Clumsy and Forgiven

Wow!  Did any of you see the sunrise this morning?  The sunrise here in Winslow, Arizona was absolutely breathtaking!  I didn't get a picture, however a picture could not have captured the shades pink, gold, orange, violet and blue, just right.  Our incredible savior also took the time to create the perfect sunrise!  Wow!  This morning, my heart feels too big to fit into my chest!  I feel the love of our redeeming Father this morning deep in my soul!  I can feel it in my bones!  I had a student that showed me her beautiful gift that she received from a friend.  The gift was a glass jar with peppermints.  A sweet gift that truly brightened this girl's entire day!  The gift was a simple, yet beautiful demonstration of love that one friend has for another. This gift also gave my student the feeling of love, deep in her heart, and was well reflected in her beautiful smile.  It really made me think...how am I demonstrating God's love to others.  How am I reflecting the love that

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.  -Hebrews 11:3 So often,  I've her the phrase and have even spoke the words, "you've got to have faith."  Geoerge Michael even sang the words.  I sometimes get this so twisted, thinking I can grow that mustard seed of faith.  Thinking, I can work hard enough, study hard enough, to increase my faith.  I somehow think that I can cultivate that faith.  My green thumb is non-existent, my "spiritual thumb" is present, not by anything I can do, or have done, but only by he who died for me.  Faith is defined by believing in what is unseen.  Yet even that  fact; Jesus wipes my eyes and opens them to see his marvelous works and presence.  He shows me his love and his splendor, that is so overwhelming, and truly comes from Him!  As the moon lights the darkness and as His love fills me to the point of bursting!  As his

After this prayer, the building where they were meeting shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And they preached God's message with boldness. -Acts 4:31 My prayer on this election day is that we can all begin on our knees, worshipping the ruler over all the earth. May we begin in prayer, so that we too may be bold and courageous in Christ. May we all keep our eyes on the King, the maker of heaven and earth. May we all be filled with the holy spirit to proclaim His name with boldness! For he reigns! The victory is His no matter who gets the vote! May we proclaim his name and all that he is from every rooftop! May His light shine through each of us on this beautiful day!  May his words be spoken through each of us! May his message shake the earth where we are standing! May his courage replace our fears, may his words replace our doubts, may he open the eyes of our hearts, so that we can see, speak, and sing his praises! May we stand with arms high and hea

Song of my day today!  I hope you enjoy  too!

The Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need. -Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my Shepherd. As shepherd, he tends to his flock. When one sheep is lost, he leaves the entire flock, for that one lost sheep. Today, I'm thinking about a particular lost sheep. My human self judges, thinks, and says, "Really? Is she worth it? She's made the choice! She chose her road, her path! She's hurt so many, and continues to cause pain! Then, the strangest thing happened...I'm reminded of the Shepherd finding me, the lost sheep, found in my own destruction,  in my intentional decisions. Found, where others would leave me to die. For that's what I deserved. But my amazing Savior and Shepherd, gave me grace. He placed his yoke, and his arms around me, guiding me, leading and loving me back to Him. We too are to follow his lead, his direction, and his example. Is there someone that has been divinely placed in your path or on your heart? A lost sheep, a sheep that is waiting, rebe

"Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust Him and He will help you.  -Psalm 37:5 Commit everything...everything, every step, every single step.  Life is a roller coaster.  I will say it again and again.  There are ups and downs,  twists and turns.  There are also many steps in the journey of life.  We have the easy steps, that we tend to run, skip, jump, or set the cruise control through!  And then, there are the tougher steps, that we start to 'feel the burn' as we begin the  incline of the mountain.  And then, there are the treacherous steps that we feel incapable to take.  Those steps that we seem too weak to even place one foot in front of the other.  However, the best part of it all is, you are not alone.  You have the Maker of the mountains, the trees, the earth, and all that is in it, right there to help.  You my friend, are not required to do it on your own. In fact, you should not even try to do it on your own.  So often, through the easy steps, we run ahe

I cried out, "I'm slipping!" And your unfailing love O Lord supported me. When doubts filled my mind,  your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. Psalm 94:18-19 You do not have to have it all together. Give up your dreams of perfection. The control that you're holding on to is the same weight that's drowning you in the waters that you were just walking on. The doubt, fear, and distrust come as you are self-reliant and distracted, doing it your own way. Lay it down! For The One with unfailing love, grace and mercy is right there to lift you up, and wrap his arms around you in an embrace that will heal the brokenness and alleviate your fears and doubts. The hand that has given you the victory is the same hand that is holding you now. Lay it all down and rest in that victorious hand of his. He's got you! You are not alone! You need not fear! Be still, stand firm, in the embrace of your father! Allow him to replace those fears and doubts with peace and joy. Al

