Its been a minute

 I have not blogged for a very long time. It's time. I finished my senior year in college amid the beginning of the "pandemic"2020. Spring break started and we never got to go back to the classroom, classes were all done remotely online. Routine gone.. friends not seen...hearts yearning for normalcy. It wasn't what I wanted but it is what was. I pushed through and graduated "Cum Laude" at Columbia International University, where I double majored in Communications & Bible with a Minor in Media Arts. What's next?

I am praying and seeking Gods guidance for the next steps. 

Meekness

meek·ness

noun

1. the fact or condition of being meek; submissiveness.

   
   

   "all his best friends make fun of him for his meekness"

 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.(Matthew 5:5)

Meekness begins when we put our trust in God. Then, because we trust him, we commit our way to him. We roll onto him our anxieties, our frustrations, our plans, our relationships, our jobs, our health. And then we wait patiently for the Lord. We trust his timing and his power and his grace to work things out in the best way for his glory and for our good. Read more HERE. 

James and I read this the other day, it is so good!  I wanted to share. 

Blessings

Day Twenty-seven

Abide in My Love

Even as the Father Hath Loved Me, I Also Have Loved You: Abide Ye in My Love - John 15:9.
Abide in My love - We speak of a man’s home as his abode. Our abode, the home of our soul, is to be the love of Christ. We are to live our life there, to be at home there all the day: this is what Christ means our life to be, and really can make it. Our continuous abiding in the Vine is to be an abiding in His love. ~Andrew Murry

Day Twenty-five

 I am weary...wife full time ,mom full time and going to school full time...  I shall wait for the LORD! 




He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. 
(Isaiah 40:29-31 ESV)

Day twenty-two

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

Day Twenty-one

ir·re·vers·i·ble

ˌi(r)rəˈvərsəb(ə)l/

not able to be undone or altered.

"she suffered irreversible damage to her health"

synonyms:

irreparable, beyond repair, irremediable, irrevocable, permanent;  unalterable, unchangeable, immutable, carved in stone;  peremptory "irreversible damage" SO, I had this question in one of my classes "Is the communication process irreversible? "         This is the way I look at it: If you said it, then you probably meant it at the time.   You may come to your senses and think ...well I didn't mean that. Or you could have been lying to rationalize your sin or your feelings at the time, or you could have said something really hateful and spiteful because you were angry.  Can you take any of this back?  I want to say yes, but the damage is done the answer is no. You may apologize, but the hurt you caused is still there. The person you hurt will have to learn to trust you again. So this being said we must be careful with our words and think through our thoughts before we say them.

Lets talk about vows made or promises rendered. Certainly this has a strong connotation of covenant... can that be irreversible? You have made that a life long commitment to someone with words...can one simply take that back? I would hope that in the case of covenant that this definition would be:  "not able to be undone or altered"  simply because it is a covenant and a promise. This is made in all seriousness after thorough contemplation, it is not something entered in to lightly.  But let your words be simply, Yes or No: and whatever is more than these is of the Evil One.  (Matthew 5:37 BBE)

Day Twenty

This is such a comfort! His ways are higher than our ways!

Day Ninteen

        I Love the fact that He is Faithful and True!

Day eighteen

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

I will stand
I will stand, all other ground is sinking sand
All other ground, all other ground
Is sinking sand, is sinking sand
So I'll stand

Written by Andrew Shawn Craig, Donald A. Koch • Copyright © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol Christian Music Group

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 Fifteen

Today we were presented to our church for membership. It was a good day! The last church we attended closed in April, 2016. We have been at our new church for about a year and a half now. I am blessed by our new family and can't wait to get to know everyone even better as time goes on.

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!
(Psalms 84:10-12 ESV)

Day Eleven

 I found this beatiful poem, I wanted to share. This is for you James!

j goss poetry

                                          Visit J Goss poetry to see more amazing poems!

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)

Day two

I have only sadness from the porch tonight. A childhood friend that I grew up with in my home town lost her life in the shooting in Las vegas.   May our souls find rest in God alone. I am praying for her family and friends.

31 Days of healing Day 2 "A careful examining of my heart"

This process is going to take a careful examining  of my heart. I wrote an earlier bog post that I reread a few days ago that really made me think about how I got where I am emotionally.You can read it here Beauty For Ashes.  My own words stung me.  I knew it was time to take a closer look at my heart and confess any sin that I found. One thing that jumped out at me was when we are hurt by our circumstances or people we need to choose how we respond in our hearts. When we hang on to the hurt and try to justify our anger or other feelings and allow them to remain unchecked then our thinking may become clouded and we will not see truth.  We will want to keep carrying our hurts like a prized possession instead of dealing with them. 

"Sometimes, the pain we have worked so hard to avoid is the one thing that leads us to where God calls us to go. Sometimes, feeling our need is the greatest work of faith we can surrender to". ~Bonnie Gray, Faith Barista

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 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 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 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)

Day 7 Biblical Womanhood " Love their Children"

First let us remember that our children are a gift from the Lord,

 "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."

(Psa 127:3-5)

"He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD."

(Psa 113:9)

"Love their Children"

in order to train the younger women to love their husbands and children,

(Tit 2:4)

To love their children; not with a fond, foolish, loose, and ungoverned affection; but so as to seek their real good, and not only their temporal, but spiritual and eternal welfare; to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and to use and keep proper discipline and government over them; for otherwise, a midst all the fondness of natural affection, a parent may be said to hate a child, If you don't punish your children, you don't love them. If you do love them, you will correct them. 

(Pro 13:24)

.  John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Do you have a wayward Child? Here is an article from John Piper "12 ways to love your wayward Child"

Join me tomorrow as we explore ways to show our children love.  

Over-whelmed

Recipe for overwhelmed  stew:

1 big ole house hunt.

1 going through everything and getting rid of things we dont need.

1 Heaping bushel of Normal daily activities (homeschooling and homemaking) .

1 Boys Bedroom that has a little empty nest waiting for a grown Man to return in 8 months.( He is in a Intense discipleship program.)  I Miss Him.

1 Starting a new business with Usborne Books and More .

1 taking on new responsibility with Ministry (Husband and I) @ church.

1 Not spending enough time in the Word.

1 Not enough time for adequate prayer.

Mix all together well until your frazzled.....


 A Better recipe:

1 Gods Word  Daily

1 Daily Prayer time and then more prayer throughout the day.

1 Trust God With all the rest!

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 1:1-8)