Day Thirty

To the cross, I look, and to the cross, I cling

Of it's suffering, I do drink, of its work, I do sing

On it, my Savior, both bruised and crushed

Showed that God is love and God is just

At the cross, You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees
And I am lost for words, so lost in love
I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered
Yeah, yeah, oh Lord

What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given through Christ crucified
You've called me out of death
You've called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now, through the cross, I'm reconciled

Ooh, and at the cross, You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees
And I am lost for words, so lost in love
I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

At the cross, You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees
And I am lost for words, so lost in love
I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

And in awe of the cross, I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love
And how great is Your faithfulness

At the cross, You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees
And I am lost for words, so lost in love
I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

At the cross, You, You've beckoned me
You draw me gently to my knees
And I am lost for words, so lost in love
I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

Yeah, yeah, I'm broken for you
I'm broken for you, my Lord, yeah
Jesus, Your love is there
I am sweetly broken

Songwriters: Jeremy Riddle

Sweetly Broken lyrics © Music Services, Inc

Day twenty-two

Hope is here! Click here to find out how you can have His Hope

Day Seventeen

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi


Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace!

That where there is hatred, I may bring love.

That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness.

That where there is discord, I may bring harmony.

That where there is error, I may bring truth.

That where there is doubt, I may bring faith.

That where there is despair, I may bring hope.

That where there are shadows, I may bring light.

That where there is sadness, I may bring joy.

Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort, than to be comforted.

To understand, than to be understood.

To love, than to be loved.

For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.

It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.

It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.

—Saint Francis of Assisi—

Day Twelve

James and I are on fall break, so we traveled to chimney Rock to do some sight seeing and hiking. It is so nice to get away and do something different.

Hickory Nut Waterfall.

This waterfall was in the movie Last of the Mohicans.

Day Nine

Today I was on the front porch enjoying the end of the day for a few moments and I felt a sting on my foot. I looked down and found a long line of fire ants making their way across the porch. I just wanted to relax and I was mad at this stinging inconvenience of the little pest.

 The sting really burns and hurts for a good while. I was not near their mound. I realized then sometimes we have little or  big inconveniences in life. How do we respond? With grumbling or with grace?

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
(Philippians 2:14-16 ESV)

31 Days of Healing Day 1 "Intro"

I have endured many trials, tribulations and sufferings this last year. I will be writing for 31 days about my healing process. The road that is now required of me will require my dying to self and putting absolute trust in God and His absolute truth. I hope that you will join me each day as I travail along this path before me. I am excited about what God will be teaching me as I yield myself to Him. 


And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 
(Luke 9:23-25 ESV)

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)

HIS Faithfulness

I have been going through my blog reading the "Timeless Treasures"  that I have recorded here. I  was greatly encouraged by the words written here, either by my own hand or the quotes and other devotionals that I had come across.  The Lord God is  so good and faithful.  He cares about every part of our humanity. He cares when we are sad, weary, confused, bitter, tired, emotionally exhausted. He cares when we feel like we cant go on...when we feel like we cant make it through the next day,  minute,  second, breath. I have had a huge upheaval in my life recently. Many changes here at home, they are good changes, but somehow very unsettling to me. My heart seems overwhelmed at times.  I was reading Lamentations chapter 3, God spoke quite clearly through the text "I am faithful you can trust Me."  "Rest in Me I am Faithful."

My soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, "My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD." Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust-- there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.
(Lamentations 3:17-33)