Living . . . really living!

I read this today, and it encouraged me. Some have said I am a private person, but I do not see it that way at all. I simply feel that not ALL things need to be said out loud. The One I love knows my heart and He hears it all. And loves me, and guides me.

I know the truth, who He says I am, and nothing else really matters.

Here is a list so we can all be reminded -

Who I Am In Christ

I am accepted...
John 1:12 I am God's child.
John 15:15 As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1 I have been justified.
1 Corinthians 6:17 I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.
1 Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ's body.
Ephesians 1:3-8 I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.
Colossians 1:13-14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
Colossians 2:9-10 I am complete in Christ.
Hebrews 4:14-16 I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

I am secure...
Romans 8:1-2 I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
Romans 8:31-39 I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Colossians 3:1-4 I am hidden with Christ in God.
Philippians 1:6 I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.
Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.
2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I am significant...
John 15:5 I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.
John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God's temple.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10 I am God's workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

"The more you reaffirm who you are in Christ,
the more your behavior will begin to reflect your true identity!"
(From Victory Over the Darkness , by Dr. Neil Anderson)

My quote for this day . . .

"Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice." Amos 5:14-15

Why do I fear my destiny, what you have laid out for my life? Jesus I trust YOU, You are my helper! Forgive me when I fear . . . I know You are always in control.

"One who denies his destiny can bring about as much pain and suffering as your greatest enemy." Joseph Willowbrook, Talisman, Season 3 Smallville

A lonely heart . . .

Lately, I have felt so alone. But yet, to look with my eyes, I am never alone. I have many, many happy moments of my life, that are full of people and surrounded by much love. Yet, this nagging, gnawing feeling kept creeping up on me, calling me, to a place of loneliness. I hated it, I rebuked it. It was so not true. Yet, even as I smiled and laughed, I could feel the fringes of this terrible feeling hanging on to every smile, and every warm relational moment. God, I can't believe this is true, what is going on. I sat in silence and listened. Then, I knew. I was lonely for the One that could only fill this place in my heart. The place that no person could fill. God was calling me to a deeper place of knowing Him, and loving Him, and letting Him be the only one that filled that place. It was made for Him, that place in my heart. So as I have listen and prayed and read this morning, I am experiencing a new place of depth with the One who loves me like no other. The fringes of loneliness have been removed by the only One who could remove them. How great and awesome is the love of God, how wonderful He is. I read this passage from the Message and it cut straight to the core of my own frailty and need for God:

"God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I'm an open book to You; even from a distance, You know what I'm thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight. You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and You're there, then up ahead and You're there, too — your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful— I can't take it all in! Is there anyplace I can go to avoid Your Spirit? to be out of Your sight? If I climb to the sky, You're there! If I go underground, You're there! If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon, You'd find me in a minute— You're already there waiting! Then I said to myself, "Oh, He even sees me in the dark! At night I'm immersed in the light!" It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to You; night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to You." Psalm 139:1-12

There is so much much more to God than I will ever understand.
I am so glad He knows me intimately, like no one can.
Today, I long to know Him in ways I never have.

He is the answer to every question I have, every worry, every fear, every lonely place . . . He is the love of my life!

How He Loves by John Mark McMillan

He is jealous for me
Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
and I realize just how beautiful You are
and how great your affections are for me.

Oh, how He loves us so
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us so.
Yeah, He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves.

So we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean we're all sinking
So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
and my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
when I think about the way That he loves us,

Well, I thought about You the day Stephen died
and You met me between my breaking
I know that I still love You, God, despite the agony
...they want to tell me You're cruel
But if Stephen could sing, he'd say it's not true,
cause...[voice breaks]... Cause He loves us

the amazing LOVE Jesus has for us!

http://www.godtube.com/view_video?viewkey=ee73e63418003b47d7d5

God knew . . .

Just when I thought I had God's plan for my life all figured out, or at least pretty close to it, He goes and proves to us that He is still so wonderful and still God. He planned for us in ways so unimaginable and yet, so wonderful too. Our little miracle was born just 24 hours after I poured out my heart to God in a poem here on this blog, dated May 31, 2007. He is four months old now . . . what we did not conceive, God did. We never saw it coming, but we are so grateful that God did, and knew the plans He had for all of us. Love abounds in our hearts in the newest ways ever . . .

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him . . . " 1 Corinthians 2:9

So what is God saying to you?

Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

You live today by the word you receive today. You can't live on yesterday's manna.

The above quote is from Kathie Walters, and it is as if she were reading my mind. Not that I thought something so great to write, but the fact that I cannot feed on the old. Gods timing is perfect, and the things He used in the past worked in the past because He intended them to be for that moment and time in history. And today, He has something new to say, and tomorrow. Not that He has changed, because He never does, He is ALWAYS the same. He just wants us to rely on Him for our day, our life, our choices. So if we look to the past, we can learn, but we cannot assume that what we did then will work for today. We cannot rely on past ways and thinking. We can only rely on Him.

That's also why we need to read the bible, everyday. Because it is God's word, it is God's word today. Something that you have read before, may jump out in a new way today, because it is what God is saying for today. Same God, same words, just FRESH manna for today.

God, we need your fresh manna for today! I will choose to listen to what You are saying today because I love you and I trust You!

I just learned today that God wrote this 7 times in Revelations. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches.” Revelations 3:22 Wow . . . The number seven means "complete". We, the believers in Christ, are the church. I know when I tell my children something even twice, I must really want them to do it. Seven times . . . I think I better listen.

Trust . . .

