"Everything" means everything and that's everything "everything" means.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!! :)

What I am about to share is a little story from a little paper I've had taped to the back of my bedroom door for years. I think it's rather timely... (the story is in orange)

There once was woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. "Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she did, and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. "Hmmm,
 she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "Today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. "Yeah!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!" 

Thankfulness is in many ways, an attitude of the heart; a lifestyle. God has actually been teaching me over the past weeks about being thankful. It's truly amazing! The key is not in searching and looking for things to be thankful for, and then thanking God when you find some. Let me tell you through scripture... :)

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thess. 5:18

Okay, now let's check our comprehension. Give thanks in what?? Just the things we notice that have blessed us?? Just the things that make us happy?? Only the things that we see God working in?? :) ...IN  E V E R Y T H I N G.

That should keep us busy enough! But what's so amazing is that when we are busy thanking God for everything in our life, we are DOING HIS WILL. Wow! Have you ever wondered what God's will for you is? Giving thanks is good place to begin. Life is hard a lot of times. The road we travel is marked with pain, disappointment and struggle. But what God is saying, is that He wants us to give thanks, even for those things. With God, nothing we go through in life has to be a waste. There is no wasted pain with God. There is no wasted heart-ache. There is no wasted failure. Why? Because we serve a REALLY BIG GOD! A God who is in the business of giving beauty for ashes, bringing joy from sorrow, and making broken things whole.

Whispers of love

I witnessed something today that totally made my day. It was one of those "wow" moments that leaves you overwhelmed. Mom had just taken me to the chiropractor and we stopped at Kroger on the way home. I stayed in the car to rest my back while Mom went in the store. We had parked right next to one of the spots reserved for a mother with a child. No one was parked in the spot when we got there, but after a few minutes, a van pulled in. I glanced over and saw a mother getting out of the van. She opened the sliding door on the side of the van, where here daughter was inside. Then I watched as she took the little girl in her arms and gave her one of the most beautiful hugs I've ever seen. She stood there, just holding the little girl tight in her arms. The mother was smiling, and I couldn't hear, but I could see her lips moving as she spoke something to the little girl. I was overwhelmed by the depth love being displayed. The mother was in no hurry. It was as if she had all the time in the world, and nothing was more important than soaking up that precious moment, and delighting in her little girl. She was so gentle, so tender. I couldn't help but see a picture of God in that moment. It's exactly the way He feels about us. It is His delight to hold us close and long. His gentle arms wait to lavish us with love. All the while, smiling from ear to ear because we mean everything to Him. ♥ 

I love how God whispers His love to me when I least expect it. He doesn't have to, but He does, and I am so thankful for His grace that keeps me from missing it. I wonder how often He leaves us "love notes" that we miss... in a sunset, flowers, or the smile of a child. God is so crazy about us. His love is more than our minds can fathom. Don't miss His whisper.

Tiny speck, huge problem

The other night as I was tossing and turning, trying to find a position that I could sleep in without pain, my left eye suddenly felt like there was something in it. My first thought was, an eyelash. So, I blinked and rubbed it a bit to get the eyelash out. But the feeling didn't go away. I blinked and rubbed a little more. No success. Tried once more.When no relief came, I got up out of bed and went to the bathroom to look at my eye in the mirror. It was then about 2:00 am. I held my eye open as wide as I could, and scanned for the suspected eyelash. I didn't see anything in my eye at all! So, I asked Mom (who was still awake) if she would come look in it. She also found nothing. All the while, the painfully irritating feeling continued. There was no way I could possible go to sleep with it like that. I tried (about 8 times) splashing water into my eye in hopes that it would wash out whatever was causing the problem. That proved to be unsuccessful. I was getting more and more anxious to get whatever it was OUT of my eye, and a little scared I would have to spend the night in sleepless and painful-blinking agony. Mom then proceeded to pour cups of water into my eye as I pulled my eyelid back. But...yet again...it didn't work. Mom had the idea that we should use the flashlight and have her look again with my eyelid pulled back. About that time, I urgently had to go and lay down because my leg was doing its whole excruciating muscle spasm/cramp thing. Mom followed me to my room and we prayed together. She prayed for God to help reveal whatever the problem was in my eye. Then, as I flipped my eyelid inside out, Mom shined the flashlight and right away, spotted a tiny black speck stuck to the inside of my eyelid. Ahah! Not wanting to use her finger nail, Mom got a Q-tip, dipped it in water and then gently removed the tiny speck from my eye. Right away, the pain and irritation was gone!! :) Yay!!! What a wonderful relief it was. God had answered our prayer. When I looked at the black speck on the end of the Q-tip, I was amazed that something so small and tiny could cause such pain and utter disruption to my life. 

