Phil 4:4

Philippians 4:4- Rejoice in The Lord always. I will say it again Rejoice!...We have so many reasons to rejoice, but sometimes we get distracted & we forget!! Things happen, life gets us down & rejoicing is the last thing we think about doing. We've got laundry, cooking, cleaning, work, husbands, kids, dogs, bills, all these different things going on that rejoicing just isn't what happens sometimes. Well I think it's important that we stop, & take even just a minute, & Rejoice in The Lord!! We've got a lot going on, all of us do, some things good, some not so good. But even in the hard times, when things are crazy & upside, we've got to look & find the reasons to Rejoice!! It's not always easy, probably the reason why He tells us twice in this verse to do it lol. But let's do it today. Let's Rejoice in The Lord always!! I'm rejoicing for each of you!! For the great friendships God has blessed me with through you. Hope you all have a fabulous Friday & will be rejoicing all through out your weekend!!

Practice

We had praise band practice yesterday & we're singing, "Your love never fails," on Sunday. It's a good song, not one that I always think about, but it's good. Then after practice we had bible study, finishing up our study on Ruth, love that book!! Song is swirling around in my head, "Your love never fails, it never gives up, never runs out on me." We're chatting, talking about some of the things that we think about. Some of the lies satan tries to tell us, make us believe. I think it boils down too, "your not enough!" So we encourage each other w/ scripture. Give ideas of what we do when that happens to us, & then we go home, study is over. I'm in my car & I'm thinking about all these crazy emotions that I've had lately, I can go from oozing joy to crying my eyes out, to thoughts I'm to embarrassed to let you all know, my body is changing, as my dr says, "wellll, your getting older & soo...." All I heard after that was, "blah, blah, blah!!!" Okay, I didn't have to see him to know that!!! But anyway, I thought, "I'm failing, flailing, & faltering!" Then the song came back in my mind...."Your love never fails, it never gives up, never runs out on me!!" Oh my goodness!!! I'm filled w/ thankfulness!! Grateful to a Mighty Savior, who loves me-delights in me- & takes care of me, in & through every single season of my life!! There's not a time He's not w/ me. Even in my craziness, He brings me calm!! Peace!!! How wonderful & amazing He is to me...to us!!! So if your like me, or even if your not, remember always, always, God is faithful to us. He brings us out of the yuck & muck & sets our feet on higher ground!! Take these scriptures & plaster it in your heart & mind & recall them always!! That's how He speaks to us, through His word!! Let Him speak to you today!!! Psalm 36:5-7- Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people & animals. HOW PRICELESS IS YOUR UNFAILING LOVE, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Happy Tuesday

Philippians 3:8- I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord....Monte & I were listening to 3rd Day yesterday, that is one of his favorites bands, & the song "Nothing Compares" came on & it's straight from this verse, "nothing compares to the greatness of knowing you Lord." I'm sitting there singing along & it just hit me, "nothing!! Absolutely nothing compares to knowing God!!!" There is no greater place to be then in His presence, there is no better gift to give then the knowledge of Him, there is nothing better, nothing greater, nothing wiser, nothing-nothing-nothing, is greater than knowing our Lord!! Then getting closer to Him, being in His presence. In the song he talks about all these great sights he's seen, & there are many breath taking beautiful things around us, the Grand Canyon comes to my mind, but that's nothing compared to knowing God. It's important, it's valuable, it's our life line!! If you don't know Him, talk to me or somebody that will "introduce" you. If you've know Him but maybe haven't "seen" Him in awhile, get back together w/ Him!! Let Him revive you!! And if you know Him & you think your good....get to know Him more...& more & more!! He's got knew things for us each day!! You know w/ holidays coming up we become (some of us) consumed w/ finding the perfect gift, well the most perfect gift you could ever give anyone is the knowledge of knowing God!! You don't even have to worry about the whole re gifting thing, or how much it cost, (Jesus already paid that price!), or wrapping it, you've just got to give it out. Today, right now, let's make sure we have that gift & we're giving it out!! If that's what we're giving everyone this year--that will truly be the gift that keeps on giving!!! No better present to have or give!! I hope you have a terrific Tuesday!!!

