LWG...Keep swimming, just keep swimming!

Today I have shared a devotion over at LACED WITH GRACE, entitled "Keep swimming, just keep swimming"...

"There are so many things in this world that I just do not understand. For instance, I do not understand how electricity flows thru the wall and makes a light turn on. I also do not understand how I can place a seed in the ground and after a short time, a beautiful flower blossoms. Some things are just hard to understand, but yet, some amazing things come out of it..."

To read the entire post, CLICK HERE!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...there's no place like home!

One of my all time favorite musicals to see is "Wizard of Oz". A couple of years ago, it was performed at our local Orpheam studio, for days, for weeks I went around the house singing all of the songs and clicking my heels and saying "There's no place like home, there's no place like home!"

Even though Dorothy, the tin man, the scarecrow and the lion (and Toto too) are all made up characters, the thought behind "There's no place like home" rings true sometimes. I have found that to be true this past week.

I have been away from my home for the past 7 days, even though I am away on a happy note, I still miss it. Last week on TT, I wrote about the waiting and anticipation of the birth of our first grandchild. Later that day (last Thursday) we arrived in Tulsa, 6 hours from our home, to await the birth of our sweet Anabell. She finally made her appearance at 3:06 am on Friday, weighing in at 7#8oz 20 inches long.

It has been a long 7 days, which 4 of them have been going back and forth to the hospital. Tulsa is a wonderful place, but it just isn't home for me. Home can be alot of things to alot of people. Maybe you live in a house, or an apartment or a mobile home. The place isn't really what makes it home, it is your heart, your passion and your love...now that makes it a home! And my heart and passion is back home where my husband is, where our ministry is, where our life is.

I am just visiting here. Anybody can recognize that I am not from "around here", because I don't know where anything is. I have to get directions to just go to the store. I am not familiar with my surroundings or even the people. I can stand in the middle of the local Wal-mart and be a complete stranger to everyone. It isn't like that at my local Wal-mart, I am bound to run into lots of familiar faces there.

As I was thinking about this, I realized that the reason I feel like a stranger here in Tulsa is because it is not familiar ground. This is not my home. But neither is Arkansas where my drivers license says I reside. My home is not here, this is just temporary. If its true that "there is no place like home," then I know that nothing is going to compare to our heavenly home.

"I heard a loud voice shout from the throne: God's home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make His home among his people." (Revelation 21:3)

But before we can be familiar with the vastness and greatness of our new home over there, we must be familiar with the One Who holds the deed to our mansion while here.

"I promise you that you cannot get into God's kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does." -Mark 10:15

Are you ready to see your home? There is no other place like it in this world! But we have to be familiar with it or we might miss out on the greatest home we could ever have!

Today Lynn is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY. I am thankful for the place that God has prepared for me, one day I will see it face to face and it will be more beautiful than I ever imagined it to be. Share your grateful heart with us by linking up. And if I don't meet you face to face here (in Tulsa, or Arkansas or wherever you live)...I will meet you over there. In the promised land. :)

THANKFUL THURSDAY...good things come to those who wait

I can't think of too many people who like to wait for things. If this wasn't so, then we wouldn't have so many fast food restaurants, drive up pharmacies and nowadays you can even drive up to get your flu shot!

The worst kind of waiting isn't the 6 minute delay in the drive thru window waiting on your french fries, if any of you have had to wait for an excited expectation like a wedding, or a child to be born or a loved one to return from war, then you know what kind of intense waiting I am talking about.

We are in one of those intense waiting periods right now in our family. I have experienced this excited moment of "hurry up" waiting before when we stood in the airport awaiting the arrival of our airman son to come home from the Air Force after being in South Korea for a year! As a mother, I cannot tell you how every minute, every second that passed by of waiting was so incredibly intense. I thought his plane would never land.

Again, here I find myself in that waiting stage, waiting upon the arrival of our first grandchild. My son called last week and anticipated the precious delivery to arrive by the weekend. That was almost a week ago. The waiting is almost unbearable. But just like that plane eventually landed, I know our precious cargo will be safely delivered in just a short time.

Personally I do not like to wait. Waiting makes me feel like I don't have control, I like things to be on my timeline, but that isn't always possible. But one thing that I have learned about waiting is that in due time, all good things come to those who wait.

At times, God makes me wait for things. And at times it is very unbearable because I don't always understand His timing. But in the end, after the wait is over, I can always see that the waiting was worth it.

 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13)

I love the fact that even though we may be waiting for something, that we can trust in Him enough for our circumstance. Even though our circumstances may change, He never does. And for that I am truly thankful. And thankful that in my times of waiting, He has given me joy, hope and peace!

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY and Lynn is hosting this month. Share your grateful heart with us by linking up HERE!

Taking the trash out!

It amazes me how much trash just 3 of us have in this house. It seems like just as one bag is carried out to the trash bin, another bag is almost full. The thing about trash is that nobody ever wants to take it out. In fact, it is the least admired chore in our house. Many times we try to cram that extra piece of paper in the trash bag before taking it out.

Sometimes we have to take out the trash even before the bag is full because it becomes smelly and gross. Nobody has to remind us to do it, all we have to do is walk in the house and by the odor we know it is time to dispose of the trash.

Can you imagine what it would be like if we just ignored that smell and just let the trash overflow? If we never took it out, we would have a nasty mess on our hands. The same is true in our spiritual life...

"Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."  James 1:21

James reminds us that the trash that we allow in our lives almost always leaves a stench and the only way to clean it up is to remove it. Often times though, we don't recognize the smell until the trash is overflowing in our lives. Much like the trash can, we just keep piling more and more trash in, trying to cram as much as possible in before taking it out (or removing it).

This is why it is so important to do what James also says in verse 21..."humbly accept the Word planted in you, which saves you." Knowing God's Word and applying it in our lives is like the air freshener that we spray sometimes around the trash can. Once the garbage is out, a new, fresh aroma can be smelt.

And what a fragrance His Spirit leaves!

Take a moment to reflect on your life today and ask God to reveal any trash that may be needing to be taken out. Ask Him to help clean it up before it overflows and becomes a unbearable stink.

A PIECE OF MY HEART...a brand new day

Can you imagine what it would be like if each morning was brand new?

No worries of yesterday. No past due bills. No extended illness. Things of yesterday, both good and bad, were gone. Instead of smelling the brewing of a the pre-set coffee maker, we smell nothing but freshness and newness much like a brand new car smell.

Can you imagine opening your eyes and not having to think about the carpool, finding money to pay for the kids braces, or remembering the mistakes of your past? Sounds like a marvelous day, but probably not reality for most of us. Most of us awake in the morning with the same burdens and regrets and disappointments as we went to bed with. But it doesn't have to be like that.

God's Word says that "This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24) Each day is new. With God we can leave our mistakes, our sorrows and our burdens in the past and live today with joy, love and grace. Each morning instead of waking up to the smell of coffee, we can wake up to the smell of His Spirit.

Psalm 90:14-16 (NLT)
Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory.

One of the reasons it is difficult to see each day as a new day is because many of us wake up meditating upon the things of yesterday. Our worries. Our problems. Our past. Instead of committing to God those things that we have no control over, and asking Him to forgive us of our sins, we wallow in them and drag them with us from Monday to Tuesday to Wednesday...you get it. And before long, the days, the weeks and maybe even years now have become a drudgery instead of a joyful encounter.

There is much satisfaction in starting our day out giving Him praise and seeking what He has for us. Satisfaction is not found in the world, even though that is where most of us look for satisfaction. Worldly satisfaction is temporary, but being satisfied with what God has for you today is so rewarding, fulfilling and like a fresh breath of air.

With each sunrise, our hope is in knowing that each of our tomorrows is secure in Him and it is up to us whether or not we accept the free gift of each day that He gives us.

Got worries from yesterday? Today is a brand new day!

The truth, the whole truth...so help me God!

Have you ever noticed the swearing in of someones testimony in the courtroom...

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth ... so help you God?"

I was wondering if the judicial system still honored God in that statement, so I asked my good friend who is a court reporter and she said "Yes, they still do." I was glad to hear that God still remains when it comes to seeking truth.

There is something about speaking the truth that I noticed, in the courtroom anyway, is that swearing (or pledging) to speak the truth is not enough. Raising your hand and pledging to God that what you are about to say is what is considered to be truth.

Face it, in today's world, the truth is sometimes difficult to spot. All we have to do is turn on the television and wonder about truth. During a political campaign, how can we know if the candidates are speaking the truth? How do we know if their promises will come true? Or how about the advertisements that come on television...how do we know that a certain detergent will get our whites the whitest?

Their word is simply just not enough. Our word isn't enough. It takes more than our word to express truth. We must see proof. We must have evidence. We must have some kind of experience with the person or the product that is in question. If we could just see with our own eyes, than we might be able to see the absolute truth.

Absolute truth from man is not always easy to attain. First, you have people who stretch the truth on purpose, for their own gain or to cover something up. Then secondly, you have people who mistakenly shade the truth, possibly because they did not investigate enough or they themselves were not given the whole truth of the matter. Either way you look at it, the absolute truth is difficult to find. In man  that is. The absolute truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth can only be found in God.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His Glory...full of Grace and Truth." JOHN 1:14

Today, very few people believe in absolute truth. I believe that is because the darkness has filtered in and tried to disguise by deceit and masking lies as the truth. People today seem to fall for anything. The enemy is one of the best salesmen around...he can sell people on just about anything. But the Bible warns us that in the last days we will be easily fooled.

But there is only one absolute truth that can never be excused or distorted into something false and that is exactly what John is speaking about in the above mentioned passage. In order for us to know truth...we must know God. In order to know the truth about God ...we must know His Word. In order to believe His Word ... we must have faith. In order to have faith ... we must have a relationship with Christ.

If you ever find yourself in a situation that truth seems distorted, just remember what Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:6) Put your trust in Him and His Word, for it is the absolute truth!

LACED WITH GRACE....moving day!

Today you can find me over at LACED WITH GRACE where I have shared a devotion entitled, "Moving Day"! ...

"If you have ever moved from one house to another, you know how much work it is. This past summer we helped two of our sons move on two different occasions. We have lived in our current house for nearly 20 years and I had actually forgotten just how much work moving could be. The thing about moving is that almost everything needs to be boxed up. Not only boxed up but then when you get to the new place, unboxed. It is quite the work to figure out what is what and where it all belongs. If you don’t label the boxes, it could take days to figure it out. One of the things that I noticed about our moving adventures this past summer is that some of the boxes we moved came out of the storage area. To be quite honest, I think some of these boxes had not been opened since the last move. Isn’t that just like us to just move things from one place to another?" ...

CLICK HERE to read the entire post!