365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 169

We saw a movie called The Impossible on DVD. The movie is based on a true story of a family who experienced the tsunami in Thailand in 2006 that killed over 30,000 people. Now I don’t want to spoil the movie for you but the title kind of gives you that hopeful feeling that the family will survive. They do survive but what they endured and went through to survive and find each other was intensely heartbreaking. You will definitely need a Kleenex. The love, determination and persistence they demonstrated was a beautiful earthly example of how the Father feels about us. When everything is stripped down to the bare bones of what we want most, what we see is people wanting to be with their loved one/s. That is how God feels about us. He so wants us to want Him so much that we will search Him out and find Him. God is not passive about this. He lays the breadcrumbs that when are eyes are opening will start to follow. Ultimately, He gives us the choice but he created in us a need to find Him. And like the reunion of the family in the movie, it is a glorious and joyous celebration when we find God and choose Him. Though we don’t see Him, he is crying with joy and smiling with celebration that you and He are finally together.  

Luke 15: 31-32 ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 145

My mind is all over the place right now. I got some news about in-law family that I am trying to process. Suffice it to say that prayer is needed for my brother-in-law and mother-in-law. They are so deep into their issues that it is going to end up being only divine intervention that can help them.

Psalm 25:15 My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.

365 Days of Spirt-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 74

We got word last evening that my Aunt-in-law has suffered a stroke. She’s lost all movement on her left side and they are hoping the clot will resolve itself. My heart and mind are with her and the family at this time but in reading some more of Job this morning I found this scripture that really hits the nail on the head when it comes to our prayers and do we feel that God answers them. The answer is not always what we want or may not come as we thought but if our hearts are open and our eyes can see and discern what God is telling us than though the answer may not be what you wanted you will know and feel that God is with you no matter what and have peace.

Job 33:12-14 But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than man. Why do you complain to him that he answers none of man’s words? For God does speak—now one way, now another—though man may not perceive it.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 36

Saturday evening we will be with some of my husband’s family sharing and celebrating Christmas. I consider times like this so joyful. We enjoy the food and have lots of laughs with each other as we play Apples to Apples which has become a tradition. I will bring our new Bible version of Apples to Apples to play. We also have lots of laughs doing a gag gift exchange game which I introduced to my husband’s family because it was done with my dad’s side of the family for many years. This year I introduced the idea of doing a mini bible study with each other to connect with each other with our faith and learn more about each other that way. I am anticipating the joy and will report back how it all came to pass on Monday.

Psalm 133:1-3 A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 24

My bible study group gathered last evening over a potluck dinner and discussed the second in a series of fictional books. During our discussion, it was brought up how a teacher of one of the ladies grown children had come up with a positive phrase about each child in the class and she brought these up everyday throughout the year. We discussed how awesome that would be if that could happen to all of us in our workplaces, families, neighborhoods, etc. This building up another person with encouraging words is an act of love. What a world this would be if everyone every day just said some encouraging building-up words to just one person! One of my prominent spiritual gifts is encouragement so this is fairly easy for me but I am still going to set a goal for myself to do this with purpose and intention each day. I am around my co-workers and my family the most so I will pick one person for each day from both groups and make sure I have said at least one encouraging word, one thing that will build up that person, one thing to let them know they are loved. Who can you say encouraging words to today?

Tip: try setting an alert on your phone to remind you of building someone up today or any goals you have.

1 Thessalonians 5:11
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 350

I am not a big fan of Facebook but I am not against it either. Call me a “middle-of-the roader.” I get on it at least a few times a week mostly just to stay caught up in the lives of family and friends but I have been encouraged by words or pictures and inspired to create from something someone has shared. Because I am not on it all that much, I am unfamiliar with all the in’s and out’s but knew that somewhere there was a place where people may have posted a happy birthday wish to me. I finally found it and was so surprised by the number of posts. Wow! It was good to hear from friends that I haven’t seen or talked with in quite a while. It put a smile on my face all day. So thanks to God for giving what’s his name the vision to create Facebook. It is a great communication tool to use in our busy lives to let people know you care and think of them.

Psalm 71: 14 But as for me, I will always have hope: I will praise you more and more.  

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 346

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon at my brother’s home and celebrated my birthday which is Election day and my brother’s birthday on the 8^th. I can’t even express the blessing of having them here in Colorado. For many years, I tried to convince them they needed to move here from CA and in God’s timing it happened. I am so thankful to God for brining my brother and his family here so we can connect with each other, celebrate with each other and just be together. And a special bonus, was having my step-mom here from CA, too. It was a good celebration for our birthdays and the peanut butter cup playground ice cream cake from Cold Stone was a yummy blessing that was the cherry on the top!

Ecclesiastes 11:8  However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 320

Lord, I am singing your praises today for the miracle you have given us in the healing of Navah. This 4-year-old girl has been suffering with tumors up and down her spine for the last year or so. I recently got news that the cancer came back and even worse and that they didn’t think she had long to live. Yesterday, my co-worker who is friends with Navah’s family came rushing into see me at my desk saying “I just want to hug you”. She gave me the news that all of the tumors are gone! Lord we thank you for this miracle with this little girl. We pray that she will continue to live and thrive and that her story will be a testimony to how mighty you are.

1Corinthians 6:14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.

 

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 303

Praising the Lord for my wonderful family. Despite the pain in my shoulders and all that entails, they are supportive and loving. Chronic pain is no fun and it certainly can change how you feel. I feel like at times I am the Wicked Witch of the East and at other times like a doormat saying just leave me alone. But as I doubled-over in pain yesterday as I was opening the bottom veggie drawer in the fridge, my sweet daughter came over and started rubbing my back asking if I was okay. Tears came to me at that point because it's been too much to bare and it was time to release some pent up emotion about not having my normal day-to-day ability. I don't know what the future will bring with this pain but I do know my family is awesome and my God is awesome and with their help I will get through it.

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 41

My hubbie and son got me hooked onto a show on AMC called The Walking Dead. Yes, it's about zombies but it is well done and very suspenseful without too much gore or grossness. The human aspect with the relationships is really the big draw for me. Some survivors have banded together and are trying to survive each other and the zombies. Despite the harsh reality of their circumstances and what they are up against, they still have issues with each other. It's one of those things since the very beginning with Adam passing the blame onto Eve and Eve passing the blame to the snake and Cain and Abel and the jeolousy that drove Cain to kill Abel. We pit ourselves against each other when we should be banding together in complete unity as brothers and sisters. Our only hope is Jesus and thankfully we have him to steer us away from those relationship issues, help us through them or help us restore relationship that have already turned south. I struggle with the jeolousy thing when it comes to my parents and how much time and energy they spend on my brother and his family. Thankfully, because of my knowledge on the love languages I figured out they are service love givers and you can see the trend through our lives on when each of us was in need they were there. My brother's family is in need now because their adopted daughter, Grace has issues that no child or family should have to go through. So, I am thankful and praising God for helping me with these issues that can come up within our relationships with others so that I can see them for what they really are and not be thinking just of myself.
Gensis 4:6-7 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.