The Calm Right Now

           Life is full of waves of tribulation and God sees us through those.  I feel right now that I'm enjoying the calm whispers of peace.  Yes, the storms inside me don't disappear but they can be calmed down to mere gentle waves.  Harsh waves come when I try to fight life's storms on my own and need reminded of Who is in control.
         Maybe I need to clarify what I'm trying to say by being more specific.  Although I will always be considered 'sick' due to my neuromuscular disease, I have been blessed by a long stretch of wellness with no colds lately.  If I just deal with the regular daily struggles without any extra burdens, it gives me a peaceful feeling.
        Do you recognize the calm times between your storms?  Do you hear 'He whispers sweet peace to me?'  There is a universal desire for peace but there is only one true source, God.  I know His peace is a gift of love and it will be with me in both the rage and calm of all my days.

Put It On

            I know this week's weather is not like last week.  It's a cold 48 degrees with a dreary rain.  We all know the phrase, 'April showers bring May flowers', so it's just part of the process.  I know for myself, a smile is more of an effort than a natural reflex on days like these. I must remember that I have much to smile about and to focus my attention on those things.
          'You're never fully dressed without a smile.'   Have you ever gone to work and realize you forgot to brush your teeth?  You worry about your looks and breath being offensive to others.  Well your frowny or stoic facial expression can be equally offensive.  'A smile is happiness you'll find right under your nose.'
           Smiles are contagious so spread them like wild fire by turning all those frowns upside down.

Be Still My Soul

          Who can't relate to this?  Often our to-do list is filled with more things than is humanly possible to fulfill in a day's time.  Sometimes the list is so overwhelming that we just put it all off for another day.
          Is 'time with God' on your daily agenda?  Psalm 46;10  'Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'  Sometimes you have to turn off the noise of the world.  I personally am not a fan of background noise, I need to hear myself think.  There is a need for quiet time, even for Jesus when he was here on earth.  What if we turned off the radio on the way to work and instead prayed for God to guide and protect us throughout our day?
         'There are many ways we can do devotions and study the Bible effectively. There is no "best" way, only that we do it! Many Christians feel all they have to do for their spiritual growth is sit in a pew, turn on the television or radio, or naturally receive their knowledge for being a Christian. However, this is not the way to transform our lives. You can no better grow deeper in Christ without any effort as you can go to a grocery store and stand in the produce section and become a cucumber. To be a mature and growing Christian, we must read and get into the Word of God ourselves. We do it through prayer, hard work, discipline, concentration, application, and even more prayer!' [from intothyword.org]
          '"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment." (1 Cor. 2:14-15)
          May we remember that if we are too busy for God, then we are just too busy and need to cut back.

Foto Friday

Rivermarket flowers

Down by the Arkansas River

Best gyros in town

Easter egg tree in NLR

Banana colada snowcones...mmm

John Deere fun

King of the mountain
at Garvan Gardens

Family time

Best buds among the tulip buds

Our easter egg project... still in the works

Garvan Gardens

Obstacles

              So I've wanted to go to Kohls this week and it's been a challenge to get there.  Yesterday, it started hailing as we were in route to get there, so we turned around and went back home.  Today, we loaded up to go and the battery on my van was dead.  After some help from the jumper cables and my dad, we did make it to Kohls but the battery was dead again.  We are now in the process of getting a new battery.
             This minor obstacle was truly a blessing with God's timing and protection wrapped up in it.  We have plans for every day after today that included the use of the van.  We are all thankful for the obstacle to be close to home and easily fixable.
             We also had a desire for snowcones today.  We thought all would be okay as long as we kept the van running.  Well apparently the battery was running lower than we expected.  While Karla was in line getting our snowcones, my air machine, that runs off the battery, shut off.  It is one of my worst fears to have the mask on and no air.  I panicked but then it came back on...whew.  I got Karla's attention, we switched machines and we got our snowcones.  Hey, we came for snowcones and we weren't leaving without them.. ha.

A Prayer for All

            Sometimes when we just don't have the words to pray, we can use verses of prayer from the Bible.  I think this one from Romans 15;13 is a good one for everyone.  It covers our anxious thoughts and doubts with the fountain of hope.  It promotes the decrease of us with the increase of Him, thru more joy and peace in our lives. It is all a result of our trust in God alone that these peaceful things will abide in us.
            By believing and trusting in God's will, joy and peace are produced.  We pray that our hope and faith would be steadfast and strong despite whatever trials of strife that we go through.  The Holy Spirit is our guide and reassures us of our confidence in our Hope.
           This is my prayer for my friends that are believers and going thru a challenging time in their life.  May they see His faithfulness in the past and use those thoughts to trust Him more with their present and future days.

Bitter, Sweet

              Why does everyone not embrace God's sacrifice for them?  I think this caption's message is one answer.  'Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.'  Until we recognize ourselves as sinners, then we will not appreciate the gift of forgiveness that only Christ offers.  Romans 7; 24-25  ''What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!''  'As unpleasant as it may seem, recognition of our own moral wretchedness is at the heart of Christianity. The story doesn't end with that, of course--it's precisely because God rescues us from our wretchedness that we serve Christ.'

              People are too confident in themselves and the things of this world so they don't see their need of a Savior.  Revelation 3;17 ''You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.''  'If we were to look at ourselves the way God sees us even when we have it all together, we would see something totally different.  In fact, His grace is only a “sweet sound” when you know how deep it had to go to clean you up!'

             May we all see our sin of self-sufficiency and not turn away from our need for Jesus in each of our lives.

Competition

James 1;9-11  ''Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.''

          As I went through BJ's Plants and Produce, I enjoyed looking at all the pretty flowers they had for sale.  I have to limit my wandering eye because it gets expensive quick.
         We are as unique as flowers are and will also wither away.  A petunia can't be a rose, so why not be the best petunia you can be.  Compete with others and become bitter, compete with yourself and become better.  It's not a fair fight to compare ourselves with others because no one's journey is the same.  'Some thru the waters, some thru the flood, some thru the fire but all thru the Blood.'
         Grow and bloom in the garden where you were planted.  Fertilize yourself with God's resources and you'll be His true creature of beauty.

Foto Friday

Gloria and Lilly visited Thursday

Betsy and Lydia brought their kids
over for a playdate Tuesday

Jack likes a good morning massage

Enjoying the 80 degree temps

Jack loves the spring weather

J.C. Potter is our neighborhood pig