In His Grace

2012

So, 2012 has arrived -- and not much has happened -- the world is still in a terrible state -- the US economy and economies abroad stink pretty bad as well...Greece and Europe -- this year is an election year and all the candidates stink too! I have no faith in this world -- haven't for some time -- and as pastor said today we can only put our hope in the Lord -- that is So true -- what may come will come -- it won't get any better here on earth that is for sure --

Times are tough, but me and my family are very very blessed indeed -- jobs, a nice warm home, food in the cupboard and recent time spent enjoying one another's company and God's beautiful scenery -- winter is here in the northern part of our state and it's a cold one today! -10 this am when we woke up, but we had heat and hubby made a very good breakfast as always and I enjoyed church and all is well -- I thank God for all I have -- He is my strong hold -- he gives me peace and grace for the day --

God Bless!

In these troubled times

Luke 23: 26-31 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, �Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, �Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!� Then
�they will say to the mountains, �Fall on us!� and to the hills, �Cover us!�

For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?�

And this day is coming -- we are closer everyday that passes and we need to be with Jesus -- He did this for us!

Lord I thank you for all I have in this world and I pray more for those who do not know you nor do they care to know you -- I pray for their salvation -- that they will come to you before the time has passed.

Thank you for the beautiful sunshine today --- thank you for the wind that dries up the muddy spots and thank you more for the blessings in my life!

Keep my mouth quiet, my spirit soaring and let me always have your grace!

As Easter Approaches

Luke 21:32-33 "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

Having faith like a mustard seed --- how wonderful that is!

Spring is finally coming -- I think. What a long winter it has been. I pray for change in all things -- flowers and bees and gardens to work in!

Keeping the Faith

In these "OH SO TROUBLED TIMES..."

Trouble seems to be everywhere...home, work, the world!! People are faltering, the country is faltering and it's quite disconcerning...All around is turmoil, difficulty and near mayhem at times...What in the world is going on??!!

I received this prayer today through Beacon Light...

"Prayer: Gracious God. I know that You are wonderful in every way but I sometimes get so wrapped up in my little world that I forget I am a part of Your big Kingdom will all its blessings. Please forgive me for living as though my name is not written in heaven, and for reacting like those in the world around me when things go wrong, instead of trusting in Your kindness and provision. Help me to have heaven as my horizon, Your glory as my goal, Your love as my support and Your gospel as my service. Help me to live in confidence, believing that You will lead me through the uncertainties into the security of Your future for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Part of the big kingdom... I often forget about this and yet,,,it seems, I think of it daily...

Forgive me Lord my transgressions and let me be a light for you in this very troubled world that seems o have forgotten you or doesn't know you at all!

In these times of despair

~Isaiah 41:10 NIV ~

So do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Lord give me strenght! How often have I asked for that! A penny for my thoughts...I'd have a bank full...but, He is there for us, he does give us strength and His word will never waiver...us on the hand, will, we will go astray all the time, every chance we get just about, but thankfully the Lord will not.

What burdens us may not be as heavy as what burdens another and for that we can be grateful, should be grateful and thankful, but it can still be hard and we will despair, but ... we must not give up and we must be steadfast in our prayer for those of us who need it most. So tonight Dear Lord I come to you for strength in my own life and most especially in those that do not know you. I ask for peace and discernment and guidance...Your ultimate wisdom and love for those I care so much about and see in them so much pain, anger and distructiveness. As dear Jesus said on the cross -- "Father, Forgive them, for they do not know what they do..." ~Luke 23:24

Amen.

Scattering Seed

~ Luke 8:4-8 ~

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (NIV)

The world at large

is getting scarier by the minute...

I can't help but think about what's happening in this world on a daily basis...what in the world is going on? I believe in the rapture and I pray for that to come, but I worry and feel so helpless for others who don't believe and will be left behind...and SO many within my own family...

help me Dear Lord to be stronger in my faith, to live for you and you alone and let my example be an inspiration for others in these frightening times...to look to you, for the holy spirit to call them closer...

Amen.

