I enjoyed scrapping last night. Got most of my birthday cards for April done.

My devotion today was a good one for my family. In fact, within 30 minutes of reading it, I was able to use it while talking with Brad and David.

It talks about a movie where a guy loves baseball and becomes fanatical during baseball season. His girlfriend breaks up with him because she isn't going to compete with his obsession. A friend told the guy, "You love baseball but does it love you back?"

The devotion goes on to say: "We pour lives into hobbies, pleasures, activities, work - many good things. But two things should always be thought about when making our choices. Jesus said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart... You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 22:37,39). When it seems our life is getitng out of balalnce, the question, "has that hobby or activity or thing ever love me back?" may help to keep us in check. Loving God and loving people are what really count."

Keep moving closer to God. Moving anything that gets in the way. Have a great weekend - get rest and relax and enjoy the time God gives you.

A thought came me to me today. A lot of people are seen as strong, self-confident, all-together but they may be struggling. Just because a person can walk doesn't mean they can do so by themselves. Sometimes they need help because their legs are weak or their ankles are hurting.

We need to look for weakness, pain, hurt, confusion in our brothers and sisters and be there to support them - even if they aren't asking.

I love my new washer/dryer. We got a great deal at Thanksgiving and they were finally delivered last week. Stacking them gives me more room in my pass-thru laundry space! Plus, we don't have to pull our clothes out of the dryer drum (which has been leaving holes in our clothes).

I received an email this morning from my boss with this verse in it:
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" Matthew 11:28-30

And then my Turning Point devotion said this:
Jesus our Lord is a very present help in trouble. Why wait until we’ve exhausted all human possibilities before doing what we should have done at the first? As someone once said, we can do more than pray after we have prayed, but we cannot do more than pray before we have prayed.

Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him. Hudson Taylor

Lord, are you trying to tell me something??

My brother-in-law's brother, Paul Swetnam, has been diagnosed with Luekemia. He will be undergoing chemo this week and looking at a bone marrow transplant next week. Pray for his wife, Lynn and two daugthers. My brother-in-law, Joe, is driving from VA to OH tomorrow and all the brothers will be tested for a match. Pray God will keep everyone healthy for the match and successful treatments.

Debbie (my sister) and I travel home tomorrow (from VA to OH) and my oldest sister Terri (whom we're visiting) will be traveling for work on Wednesday. Pray for us all.

What a day. Rearranged three rooms in my sister's house. It was fun and it looks good - but my muscles are sore! Enjoying my visit but miss being home.

I feel like I'm cheating because I've been copying devotions and pasting them here, but...why reinvent the wheel! Here's today's devotion from Turning Point. I love it. We need to make our decision BEFORE the trial to trust God completely. It is too hard to do it once we are already in the fire.

God Our Deliverer
He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you. Job 5:19

When Daniel’s three friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego—stood before the opening to a blazing furnace in Babylon, they had one of the most remarkable perspectives found in the pages of world history: “It doesn’t matter if we are thrown into the furnace or not. If God chooses to deliver us, fine. If not, fine. Either way our trust is in Him.”

How often do we face life’s threatening moments with that kind of faithful resolve? It may not be life-or-death persecution for our faith that we face, but we may face a life-or-death situation of another kind: illness, divorce, unemployment, estrangement, or an unspeakable tragedy. But not everyone is delivered as Daniel’s three friends were, so how do we interpret the scriptural promises of protection in light of actual outcomes? Here’s how: we make up our minds about God at the door of the furnace, not once we’re inside. As a result, we are prepared for any outcome. If we are delivered on earth, fine; if we are delivered to heaven, also fine. We let God be in charge of seeing us through our fiery furnaces.

God is our Deliverer (Psalm 18:2), regardless of how, when, and where the deliverance occurs.