I cannot help but be struck with the spiritual picture this experience presents. If you look at just the tiny little speck, it really doesn't appear to be too harmful, or much of a threat. But when taken into the eye, a very sensitive part of the body, it's quite the trouble-maker. Sin can be like that in our lives. Maybe there is just one small, habitual sin we struggle with. We look at it and think, "Oh, it's not that bad...it's just a small sin... I can handle this." The sin might appear to be small, but it is never harmless. The enemy wants to deceive us into thinking things are okay, when they are really not. Many times we cannot even see the sin in our own lives! Just like when I couldn't see anything in my eye at all. It wasn't till I pulled back my eyelid and Mom shined the flashlight that the speck was revealed. For my eye, pain was the indicator that something was wrong, though I couldn't see what it was. Something was there that shouldn't be there. When we are in the Word, the Holy Spirit will speak, convict and show us when something is wrong. We have to be willing to let God strip away the blinders and shine His light into our hearts and lives. Once the sin is uncovered, it must be removed. Just because we realize we have a sin problem doesn't mean that it will just automatically be gone. Realizing the problem is just the beginning. We have to surrender it completely to God (like Mom with the Q-tip), and allow Him to purge us. We cannot do it on our own. We must rely on His strength to overcome sin.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart...see if there is any wicked way in me." (Psalm 139:23,24) 

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

new tunes! :)

Now playing: "Our God," from Chris Tomlin's newest album (which I picked up at Lifeway today)! I love it! :) I really like the album version of this song (Our God). Different from the radio version. It's got strings!When I find a song a like, I listen to it over and over......and over.....and OVER. I'll probably be humming it in my sleep, and hearing it in my dreams tonight. :) All of the songs on this album are excellent, in my opinion. So encouraging and uplifting! Another one that I like a lot is I Lift My Hands, which Chris Tomlin did at the concert in Salem last month...

Be still, there is a healer
His love is deeper than the sea
His mercy, it is unfailing
His arms are a fortress for the weak

Let faith arise
Let faith arise

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart, these things I remember
You are faithful, God, forever

Be still, there is a river
That flows from Calvary's tree
A fountain for the thirsty

Pure grace that washes over me

So let faith arise
Let faith arise
Open my eyes
Open my eyes

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart, these things I remember
You are faithful, God
You are faithful, God, forever

Battle

Happy Sunday! :)

I am sad to say, I am at home, and did not make it to church this morning. The leg and back pain has had me down for over two weeks now. The pain has been pretty bad. Excruciating at times. Part of the time it feels like a muscle spasm that just comes on. Other times it's like an aching cramp in my entire right leg. Part of my right foot still has numbness.Mainly the right side, my heel, and the back of my ankle. I was so determined I was going to go to work on Friday morning. I got up early (the pain is always the worst when I first get up), took pain killer, and went to take a shower... but I couldn't stand up through my whole shower. I knew I couldn't stand up for even a 4 hour shift at work, even though I wanted to sooo badly. I was actually getting pretty discouraged and cried about it this week... I thought for sure I'd be better by now. Then, Mom said something to me the other day that got me thinking. "Spiritual warfare." She was saying how, this could be a spiritual attack. I actually hadn't considered it from that aspect. My friend Samara also reminded me of a very important truth that is easy to forget as I go about my day to day life. "Nothing is purely physical." Meaning, everything in our lives, everyday, is spiritual.

"You are not a human being in search of a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being immersed in a human experience." ~Pierre Teilhard De Chardin

As Christians, this means that we are in a battle everyday. The Bible tells us!

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12)

So, though I still have a lot of pain, and I'm tempted to just give in to the flesh and be discouraged, I can't let the enemy win this one. No, sir. Through God's Word, I am putting on my eternal spiritual eyes and choosing to refuse my earthly, physical vision. God is always doing so much more than we can see!

"Whatever troubles are weighing you down are not chains. They are featherweight when compared to the glory yet to come. With a sweep of a prayer and the praise of a child's heart, God can strip away any cobweb." ~Joni Eareckson Tada

 I can't see with my eyes, the battle that is taking place, even in my own heart and mind. But it is a very real battle, and I need to put on my armor! His Word (my sword) is so crucial, because without it, I have nothing with which to fight back against the lies and tactics of the enemy. My shield (faith) is protection. The faith God gives me to put my trust in Him, and know that He has the power. It is not my own strength that I go in, but in HIS might. I am well aware of my own weakness, and I think that is a key realization to come to before I can stand in Christ's strength and power. "Deep inside this armor, the warrior is a child." (from Twila Paris' song)

"Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Ephesians 6:10-11)

"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:14-18)

God is good. SO good. Always. His goodness has also been on my mind a lot this week as I've been reading God: As He Longs for You to See Him, by Chip Ingram. I'm in the chapter about the goodness of God. I've been thinking about all He has done... all the ways He proclaims His goodness! Although, God is not good because of the things He has done for us, or the blessings He's poured over our lives. He is good because it is His nature. It is who He is! He cannot be anything else! He blesses and lavishes goodness on the world BECAUSE He is good. I LOVED reading Psalm 107 last night. Wow! Just go and read it. :) Meditate on His goodness. I dare ya! God is good.