With thanks

for all the wonderful women in my life...grandmother, mother, aunts, sister, daughters and very dear friends who all mean the world to me, some for the better and some for the worse, but for God's grace they have been placed in my path and I have learned SO much from all of them.

Thank you Dear Lord for all these women who have inspired me, given me hope, love and loyalty all these years. The ones who have tried my patience, my spirit and grown my faith in you. I love them for who they are and what they mean to me in this life here on earth. Give them peace, strength, health and mercy Dear Lord.

~ The Lord bless you and keep you. ~
--NUMBERS 6:24

Continued Prayer

And so I continue to pray for lost loved ones...some in particular...some just because.

Our Lord has answered our prayers in so many ways! I see things changing...I see progress, although it feels very slow to me, it is happening...It is not easy...the many personalities,,,hurts and dysfunctions of this world make it seemingly impossible sometimes for change...but I am steadfast...I have seen change in myself as well. Great change and for this I am eternally grateful.

�May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.� ~~ 2 Corinthians 13:14

Knock...and He shall answer

Luke 11 9-10 ~~ "So I say to you: 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."

How TRUE this is!

I stand in awe of how powerful and great our Lord is! He is most precious to me and I give thanks to Him for all that I have in this human life here on earth. Thank you so much Lord for giving me peace, health and all the wonders of this world.

I continue to pray for those who do not know you and I pray that someday as it is your will, that they will come to you,,,truly. May their eyes be opened and I lift them up to you Lord...my children, my husband, parents, siblings and inlaws..friends and aquaintances...open their ears and unveil their eyes...

In Jesus' name...I pray.

"and as I wait I will rise up like the eagle -- and I will soar with you, your spirit leads me on in the power or Your Love."

Thankful

I am always so thankful for God's blessings on me and my family for good health and safety in our travels be it just too and from work or longer jaunts like our recent trip to Maine. He keeps us in His awesome care and gives me peace of mind and and the security of knowing we are with Him and He with us, always...

I have not been to church this month due to work and then vacation stuff, but I do have to get back into the swing of it into August and then definitely into Sept. I am in hopes that they will start an evening surface during the week as I would be able to attend more often. I also need to start contributing more to the tithe. I have more resources now and just need to be better about it and so I pray on this as well.

"And so I thank you Dear Lord for all you give me, the many many blessings in my life and I thank and praise you in Jesus' name...Amen."

A sad sad world

The pain of this world is just overwhelming at times. Logically and spiritually I know we live in a fallen world. The evidence is ALL around us. In my own circle of life there is hatred, illness, addiction, debt and greed, coveting and ill will towards one another. And that is just within my own family � immediate and extended, the people I work with and friends/acquaintances.

During my spiritual growth of these past 10 years have come rude awakenings, harsh enlightenments and profound discoveries I had never realized before in my own world, personal and otherwise.

The sadness and despair among us are profound, the crime and disloyalty among our goverment officials out of control and people in general living with emotional and physical pain, committing horrific acts of violence and taking their children's lives and their own. It's almost unimaginable to me that situations in this life can become so chaotic and futile.

Driving home tonight from a ride in the country I noticed all the beauty around me, the trees, the green fields fresh from cutting for hay -- the gorgeous sunsets past the four different lakes we passed, the ominous clouds that forcast stormy weather due to the humidity today and the beautiful double rainbow...and I think, how can the world be so out of control? How can it be?

Then there are the days I come to work and learn of co-workers losing loved ones at their own hand, the sadness in their lives, chaos and addictiveness that drive them to the point of total despair and hardened hearts and I really start to wonder about the predicament of this world we live in. The heartache, discontent, bitterness and hardship and it saddens me to my core.

I know with God, ALL things are possible and there can be peace and a future where NONE of this will exist. No more pain, no more sadness and I long for that especially when I see the gorgeous sunsets, the big fluffy clouds parting just enough to shine through the sun's rays and I wish for the this world to go away and for all to have peace and the wonderful joyous comfort of knowing our Lord is with us and will protect us from this world's grief and suffering forever!

