Deep Thoughts and Little Happenings

Deuteronomy 1:22 "Then all of you approached me and said, 'Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up and the cities which we shall enter.'" Deuteronomy 1:32-33 But for all this, you did not trust the L ORD your God, who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go. I've read these verses hundreds of times and yet this was the first time I saw the connection between them.  I've always known they sent twelve spies into the land, ten brought back fear and two encouraged them to follow God's call to take possession of the land.  But... Two things jumped out at me this time. Vs 22 - let us send men before us that they may bring back to us word of the way which we should go Vs 33 - the L ORD your God who goes before you on your way to show you the way in ...

"The Spirit explicitly says that some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons...abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.  For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer." I cannot believe I have never SEEN this before today.  Maybe I needed to have a peace in my heart about my relationship with the L ORD and an assurance in my faith walk with Him before I could.  I was not trying to find it so I could prove a point.  The L ORD  gave it to me as a reminder that I do not want to be tempted to fix my hope on anything I DO.  Instead, I must "fix my hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially believers." Father, thank You for being my hope.  Thank You for being the One who...

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  Let your speech always be seasoned with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how to respond to each person.  Colossians 4:5-6 (NASB) Wow!  If I want to know how to respond to  each person, all I have to do is  let my speech  always be seasoned with grace.  This is very specific...I  will know how to respond to each person  if I  let  my speech always be seasoned with grace.  My speech originates in my thoughts, so... If I want my speech to be seasoned with grace, I must think gracious thoughts.  That's my choice! LORD, I want to know how to respond to each person.  Teach me to think as You think.  Examine me and give me a humble heart that is willing to learn to think like You think and follow Your ways.  Amen. Philippians 4:8

When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed."  Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT) Am I serious about finding the L ORD ?  Do I want Him more than anything (or anyone) else? According to Jeremiah, when I look for the L ORD ,  I will find Him.  The question is...Am I looking?  Or am I complacent?  Are there areas in my life where I avert my gaze so I do not find Him there?  Is that because I do not want to see the expression in His eyes as He looks around that area of my heart? L ORD , I do not want to keep you boxed into certain areas of my life.  I do not want to have hidden spaces in my heart.  Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.  Amen

To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God. Rev 2:7 He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. Rev 2:11 To Him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it. Rev 2:17 And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. Rev 2:26-28 He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. Rev 3:5 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God , and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon...

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.   Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7 I've spent the last two weeks asking God what I will be overcome by if I'm not overcome by Him.  I was shown yesterday!  I have the potential to be overcome by fear and worry.  I realize that would be due to lack of faith on my part but I've been alerted the potential is there. I see a doctor today because of a lump on the chest wall of my left breast.  Whew!  All the what ifs can create a lot of fear and worry.  I had to give it over to the Lord and get the prayer warriors praying for me.  Not so much because of the lump but because of what the lump brought out in me. Thank you Lord for hearing my cries!  Thank you for surrounding me with faith...

For by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.  2 Peter 2:19b I'm positive I've read this verse before, but it struck me this time...right between the eyes.  All of us are slaves to something or someone.  To whom or what am I enslaved? It's so easy to say we're slaves of sin or righteousness, but how often does my life display both?  How is that possible?  I'm reminded of what we're told in James, "Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water?  Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring." But a justified believer is always in the process of being sanctified, right?  If so, don't we have both bitter and fresh water coming out of us or is it all bitter until the fresh completely flushes the bitter out?  No!  Evidence of the Spirit's fresh waters are in me while at the same time He is removing the bitte...

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." I Corinthians 6:19-20 (NASB) I want to know God's heart when He wrote this to us through Paul.  Surely, He didn't mean for us to be consumed with taking care of our bodies!  Wouldn't that be idolatry?  But, is neglecting our bodies God honoring. Hmmm...What else besides my health would fall under the category of body? Tongues!  How can we honor God with our body if what comes out of our mouth does not honor Him. Isn't our tongue part of our body? James 3:2 tells us "If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well." Whoa?  Does this mean if I can control my tongue I will also be in control of my whole self?  Sure looks like it!  So, I must learn to control ...

Yesterday my laptop adapter died. It seems my battery is about gone and that killed my adapter. I bought a new adapter today. I had no idea they were so expensive. I was going to buy a battery, but they had to order it. I decided to come home and see if I could find one for less money. Theirs was $300 plus. YIKES! I'm at least able to use my computer, but I'm going to call Jeremy tonight and see if he can help me find one for a better price. It's not that we don't have the money, but I just don't want to pay that much if it's just mark up.

George and I have been house hunting online. We won't actually rent online, but it's been fun to look. He sent me several possibilities last night. The one we like in the Mt Vernon area is still available...I really like that one and think it will keep his commute down. He found one is Springfield that is really nice. The commute would be atrocious though...I think. Of course, the upside is it would be closer to where the children would be if Jeremy decides to take the job in Vienna/Reston. They were looking at something off of Braddock Rd and this would be a hop, skip and a jump away. It's not next door, but it's close. I'm a little concerned about the fact that we will be house hunting two months before the move. That does not work well for people who are trying to rent...unless they list before the place is available. The one we like in Mt Vernon is already vacant. That means the Lord will need to keep it empty for three months and that's bad for...

I've been trying to get on my blog forever and couldn't remember my password. I tried it today just for kicks and here I am. I've been sick for a week, so I've been reading and writing and quilting between being sick and sleeping. I've eaten a little bit today and so far I'm okay. George just called. It is so wonderful to have e-mail and cell phones. I feel much less disconnected when we're able to communicate in some form or fashion each day. I can't express just how much I'm looking forward to him going to shore duty in June. I love that man so much. It hardly seems possible we've been married almost 30 years. My heart still races when it's time for him to come home. I pray we never lose the joy of our relationship and that we'll continue to grow in our love for one another until we're called home to glory. Jane is pregnant again. WaHoo! The doctor saw the baby and could see the heart beating when they had the sonogram d...