2Chronicles 20:17

2Chronicles 20:17- You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your position; Stand firm & see the deliverance The Lord will give you, Judah & Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, & The Lord will be w/ you...I came across this verse yesterday & I love it!! Isn't it great to know that God fights our battles for us?! We have to do our part & be prepared, be ready, but He's won the fight! He's delivered us, brought us through to the other side w/ victory in & through Him!!! I love it!! If your facing something & your fretting about the outcome, read this verse! Keep it in your head & your heart. Bring it to mind. Move some of the words & make it yours!! Instead of the "you's", make it "I"!!(or me, whatever fits in the spot!) It makes such a difference, b/c then you'll see it as totally yours, something God has given straight to you!!! This is what He always wants us to remember, He's w/ us!! I hope this will be of encouragement today & your battle won't seem so big once you've got His word inscribed in you!!! Have a Magnificent Monday :-))

Psalms

I love reading the book of Psalms. I love the reminder of making sure that I'm giving thanks to God. Sometimes I get so caught up in what's going on, whether good or bad, that I forget to just thank Him for Him!!! His goodness, kindness, grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, the list could just, literally, go on & on!! God is good, He is good to us!! Let's make sure we are thanking Him for Him!! Worshipping Him! Praising Him, & giving back to Him, what He so deserves!! One of the things He blesses me w/ that came to my mind as I was thinking of all He gives, was laughter!! I love to laugh!! I love to be w/ my people & just laugh so hard we cry!! It's so so good & sometimes you just need that!! So think about the things your thankful for, & make sure you tell Him!! Make sure you thank Him for those things today!!! Psalm 106:48- Praise be to The Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise The Lord.

Proverbs 31:28

Prov 31:28- Her children arise & call her blessed; her husband also, & he praises her...the 1st time I read this verse it made me laugh. I thought, "my children rise & call me a lot of things...I don't think "blessed" is one of them!!" They are not morning people!! They get it from their dad!! I would wake them up w/ a cheer, or a "rise & shine!! It's thrilling Thursday!! Time to do good things!!!" They were not thrilled, nor were they very cheerful!! Lol. But they rose & as they woke it was, "Mom! Mom?" An occasional, "mother!! Or momma!! Now I only have 1 to wake up & she's not to bad. Lol. Well that depends on who gets up, Natalie or Helen!!! Lol. But as each of them rise, 1 in his own house I will say I am blessed!! God has given us 4 beautiful souls who we have & continue to love & cherish!! What a huge blessing to rise & know that God is moving & working in each of them. My prayer is that they will always be tuned to Gods voice & obedient to His calling!! That thought always makes those long mornings so very worth it!!!

Psalm 19:14

Psalm 19:14- May the words of my mouth & the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock & my Redeemer...I'm going to tell you how this verse came to be in my head yesterday...I was doing fine as the morning started, my time was good! My goal, every morning, is to start getting ready by 7. If I get started before then--Bonus!!! Well 7 rolls around & I decide that I should sweep the floor by the door. Why, you may be asking??? Well, I thought I had time?!? I get dressed, check the time, "oh I've got 25 min!" I decide then I'm going to write a note back to somebody who had sent me one!! Okay, that's done, it's 7:31. My goal is to leave by is 7:40, I can leave at 7:45 & still get to work by 8, but it's better to leave at 7:40. Okay, I have 9 min--possibly 14! Still good!??! Then it all started to go down hill. Brush my teeth, I hear Lambeau barking & I could tell by the bark he wasn't happy. I look outside..Stitch (Jake's pig) is out!! Great!! I've got to feed the dogs & get the pig up, it's 7:38. Well I'm not leaving in 2 min that's for sure. I'm trying to chain Lambeau up & feed him, he's very concerned that Stitch is going to come over & steal his food, so he's not very cooperative. I get him taken care of, I'm trying to get Stitch up, I have nothing, food wise, for him. It all went to Lambeau! So I'm trying to fake him out by acting like I'm throwing food in his cage...he's not buying it. I give up, throw the bowls in there that I had used for Lambeau. He goes in, I see the hole where he's getting out!! "Are you kidding me!!" I find a piece of wood that covers it & a cinder block, & I "fix" it!! Run, yes I did run, back in look at time, 7:47, I've GOT TO GO!! Out the door, in the car, almost to town, person in front of me driving 35 mph!!!!! Which, yes, that is the speed limit, but this is ridiculous. I'm yelling at him---I mean, at the top of my lungs, SCREAMING!!!!" The only thing I can hear is Monte saying, "you should probably plan your time better!! If you wouldn't have swept & wrote the card you wouldn't be in this spot right now." Those who know us, know we are on totally different time zones. He gets somewhere 20 min early & thinks he's late. I get there 20 min late & I think I'm doing good. So I'm yelling at Monte, who has no idea what's going on, it was just the conversation in my head!! I get on Wildcat lane, seconds away from work, & I get stopped so the elementary traffic can come out. I promise you that guy has it out for me, he stops me everyday. I'm yelling at him. He also has no idea, partly b/c he doesn't care & can't hear me!! Thank goodness b/c I certainly wasn't very nice. I pull into my spot at work, check time, 8:03!! Whew!!! Technically, as long as I clock in by 8:07 I'm not late!! So what do I do, put my lip gloss on!! I still have 4 min!! Well in that time God gives me this verse. I stopped & said to Him, "I am so sorry!! My words nor my thoughts were very pleasing to you I'm sure!! Change the direction of my thoughts so I can be more like you! Please!!" He, of course, did!! He doesn't want me walking around like that. Now I'm not saying I'll never have another morning like that, more than likely I will, but I hope that the next time I will think more godly thoughts, & my words would be more beneficial to anyone who might hear them. My prayer is that you would also take this verse & know it & if you're finding yourself in the same boat as me, God would gently remind you & change your thoughts & words so that we can go through our day w/ honor to Him, instead of hatefulness in us. We look so much better when we reflect Him then when we reflect the world!!!

