Help us hear You in the thunder

Good Morning Friends!  Totally loved by HIM Tuesday!!!   Well, how about this crazy weather!  Most of you know that I hate driving in any kind of bad weather conditions….and ever since my accident, blinding rain terrifies me.   This morning as I was gathering up my things to come to work, I could hear it starting to rain, it was so dark and the wind was really blowing….oh gosh I thought…Please let me get to work before it gets bad….as I headed out the driveway, there was a huge flash of lightening…it was horizontal all the way across the sky…Oh no, is all I could think of, please let me get to work safely, was my prayer.   As I got closer to town the rain got heavier, but I could see just fine and there wasn’t much traffic, but I was still tense gripping the steering wheel for dear life.  I never heard any thunder, but that lightening….one flash was so big, so bright the whole sky glowed….but no thunder… so, it wasn’t real close, the rain was not very hard and the wind had died down….Hmm…Father, You are there aren’t You?  Oh yes, my goodness You are always there….when the storms are raging, You are right there lighting our way with Your love….the winds blow, but You provide shelter, thunder roars… help us to hear You in the thunder, to hear and feel Your power over the storms of this world….You are always there with us, but we are so weak…gripping the steering wheel instead of holding on to You!!!  I had an email from a friend early this morning asking me how my ride to work was.  I told her that is was ok, but I was just hoping to get here before the storm hit.  She said, “Oh is it storming?   There are no windows anywhere near me, so as far as I am concerned it’s a lovely, sunny day out there!”  She’s not worried about a storm because she cannot see….she’s trusts that the sun is shining…..Oh Father help us all to let go of the steering wheel and  trust in the shining light of Your SON to see us through the storms!

 

One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.”  So they got into a boat and set out.  As they sailed, he fell asleep.  A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.  The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”  He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.  “Where is your faith?”  He asked His disciples.  In fear and amazement they asked one another, ”Who is this?  He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him.”  Luke:822-25.

Love you all!

The gardens of our faith

Good Morning Friends!  Wise and Wonderful Wednesday, loved by HIM!    One of the first things I do each morning when I get to work is tare off yesterday and look at today on my daily calendar; each day has a bible verse.  A couple days ago, the verse was from Genesis 1:29….”Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food.’ “   At first glance, I didn’t think too much about it, I paused and said a thank you for my food each day…..and then later as I read it again….it made me think of a garden.  Have you noticed how gardens are just popping up all over….in backyards in town and in the country wow, some great big ones!  Kim and I haven’t planted a garden ourselves in the last few years, but Cooper and Katy’s mom and dad are gardeners extrodinaire!!  Lucky for us, they share!  I can hardly wait for that first, plumb, red-garden tomato…bring on the bacon.  Cooper has already brought us yummy radishes and lettuce, a friend at work has shared lettuce too, and a friend at church brought me fresh onions and cabbage…all from their gardens!  Gardens are a blessing and when shared, a true blessing to the receiver!  The more I pondered this verse, anticipating all the wonderful, fresh veggies to come my way, I couldn’t help but think about all the work that goes into producing a good garden!  Tending a garden is no small feat, it takes a lot of time and dedication, but oh the benefits are awesome!  Wouldn’t you agree?  Well, all this gardening got me to thinking about some more of God’s word from Galatians 5:22-23….”But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”   The gardens growing in our neighborhoods are not the only gardens that need to be tended…..the gardens of our faith….the gardens that should produce the “fruits of the Spirit” need lots of attention in order for us to do our Father’s will and give glory to HIM through our words and deeds.  We need to “weed” out envy, greed, in-tolerance, gossip; we need to “irrigate” our faith with God’s word, prayer, Christian fellowship; we need to spray to “kill” ugly thoughts, grudges, laziness, lack of empathy.  We cannot produce the God’s fruits on our own…we need HIS help to guide us and feed us….but when we come to HIM through His word and prayer, taking time to “tend” our faith we can produce “fruits” words, thoughts, and actions that help others…actions that give HIM glory!  Help us Father to be the best “gardeners” we can be, draw us to you daily to be fed.  And Father thank you for friends and neighbors that share with us!  “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”  Galatians 5:24-26.