"I pray dear Lord for all those hurting tonight, for lost loved ones and the pain endured by those who do NOT know you. Keep them close and give them peace and place your gentle hand on their hearts...in Jesus' name -- AMEN"

Thanks for everything

As I look back on this past year I am grateful, sorrowful and somewhat more at peace. Life has a funny way sometimes of all working it's self out no matter our hurts, feelings, decisions and actions towards others.

I continue to grow in my faith and trust in Him, ALWAYS---There is nothihg I can't endure knowing God is near me, his LOVE surrounds me. I think of Him daily, but it's still very hard for me to share Him with others...I am surrounded by so many that do not believe or share my faith. My thoughts are not always kind nor the words that escape my lips and so I continue to ask for forgiveness and I continue to pray for all whom I hold near and dear to me.

"The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."
:~ Luke 8: 11-15 :~

Chaos ?

is only the half of it, maybe just a quarter of it. It's been so interesting to me lately how some of us are thinking about the state of the world these days. Most of us are just disgusted with our government, politicians, big corporations and the greed of it all. Some of us don't give it much thought at all, "it'll all get better in a few years...we just have to ride it out." The younger generation, say 15-21, don't really have a clue about anything that is going on. They probably don't even listen to the news every night. (Can't say as I blame them.)

I don't like listening to it, but I do find myself catching things here and there...the killing, the stealing, the drugs and war. Father's maiming their families, mother's drowning their children -- guns -- Our country's economy is in the toilet and all the bail outs in the world, aren't going to change that. Greed has overpowered, the devil is certainly in control of this world...

Our government is not going to dominate us or any other world power. They may try, they will fail, miserably.

The state of the world is in a very very sad situation. Nothing improves, our environment suffers as well. Bats by the thousands are dying, the honey bee as well. Mad Cow disease, swine and bird flu, cancer is on the rise as well as all of these scary and damaging auto immune disorders. Our health care is out of control when one hospitalization and a few tests will cost many thousands of dollars. Medicare and Medicaid are broke, private health insurance is outrageously expensive...but without it one could lose their home and if they lose their job they lose medical and their home.

People don't seem to stop and think about the cost of things. They complain, and rightly so, about the state of things, but doesn't everyone just want to be a millionare today? Doesn't everyone want to make $90 an hour and do little to earn that wage?

Our greed has taken us to a point of no return. I do not or cannot believe that our government or any other super world power will fix this for us.

Freedom of choice, our will, our determination to have things the way "we" want them and not the way they should be and so, here we are...

I pray to our dear Lord and Saviour daily. I accept Him and do my best to follow his ways. Do I worry about the world and it's state? Of course I do. I have so many loved ones that are not saved nor believe and I fear for them, but I continue to pray because whatever in the world is going on it is NOT good. It is not going to get better, maybe for a short term, but long term it is not, not until our Lord comes again and he is...there is HOPE.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
[2Peter 3:9]

Mother's Day

I should be at church this morning, but lately, it doesn't feel very welcoming there. Never has really. I attend a church where I really like the pastor and LOVE his sermons, but the congregation...that's another story. The "people" are NOT very friendly. They will walk right past you and not even make eye contact or smile. You go to say hello and when they don't even look at you passing by, it makes you not want to even speak first. Not all are like this, but quite a few. I've been a member at this church for several years now and attend services whenever I can, as I work every other weekend and some weekends we have plans to do things as my husband is not a believer or church goer. I got up this morning thinking I would go and then I talked myself out of it.

So I pray Lord that I can push this "worry" out of my mind and go to church with a happy heart and not let the ones who "snub" me bother me as I know it is you I am worshipping and not what others think of me or don't think of me or whatever it is they feel behaving in that way means...

And I thank you dear Lord for allowing a wonderful day yesterday with my mother. Putting aside our differences and hurts to get together and spend the day. We had good conversation, a nice lunch and enjoyed buying flowers in the rain!

I thank you Lord for these blessings and I continue to pray for understanding among us, peace and spiritual growth.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

~I Corinthians 13:4-7