John 13:35

John 13:35- By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another....there are certain things that I see that remind me of certain people, like anything Greenbay Packers, automatically I think, Trevor, or Penn State wrestling, Jake. Matt, jeeps!! Natalie, piano or music symbols, anything purple, a friend of mine loves snow, snowmen, anything that has to do w/ winter, so when I see those kind of things, she comes to my mind, or another dogs, so you know what I'm talking about? You see or hear certain things & you think of certain people, it's how they're identified. Well God makes it pretty clear on how people will know we are His...by how we love each other!! I thought, "oh well that's easy! I'm pretty good at showing love to other people!" Well you know how, when you get kind of cocky & full of yourself, God will say, "oh really!? You've got this one in the bag, do you??" Yes, I'm good at loving the people that I'm close too, or the ones that are loving to me, but what about the ones that I'm not close too, the ones that push my buttons or just drive me crazy!?! You probably wouldn't know I was a disciple of God if you saw me right after I had to deal w/ one of them!! I know that God has given me this verse to remind me of these things, to remind me that His love for me is great!! It's beyond anything I can comprehend!! As gracious as He is to me, I need to show that to ALL those around me!! To be like Him!!! So as each of us go through out our day today let's do our best to show His love, to look & be like His disciples. So that when people see us, they will see Christ!!! And that would be the best kind of identity we could ever have!!