Be kind and compassionate to one another.  Ephesians 4:32.

Love you all!

He's got us covered!

Well my scenario might be a bit confusing, but think you will get the idea!  Blessings on your day.

 

Good Morning Friends!  Wonderfully wrapped in HIS loving arms Wednesday!  I was heading down the highway this morning, like I do every  day going to work, but this morning I left the house a little later than usual.  I know now, why I like to leave early….there was so much more traffic than when I leave a little earlier; I really had to pay more attention to everything around me.  All of a sudden it was coming at me from all sides….a big truck was merging onto the highway on the right of me, but a another big truck was coming up behind me and there was a van in front of me too close to get around it, but yikes got to get out of the way of these trucks…gosh, they were coming at me from all directions….for just a few seconds I really panicked…..was I about to be in the middle of a bad accident???!!!!  I’m sure I sent a prayer up, but was concentrating so hard on getting out of danger's path….well, the van managed to stay out of the merging trucks way and I was able to get around the van without getting rear-ended by truck behind me….I took a deep breath, relaxed and said a big “THANK YOU FATHER.”   As I drove on into work, my mind was whirling about what just happened…danger coming at me from all directions.  I chuckled out loud and began a conversation with our Father….Father, my goodness wasn’t I just in a dither this morning about the world crashing in on us from all directions….Golly molly…Father, You got me out of the mess on the highway…..and YOU are with me now….all these stresses, worries, overwhelmed by life….my goodness….FATHER, here I am….here come my burdens…..spread Your arms wide…there’s a bunch of them, but I know that YOU got me covered!  Wow, Father, thank you!  I feel so much better already!   Come on world!

 

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:  “I have love you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”  Jeremiah 31:3.  The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.  Nahum 1:7.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26.  Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.  Psalm 55:22.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving (don’t forget this part), present your requests to God.  And the Peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your heats and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7. 

Love  you all!

Stay put...in HIM!

Good Morning Friends!  First and foremost, HIS, Friday!!   The other evening, Kim was sharing what he had to do the next day….it was looking a bit tricky.  He had to have Axle to the vet in Atoka by 7:30 and then be in Paul’s Valley by 9 with bunnies to meet the lady that buys them for her pet store.  For those of you that don’t live around here, that is not a small feat….doable under good conditions, but not a sure thing!  So, he decided that he would leave out a little after 6, in hopes that they could take Axle a little early, then on to Paul’s Valley.  The next morning as he prepared to head out, I asked him if there was anything I could to help….I was secretly hoping he would say, no, that’s ok, because you know how I love my early morning time, but instead he said, “Well, if you want to come help me load the bunnies that would be great, they are really hard to load.”  Oh my gosh I thought, they are little bunnies, cute little furry bunnies, how hard could it be!  But, I said sure and followed him out to the rabbit barn.  He set out the boxes for me to put them in and then climbed on a chair to get them out of their pen.  He open the door got the first one and handed it to me.  As he did, he said now hold on to it be careful, I really was not worried…it’s a sweet little bunny….Ha, Ha, joke was on me…..I could barely hold on to it long enough to get it in the box and then….OH MY GOSH, Kim said “Look out, close the lid”  I couldn’t believe it, that little stinker tried to jump out!   I closed the box and reached up for the next one…..I was a bit more careful from then on and  couldn’t help thinking….how in the world does he get the cute little bunnies loaded all by himself!  I guess I shouldn’t have been so critical!  The thought kept nagging at me that we just don’t know another person’s job until we do it!!!!  Gosh, how often we jump to criticize others, when we should be encouraging and supporting instead!  “Hello Father, gosh how are You today?  Thanks for stopping by, what’s up?”  Well, first My child, I am always here….you just don’t always, pay attention.”  Ouch, that one hurt….”Second, those are pretty smart bunnies….they had a good lesson for you, actually they have two lessons.”  “Really, tell me more Father.”  Well, Kathie remember the other day when you talked about ‘speeding down and slowing up’?”

