WHILE I'M WAITING.........................

Oh my how long it has been since my last post.  Sometimes it is the waiting, the quiet, the mundane that a heart begins to beat again.  Time sometimes is what a heart needs............to see God, to hear God, to know God, to follow hard after God and to say YES before we even know of our journey for the day.  The desire of my heart is to know God...............so intimately that when I hear His voice I don't even have to stop ..............and wonder if it is Him speaking I just continue to move forward toward Him and what He wants from me.  His sheep KNOW his voice and they TRUST wherever and whatever he wants from them.  Most importantly they OBEY.  I want to be a DOER OF THE WORD and not just A HEARER.  The deepest longing of my heart is to be the FOREVER encouraging wife, mom, grandmother and friend that I can be.  To be STRONG when the enemy wants me to feel INSECURE AND DEFEATED.  To BOLDLY SHARE my faith with those that God brings across my path............no matter who and no matter where! To live and breath and have my complete being in JESUS CHRIST............making NO provision for my flesh. 

There is a song................I have known for a while but it has come around to me again and this time I hear the words...............not just the melody of the song.

I NEED YOU ........OH I NEED YOU
EVERY HOUR I NEED YOU
MY ONE DEFENSE
MY RIGHTEOUSNESS
O GOD HOW I NEED YOU!

That is the prayer of my heart today God.............that I NEED YOU but instead of every hour I will change that to EVERY SECOND.  I am absolutely, positively helpless without you! I love you will ALL OF MY HEART.

WHITER THAN SNOW....................

 PSALM 51:7

Purify me with hyssop, and make me clean; WASH ME, and I will be WHITER THAN SNOW.


ISAIAH 1:18

Come, let us discuss this, says the Lord.  Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as WHITE AS SNOW.

God, would you continually wash me, that I may stand before you clean and pure and WHITE AS SNOW.

EMPTY YOUR POCKETS

I once heard a man say that everytime that you are hurt by something someone says.........or an action that is done to you and you rehearse that offense over and over in your mind it is like picking up a rock and putting it in your pocket.  Before long if you don't deal with the issue you are weighed down by the EXTRA weight that you are carrying and you may not even know it.  Others will be able to see it, your actions will demonstrate it,  but you will be clueless that it even exist.  In a message that I listened to this morning.........CHARLES STANLEY...............he calls it UNLOADING YOUR BAGGAGE.  No matter who we are or what kind of family we had or didn't have, we all have some kind of issue(s).........or baggage or rocks that we drag around with us.  It is up to us, how long we will travel around with the LOAD.    Hebrews 12:1-3, Paul says to STRIP OFF EVERY weight that slows us down....................and RUN WITH ENDURANCE the race that God has set before us.  He goes on to say we can only do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus.  By the way...............the man that I quoted earlier went on to say (after the murder of his son by a family member) that he didn't want to carry that rock in his pocket for the rest of his life.  See he knew that he would need to forgive..........even the one who didn't deserve his forgiveness, and the best way he could practice running with endurance was to empty his pockets and strip of that extra weight?  What about you & me?  What might God be showing you today that would allow you to run like the wind?  WITHOUT dragging anything EXTRA? Maybe that phone call.......or email............or act of kindness to an undeserving one would be a FIRST STEP to releasing the power of God upon your life. Open my eyes .............to my own failures O God.............Restore me............and give me a new walk I pray.

My Grandkids

These are our GRANDchildren.  They are the most wonderful part of growing older............notice I said older...... NOT OLD.  I am soooo thankful that God placed them in this part of life.  They love like no other that I know.  Yesterday.........while doodling around the house I decided I would FACETIME with the 4 children of our son/daughter.in.law.  The parents unaware that I was calling..........the little ones AWARE!! The oldest of the 4 got the Ipad and answered.  Oh the blessing that was waiting on the other end!! The 17mo old came into the picture and unprompted by ME......started waving and saying "Hi" and most sweetly started blowing kisses to his didi......(pronounced diedie not deedee). Oh how my heart started beating with great amounts of love! I pray for 

these 5 grandchildren with GREAT PASSION.  I want them to know God's love for them at a VERY EARLY AGE.  I want them to understand the plan that He has for their life...........but most of all I want them to follow hard in obedience to Christ.  I want them to make an impact for the kingdom as they walk on this earth.  I pray for them to stay on that straight & narrow path that leads to LIFE! I also pray that God might call one or ALL into a full time service for Him.  Whatever or wherever they might be heading that they will be GREAT MEN AND WOMEN FOR GOD.  I love you Alli, Pey,

Drue, Brody & Whitten.  Stop growing until we can move back

to Texas!! See you soon.....................

Projects......

Oh am I ever a project girl.  In the middle of doing a project .........I will start another one.  I have SEVERAL started that I am going to try to complete this year!! I came to a very real conclusion about myself not so looong ago.  I am a GREAT STARTER.......... but a not so good  FINISHER.  It is not something that I really love about myself, but somewhere in this creative mind I go on to the next thing I can re- purpose and not the finishing of what I have going at the moment!! I am reminded in the Word of God that he says He who began a good work, WILL BE FAITHFUL TO COMPLETE IT. (Philippians 1:6)  I am soooo blessed by that assurance from God.  That the work  He started in me at salvation, does not leave me hopeless or despairing even on days when I don't see much... or any progress on the finishing touch of the Lord. I will purpose today to bring my focus on Jesus the author and completer of my faith.................God would you help me?.......I desire to be BETTER at finishing strong....... not just starting well.  I will look over ALL that I have going (my projects) and move one step closer to completing one today!


Here are just a few things............a couple complete.  One still in the process!!



a framed builder's mirror



repurposed picture

 craigslist chairs painted and reupholstered

Friends & Sunshine

It is ALWAYS good to get away for a few days.................sunshine, water, coffee and beautiful things to see.  Not to mention good food and fellowship.  We had a great time just chilling on Gasparilla Island and Marco Island in Florida. A few walks on the beach...................LOTS of good conversation with friends, but mostly just relaxing and pushing back for a few moments out of the normal day to day issues and feeling the warmth of the sunshine.  We took a boat over CABBAGE KEY one day to eat a cheeseburger in paradise and on the way over, stirred up a few dolphins that followed us for quite a while and put on a little show for us.  GREAT favor of the Lord.  I have thought for some time now that I have this connection with dolphins!! Or maybe that secretly I always wanted to train them at SIX FLAGS in my growing up days.  Whatever the reason..........it was such a sight just watching them play behind the boat.  Larry got an amazing pic of one of them.  Lets just say Flipper was a hit!  Had a burger and a walk up to the water tower and them back in the boat to head home.  Good day...............Good fellowship..........Good food..................GREAT GOD!

Flipper

Sue, Byron & Larry



 

 cabbage key water tower

Warmer Weather...........

As I mentioned yesterday.........the temperatures here in Maine at the moment are a bit LESS THAN DESIRABLE!!  These TEXANS are flying south for a few days on the beach.  YEEEHAW! It is always a great blessing to meet up with those that you looove to spend time with.  That will be our mission as we head to Florida.  TWO COUPLES...............from different states...............in VERY DIFFERENT places of leadership yet God has woven a common thread through our lives, and friendship happened.  We are both blessed and thankful for these friends!  Warmer weather...........OOOOOHHH YES! Packing my bags so we won't be late.  I will be sitting on my suitcase waiting for you, honey!