Wanting more of God? I’d like to help. Wednesday, Mar 16 2011

I was just rejoicing with a dear friend whose daughter  just came back to the Lord after years being way out there, doing all manner of shameful things.  C has come back and it’s because of God intervening in her life with dreams!

Her Mom and I were crying, shouting and so so thankful.  I’ve loved C for a long time  and have joined with S over the years praying.  And now we’re rejoicing!

God has you right where He wants you – and is indeed wooing you back.  This is one of the main reasons I share my story, share my faith in God.  I want to keep on being the voice of the Bridegroom!  I want people to know they are loved, supremely loved! Here’s a scripture for you to look at and ask God if it’s for you.  Put your name in where appropriate.

Psalm 37:23-24 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.

God is leading you beloved – and I’ve no doubt your spouse is being led also.  Knowing the hurt you went through at the hands of the church – they are bound to be cautious.  My love would be too.

For some 40 years I’ve taken to reading one Proverb a day.  There’s 31 of them and today is the 16th.  Look at what it says – especially verse 3,  9,  15-16, 20- 21, 24.  I’ve run them all together for you sweet friend – see if it ministers to you.  I love this book, there’s never been a day in 40 some years that I didn’t need wisdom.

Proverbs 16:3, 9, 15-16, 20-21, 24 Beloved –  Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established. The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps. In the light of a king’s face is life, and his favor is like a cloud with the spring rain. How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver. He who gives attention to the word will find good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. The wise in heart will be called understanding, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. New American Standard Updated Version

God has always spoken to me – since the night I was saved.  It took some time to learn to obey, to discern good and evil, to fall down and keep getting up, and to be who I am in God regardless of who did or did not approve of me.

Thank God for my man!  He “knew” me in the Spirit – he came to church in 1980 and had watched me for years, admiring my walk with the Lord.  But he knew who he was getting before I got to know him, some 8 years later – so all the objections that most men had – well, Scott loved me anyway!

God has answered my prayer for a soul-mate – you just watch and see – God will answer yours – to the deepest core of your being.  Jesus said if “I be lifted up, I will draw all men to me.”  He treasures your every prayer, and every confidence.

As for the quieting of your soul.  It is not easy.  It requires work to “bring every thought into captivity” and to learn to listen.  BUT God says, “My sheep hear My voice.”  Your job is simply quieting yourself.  What I learned to do is do is listen 1st thing in the a.m. – before I’m out of bed even.  That meant getting up earlier than anyone who might need me, husband, sons, animals.  But beloved – small price to be with Jesus in the morning.

Remember that old song, “I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses. He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own, and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.  He speaks and the sound of His voice, is so sweet the birds hush their singing, and the melody that He gave to me, within my heart is ringing. I’d stay in the garden with Him, though the night around me be falling, but He bids me go; through the voice of woe – His voice to me is calling.”

This is as close to sharing what it’s like as I can get.  And that’s been the same for 4 decades.  The other things I did was learn to ask Him what He has for me, what He wants, how I can please Him first.  Before I bring the dirty laundry!  And end my day the same way.  I’ve given Him permission to interrupt me at any time, and shared with my family He always comes 1st.

The other thing  is I prefer my cave (my office) quiet.  I prefer quiet although I love worship music and love to worship.  I just want to eliminate everything else whenever possible so I can hear the still small voice.  Of late, Scott has been listening to all our old Integrity Hosanna tapes and converting them so we can hear them again.  Oh, how sweet to hear worship – instead of “it’s all about me and my needs” type songs.  Those are good for evangelism but hard to keep your mind off you if you’re constantly singing about it/

I’m not religious, have no care to be, I sin and wish I wouldn’t – but learning to make time for Jesus has saved me every day since Jan. 4, 1970.

Do seek Him more and more beloved – while you’re out walking the dogs, while you’re sorting the laundry, on the drive to work  – whatever you’re doing – just know He’s standing beside you ready to share His heart of love with you.

And when you find Him – just know His heart is satisfied with you!  The goodness of God leads to repentance, repentance leads to sweet fellowship, and His forgiveness was given at the cross.  Enjoy Him!

