“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. ”

~ John 14:26-27 (ESV)

My sweet friend Debbie from “Heart Choices” chose a quote for IOWT that struck a cord with me…

Do you take vitamins? There is one set of vitamins that I take every day, Bluebonnett Stress-BComplex. Yeah, stress complex. Do they reduce my self-inflicted stress? Not sure, but they don’t hurt …

Most times I inflict my own stress; I cannot say “no”. Today on my way home I thought why I cannot say “no”. I could not come up with an answer. One thing I do know for sure: I have a hard time shutting down and relax.

I also stress out when I think I do not do enough. I know I should exercise more; somehow I do not  find the time for it. I beat myself up because I do not pray hard enough. No matter how often I pray the same prayer, some prayers are not answered. I get annoyed with myself because I am not bold enough when it comes to my photography (I do not have an ‘a-type’ personality).

There is only one place in the world where I feel totally comfortable sharing my daily hurts: at Jesus’ feet. I have mentioned numerous times that I love music (listing and singing). Currently my favorite song is “At Your Feet” by Casting Crowns (Album: Until the Whole World Hears).

“And I am free (here at Your feet)
All I need (is at Your feet)
I find peace
We’re at Your feet
We’re at Your feet
We’re at Your feet
We’re at Your feet”

Yes, I am free at His feet. I find peace when I gaze on Him and take my eyes off of myself. When a day does not go well, I turn up the music, worshiping Him with all my heart – singing out (very) loud: “Here at Your feet, I lay my future down, All of my dreams, I give to You now, And I find peace, I find peace”…

Thank you for stopping by to read my ramblings tonight. To read more thoughts on this week’s IOWT quote, please visit Debbie’s blog “Heart Choice”.

Current Mood: Okay

My dear friend Debbie is hosting this upcoming Tuesday (August 3rd 2010) “In Other Words“. Debbie chose a quote by Sarah Young that resonated with me:

I hope to see you over at Debbie’s blog on Tuesday. I will ponder the quote over the next 24-hours and hope to share my own thoughts on Tuesday with you.

Have a blessed Sunday night…

Current Mood: Forgiven †

I am so sorry that I have upset many of you when I chose the quote for IOW this week. I guess the Melanie’s first sentence really struck me…and I thought it would be nice to reflect on gentleness this week.

I publicly apologize to Melanie at Proverbs 31 Devotionals that I have taken her reflection on gentleness out of context. And I apologize to all of you that I was not a good hostess to you in choosing a better quote…Thank you for allowing me part of the IOW community over the last year. I pray and hope that this meme will continue to be an inspiration to many of you in the years to come…

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” ~ Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

Blessings on your day and as always…

I have mentioned before that we are restructuring our accounting department. We used to be several different departments to take care of only parts of our store’s accounting needs. I think it is a wonderful idea. Now our store managers have one person they can contact if there are issues at their store, instead of 3 different departments.

The training has been ‘brain-frying’…Last week I was totally burned out. Nothing else would fit into this old noggin . I am very blessed to be part of a team that cares for each other–personal and accounting wise. I just have one problem–the language…

Our team consists of 7 women and one man (poor guy). We are gentle to each other; pick up each other’s tasks so we meet all the deadlines each month. You see we still have to do our regular work, learn new stuff in order to transition fully into our new responsibilities. It gets frustrating at times since the work load is pretty heavy.

Last week we talked about the language that sometimes ‘flies’ around our training room. You would never think that women would swear like this…How do you react to women that are normally very gentle, but when frustration sits in, their mouth is just as bad as that of a sailor? For me, I put my headphones on…

Don’t get me wrong…I get frustrated too. How do I handle my frustration? I think of Him. I know that our Lord got frustrated too at times, but I don’t think that He ever used a swear-word. That thought alone keeps my mouths fairly ‘clean’.

Yes, we as women get frustrated, but if we keep our eyes fixed on our Lord, I think that we can imitate His gentleness in all situations; if at home or at work…

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” ~ Galatians 5:22-24 (ESV)

Lord of Heaven and Earth. Life can be frustrating at times. Lord, help us to keep our eyes focused on you. Let You gentle Spirit reign in us so that we may be a light to the world and can share the strength we receive from You with others. In the precious name of Jesus ~ Amen

Blessings on your day and as always…

Thank you so much for stopping by today in order to share your thoughts on this week’s IOW quote. I am sorry, I am a little late tonight, but I had some good reasons…I’ll share with you on Thursday why the delay (hint – I got a new toy ). Please leave your link below. As time permits, please visit other participants.