How can there be any other place that to trust God? I know when I do not trust God, then who am I trusting? My self? Other people? The world? No way - even in hardest of my own thinking I must believe God at His word "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5-6

Definition of trust: 1 a : assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something b : one in which confidence is placed2 a : dependence on something future or contingent : HOPE

Help me Jesus to trust you more, even in the littlest of things. I want all my confidence to be in You and Your ways alone! Jesus, you are my only hope! I love you!

Cool photo . . .

John 1:5 "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it"



2 Corinthians 3:18 "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

My heart cry . . .

Always Forever by Phil Wickham

You are the hand that catches my fall
You are the friend that answers my call
You are my day, You are my night
You are my love and all of my life

You are the love I need
You are the air I breathe
You are my love my life always forever
I would lay down my life Just to be by Your side
You are my love my life always forever

You are the grace that covers my sin
You’re everything the beginning and end
You have my soul, my heart and my mind
You have my love and all of my life

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, forever

Home . . .

The word for today, and yesterday, and really for my life is: home. There is so much more to that word than its original meaning. Home to me is a place of love, no matter your blood relation. There are people who are home to me, both relatives and not, that I am deeply thankful for today. I post this song, an oldy . . I know. But, Tim and I danced our first dance at our wedding to this song, and it has been true for our lives. Here are the words.

Love Will Be Our Home by Sandi Patti

If home is really where the heart is
Then home must be a place that we all share
for even with our difference our hearts are much the same
And where love is we come together there.

Wherever there is laughter ringing
Someone smiling, someone dreaming
We can live together there
Love will be our home.
Where there are children singing
Where a tender heart is beating
We can live together there
Love will be our home

With love our hearts can be a family
And hope can bring this family face to face
And though we may be far apart our hearts can be as one
When love brings us together in one place.

Wherever there is laughter ringing
Someone smiling, someone dreaming
We can live together there
Love will be our home.
Where there are words of kindness spoken
Where a vow is never broken
We can live together there
Love will be our home

Love will, love will be our home
Love will, love will be our home
Love will, love will be our home
Love will, love will be our home

Chorus

Amazing Grace

It was a year ago that I said goodbye to my dad. He spent the last two months of his life in the hospital. In our hospital, children under 12 are not allowed past the lobby. We had a meeting with the hospital social worker to plan for his transfer to a nursing home. I told her I was glad because the kids had not seen him for two months. Prior to that, he had lived with us for 3 months, so they were really missing him. I am so thankful for the hospital social worker as she arranged for my children to go and see him right then. I remember how he talked with them and smiled at them, and of course, joked with them. They were so excited to see him. That was in the afternnoon, and that evening, I got a call from the hospital that I should come, he was in his final stages, and his breathing was very slow. I cried all the way to the hospital. Mostly because I was so grateful taht God had arranged for a very special, last time memory for my children and my dad. As I entered his room, he looked asleep. He was breathing, very slowly. I grabbed his hand and talked to him. I told him I loved him and we would miss him. I told him to say hi to grandma for me and thank her for teaching me about Jesus at an early age. Then I sang "Amazing Grace", and as I sang the last line of the song, I watched him take his last breath and he was gone. Later, a friend told me "He was a showman to the end . . . he took his final bow at the end of the song." How true . . . how very true. That's my dad.

I know my dad was just hanging out at the hospital until he got to see his grandkids one more time. And I know he waited until I got there to finally go. And how like him to wait until the final line of the song to leave. He was just that stubborn to wait . . . and I am so glad he did.

His service was at the San Joaquin National Cemetary. This is where he wanted to be laid to rest. It was an awesome service.

Thank you to my family and friends for your support, prayers, and love during this time of our lives. We were truly blessed!

Thankful . . . by me

As I look around my life
I am so Thankful
Especially for the little things
And especially for the big

There is a sound
That rises in my heart
Everyday
That says thank you God
In words I cannot explain

For each day as I look around
And know I am more than blessed
To have a car, and a house
And a place to lay my head
Food to eat, clothes to wear

But my heart sound
Springs forth
In greater song
As I look past all the things I have
And see all the people smiling back at me

My husband
My children
My family
My friends
My neighbors
and even strangers too

My heart springs forth
with such gratitude
At each smile and tear
And voice and talk
And hug and kiss
And just the thought

It must be love
That makes my heart song sing
In ways that I cannot explain

But I know the King
Can hear my heart
I know He hears my song

For the loudest sound
In the song
Is when I think of His love . . .

So take away my bed, my car
My house, my food, and my clothes too
My heart would still sing its song
For I am so extremely blessed
To not only be loved
But to turn and give it away too

Forgive me Lord for worry, fear, and trying to figure things out . . .

In other words, or Beth Moore's word's to be exact, we need to quit wishing and whining, and start believing and receiving. Yup . . .

For Jesus promised us . . .

Matthew 21:21-22 "Then Jesus told them, "I assure you, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, 'May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,' and it will happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." .”

We remember, with love . . .

On today's memorial day, I would like to remember Christel Joy Conley. She went home to be with the Lord one year ago today. I loved Christel; her love changed my life. She could always make me smile with her whistling and always greeted me by clapping my hands. She especially made me smile at church when the worship would start. I loved to watch her clap and raise her hands high and wave them. Often she would stare in a corner, and I just knew, she could see the angels worshipping with us. Christel Joy, we miss you and remember you. I know you are whistling with those angels in heaven . . . and loving it!

Her big sister's site made for her

John 3:29-30

"The bride will go where the Bridegroom is. A Bridegroom's friend rejoices with Him. I am the bridegroom's friend, and I am filled with joy at His success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. "

You are my very best friend Jesus.

Thank you Jesus . . . Your love never fails!