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Sperm Donors vs. Fathers Monday, Jun 29 2009

If you want to be challenged as a Dad – listen to this  timely word from our Pastor friend Patrick Ondrey at Winner’s Circle Church in Houston, TX.

You may be just a ‘sperm donor’ if you live in the same house with your children but you are emotionally absent. Will you take the time to be involved in their lives?

http://web.mac.com/twccpodcast2007/Winners_Circle_-_Patrick_Ondrey/Podcast/Entries/2009/6/21_Sperm_Donors_Vs._Fathers.html

The Winner’s Circle Church www.winnerscirclechurch.org

Patrick Ondrey is an internationally recognized author and speaker. His teachings ENCOURAGE, EMPOWER and EQUIP audiences to fulfill their God-given vision.
Patrick is the author of many best-selling books including:
You’re More Than You Think You Are
Rapid Debt Reduction Strategies
The Victory Book and The Master Plan.

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Wonderful Things about Grandparenting Thursday, May 28 2009

My friend Susie Ahern sent this to me this morning – and as I read it and re-read it I couldn’t stop giggling. Scott and I are beginner grandparents now to our son Chris and Sara’s babe Ellie Grace.  She will arrive around August 8th!

Here ya go – parents, grandparents, grandchildren – and anyone else needing a good chuckle.

WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT BEING A GRANDPARENT

WHAT IS A GRANDPARENT?

(Taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds)

• Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of their own. They like other people’s.

• A grandfather is a man and a grandmother is a lady!

• Grandparents don’t have to do anything except be there when we come to see them.  They are so old they shouldn’t play hard or run.  It is good if they drive us to the shops and give us money.

• When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.

• They show us and talk to us about the colors of the flowers and also why we shouldn’t step on ‘cracks.’

• They don’t say, ‘Hurry up.’

• Usually grandmothers are fat but not too fat to tie your shoes.

• They wear glasses and funny underwear.

• They can take their teeth and gums out.

• Grandparents don’t have to be smart.

• They have to answer questions like ‘Why isn’t God married?’ and ‘How come dogs chase cats?’

• When they read to us, they don’t skip…  They don’t mind if we ask for the same story over again.

• Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don’t have television because they are the only grownups who like to spend time with us.

• They know we should have snack time before bed time, and they say prayers with us and kiss us even when we’ve acted bad.

• A 6-year old was asked where his Grandma lived.  “Oh,” he said, ”She lives at the airport, and when we want her we just go get her.  Then when we’re done having her visit, we take her back to the airport.”

• Grandpa is the smartest man on earth!  He teaches me good things, but I don’t get to see him enough to get as smart as he is!

• It’s funny when they bend over; you hear gas leaks, and they blame their dog.

CUTE STORIES ABOUT GRANDPARENTS AND GRANDCHILDREN

1. She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she’d done many times before.  After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, ‘But Gramma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!’   I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye!!

2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday.  He asked me how old I was, and I told him, ’62.’  He was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, ‘Did you start at 1?’

3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair.  As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin.  Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings.  As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, ‘Who was THAT?’

4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: ‘We used to skate outside on a pond.  I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard.  We rode our pony.  We picked wild raspberries in the woods.’  The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in.  At last she said, ‘I sure wish I’d gotten to know you sooner!’

5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, ‘Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?’  I mentally polished my halo and I said, ‘No, how are we alike?” You’re both old,’ he replied.

6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather’s word processor.  She told him she was writing a story.  ‘What’s it about?’ he asked. ‘I don’t know,’ she replied.  ‘I can’t read!”

7. I didn’t know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her.  I would point out something and ask what color it was.  She would tell me and was always correct.  It was fun for me, so I continued.  At last she headed for the door, saying, ‘Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!’

8. When my grandson Melvin and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects.  Still, a few fireflies followed us in.  Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, ‘It’s no use Grandpa.  Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights.’

9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, ‘I’m not sure.’  ‘Look in your underwear, Grandpa,’ he advised.  ‘Mine says I’m four to six.’

10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, ‘Grandma, guess what?  We learned how to make babies today.’   The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool.  ’That’s interesting,’ she said, ‘how do you make babies? ”It’s simple,’ replied the girl. ‘You just change ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘es’.’

