Listen Better

           Are you hearing or are you listening? There is a difference.  Less talk and more listening leads to more effective communication.  Yadda, yadda, yadda is often what we hear but if we actually listened, we'd be better suited to respond.  Distractions from our own thoughts is probably the biggest deterrent to listening.
          How well do you listen to God's voice?  Is your agenda more important than His?  Is the world louder than His whispers to you?
         May we not just be hearers but doers of the Word and that begins with being better listeners.

Fishing Fun

Karla knows a good
photo op spot

Famous for their hubcap burgers

             We went to our cousin's place in Scott today to go fishing.  We all had fun, but it was hotter than expected.  I caught the only fish, with help from Karla.  We did catch plenty of Vitamin D.
             We stopped at a local store and I bought a package of tiramisu no bake cheesecake mix.  Karla found a photo op spot on a metal giraffe.
             My 5 ounce bream jumped off the dock before we got a picture.  We had catfish from Pig n Chik for dinner.

Struggles

        How true I know this caption is for me and yet I still fight with it in many ways.  Is my struggle really with my weaknesses or is it with my pride?  I would say pride would get the majority vote.  Age and maturity have helped me accept my weaknesses as a reality that will be with me forever on this Earth.
        Do I doubt the acceptance of me for me by my true friends?  No, of course not.  A friend told me Sunday, 'We love you, regardless of anything.  You didn't ask for or choose your affliction.'  So my struggle is just with my own self-image in my head, and not in the approval of others.
       1 John 2;16  ''For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.''
       The witness of my physical struggle is my reaction to it.  I will not be defined by my can'ts but rather by what I can do.  I saw a t-shirt that says 'Don't 'DIS' my ABILITY'.
      May whatever you struggle with be overcome with the sufficient grace of God.  Be strong and carry on.

Sweet Sleep

        A good night's sleep has been a rare occasion for me in the past year or so.  Yes, I'm a clock watcher and a superb subtractor.  I really do think time passes at a snail's pace in the wee hours of the night when one is wide awake.
        Finally, this week I've been given two sources of pressure pain relief so that I can sleep.  The first relief was an ointment that Karla had used on other clients for pressure points.  The redness of my skin was helped immediately...yeah.  The second form of relief was a new remote for my bed.  I can now adjust myself with a push of a button, even in the middle of the night.
        This may seem trivial to some, but sweet sleep is something we often take for granted.  I hope my days of dreading the night hours are over.  I hope 'Sleepy Town' will be a pleasant place to visit for more than an hour or two.

Foto Friday

Swimmers ready, set, go

Shark rides.. fun for all

Nancy loved her birthday dress

Bouquet  from Betsy's yard

Tanya, my favorite dental hygentist

Teeth cleaning time

Sugar reload after the dentist
2 golden retrievers from
The Scoop Dog

Use Me For a Greater Purpose

          Today marks my 3rd year of writing this blog.  My blog has been through a series of changes over these past three years, but I hope that the central theme of showing others how God is working in my life has remained true and consistent throughout.
          Writing this blog has been a source of deeper thinking for me on many levels.  I hope that my readers have experienced that as well.  Our journey has a purpose of  'not conforming to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.'  I hope my blog has been a reminder of Scripture and examples of how it is applicable in our daily lives.

         My blog has also become more of a photo embellished journal.  Foto Friday is a recap of the good things I've experienced thru the week.  It is not just to share, but to encourage others to actually live life to the fullest.

          Three years completed, but God hasn't finished the good work that He started in me so I will press on to finish my race strong.  Thank you for your loyal readership and comments. 

Plans

              Who hasn't felt like this with plans that were made?  Getting all gussied up is part of the fun of making special plans and then when it's cancelled, we need a comforter, like ice cream.
             Proverbs 19;21 ''Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.''
Our plans may be redirected for our own good and without us knowing why.  We must trust in a bigger plan than what we can see or understand fully.
            Yes, we can feel let down or frustrated with disappointment when things don't go as we think they ought to.  We must remember that when God closes one door, then He opens another.  My personal plan of being a pharmacist was rerouted due to geographical problems, but in the end my journey led me to the perfect job in the lab.  We must not give up but persevere through the changes life leads us through.

Control

           People do not like to be controlled, but so many are.  Are you controlled by anything?  Think before you answer and consider what you couldn't do without.  Cigarettes, alcohol. a favorite tv show, your smart phone, or your computer?  You may think 'control' is the wrong word, but if anything interferes with your life's activities in a negative way then it does have some sort of control over you.
          Even God didn't want control over His children to love Him, but He gives us the choice.  Psalm 119; 30  ''I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws.''  Our faith is believing in and letting go of the control of what we can't see or understand right now.  2 Corinthians 4;18  ''So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.''
       And yet, Christ is ultimately in control over everything and our faith is strengthened and sustained by that fact.  Phillipians 3;20-21 'But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.'

A Good Laugh

         I love a good joke and laugh, even if it's stupid.  Having a sense of humor is a great trait to have.  Life can be too literal, so we must be able to laugh at ourselves.  Laughter is good for the soul.  I'm the kind of girl who can burst out laughing in complete silence by just recalling a memory.
         Laughter is contagious.  When somebody gets the giggles, I start laughing too.  There are times in life when we just need to loosen up and be carefree.  'A day without laughter is a wasted day.'
        I wish my laugh was loud because I have known some people with great laughs that just make me smile.  Have you ever heard a recorded laugh?  I doubt you can keep from smiling.
       May your days be filled with laughter and good cheer.

Foto Friday

Turquoise was the color of the day

Tutti Frutti time
with the Bakers

The game we played,
everybody wins or everybody loses

Magic Springs 2014

We had a perfect day together.  

Charlene, Wayne, Bobbie, Karla
Angie

Bumper car traffic

The Hawk

Log flume fun

After the wave on the bridge

Before the wave on the bridge

Before the Plummet Summit

After the Plummet Summit

Big Bad John coaster

My tattoo.. for a few days

Sky Shark.. before

Sky Shark.. after

The Shipwreck.... my favorite ride