My devotion today from Turning Point was so good that I copied it for today's post: Throw Out the Beads

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 NIV

When Richard Cecil saw the delight on his daughter’s face for the box of beads someone gave her, he said “They are beautiful, my child, but now, throw them behind the fire.” It was a great trial for the little girl, but she remembered that her father had never asked her to do anything that wasn’t good. So she threw the beads in the fire. The next day her father presented her with something far more beautiful that she had desired for a long time. He then explained the importance of trusting her heavenly Father during trials later on in life. Thus, he was training his child’s faith.

Faith is a difficult concept and an even tougher discipline for a lot of people. Because it doesn’t come easily, it is necessary for God to train our faith by allowing us to experience testing and trials and experience His faithfulness. By doing this, He effectively teaches us that when we are in the throes of a personal storm, the turbulent winds will not destroy us, but they will shape our faith in Almighty God.

This is the purpose of pain for the redeemed: It is one of your Father's ways of speaking to you; it is the evidence of His limitless love, by which He would draw you farther from evil and closer to Him, the divine remedy which can cure you of pride and help you lean more trustingly on the Lord. Walter A. Maier

You know my mind initially thinks "what am I going to have to give up?" However, I should be thinking "what do I need to give up." I'm so glad that my Father only asks me to give up those things that keep me from getting closer to Him.

Today is my son's 19th birthday. I never thought I'd be old enough to have a 19-yr-old son! :)
I remember the day he was born. I was so scared. I remember holding him in the room by myself and being amazed that God would trust me with him. It has been exciting and challenging and frustrating and incredible...the good, the bad, the ugly ... I wouldn't trade any of it.

My devotion today was in John 21:15-19 - Jesus asking Peter, do you love me more than these? What was the "these"? The author says it is better we don't know because we can put our own issues there.

What do I love more than Jesus? What gets priority over Him? Guess who else is looking for that answer? That's right, the enemy. He will find out what we love more than God and he will manipulate us with it. But he loses his power over us when we delight in the Lord.

I had a fun today - shopping with my husband and shooting with him and my niece.

My devotion is from John 20:1-8, 19-20. The awesome story of Jesus' resurrection. One sentence from the commentary spoke to me: Jesus' resurrection proved that He is greater than the greatest obstacles.

Thank you, Father. You are greater than the greatest of obstacles. You are trustworthy. You love me.


On another note - here is where my retirement home is:


This is my screen image. The little house on the island is an icon from my internet protection program. I thought it was the perfect place to put it!!

From my devotion today I read the following:
God knows the answer to every question and is perfectly capable of revealing it at just the right time. We may not have a dream that needs interpreting like Nebuchadnezzar, but the point is the same—God has the answers we need. When life presents questions that we cannot answer, we can turn to the One who has every answer.

I felt a nudge to file this away in my heart (and send it to a few others to do the same). I pray the Lord is not taking me into another season of suffering. But if He does, I know that He has all the answers - whether He reveals them to me or not!

My devotion today was from Exodus 33:1-11 - God's Majesty.

The author wrote: The most costly sins I have committed came at a time when I briefly suspended my reverence for God. It is time for our love for God to move away from a sentimental model to something closer to a father/son model. We need to learn to reverence, obey, and thank God; to express approproiate sorrow for sin; to pursue a quietness in which we might hear God whisper.

I examine myself. I think my relationship is more of a sentimental nature. I did not have a great model for the father/son or mother/daugther relationship so it is hard to move in that direction. I want to but I don't know how. What is it supposed to look like?

I want my relationship to be such that I can hear God whisper. That I'm close enough to Him that His mere whisper is all I need.

Phillipians 2:12-18. I've read this at least a thousand times (since Phillipians has always been a favorite book). Today I read some of the verses and it was like the first time I've really heard what they said!

Verse 13 - It is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. The NLT puts it this way - For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases Him.

So, God not only gives me the power to obey Him but He gives me the desire to obey Him. Thank you, Father, You are so wonderful.

Have a blessed day and be listening to our Father for His incredible working in our lives.