11. Children’s Logic: ‘Give me a sentence about a public servant,’ said a teacher.  The small boy wrote: ‘The fireman came down the ladder pregnant.’  The teacher took the lad aside to correct him.  ‘Don’t you know what pregnant means?’ she asked. ‘Sure,’ said the young boy confidently. ‘It means carrying a child.’

12. A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past.  Sitting in the front seat of the truck was a Dalmatian dog.  The children started discussing the dog’s duties.  ‘They use him to keep crowds back,’ said one child.  ‘No,’ said another, ‘He’s just for good luck.’   A third child brought the argument to a close.  ‘They use the dogs,’ she said firmly, ‘to find the fire hydrants.

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What have we learned in the last 2 millennia? Wednesday, Feb 4 2009

Scott sent me the quote in gray below – that asked “What have we learned in the last 2 millenium?” “Evidently nothing” followed the question.

I wondered if it was Truth or Fiction and found the source was ,
“A forwarded email with a quote dating back to 55 B.C. from Cicero of Ancient Rome about balancing the budget, reducing public debt, and curtailing foreign assistance.”

The Truth:
This alleged quote from Marcus Tullius Cicero that began circulating on the Internet in October, 2008, is based on a true statement from the great Roman orator, but someone added a lot to it to make it match some of what the United States was facing economically.

It appears we have not yet learned from history and I’m wondering is it possible?

The actual quote is: “The arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and assistance to foreign hands should be curtailed, lest Rome fall.”

The internet version and the one Scott sent me reads:

“The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and
controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living
on public assistance.” — Cicero , 55 B.C. 

My heart says, “YES” we can, we will and we must.

I believe it will fall in the lap of the younger generation for my generation and the one following us have too many compromises, too much apathy and is too caught away by the cares of this life.

We have made sure our children have lacked for nothing (materially) and sold them to the highest bidder (spiritually.)  We are at fault and only if we repent now and return to the lover of our souls is there any hope.

I have seen in the last 3 weeks a generation of young people faced with problems such as gangland and drug cartel wars, recession, Iraq & Afghanistan ramp-ups, lack of quality education and employment layoffs.

These same young people are fresh, free and hungry for the challenge of following and serving a living God!  They say, “Bring it on!”

And I believe their destiny is to attack and win!  Join me in praying for those fearless leaders – interceding for the ones they allow to mentor them, and beg God for mercy for our nation and our world!

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Conservation – a way of life; not a New Years Resolution. Wednesday, Dec 31 2008

I will save more this year and care for what God has given me and urge others to the same with their family and friends.

I grew up learning conservation and ways to preserve food and other essentials.  It was a way of life in SW Kansas.  I remember saving tinfoil in balls of it to fill canning jars, wrapping 1″ strips of white cotton into balls to be used as bandages with my Gram. I have no idea what they were used for – but fondly remember doing it with her.
I remember my Grandparents and parents gardens (1/2 block of food) and putting food by (drying, canning, jerking and freezing)
One of my favorite sayings is “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without” which I inherited from my family.  I think conservation is in my blood.  I feel something is wrong when I’m wasteful and it’s all I can do to keep my mouth shut when others are.  It seems such a violation of God’s plan for us.
As an adult I taught others how to conserve and was a conference speaker for Sister Cities International on the topic of environmental conservation as crafts for children.  I also did a major youth exchange between Seattle and Mazatlan  illustrating how to use “found” objects to make for sale items. I was given the key to the City of Mazatlan my environmental work with the poor.  Scott and the boys and I did countless festivals and mall shows making things from junk mail and cardboard boxes (cereal, make-up, shoe boxes etc.)

Genesis 1:27-31
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, ” Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.  God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Psalm 115:16
The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.

50 Things Anyone Can Do Beginning Today

1.  Recycle every bit of paper that comes into your home, by shredding it and composting what you can and boxing up the stuff you can’t and putting it at the curb.

2. Change out your burned out lightbulbs with CFLs or LEDs.

3.  Take Navy showers – water on to wet down, water off, soap up, water back on to wash off.  Keep the long showers for pain relief and special occasions.  Every bit we save helps.

