A Forever Love

Unable to sleep, I penned a poem at 3 a.m.....Sometimes, God needs to get me up in the middle of the night to get His point across.

A Forever Love

When the Creator of the universe established the sky and sea
He knew about me.
With my name written on His hand and a little mystery
He knew who I could be.
Time passed and I came to be
Formed in His image and created to be free.
I grew wild, weary and unable to see--
     O’ Lord, my God, I have no worth without thee.
     But by Your grace and with me on bended knee   

     I'll eventually understand what You mean to me....And humbly start eternity.

 

Who Would You Call?

Who would you call if you knew your time was limited? I considered family members and pictured their reactions. This was somewhat depressing... so I considered longer...

One of my dearest friends came to mind. I can tell her anything. We laugh at things that are difficult. We dry our tears in front of each other. And although we are grown-up, we hold hands like little girls. I could spill everything on her, and she would help me manage it--somehow. Even if it was just to say, "I love you."

What more could I ask?

Part of our calling is to reflect the love of Jesus. We need to celebrate each other--no matter our circumstances...and call God, the Creator, the Great I AM and simply say, "I need you." Unlike a friend or family member, He is already there. You don't have to make a phone call, text, email, or get in your car to be with Him. Besides that, He understands your pain. And, yet, He still wants to hear from you. He created that special person who you can call when things are tough, but He still wants to hear directly from you.

Considering all things, it seems we are each living on limited time.
Call your friend today. Let her know you appreciate her.
Get down on your knees and let God know you need him, love him, and appreciate Him, your creator.

I AM --What does it mean?

I Am that I Am is the English response for God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name (Exodus 3:14). I Am means "to exist, to become, to be done, to happen."

Or, in other words, He is, He already was, He is to come. Rev. 1:8
Or, in other words, He is EVERYTHING.

Not to be disrespectful, but to make a point, I ask, "What difference does this make?"

I answer my own question with--

 It should make all the difference in everything I do and say...
and the way I feel.

 There is a desire for eternity in my heart.

 All the hidden treasures of knowledge are here in the I AM.

 Therefore, let God tend to each soul...

and fulfill our individual destinies.

Trust in the LORD forever for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock Eternal. Isaiah 26:4

Shadows

When you think of shadows, 
   what are your thoughts?


It's that time of the year. The weather turns cool. Jack-o-lanterns, scare-crows, wispy ghost figures, and frightening masks fill your neighborhood.

When I was little and alone, shadows scared me.  With the moon creeping through an upstairs window at night and tree branches scratching the outside walls of the house, goosebumps spread on my arms and legs as the shadows scattered across my bedroom floor. Shadows gave rise to thoughts of other creatures.





However, shadows of a different nature pursued me as I journeyed life...worry, doubt, disappointment, sickness, loneliness, resentment, rejection... you get the picture.
 

We live in a fear-based world, a world where bad news travels at light speed. . . . These are troubled times, times when we have legitimate fears for the future, our nation, our world, and our families.... (Day 165, 365 Daily Devotions for Women)




Tribulation

without trust in an almighty God

separates us

from Him.

.. as Christians we have every reason to live courageously.

It is easy to become so wrapped up in our shadows that we fail to seek God's guidance and therefore miss out on the peace that comes only from God.

I have set before you

life and death,

blessing and curse.

Choose life . . .

and remain faithful

to Him.

Deut. 30:19

Say goodbye to your shadows, 
whatever they may be.

Decide to trust.

Let go and let God.

Dear God,

May I reflect your image.  May I be your inseparable companion and follower. May I never let the shadows in my life separate me from your grace and eternal promise.  

The Beat Goes On....

Remember Sonny and Cher's song...

 

Drums keep poundin' a rhythm to the brain. Laigadadeee laigadadaa. Charles was once a rage aha.

History has banned that stage aha. The mini skirts' the current thing aha.... And the beat goes on. And the beat goes on....

Yes, the beat goes on. Anne Lamont in her book, Stitches, wrote, "We mostly do everything over and over." Laigadadeee laigadadaa ...

I have a birthday this week and I'm a little concerned about mostly doing everything over and over as the beat goes on. To be honest, I like routine in my life. It gives me security. I keep a daily list. Things like ___laundry, ___pay bills, ___ get groceries are neatly printed on a note pad. but I'm also yearning for something else. Perhaps that is the reason baby-boomers have "bucket lists." We desire more than Laigadadeee laigadadaa.

After attending a presentation last week on writing letters, I have something new on my list: write to someone each week for whatever reason. I'm sending a note to Megan, a cross country runner, who was named Runner of the Year at the first Top of Iowa Cross Country Conference Meet. I know how hard she worked. I admire her determination.

 

God does not equal bored. Although there is routine in his creation-- the sun rises and sets every day, seasons change, there is something bigger going on. When I get outside myself, I become part of something bigger. It doesn't need to be of "bucket list" proportions. Okay, I'm not going to Africa; however, I'm going to try to tie one quilt a month that may end up in Africa. I'm not going to run a marathon or compete in any kind of physical competition, but I' m going to show my admiration for someone who did by simply indicating, "I noticed you! Great job!"

It's going to be a great year as the beat goes on.

 

 

Life Like Etch-a-Sketch

I remember when Etch A Sketch first came into my life. It was a Christmas decades ago when my youngest brother received it as a gift. A mechanical drawing toy with a thick, flat gray screen in a red plastic frame, it is not much to look at. However, if you are extremely creative and adept at using two knobs at the same time, you can create a pretty picture with the aluminum powder encased behind the screen.

However, with a shake of the screen, that exquisite creation is destroyed, messed up, no longer pretty.

Life is a little (or a lot) like etch-a-sketch. We get jobs, start families, buy homes and cars, and at gatherings we take beautiful family and friend pictures where everyone shows their pearly whites.

And then, someone or something, comes along and shakes it up. It's no longer pretty; it's not even nice. It's messy, distorted, and hurts. And, quite quickly, you feel like a polar bear floating out to sea on a scrap of ice.

There's two things you may want to remember:

 1) You're not the only polar bear out there.

 2) God IS with you.

 

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." James 4:13-15



ancestry.God

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. Ephesians 3:14-17

It seems to be a rage right now: finding out who our ancestors are, what they did, where they lived, etc.  Is it the mystery of it--taking a journey into the past to solve a puzzle of sorts, gaining perspective as to who one really is, determining what we have in common with those who came before us, or simply wanting to establish a connection with one's roots for whatever reason.

A childhood friend tells her grandchildren that they have gifts that came from their grandparents, great grandparents, and great-greats. And, it was not just their looks and personalities. It was all a part of their DNA: persistence, a determination to survive and make things work. "When things get tough, remember that you already have this. It's what you are made of. It's a part of you." She tells them.


 

No matter what our background, who our ancestors are, we are each evolving into the family of God from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name...rooted and grounded in love....
It's how the Creator made us.
You already have it.
It's a part of you.
What better ancestry is this?