What My Fingers Choose To Type

Greetings Everybody,
Sometimes when I sit down to write in this blog, my mind has many things it wants to share, but I don't know what my fingers will choose to type.  


Sometimes my words come out in stories, sometimes they come out as a lesson, sometimes they come out as a prayer...sometimes a combination of all of the above.


I just never know.


Today is kinda like that.


Right now, I don't know exactly where this morning's blog-post is going, so I guess I should probably just start out with what I am feeling this morning.


It's Sunday Morning...and I am Happy.


But it is more than that...I am filled with Joy.


Being filled with Joy is bigger and deeper than being Happy.


It's not that there are not troubles...it's not that my world is perfect ( I assure that it's neither of these)


There are plenty of troubles, and there is plenty of "ugly" in my world.


But this morning I am filled with a sense of Joy that overcomes troubles and all the ugly stuff.


And I am hard pressed to contain this feeling any longer.


I want to sing.  
I want to sing loud and strong with my eyes closed and my body tuned to every syllable.


I want to weave tight harmonies with intricate nuances of tone, pitch, and timbre.
I want to touch souls today and bring glory to God today...and I want to Sing to HIM.


Singing is something Very Spiritual to me. 


Singing and Writing and  Speaking to Christian Women is something I find great fulfillment in.


And this morning I can tell that it's time for me to prepare a message for another Christian Ladies Function and speak again...I can feel it.


And I think I have the topic picked out.


And I can fairly well feel the words bubbling in my soul waiting to be set down in print.


Soon Lord...I know it will be soon Lord.


Thank you God for preparing me...and for giving me my voice today...and for helping through the difficult asthma days...and for putting your words in my heart... and allowing me to sing, write and speak them.


It's Sunday Morning Father and Soon Your Saints will be Assembled.

Apparently my post this morning was part Personal Insight, Part Prayer, and Part Share.  


(Sending a Big "Thanks" to those of you who read this blog)


But mostly...Thank You GOD for giving us JOY!


In Him,
Grace

The Shaggy Dog with "Roots"

Greetings Everybody,


Just a few minutes ago, "The Love of My Life" made the mistake of "Questioning" my hair appointment today!


Now just so you get the picture let me give you the 411 on my hair right now.
I kind of look like a shaggy dog and my roots are about 2 and a half inches long.  


Normally I would never have let myself get like this, but money is NOT an unlimited resource and we have had some significant matters to attend to.


And I have been patiently making-do.


We bought tires for my son in laws truck.
We got him some new clothes for his new job.
We have bought groceries, and diapers, and formula for the kids.
We have given and given and given because there was great need.


We Firmly Believe in Blessing as We Have Been Blessed.


Believe me when I tell you that I Truly WANTED to do all of those things.
There is not one single drop of regret about any of the things I just listed.


But Today...well TODAY it's MY turn.
And I Have a Hair Appointment.
And it's going to be expensive.
That's just the way it is.


Yet, a few minutes ago, "The Love of My Life" asked me what was wrong with hair color that God gave me.


I couldn't believe he tried to Team-Tag God Almighty into his side of this issue.


I crisply told him that nothing was WRONG with the color God gave me, but that I FEEL BETTER in the color HE gave me when I was Younger.


(Meanwhile I am thinking "How Dare You Pull the GOD Card on Me!) 


Then I realized that this was The LOML gently trying to LIFE-COACH Me about Contentment...and him being no so subtle in complaining about the expense.


Talk about Poor Timing.


His LIFE-COACHING Attempt did NOT go over so well with me!!!


Sometimes a Woman's Gotta Do 
What A Woman's Gotta Do!


And Today is THE DAY.


Meanwhile he is Clueless about why I reacted so strongly lol.


Sigh.


Next time I should probably just tell him that I  "Need to Go Play Golf".


He would totally understand that lol.


God made Little Boys and Little Girls different in SOOO many ways. 


lololololol.


In Him,
Grace

Seeing Water Calms Me

Greetings Everybody,
It's been a week!  
It's been a high pressure week!
And in times of high pressure, seeing water calms me.  
Since I can't get to the ocean tonight, I have been combing through photo's of water scenes.