John 21:15-17-(17) Jesus said, "Feed my sheep...these verses have been swirling around in my head for a couple days now. I've thought about the different "things" I have fed...dogs, rabbits, chickens, cows, pigs, guinea pigs, fish, raccoons, babies, kids, friends of kids, Monte, lots of things through out my 27 years as a wife & mom have I fed. So why is God giving me this verse right now? I've read the verses before, this particular one even, & Jesus is asking this to Peter. The 1st time after Peter says, "Yes, I love you." Jesus says, "feed my lambs," then, "take care of my sheep," then, "feed my sheep." Jesus isn't talking about livestock here to Peter, He's talking about all people. Asking him if he will tell people about Him!! If He will show Him to those around him. He wants all people to come to Him--to know Him, love & obey Him, & Hes making sure Peter is up & ready for the task. This may sound a little weird, but I think it's what He's saying to me! Crazy, I know!! I believe He's telling me that my time of rest, reviving, & renewing, is just about over & He wants me to put my work clothes on & get ready to go--to "feed His sheep!" I can feel that moving in my soul, & that strengthening in my spirit. He's preparing me. I've said, "oh gosh Lord, are you sure?" He's said, "do you love me? Take care of my lambs." I've said, "look at my mess!!" He's said, "do you love me? Take care of my sheep." I've said, "I don't think I'm smart enough, or good enough, or even right enough for the job!!" He's responded, "Do you love me? Feed my sheep!" He's looking for my obedience, for my willingness to do what He's got for me. He's working on me, & tweeting somethings & through it all He's saying, "I've got this! This is what I want you to do. You love me & listen to me, & I will take care of the rest. Can you do that?" And I'm answering, "Yes Lord!! Yes I can!! Yes I'm willing!" So of course as I say that, He's continuing His work...He's saying, "wait on me & I will tell you when the feeding starts." I'm excited! My soul is rejoicing b/c God is so good--so amazing--so willing to take this mess of a girl & turn her into something beautiful, someone He desires to do His work. He's got that for each of us! Is He asking you these questions? Or something similar? Is He calling you into something more, something deeper w/ Him? Go to Him, let Him move in & through you. We serve a mighty God--a wonderful, awesome God. Let's all get ready to do what He's asking--let's answer His question w/ a huge, "YES!!" & be obedient. We will never be sorry we said yes to Him, only sorry if we ignore Him. Eph 2:10- For we are Gods handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Proverbs 31:26- She speaks w/ wisdom, & faithful instruction is on her tongue....well it happened to me last nite. I got a text from a friend, & what I texted back was totally my grandma!! It was words that she spoke to me many times. I didn't even realize it at 1st. I was thinking what I was gonna say back & before I knew it, I heard that gentle voice & saw, in my minds eye, her standing at my sink, saying those exact things to me. It was weird at 1st. I even thought, "oh no, maybe that's not what she needs to hear." Then I thought, "well...she probably does!! I sure did." So I texted her & told her I was given that same advice & looking back...I'm so glad I got it. God puts certain people in our lives for different reasons & how wonderful that is. I'm thankful to think of both my grandmas & the wonderful legacy they've left for me, w/out even knowing they did. So if you hear me sometime spilling something out that doesn't quite sound like me...know that it's probably some great morsel of wisdom left to me by some truly beautiful women who have taught me to "be clothed w/ strength & dignity; so I am able to laugh at the days to come!" (Prov 31:25)

I was watching a talk show yesterday & it was a "women vs men" type show. Like "should it matter if a wife makes more than her husband?" Just silly little questions here & there. I was only 1/2 listening partly b/c...I don't care lol. Monte makes more than I do, even in his 2nd job lol. I've been able to work a job where I get to be home more, w/ the kids more. It's been a blessing!! In many ways. So then came a question..."should a man ask a woman's father for her hand in marriage?" Most of the people, men & women, said Yes!! It was respectful & honoring. Well of course, there's one in every group, who was going on & on about how, "she's nobody's possession & nobody had to ask for her hand, b/c your not trading her for cows & goats???" I stopped to listen to her going on about this, (it made me kind of sad for her, did she not know she was important?) the other people are trying to say to her that that's not what it's about, it's about be honoring to her & respectful & the same for the parents. She wasn't having it--wasn't hearing it. Finally they just ended the segment & went on to something else. It made me think of Natalie, I know that whoever wins her heart will not only have to talk to her dad but her brothers will have a huge part in it too. And it's b/c she is precious, she is worthy, & she deserves only the best. Whoever is pledging to take her hand is going to know that & that's how it should be w/ every girl!! When I taught the girls on Wednesday nites, that is something we went over & over & over!! "You are Gods princess!! His royal blood flows through you--that makes you royalty!! Don't 'settle' Don't just take whatever b/c you think that's all there is or will be!! Pray & seek who God wants & has for you. And as you know who you are in Christ..make sure 'the boy' does too!!" Now that doesn't mean you walk around w/ an entitled attitude or you think your better, it just means you know you are worth it!! Your heart is important & valuable & it needs to be treated that way!! And ladies, this totally goes for all of us!! No matter what our age, where we're at in our lives/relationships, we are worth it!! We are worthy, we are Gods girls, His royal blood flows through us also, we are His princess!! It's wonderful-it's beautiful-it's His gift that He gives to us!! Don't sell yourselves short!! Stand tall & know Who's you are!!!! I hope you all have a fabulous Friday & that these verses give you encouragement & are a reminder of Who God says we are!!!
1Peter 2:9- But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood. A holy nation, Gods special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
James 1:18- He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.