31 Days of Reflection Day 5 "Dreams"

Why do we often feel like we cant accomplish what we set out to do? We all have goals and ideas and dreams but somehow they are stolen, lost and not completed. I feel like I am my own worst enemy! Well I know that I am. I need to get some fresh air. Clear my head and make some new goals whether they be weight loss, or other goals and just do them. I always feel like I am being held back, it is fear? What is it that keeps me from accomplishing what I need to do? Is it laziness? Intimidation? 

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 
(2 Timothy 1:7 Webster) 

Being lazy is like walking in a thorn patch, but everyone who does right walks on a smooth road. 
(Proverbs 15:19 CEV) 

For you have not received a spirit of slavery that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba! Father!" 
(Romans 8:15 ISV)

31 Days Of Reflection Day 4 "The Body of Christ"

     How are we the "Church" to be the the hands and feet of Christ towards others? First within our local body and then into our community?  In today's busy demanding  culture we can sometimes become self adsorbed and not see the true needs of others.

     If we can not minister to the body of Christ within our churches, how then can we reach out in to the community?  There are hurting people in the church that need our intercessory prayers and our compassion. There are some that we need to come along side and mentor. There are some that have physical needs. There are some that have spiritual needs. Are we willing to notice these needs and be willing to actually be the hands and feet of Christ?

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27 

 How did Jesus respond to peoples needs ?  First He had to spend time with the Father. Second he was flexible, Jesus was willing to be interrupted.Third Jesus was willing to get His hands dirty and

 fourth He shared His love for "the least of these.

Christ Has No Body
Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

31 Days of Reflection Day 3 " She Doesn't Know Him"

Behold what manner of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
(1 John 3:1 MKJV)

While caring for my father and mother in NM has been a challenge, God is teaching me through it all.  There have been times when I have been frustrated and impatient. God is faithful to remind me that I need to have patience and love the way He loves. One day in particular I became very upset with my Mom.  When I went in to care for my Dad (whom recently accepted the Lord as Savior),  he grabbed my arm and in tears said, " She doesn't  know Him.  Maybe she will know Him soon." I  Immediately was pierced in my heart for my attitude towards her.   She needs unconditional love from me not condemnation.

And we know that the Son of God has come, and He has given us an understanding so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him that is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and the everlasting life.
(1 John 5:20 MKJV)

31 days of Reflection Day 2 " Background"

Hi, I want to tell you some background about myself and what is going on in my life right now so that future blogs will make sense. First, I have been Married 28 years to James, the love of my life. We have 5 Children 4 of them adult children and one still in our homeschool. We have been home educating for 24 years. We have 4 grandchildren. I grew up In NM and my parents still live there. I moved away 25 years ago and now live in Blythewood, SC which is right out side of Columbia, SC.

 In the beginning of September I flew out to NM with my youngest son William. We are taking care of my parents while they recuperate from surgeries. My husband and I have never been apart for longer than 2 weeks so it has been a challenge. I Know that I am not being held captive and I volunteered to come here. Nevertheless the schedule is demanding taking care of both of them and homeschooling my 11th grader and getting my 13 yo niece (whom lives with my parents) to school everyday. I am homesick and and want to be home with my family. 

The verses below encourage me."I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will hear you. When you look for me, you will find me. When you wholeheartedly seek me, I will let you find me, declares the LORD. I will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I've scattered you, declares the LORD. I will bring you back from the place where you are being held captive."  (Jeremiah 29:11-14 GW)

31 Days of Reflection Day 1 " Broken Eggs"

 In August 2015 my daughter's family and I were in a car accident. We all had minor injuries and we are healing well. Immediately after the accident, my grand daughter Jude began "rounding" things up that had been strewn about in the car. She carefully found everything and put it all in the diaper bag. She returned to the car to have one last look around and that is when her heart was broken. There in the backseat floorboard area she found the eggs her mother had just purchased. She began to sob and ran to her Daddy and said "Oh Daddy the eggs are broken!!"  He reassured her that it was OK and they would be taken care of. She continued to sob and replied" but they can not be fixed daddy!

       I thought about this many times over the next few days. We try to gather ourselves and fix our problems, but we are broken eggs needing repair, we can not fix ourselves. Abba Father wants us to bring everything that is broken in our lives: our hurts our heartaches and our grieving. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, and he delivers those whose spirit has been crushed. (Psalms 34:18 ISV)
 He is the only one that can heal us. Here we are Lord, we can not fix our hearts but you can. We need to be completely surrendered to Him so that He can work through all He has purposed for us. 

At the same time the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we don't know how to pray for what we need. But the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that cannot be expressed in words. The one who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit has in mind. The Spirit intercedes for God's people the way God wants him to. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God-those whom he has called according to his plan.
(Romans 8:26-28 GW)

Elisabeth Elliot, December 21, 1926 - June 15, 2015

“I have one desire now - to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it.” 
― Elisabeth Elliot, Through Gates of Splendor

“Restlessness and impatience change nothing except our peace and joy. Peace does not dwell in outward things, but in the heart prepared to wait trustfully and quietly on Him who has all things safely in His hands.” 
― Elisabeth Elliot