“Well, sure, but what….”   “Think about those cute, furry little bunnies acting all crazy, jumping out of the box into a world they know nothing about!  They have been well taken care of, but now want to jump out, be crazy….it’s a dangerous world out there….they are not prepared to go out on their own….clueless in fact.  Are you getting the idea?”   “Oh Father, I sure am.  Who would have thought You could put two good lessons for us in those cute little bunnies!  Not only do we need to be mindful of judging others, we also need to stay put…IN YOU!!!  No jumping out on our own…..unprotected from this crazy word…..Take my hand and lead me Father, slow me down and keep me in the box of YOUR LOVE!”

 

As for God, His way is perfect; the Lord’s would is flawless.  He shields all who take refuge in Him.  2 Samuel 22:31.

Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Matthew 7:1-2.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  1 Peter 1:3.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there!

Love you all!

Speed down or slow up!

Good Morning Friends!  Today was my weekly “share a ride” day with my good friend Linda!  We made a New Year’s resolution to ride together one day a week and by golly, we have stuck to it!  Gosh, I really look forward to it; today was my turn to drive, so I picked her up in Tupelo.  She was already there when I pulled in, but I wanted us to have a tasty coffee so I ran into the store, got us coffee, then buckled in and headed to work.  We were having the best time chatting about current events, laughing about our husbands, sharing grandkid stories, what fun we have; as I got close to our exit, traffic was a bit heavy (well they were in my way anyway)!  I attempted to go around one car, but they were going too fast, I needed to get into the right lane, and pretty quickly in order to make my exit.  Yikes….there wasn’t a whole lot of room between the car in front of me and the one behind, but I had to get in there……I was getting a little panicked, I let off the gas slowing down enough to sneak in between, it was obvious I wasn’t going around.  As I prepared to ease over I said out loud…..”I’ve got to speed down or slow up, now!”   “Speed down or slow up”  oh my gosh, Linda and I both burst out laughing…..I was certainly in a dither….frantic to make my exit….words coming out of my mouth that made no sense.  We chuckled and decided that aging has a way of making it much easier to laugh at ourselves.  We finished the last leg of our commute, still chuckling as we walked into work!  As I was clocking in, I felt that familiar tap on my shoulder….I was happy to hear from our FATHER, but I knew there was a lesson in store for me.  I paused, relaxed and listened as HE pointed out how my statement, “slow up or speed down” wasn’t far off from my life at times!   “Kathie, you so often head into things not knowing if you are coming or going….slowing up or speed down……”  Hmmm, I thought to myself as HE continued….”Precious child, do you know why you go about so crazy, hither and thither at times?  All stressed out and anxious…”   Hmmm, I thought again…..almost afraid to ask….”Go ahead Father, I’m listening, tell me.”   “You go without consulting ME first…..you think you have things under control, or you think you are just too busy to stop and chat with ME before you head out for a busy day….WRONG!!!!!   Take MY hand and let ME lead you…..everywhere.  I love you, I want the best for you, safe, and at peace….come to ME first, then head out.  I will keep you going in the right direction…..slowing down or speeding up, whatever the case need be.”   Oh Father, thank you.....how silly we are so often to head out alone, when YOU are always waiting to guide and protect us.

 

The Lord is with you when you are with Him.  If you seek Him, He will be found by you.  2 Chronicles 15:2.  Dominion and awe belong to God; He establishes order in the heights of heaven.  Job 25:2.  The Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.  Proverbs 3:26.  The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.  Psalm 121:7-8.  I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.  You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.  Psalm 73:223-24.  You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.  Acts 2:28. 

Love you all!

A snake is a snake, period!