4.  Buy a British Berkefield water filter (filters 1gallon an hour – even pond scum) and use your own carry-bottles rather than buying bottled water.  This is a wonderful system we got it in  1995 and have used it ever since only replacing the spigot.

5.  Turn off lights when not using them.

6.  Re-use colorful junk mail for children’s crafts and games or wrapping paper and recyle when finished.  (It makes great piñatas.)

7.  Before tossing out old clothing – think, “Can someone else use this?” Recyle it by donating it, freecycling it, or making things out of it.  (Ask me.)

8.  Use recycle bins at the curb.  If your city doesn’t have them, ask city hall “why not?”

9.  Use canvas bags at the grocery store.

10.  If you must use store-provided bags ask for paper and then recycle the paper or if they only provide plastic (yes Shirley – there are some monoliths out there) recycle them by taking them back and re-using them.

11.  Use baking soda and dish soap to clean countertops, tubs, showers instead of harsh chemical soft scrubs.

12.  Use vinegar and water to clean class.

13. Keep your tires inflated; improves gas mileage and saves gas – even if it is only $1.28 a gallon now.

14.Plant a bamboo fence……….. there are varieties that don’t spread like crazy.

15. Use bamboo for floors, bowls, cutting boards, etc.  because it is so easily replenished.

16. Unplug your electronics like chargers, toasters, coffee pots and computers when you are not using them.

17. Install drip irrigation in your landscaping.

18. Use a lap top rather than a desktop it uses much less power.

19. Buy shade grown coffee, and gold reusable filters.

20. If you must use paper filters, use those without chlorine.

21.  Put your coffee grounds into the dirt of acid loving plants.

22. Install a ceiling fan to improve heat and cooling circulation.

23.  Replace your old fans with more energy efficient ones (We just did 3 of ours.)

24. Repair your leaky indoor and outdoor faucets.

25.Upgrade your toilet to a low flush model. (save about 1,200 gallons of water per year per toilet)

26. Collect rainwater and use it for gardening, washing your car and for a real treat – wash your hair in it.  If you live under the shadow of a major international airport skip the hairwash.

27. Air dry your clothes; it saves money as well as the environment and nothing smells as good as sheets and towels dried outdoors.

28. Change out single pane to double pane windows.

29. Switch to a natural gas tank-less water heater. You will love how fast you get hot water – we first had these in England.

30. Insulate your walls and ceilings using recycled materials.  We noticed an immediate benefit the day we did this!

31.  Use sunscreen screens on south and west windows to keep your home cooler when you live in the south to reduce air-conditioning costs and energy waste.

32. Replace old appliances… save a bundle both in carbon dioxide emissions  and  dollars.

33. Buy minimally packaged goods to reduces your garbage by 10%.

34. Fill the dishwasher before running it.

35. Install a programmable thermostat. I love this feature Scott did for us.  It makes life here in Texas so much nicer.

36. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner (especially if you have allergies.)

37. Get a home energy audit, it will give you a plan to work on – and end up saving you money.

38. Plant your own herbs and vegetables when possible.  There is nothing better than eating truly fresh food.

39.  Buy from your local farmers market.  Be smart – buy organic when you can.

40.  Use natural pesticides and growth hormones.

41.  Carpool when possible. Bike when possible. Walk when possible.  Fly less when possible.

42. Don’t leave an empty roof rack on your car, or tons of stuff in your trunk.

43. Check your water heater keep it set no higher than 120 degrees.

44.  Install a low flow shower head.

45.  Buy locally whenever possible.  Supporting local merchants not only saves gas – it is good for the local economy.  If they don’t stock what you need ask them to do so.

46.  Keep your vehicle in good running condition or buy another one if yours is done for.

47.  Recycle plastic bottles and egg cartons by starting seeds in them.

48. Teach your children to respect you and your environment by teaching them conservation by example.  Make recycling and composting a family project.

49.  Volunteer to plant trees for others on Arbor Day.

50.  Be thankful every day of your life that you live in a country bountiful with natural resources by not wasting them.

Simplify your life.  You will enjoy it much more.

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