I found this one and could suddenly remember the feel of the soft breeze on my face the day I took this picture. And it caused me to sigh a little. So I thought I'd share. 

Perspective is a really important thing because it tends to alter our Reality!

From this perspective we can't see the grass burrs, the snakes, the thorns on the trees...
From this perspective we can't see the tree stumps just beneath the top of the water...
From this perspective we can't see a whole lot of intricate details that are intrinsically woven into this scene.


Yet it looks peaceful.
And it IS peaceful.
But this is NOT where we live & breathe every day...this far away perspective...it's pretty to look at...but LIFE happens up close.


Metaphorically speaking, we LIVE right down in the Grass burrs.
And we have to DEAL with the Snakes, and the Thorns and the Tree stumps.
We contend daily with the things and people who irritate us, scare us, bite us and damage us.


LIVING is an Up Close and Personal Thing. 
And Dealing with People is Emotionally Messy. 


And if Christians are busy helping people, they get messy too.
And we get tired.
And we get weary.
And we need to get our batteries re-charged.


Because of that, the Far Away Perspective ( like what is seen in this photo) is extremely important. 


And I must admit that I love the distance that Far Away View creates.


It helps me.


It makes my troubles not feel so big.


And it causes me to look up and look out and see the "bigger picture" and quit focusing on myself.


This type of lifeview is pretty and it's calming. But I know I can't stay there long.  
I have to get back to what's real.
And furthermore, in the final analysis...I WANT to get back to what's real.


Afterall...if I lived life as it appears in that photo, I would forever SEE beautiful water from a distance, but never know what it was like to FEEL water on my skin.


God made us to be right there In The Mix..with the Grass burrs, Snakes,and Tree stumps.


And just like Roses, we live among Thorns.


Meanwhile, I am grateful today for photo's and memories...and the ability change my perspective every now and then.


God is Good!


In Him,
Grace

Jesus, Will Rogers, and Finding What We're After.

Greetings Everybody,


This morning I am concentrating on claiming JOY.
I am concentrating on seeing my Blessings as they occur.
I am concentrating listing Blessings that have already occurred.
I am concentrating on anticipating the Blessings that will be occurring very soon.


This morning I am concentrating on Claiming JOY and Seeing Blessings.


Jesus said...


Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."


Will Rogers said...


 "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Clip Art of Will Rogers

Bottom Line: Religious and Secular folks agree....We tend to find what we focus on looking for!


This morning I am concentrating on Claiming Joy and Seeing my Blessings.


In Him,
Grace

Handing It Over To Jesus_part 1

Greetings, (fyi...This post was actually written and held in draft form for several days. After I go ahead and post this one, I'll be sending out the update to this situation.)

Have you ever gotten upset over something and had that "upset-ness" try to take over your every thought?

Something like that happened to me this afternoon.

A young man said some extremely foul words, I wrote a referral, and when the parent was contacted by the assistant principal, the mom told the administrator that she wanted to talk to me.

The Administrator called me and asked me to call the mom.

I called her immediately.

The mom asked me to tell her what happened and exactly what I heard her son say.

I cautioned her that in order to do what she was requesting I would be saying vulgar words.

I asked her if she was sure that she wanted me to repeat what her son said.

She told me to do so.

I told her what I had seen and what I had heard.


And then...

She told me that her son did not talk like that. 

She told me that she had looked into his eyes, and she knew he was telling the truth.

She also told me that she wanted a meeting to get to the bottom of this. 

She basically called me liar, though she did not actually use that word.

(Just in case you are wondering...yeah the F-Bomb was one of the words the young man said.)

(And Just in case you are wondering that wasn't the only vulgarity uttered.)

I started replaying that conversation over and over in my head and was insulted and really upset by the whole situation.  It was poisoning my afternoon.  I was dwelling. And I was getting angry.

And then it hit me that Satan was being very present in this situation and that he was using the kid, the mom and my own mind against me.

Every morning I pray for Discernment. 

I ask God to be let me realize when The Evil One is working against me.

And I am so glad that I realized what was happening.

It took all of the pressure off the situation.

It took all the anger away.

It took away my anxiety about how Administration is going to handle this situation.

As I was driving home from school, I actually said out loud "Jesus please take this from me."

And He did.

My God is in control....not the evil one.