As a Bridegroom Rejoices Over His Bride

Happy Veteran's Day! I am so grateful to all our military who have sacrificed and heroically given their lives for the freedom of this country. And my heart and prayers go out even now to those who are serving on the front lines even as a sit here and type this... Please pray for our troops, and their families they've left behind who love and miss them everyday!

Now, to explain to title of this post. "As a Bridegroom Rejoices Over His Bride." Thinking about my post yesterday of my friend Tia's wedding last month and how much it made me think about us as Christian being the Bride of Christ... Today I got the daily reading e-mail from Ransomed Heart Ministries. If we are His Bride, then that would make Him a Bridegroom. THE Bridegroom! Just think about all the weddings you've ever been to. Think about the Bridegroom's face when he first sees his bride walking down the aisle. I've seen some pretty serious bridegrooms, some grinning some ear to ear, some crying tears of joy. It's one of my favorite things to observe at weddings. God is telling us that He will rejoice over us just as a groom rejoices over his beautiful bride! Wow!! Listen to this...

"As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you." (Isaiah 62:5) 

The following is the e-mail I got today with an excerpt from the book The Sacred Romance (which I've read and would highly recommend!), by John Eldredge and Brent Curtis. Enjoy! :)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

As A Bridegroom Rejoices Over His Bride

The Scriptures employ a wide scale of metaphors to capture the many facets of our relationship with God. If you consider them in a sort of ascending order, there is a noticeable and breathtaking progression. Down near the bottom of the totem pole we are the clay and he the Potter. Moving up a notch, we are the sheep and he the Shepherd, which is a little better position on the food chain but hardly flattering; sheep don't have a reputation as the most graceful and intelligent creatures in the world. Moving upward, we are the servants of the Master, which at least lets us into the house, even if we have to wipe our feet, watch our manners, and not talk too much. Most Christians never get past this point, but the ladder of metaphors is about to make a swift ascent. God also calls us his children and himself our heavenly Father, which brings us into the possibility of real intimacy-love is not one of the things a vase and its craftsman share together, nor does a sheep truly know the heart of the shepherd, though it may enjoy the fruits of his kindness. Still, there is something missing even in the best parent-child relationship. Friendship levels the playing field in a way family never can, at least not until the kids have grown and left the house. Friendship opens a level of communion that a five-year-old doesn't know with his mother and father. And "friends" are what he calls us.

But there is still a higher and deeper level of intimacy and partnership awaiting us at the top of this metaphorical ascent. We are lovers. The courtship that began with a honeymoon in the Garden culminates in the wedding feast of the Lamb. "I will take delight in you," he says to us, "as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will I rejoice over you."

(The Sacred Romance , 96, 97)

Autumn is when God gives the trees highlights

I have become aware that it is now NOVEMBER! Wow. Time has been flying and leaves have been falling! Autumn is definitely a favorite season of mine. :) God makes so much beauty! The colors proclaim His glory and shout His goodness. There are moments when I just sit and stare, in awe of God's handiwork. His beauty takes my breath away and captures my heart!

one of the little leaves I collected on a walk :)

October highlight....

Tia's Wedding!

One of my best friends since childhood is now a MRS! Yay! :) I was very honored and privileged to be her Maid of Honor. The wedding day was absolutely beautiful (not to mention tons of fun!). 

The weekend started out on Friday, October 15, 2010 (my birthday!), with all the girls getting our nails done. I can't think of a better way to spend my 22nd birthday than with a dear friend, *and* getting my very first manicure ever! Twas quite fun getting pampered! :) Then, that evening was the wedding rehearsal and dinner at Neighbor's Place (which was delicious! I had salmon, steamed broccoli, a baked potato, and some kind of incredibly rich and amazing dessert that involved coffee ice cream, chocolate, whipped cream and caramel- YUM). I stayed Friday night at Tia's house so I wouldn't have to drive back and forth as much. I am so thankful we were able to talk and spend time together that evening. It was definitely a sweet time!

October 16, 2010- The Wedding Day!

It was such a sweet thing to watch my friend walk through her wedding day. She was so peaceful. She wasn't stressed or fretting over things.She was just thrilled to be marrying her best friend. Her heart just seemed so happy, so at rest. It was such a beautiful picture! I cannot help but be reminded of the great wedding feast that is yet to come for Christ and His beloved bride. As Christians, we are the bride of Christ. We are preparing to spend eternity with Him!

"...Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:25-27)

What are we pouring our energy into? What is our heart focusing on? Are we letting the peace of our Beloved rule in our hearts? Are we investing in His Kingdom, or a kingdom that will pass away?

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:1-2)

"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)