Friday, April 27, 2012

I Am So Thankful

What a blessing my life is!  Each day is different from the one before.  There are different sights, or sounds, or perspectives.  Each day brings me new mercies and another chance to tell our Savior that I love Him, and to glorify our Father by the things I do.

I devote this day to honoring Him from whom all things come, to Him who loves me more than anyone else ever could!  To Him I surrender my life and say thank You for the opportunity to serve You!

My life is a blessing.  I can see, I can hear, I can taste, touch, and smell.  I can think.  I can laugh.  I can cry.  I can feed the hungry and pray for the lost.  I can give myself to helping someone else.  I can try to improve myself.  I can smile at each person I pass today, and bless them, even if they don't respond with kindness.

My life is a blessing.  I have a husband, and a daughter and son-in-law who love me in spite of my faults.  I have health, I have a home that God dwells in, I have an old car that still runs, I have clothes to wear, and a refrigerator.  I have an office to work in, and I have a porch to sit on.

I have brothers and a sister that I love.  I am surrounded by my family at my church.  I receive encouragement when I have the blues, and I hug with all my heart when I see someone who needs nurturing. 

I love my life.  My life is a blessing.  Thank You, Lord, for giving me air to breathe and for waking me up this morning full of gratitude for this new day!  My praise goes to You, for You are the God of the universe, You are the God of my fathers, You are my life!  I love You desperately!

"This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it"  Psalm 118:24

Please click the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj2ofrX7jAk

God bless you, dear Reader!

Monday, April 23, 2012

It's Monday!

It's Monday and God is kissing us good morning!  Today is a day that only happens once, so run into it with abandon!  Be like a child at the park, and enjoy the ride!  Let God push you on the swing while you lean back and grin at the sky!  Have a beautiful time!

"This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!"  Psalm 118:24

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Spring, A Time for Love

Today is my 31st wedding anniversary!  I am much more in love with my husband today than I was 31 years ago.  I want to say that this hasn't always been easy, because both of us needed some serious refining, but it has always been blessed.  We have gone through some very difficult times that had us wondering, "what in the world was I thinking?" 

But God had blessed this marriage and He mustn't have felt it was something to just walk away from.  There were children, and broken hearts and hurt feelings, all those things that He is so good at taking care of!  So He thwarted my efforts at ever leaving, and although there were times when I felt like a prisoner in my own home, God knew exactly what He was doing.  Sometimes He has to tie us down to get our attention.  He will frustrate our efforts to do things our own way.

God is the originator of marriage.  He thinks so highly of it that He ordained the first couple, Adam and Eve, married, and the words in Genesis are still used in wedding ceremonies all over the world today.  Every marriage, although made in Heaven, sometimes finds itself on the road to Hell.  We get disappointed because the honeymoon is over, and the reality sets in.  She got fat, he got fat, the house is dirty, the yard looks awful.  It's all about sports, it's all about shopping.

What we are seeing is exactly the picture that Satan wants us to see.  He shows us the ugly things, and takes our attention away from the promises that we made to each other with God as our witness. 

Dear Reader, no marriage is perfect.  No one but God can make us feel as important as we are.  No one but God can love us unconditionally despite our imperfections.  We are not perfect!  We are works in progress!  Believe me, all the annoyances you have about your spouse are but a plank in your eye.  We have to forgive each other, no matter how hard that is, no matter what the offense, because that's what Jesus did for us.  If you have been cheated on, or ignored, or called names, or beaten, it is still our job to forgive.  I know, it's more than hard, it seems insane.  But that's the only way to freedom and peace. 

The world tells us to just leave, we're more important than they will ever know, but God tells us that He will help us to get through it, one minute at a time if need be.  We must remember that He brought us together, and He is the Author and Finisher.  "Therefore, what God has put together, let no man separate." Matt 19:6

God brought my husband into the world in 1946 in Minnesota, and me in the Bronx in 1956.  My husband's father was in the Navy at the time, and then joined the Air Force, so he grew up all over the world.  I lived in three houses from birth until age 21, all within 20 miles of each other nowhere near a military base.  My husband went to Vietnam, and lived in Germany, New Foundland, Japan, Okinawa, and several states.  I met him 1750 miles from my home in New Jersey. 