O Lord, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help.  Pay attention to my prayer for it comes from an honest heart.  Psalm 17:1 Tomorrow it will be two weeks that we have been reading and sharing verses from the book of Psalms.  Initially, when we decided on Psalms, I thought, "Oh cool!  This will be great to praise and worship who He is!"  And I can definitely say that this has proven true.   I did not realize that I would also be taking a closer look at who I am in Him.  David wrote about half of the Psalms, and while I expected to see and read songs of worship and praise, the chapters and verses have included so much more.  David could be found crying out to God for help and singing praises and worshipping his name.  His Psalms seems to be a roller coaster of words, emotions, and prayers.  Prayers being the most important.  No matter the circumstance, the emotion, the situation...in all circumstances, he could be found calling on the Savior, Creator, and Resc

I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. -Psalm 86:12 Don't you love those mornings that God meets you right where you are, and shows you His glory?  This morning was one of those mornings!  Thank you Jesus!  I am currently starting my morning in Psalms.  This has been an awesome reminder of who He is!  I get so caught up in the me complex, and have enjoyed resting in who He is!  This morning, these two verses knocked my socks off: You have taught children and nursing infants to give you praise. They silence their enemies who are seeking revenge. Psalm 8:2-3 I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name oh Most High. My enemies will turn away in retreat...Psalm 9:2-3  These verses reminded me of a time, not so long ago, a few girlfriends and I were attacked by the enemy. The crazy thing is, we were absolutely oblivious to it all, because we were in the word and praising Him with complete joy. After the

“Get up! For the Lord has given you victory ..."  Judges 7:15

Seek first the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.  -Matthew 6:33 Surrender.  That has been the theme of my life lately.  I have surrendered a gazillion times most recently, and am puzzled as to why I'm still getting it so wrong.  I don't get it.  I lay it all down, I mean all of it.  And still, I am so far off the mark that I miss the target of God's will altogether. And then, today, thanks to God, I get it!  God showed up this morning!  He showed up and met me during my bible time.  He sat down beside me, and gently showed me my messed up ways.  I wake every morning and dive into the word.  I love this time!  It's bright and early, I spend time studying His word, and seeing exactly how it applies to me.  During my bible time, I usually end up surrendering again.  Laying it all down.  And then, I get up, dust myself off and get on my merry way.  I walk away and do and go as I see fit.  I desire to accompl

Because you have rejected my knowledge, I also reject you, as my priests, because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. -Hosea 4:6 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land. -Hosea 4:1 The Israelites are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer, how then can the Lord pasture them like lambs in a meadow? -Hosea 4:16 They feed the sins of my people and relish their wickedness -Hosea 4:8 Things are dark. The world is dark, unfaithfulness everywhere. The poor are left begging, the innocent are murdered, the orphans and widows are left to fend for themselves, the crooked ways of our leaders! The unfaithfulness of our neighbors. The darkness gets darker. What a dark world we live in, and oh, we are found marveling in the darkness. We are found focusing on how dark it is, pointing out the darkness, mourning the death

Peace I leave you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. -John 14:27 Before you look at your to do list, before your mind races to laundry, the shower, and all that must be taken care of today...sit and rest in His presence. Allow him to fill every space of your heart and mind with the peace that He can give you to start your day. Empty your heart and mind of all that the world has to offer, and start the day in His presence, in His peace, in His love and soak it in. Soak it in as you hear the birds chirping. Soak it in as you notice the gentle breeze that He has whispered into motion. Soak in His peace as you feel the warmth of the sun. Soak in His peace and His presence as you sit in His magnificent stillness! Let Him fill you with peace, love, grace, and his holy spirit. Breathe out the worries of the world, and breathe in his strength. Breathe out all that crowds your heart and mind, and breathe in Hi

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 Recently, my husband, our three boys and I went on a day adventure to hike the lava caves. I'm not sure what I had in mind, but the cave exceeded all of my expectations.  First, the ground was extremely unstable.  This could be a problem for someone as clumsy as me on flat grounds.  There were boulders and rock to walk and climb over, some solid, and some very shaky and unstable.  The ceilings constantly changed in height, some points as high as ten feet and some as low as three feet.  And then, the biggest obstacle, the view.  It was absolutely pitch dark!  When I say dark, I mean, when the lights are off, you could not tell when your hand was right in front of you, or what was below you, or above you.  It was dark!  Now, within two minutes of entering the cave, I witnessed a twenty-something young man trip and fall not-so-gracefully.  Mind you, I

"Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, andbird on the wing may report what you say." Ecclesiastes 10:20 May your words always be seasoned with grace and led by the spirit, even in the safety of your own home and mind. For the birds are listening and watching. It seems like just yesterday, my son Blane was a tiny toddler with the biggest blue eyes. As a mom, you want to teach them everything they need to know!  I remember the first time I heard a curse word come out of his sweet little mouth. And, I knew exactly where he had heard it. It was definitely a silly memory that seems like just yesterday. But, as my little monkey, or birdie, graduates today, I hope that I have taught him everything he needs to know. I wonder about the things I've taught him indirectly by my relaxed mouth and actions in the safety of my own home. This verse reminded me that my words and actions should