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Current Mood: Alarmed

This upcoming Tuesday I will be hosting “In Other Words”, a meme that originated on Christian Women Online.

I hope that you will join me to reflect on a quote I came across on Proverbs31 Ministry Daily Devotional Blog:

Melanie reflected on Galatians 5:22-23. I hope that both, the Scripture passage and Melanie’s quote will give you some inspiration to join us on Tuesday.

Blessings on your Friday and as always…

Current Mood: Happy

“We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle.” ~ Oswald Chambers

The quote Laurel picked by Oswald Chambers could have not come at a better time. Have you ever felt defeated, out of ‘juice’, running up-hill loosing your breath? Believe me, the past 4 months have been all that and more. What do you do when you feel defeated and think that the whole world is against you?

My sweet friend, Laurel has heard it often over the past several months. My defeat; me wanting to throw in the towel…

I tell you one thing: someone does not like people who share His Word on the internet. You all know who I am talking about. There have been battles moving blogs because someone found it funny to hack my email. There was pure burnout on my part, because I often forgot to take time just with Him to fill my cup every.single.day.

I had not a good start today, but God was faithful on picking me off of the ground, dusted me off and sent me back out there — a sheep amongst wolves. When I got into my car this morning, the first song they played on the radio was “Count It All Joy”, based on James’ passage:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” ~ James 1:2-4 (ESV)

I don’t know who the artist is, but I know it was God’s Word speaking to me through a song. My heart skipped a beat, I started to smile.

I have to agree with Mr. Chambers when he said “We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle”. When I am down, have nowhere to turn, there is always Someone I can lift my eyes to…

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” ~ Psalm 121:1-2 (ESV)

Lord of Heaven and Earth. Yes, Lord, You have allowed various trials these past 4 months—I am thankful for them. They have opened my eyes. I am nothing without You and Your Holy love for me. Thank you Lord, for surrounding me with Godly women who point me back to the cross. Thank You Lord, for a loving husband who helps me to see things clearer. In the precious name of Jesus I pray ~ Amen.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. To read more thoughts on today’s IOW quote, please visit my friend Laurel, our hostess for this week.

Be blessed today and as always…

Do you ever wonder “Why Lord”? I know I do. I have asked Him the “why” question countless times. ‘Why, Lord, did my friend have to go through breast-cancer?’ ‘Why, Lord, did you call home a little girl that never experienced childhood without pain?’ ‘Why, Lord, did a seemingly godly marriage break-up?’ ‘Why, Lord to I have to go through valleys?’ ‘Why, Lord, do You not answer my prayers?’…

I don’t know why I was hoping for a crown of roses. God never promised me that life this side of heaven would be without suffering. God wants me to trust Him, no matter what happens in my life or in the life of my friends. God has His reasons for things to happen.

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” ~ Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)

Paul put is so eloquently in the Romans’ passage, didn’t he? I think if I would not experience times in the valley, I would not raise my arms in victory on the mountaintop. Through His grace and mercy I grow closer to Him, so I will not forget the price He has paid for me.

“My” radio station has been playing a song by Caedmon’s Call over the past month and a half that has really struck a cord with me. The song “There is a Reason” has a very catchy tune; the words are stuck in my head. The chorus goes like this: “He makes all things good…He makes all things good…There’s a time to live and a time to die…A time for wonder and to wonder why…Cause there is a reason…there is a reason”

Yes, I might not understand the ways of my Lord at all times, but I know that there is a reason…a time to live, a time to die…and a time for wonders…

Lord of Heaven and Earth. I know that suffering produces endurance, endurance, character; character, hope. Lord, help me to never lose the hope You have given me—no matter what will happen this side of heaven. In the precious name of Jesus I pray ~ Amen.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this week’s IOW quote by leaving your link below. As your time permits, please visit other participants.