Tell me that God doesn't have a plan!  Think of the thousands of people whose paths I crossed everyday.  Think of all the people I dated, or liked, or were friends with.  And then what?  Out of the clear blue sky, thousands of miles away I meet the man I will marry! 

What are the odds of our paths crossing?  I wouldn't even take a bet.  But God saw us before the earth was formed, and He had a plan for us.  He knew we would go through difficult times, but He was refining us (I take more refining than most).  He has a job for us, something that only Tuck and I can do for Him. 

My life is extraordinarily blessed.  My husband loves me as Christ loves the church.  He puts my needs first.  He doesn't judge me, he prays for me.  He doesn't give up on me, he encourages me.  I respect him above all other men, and I love him only second to our Lord.  We have gone to counseling, and we attend every marriage class, seminar, and conference that we can.  Making a bad marriage good is wonderful, and making a good marriage better is divine. 

With Jesus' help we overcame addictions, anger, and the feeling of being insignificant.

I love you, Tuck, more than I ever thought possible.  Thank you for patiently waiting for me to get it.  Thank you for listening, for praying for us on our knees, for caring for me when I am sick, for holding my hand as we walk through life's storms, and for loving God the way you do.  I will love you til the end of time.  Thank you for letting God mold you into the man you have become.  Thank you for your diligence in listening to and studying the word of God.  It has made you my greatest blessing, and I am so very proud to say that I am your wife.

Happy Anniversary, my dear sweet love!  May God grant us at least 30 more years to grow into the couple He sees.  May we never lose sight of the Light that directs our paths, may we be a blessing to many, and an example of God's sweet mercy.  I love you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd441E3SeVk  

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Resurrection Day!

He is risen!  Our Lord is not in the tomb!  Wake up, Church!  Arise!  May His resurrection glory shine on you today.  If you don't know the Savior, His name is Jesus.  He died for you.  But not only did He die for you, and more importantly, He ROSE for you!  So that death could be defeated!  What love our Father has for us, that He would give His only Son to die for us so that we would live!

Happy Easter dear Reader, God bless you today!  And as you live, live for Him!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdRow8bbaxk

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

It's As Easy as Riding a Bike!

Some time ago on my way to work I was listening to Joyce Meyer's Deliverance from the Bondage of Fear.  She was speaking about how we should not give in to fear or let it hold us in bondage, and that we must do as Jesus says, and 'fear not.'

She said fear will come upon us, but we mustn't let it control us.  That was when God placed the following on my heart.

When children are little and learning how to ride a bicycle, they are afraid because they don't think they can do it.  They're afraid they'll fall and hurt themselves.  Think of how hard it is for a novice (first timer) to control the handlebars - they are all over the place!

But their Dads grab hold of the handlebar and the seat and steady the bike and walk beside them.  They are still afraid, but begin to place more thought on what they are doing.  There is more of a sense of security when Dad is walking, then running beside them.  They follow instructions - "Just pedal!  Go straight!"

They are afraid of falling down, but then Dad says, "You won't fall, I'll catch you!  I promise!"  Dad runs alongside and gently lets go of the handlebar, encouraging them, "See?  You can do it!"  The child becomes more sure of themselves.  Dad says, "Don't worry, you won't fall, I'll catch you!" 

The child doesn't even notice when Dad lets go.  They are so busy riding and concentrating and enjoying their new power they actually forget to be afraid.  They are focused.  Daddy said he would catch them.  There is no reason to fear, they trust their Dad.

That's how we are to be with God.  We are to be 'as little children.'  Turn our fears over to Him, He won't let us fall.  Ask Him to steady us, hold on to our handlebars and seat until we're more secure. 

Don't worry!  He won't let us fall, He'll catch us!  Afterall, He is our Father, Abba Daddy.

"For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  Hebrews 13:5 NKJ