diligent prayers...I may still have my heals dug far into the ground!

That was FAST!

So...today, late morning, I had a crisis of belief! There are several things tugging at my heart strings and yet I have been struggling to find the joy in moving forward in these area in which God has called me. So, I cried to my Hubby and told him all my sorrows and regrets and thoughts and feelings of failure and inadequacies...then, I got over it. Well, I let go of the emotions of it.

The facts are...I do fail, in many areas. I don't home school as well as I would like, although I do a good job. My laundry falls behind, my closets are not organized, I need to iron, play dolls, build Legos and snuggle with Hubby more. I really need to encourage the wonderful women in my life on a more regular basis. As you can see...I can conjure up quite a list!

After overcoming my feelings, I am still left to ponder this question: "The Bible says in Matthew 11:29-30, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." If I believe that the Word of God is True and I also believe that I am walking out God's calling on my life, then why am I crying and tired and ready to throw in the towel???"

The answer came as my dear, sweet husband began to preach tonight at church. He has been talking about 3 different times Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy what the Word from God is for us. First he comes before we get the word; which leaves us searching for God's will in our lives. Second, he comes after we receive the word, but before we have accepted the call. Like Moses in the wilderness...we say, "are you sure you mean ME God?" Satan tries to steal the Word by planting doubt and reading off all the reasons we know we aren't the right ones for the job! Last, but not least, after we receive the call, affirm the call...Satan tries to stop us before we reach the finish line.

Satan is "... as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" (1 Peter 5:8) He wants us to FAIL!

I want to be a finisher. I am not, however alone in my race. Hebrews 12:1-2 says "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

We have the Champion race runner on our side! Christ finished the task set before him by God. It was exponentially more difficult than the race God has asked me to run for Him at this point in my life.

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14). As a youth, this verse was the cry of my heart and the banner which I waved as I advanced toward being all God had called me to be. Tonight, I herald this verse again...a cry of an adult heart longing to finish STRONG!

I press on...

Every Perfect & Good Gift...

I have been trying for about a month or so to decide whether or not to stop writing. I have been attacked in this area since I sat down to open my heart for the first time.

You see, I love to write. I compose A LOT at nights as I am trying to quiet my mind. The problem is...I don't actually write it down. God has been diligently working on my heart in several areas and I want so badly to share them, but the busyness of the day has stolen my time. Well, I need to rephrase...I have allowed the busyness of the day to steal my time.

I have been caught in a web, sort of speak, of tending to what "needs" to be accomplished, but neglecting the ones that are more "important". The dishes, laundry, sewing, phone calls, reminders, etc...shouldn't be more important than walking out what God puts on my heart...but it is, after all, my first responsiblitities. The ones of family and various assundry of tasks that must be undertaken to keep the family moving along in clean clothes and full bellies. Don't missunderstand...I feel great honor in being able to care for the ones around me. It is my primary calling. Maybe the tasks at hand that feel like mundane "needs" are the important ones.

There must be a heart change...a mindset that needs to be corrected...and then, God will be able to fulfill the other areas in my life he has set forth.

This morning, as I was praying, God put James 1:16 & 17 on my heart again.

"Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

So, for the meantime I will be getting out of bed to put fingers to keyboard and record what is on my heart from the Lord, taking time to enjoy the mundane and praise the Lord that I am home and able to do laundry, cook, sew, teach...