Blessings on your day and as always…

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On Tuesday I am hosting CWO’s In Other Word meme. I have picked a quote by my favorite pastor who was considered a rebel in his time, Dr. Martin Luther, reformist of the 16th century:

When I came across this quote last week, I immediately thought of the following Scripture passages:

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” ~ Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)

I pray and hope you have time to join me this up-coming Tuesday to share your thoughts with us…

Be blessed today and as always…

I had my post written last night and wanted to publish it this morning. When I got up this morning, the post from last night sounded lame – so I deleted its content and started from scratch…

I am so thankful that Laurel gave us a couple of hints with this quote. I really liked what she said on Sunday: “2. Scougal suggests that your worth and character are ultimately determined by what you delight in.”

What do I truly delight in? I delight in beauty. I am not talking about fleeting beauty – I am talking about His beauty, His splendor around us.

Some of you who visit this Blog for a while know that I enjoy photography – actually I love photography. My favorite subject: nature. I just marvel at the things around me. Mountains, sunsets, oceans (which are a little further away ) and the occasional cactus – yes, there is even beauty in a cactus.

Have you ever stood at the rim of the Grand Canyon? Breathtaking. Have you ever seen the sun kiss the mountain when it sets? Amazing. Have you ever seen a cactus in bloom? Wondrous. Have you ever watched the ocean hit the sand? Soothing. Ever ‘hunted’ a butterfly with the camera? Beautiful…

Sometimes we are just too busy to recognize His splendor around us. Yes, I truly delight in the works of His hands – capture them with my camera.

“Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.” ~ Psalm 111: 2 (ESV)

The most beautiful thing I delight in though is His work at the cross. Because of His love for us, He spread out His arms to make a way to spend eternity with Him…

“The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!”
~ Psalm 111:7-9 (ESV)

Lord of Heaven and Earth. I praise Your holy name for the splendor You have created for us to enjoy. I love watching Your hands work and showing off Your splendor. Lord, accept my gratitude for the work of Your hands at the cross. Thank you for spreading Your arms wide open to welcome me home. In the precious name of my Lord and Savior, in Jesus’ name I pray ~ Amen.

Please visit my friend Laurel to read her take and the thoughts of other women on this week’s IOW quote.

Blessings on your day and as always…

This summer has been a little harder than usual. Not only has the heat taken a toll on me, but many changes in my personal life have taken or are still taking place.

Lets take for instance that our son has his first ‘real’ job. He makes great money–he wants to move out. Some days he is a little on the ornery side. Thank goodness for prayer – that is all I can say…

Than there are major changes going on at my work. The entire accounting department will be restructured. There are many people in the department that are hurt, are irritable; some have left the company. Myself–well after 25 years of accounting, there is a certain burnout that comes to the surface. Although I don’t dislike my job, I am just tired; tired of adding numbers and fixing other people’s mistakes. Thank goodness for His presence in my life…

There are other demands too–like cooking, laundry, keeping the house clean…and have I mentioned the heat? You don’t feel like doing much, especially after a long day of work you just want to veg out. Your brain is fried – literally. You can’t think of any new dishes to make (mostly BBQ, so the house doesn’t get any hotter). You don’t feel like picking up a book, because you read the same sentence twenty times before it hits your brain and you actually understand what you are reading. If I don’t read my Bible first thing in the morning – forget it!!!! His Word will not stick.

What truly has gotten me so far through this summer is music. Even when the noggin doesn’t work, it still can receive the message, His message. I have found myself having a good cry driving home listening to Matt’s song “Blessed be Your Name”. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good cry — you know — the cleansing cry we women sometimes need to release the tension?

Years ago, I would have not listened to His comfort through His Word, or even a message through music. I would have just gotten frustrated, turn against everyone…But since He called me back into His flock, I know where I can turn when I need a lift. To be honest with you, I don’t know how I have ever done it without Him by my side…

My message I want to get out today with my IOW post? Don’t give up. No matter what hits you, He will carry you through. I know that some of you are battling sickness, have marital problems, have wayward children. We are stressed because of our responsibilities we have as wives, mothers, and employees. There is one Rock we always can lean on — our Lord, Jesus Christ.

“I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,and I am saved from my enemies.” ~ Psalm 18:1-3 (ESV)

Lord of Heaven and Earth. I know that sometimes things need to happen in order for us to follow Your will and not our own plans. I praise your name – Blessed be Your Name, my Rock and my Shield. In You alone I find refuge. In the precious name of Jesus ~ Amen

Blessings on your day and as always…

Thank you so much for taking part in this week’s IOW. Please leave your link below…looking forward reading your take on the lyrics.

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