And I am HIS Child!

When ya stack that very angry momma up against God Almighty...she doesn't seem quite so menacing anymore.

My God is in control.

And I am HIS Child!

The rest of the day is going to be just fine now.

And so is tomorrow and the day after that.

God is in Control and NOTHING can change this truth.


Meanwhile I am claiming the following scriptures for Peace and Protection: 

Romans 8:38 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

John 16:33  "These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good chear, for I have overcome the world." 


John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."


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


Hebrews 13:6  "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."


1 Peter 3:12-14 "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled." 

In Him,

Grace

Handing it Over to Jesus_part 2

Greetings Everybody,
This is part 2 of a post called Handing it Over to Jesus....

When I left off from the part 1 on this topic, I posted a series of scriptures and was claiming Gods Peace and Protection regarding a situation that occurred at school.

The basic gist of the situation in question was that a young man in the hallway of my school said some vulgar things, I wrote up a discipline referral , an Administrator got involved and things began to escalate because the mother of the young man does not believe her son said those things.

But God Was In Control.

The situation intensified as an investigation was launched.
Video tapes of my encounter with the student in the hallway were pulled and screened.
Another student who witnessed the event was interviewed.

But God Was In Control.

Results of the Investigation?

1.  There was nothing incriminating about my interaction with the student.

2.  Administration is supporting me.

3.  The student will be assigned to an alternative educational setting for a period of time.

4.  The mother insisted that I be in a meeting that is due to be held tomorrow afternoon...but Administration has released me from the obligation to attend that meeting.

5.  I will not have to subjected to an irrational mom.

6.  I will not have to sit there and listen to her say that I am lying about her son.

7.  I will not have to endure ridicule.

Now if you are sitting there scratching your head wondering how in the world public schools have gotten to the point where a teacher is the one who gets investigated when a kid cusses like a sailor and gets a referral you are not alone. All I can tell you is this:  Satan is working hard at trying to get Christian Teachers to leave public schools.  And he comes up with some incredibly wiley scenarios.

But make no mistake...God Is In Control.

There is a whole lot more to this story than I am going to post right now.

But I will simply say that it's wonderful to be a sheep in HIS Pasture because there IS no Wolf, nor Bear, nor Threat of Any Kind That Can Intimidate The Good Shepherd.

In Him,
Grace

Bare Trees, Human Hearts, and Faith: A Correlation

Greetings Everybody,

(fyi...This is going to be a LONG Post...just wanted to let you know that in advance:) )

It's January 16th, the month's half-gone...and the holidays good and truly behind us.

I said THAT in order to say THIS: In January people tend to focus on:

Reflection!

We are big on Reflecting on the previous year and Setting Goals for the coming year.

Lots of people clump such thinking under the category of New Years Resolutions.

But this post is NOT about Reflecting on
     New Years Resolutions
...it's wayyy deeper than that.

Instead...Let's talk about Trees.

      Correlations can be made between         Trees and "The Human Experience".

For Example:

1. Look at a bare tree in the winter.  No leaves.  Ever notice how the trunk of that 
    tree leads to big thick branches...then to smaller branches...and then even  
    smaller ones...and finally to twigs?

    Trees Really Are Masterfully Designed!

2.  Now let me ask you to compare that bare tree formation to your understanding of   
     the Human Circulatory System.  

     We start with the Heart with its Aortas & Ventricles and then eventually we move   
     on to the Arteries, Veins and Capillaries.

     Upon consideration, that system looks alot like this bare tree...doesn't it!

Let's continue talking about Trees...

3.  What you see ABOVE ground on a tree is mirrored BELOW ground on a tree.
     (Though we can not SEE all that support, we KNOW that those roots exist!)

     We also know that the circumference of a tree at its widest above ground...is 
     mirrored by the circumference of it's roots below ground. 

     Though The Support is Very Real we know that IT IS FELT, YET IS UNSEEN.

http://www.fotosearch.com/illustration/root.html

    Two Key Observations about Trees: 

- If the Roots fail to do their job, Trees die.

   - Trees can only grow bigger & stronger if the Roots grow deeper & fuller.