Wow! I saw the movie Facing the Giants today. It is a movie for anyone who loves football and is filled with the truths of God. I cannot express how much it touched my heart and revived my spirit for my God. Of course, all day has been wonderful. I was not alone in the prayer room during service today and it was a real blessing to have another join me there to pray for God's hand to work His will in the hearts and minds of those in the service and the children and preschool in their areas. We prayed and we cried out to God together. What a sweet time. I thank God for including me in His work...I'm humbled by the evidence of His use of my life and awed by how awesome He is to be able to use my life. A life that is nothing without Him. A life that's been redeemed and made a holy vessel for His glory. How great and mighty is the Lord our God. How great and mighty is He!

I found out Tuesday evening, October 24, 2006, that I would never hold our second grandchild. He was very young...two months in his mother's womb...when he went to live with the Lord. I don't know for sure he was a boy, but in my heart I think of him as a boy. I'd already begun to think of him as Cole so I need to find out if his parents have given him a name. If so I will need to change my name for him. I don't know if they have and I don't know if they thought he was a boy or girl. I couldn't write about him when I first found out. I was broken hearted. It hurts something awful to lose a grandchild. I know Jane and Jeremy must be devastated. I cannot even imagine how hard it would be to lose a child. My mind has always shied away from those kinds of thoughts whenever the fear came near. I just learned to trust the Lord to take care of them and reminded myself they are His anyway. I've been praying that the Lord would protect them from the att...

Well, it's been a while but here I am. We live in a new house in a new area of Virginia Beach. We love it here but it was tough to move ourselves. This experience has caused me to realize just how spoiled I am. After a lot of hard work, we have all our belongings in the new location. We don't have everything unpacked, but we're making progress. We also have a yard to take care of now and it keeps calling my name...I always prefer to work in the yard before work in the house. We have a screened in porch off the kitchen and I love being out there. I eat breakfast and lunch out there, work at my laptop out there and just enjoy listening and watching the birds while I'm out there. Two bunnies live close and like to play together in the yard. And our new neighbors are wonderful. They are the original home owners of these homes which were built in the early sixties. They seem geniunely pleased to have us in the neighborhood and have all stopped over to introduce t...

Today has been filled with good things. I woke to find I've lost 4 pounds this week. I'm feeling so much better and walking is always good God time. I went to the dentist today and had my teeth cleaned, but while I was there my permanent crown arrived. I was able to get it put on during the same visit. While I was sitting in the dental chair I was reminded of a truth about Jeremiah 29:11. The Lord has planned only good for us; not harm. Sometimes we don't believe that because our circumstances aren't fun. Well, going to the dentist isn't fun and it sure doesn't feel good when you break a tooth and have to get a crown. The thing is this...getting a crown is good for me. It doesn't bring harm but good. God brings into our lives what is good for us and not just what makes us happy for a moment. I was also able to meet with Bro Allie today and get his input and blessings on several of the upcoming WM events. That was great. George brought a treat home fro...

George is coming home today. I got up early and took the garbage to the curb. I don't like to take it down the night before. I saw the TV version of Kiss the Girls and don't want anyone looking at my garbage. I walked before breakfast and then came home to eat an apple and some slices of colby jack cheese...MMM! I don't know why, but I always feel like it's a treat to eat apples and cheese. Scott ran by this morning and took his mother to the Oceana Commissary. He was going to the NEX and wondered if I wanted to ride along. It was great to spend time with him and it didn't hurt to have his muscles available for carrying groceries. :-) I'm reading the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson right now. My niece, Lillian, let me borrow her copy since our libraries don't have a copy. I've seen the movie. I even recorded it to share with Lilli since she missed it on TV. The book is loads better, but that's usually the way books and movies go. I need to ...

I woke early this morning and slipped into the sewing room to work on Zoë's quilt. I'm still piecing it. I hope it turns out as wonderful as I envision it will be. It's design is Wild Thing and I've used materials with pinks and reds. It should look beautiful in her room...red gingham. And I'm hoping she will enjoy it for many years to come. There is a lot of love in it and I pray she'll consider herself covered with love each time she uses it. My grandmother made a quilt for each of her 18 grandchildren. My mother is in the process of making quilts for each of her grandchildren. I am carrying on the heritage. My grandmother made tacked quilts and my grandfather helped her with the spreading and pinning of those huge layers of cloth and batting. My mother lap quilts mostly but she doesn't tack, she actually hand quilts. Each quilt is made with memory material...that's material she's used to make clothing for all of us over the years and is filled w...

I have decided to try my hand at blogging. This is a new way to journal and I don't know how well I will do since I'm much more comfortable journaling longhand. There's something about pen/pencil and paper in hand that feels good. And the smell and feel of paper statisfies the yearning to write in a way the keypad just doesn't equal. Jane helped me get started by starting and sending me her own blog site. It was easy to follow the step-by-step directions and here I am writing my first blog entry. Jane is not well today. She had her wisdom teeth removed on Friday and she had to go back to the oral surgeon today due to dry socket and infection. My heart was broken because I could not be there with her. I struggled after Bible study this morning. One of the ladies was questioning the patriarchial blessings and even questioning how they were able to give the blessings when they were sinful men. I don't believe we can question who God uses to bring His blessing into our ...