    

3.  We can learn alot of lessons about 
   "The Human Experience" from TREES.

4.  A tree is supported by its roots.
     Those roots supply nourishment.
     Those roots stabilize the tree against big winds and against the force of gravity.
     

     In a similar fashion...
     Humans are supported by a collection of Roots called FAMILY.

AND 

     We too are Masterfully Designed. 

     Afterall, we were created by God, in His image! 

    (see Genesis 1:26)

     Families feed us physically, mentally, psychologically, socially and spiritually.
     They help us grow.
     They stabilize us.
     They give us strength to draw from.
     They lift us up. They teach us. They protect us. They celebrate with us.
     They help us stand when things of this life would try to bring us down.
     
    Some of this support is quite visible, but the deepest aspect of Family Roots is not.  

    

It is Felt, Yet It Is Unseen.   

Correlations can be made between 

Trees and "The Christian Experience".

5.  A Christian is supported by Roots too. We have Spiritual Roots called FAITH.

     Because of Faith we are Baptized, for the remission of sins, and we receive the 
     gift of Salvation and the Holy Spirit

     Because of Faith live a different life than before baptism.

     By Faith we begin to sink our Spiritual Roots.

     We sink our Spiritual Roots and are fed by them when we Read Scripture, Pray, 
     Seek God's Will in our lives, Submit to His Will, Praise Him, Edify Each Other, 
     Bear One Another's Burdens, and Teach Others About God & His Son Jesus Christ.  

   We sink our spiritual roots and thus are fed:
...When we Visit the Sick and those in Prison,
...When we Support the Widows and Orphans,
...When we do The Right Thing when it would be easier to do the Wrong thing,
...When we Give of Our Time, Our Energy, and Even Our Money to help those in need.
...When we live like Jesus was right there with us, because we know His Spirit IS! 

Our Faith is Felt, Yet it is Unseen

And this is not works leading to faith...it's just the opposite

When the Human Heart/Mind is focused on Spiritual Matters, 

The Human Body Responds with Physical Actions/Deeds.

Where the Mind Goes the Body Follows. 

It's just that simple.

There are many ways to sink your Spiritual Roots. 

But it starts with that which is felt but unseen.

FAITH  

http://www.fotosearch.com/illustration/root.html

    

   Two Key Observations about "The Christian Experience":

  - If our Spiritual Roots fail to do their job our Faith dies.

   -We only grow bigger and stronger in Faith if our Spiritual Roots grow deeper 

   and fuller too.

Remember

itty bitty roots=itty bitty trees  

And

Itty Bitty Faith=Itty Bitty Christians.

    We have to develop our Spiritual Roots of Faith.   

    Because Our Spiritual Roots of Faith Support Us. 

    They give us strength to draw from.

    They lift us up. They teach us. They protect us. They celebrate with us.

    They help us stand when things of this life would try to bring us down.

    Some of The Christian Experience is obvious to all who observe it.

    But FAITH,  just like the roots of a tree, is invisible to the casual observer.

   

    It is Felt,Yet It Is Unseen.

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

    Just like trees, The Faith of a Christian can only grow bigger and stronger if 

    our Spiritual Faith Roots grow deeper and fuller too.

    Spiritual Faith Roots supply Christians with Spiritual Nourishment.

    Our Spiritual Faith Roots stabilize us against the big winds of life and against Dark 

    Forces that (not unlike gravity) will try to bring us down.

 And now this topic comes full circle....

    Here is it, Mid January...the holidays are behind us...many of our New Years 
    Resolutions may already have been abandoned....

    But we still have time to Reflect.

   Did your Spiritual Faith Roots grow deeper and stronger this past year?
   Did you find you that you could cope with the things that tried to knock you down?
   Did you grow Spiritually bigger and stronger this past year?

   If YES...well done and Praise God!

   But If NO?

   If No, then Perhaps today you can sit down and ask God to help you.
   Perhaps you can SEEK HIS WILL in your life

Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

   Perhaps you can SUBMIT to HIS WILL in your life and PLANT yourself in The Word.

Psalms 1:3 "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."

   We are like trees... we are either spiritually growing or we are spiritually decaying.

   Which of those would YOU rather be doing?

   As for me, I Choose to be Growing In Christ.
  

   And I pray that you do too!

   In Him,
   Grace

..