Good Morning Friends!  Forever HIS, Friday!!!  A couple of nights ago, Kathyrn and the kids came over looking for Box Tops for Cooper.  I went to the pantry and began a mad search, the kids were going bonkers, so I suggested they get the egg bucket and go out and get eggs!  Didn’t have to say it twice, they grabbed the bucket and flew out the door.  Almost before I could get back to the pantry, I heard them screaming and flying back into the house.  “Nana, Nana”  they both screamed.  “There’s a great big snake in the chicken coop!  It’s really big” Cooper excitedly reported.  “Do you have a gun Nana?  Hurry Nana we have to get it!”  Papa was gone to a meeting, so Kathyrn and I had to jump into action.  “Get a shovel or a hoe!” she said as she headed out to the coop with the kids!  I grabbed a couple different shovels and by the time I got to the coop, Kathyrn had the snake spotted.  It was big, just like Cooper said and had obviously eaten several eggs which was, in the end, its demise!  When the kids first spotted the snake, it was on the floor of the coop by the nests, by the time Kathyrn got there, it had attempted to get out through the wire on the back.  However, so fat from the eggs it had stolen, it got stuck and was just hanging there on the back wire wall.  Kathyrn and I were a bit intimidated by the size of it, so we called Charley to come on his way from work!  He killed the snake and got it out of the coop, egg yolk oozing out, what a gross site.  You could see the shape of several eggs in the very big snake; Charley figured it to be about 5.5 feet!  Gosh I was so mad at the creature, getting into my coop, scaring my chickens and eating their eggs!  UGH!  Even though it was just a chicken snake, it had to go!  We were all still hipped up when the kids left and when Kim got home I relayed the whole story in exact detail stressing, I hate that snake for eating my eggs!  And that was that!  Until I came into work the next morning and read the bible verse on my daily calendar from Genesis 1:25……”God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds.  And God saw that it was good.”  Oh my gosh, I killed one of the creatures that God created and deemed good!  What have I done!  My mind went crazy…..should we have let the snake live?  After all, it wasn’t a poisonous snake….but it ate the eggs that belonged to us and scared the chickens….is that ok….My mind was going crazy, I just couldn’t get over the thought that I had offended our Heavenly Father.  I got out my bible and did some researching, still confused I called my Pastor…I am sure he thought I was crazy, but this was really bugging me.  After a good conversation with him, what should have been obvious to me, but somehow wasn’t….duh, think HE was giving me a gentle reminder….Yes, when HE created the snakes they were good…..Yep, HE created us in HIS IMAGE, Genesis 1:26 ‘God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness….” Wow….What the heck happened??!!   I sure do not imitate God all the time….shame on me….Sin happened….the devil showed up in a serpent…tempted Eve….and that’s how it all got out of whack!  So, does that make it ok for us to “steal eggs” ?  Are we doomed because we do?  No, to both….God’s plan was not over, thank goodness, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16.  Wow!  That’s the good news…yes we sin, no we don’t want to, we need to try harder, but we are forgiven.  And as verse 26 of Genesis 1 continues…”and let them (man) rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  God wants us to take care of HIS earth, that’s quite a responsibility, but with HIS guidance we can do it….and if a snake is stealing your eggs…well.  Thank you Father, so very much for the reminders from You that we are all sinners, but that through the death of YOUR SON, we have forgiveness and the hope of eternal life.

 

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved….For it is grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of god—not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Ephesians 2:4-10.

The true first "Earth Day"

Good Morning Friends!  Feeling the beauty of HIS earth today, Friday!  And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.  Genesis 1:31.  Happy Earth Day friends!  April 22, 1970 was the first day designated “Earth Day” in the hopes of drawing attention to the environment….to preserving our environment….it was the beginning, you might say, of the “environmental movement.”  I have always loved our earth, not always as aware as I should be of taking good care of it, so I think that the basic idea is good for all of us.  Earth Day, to me, began long before 1970…….”In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the water.”  Genesis 1:1-2.  Now, that’s what I call “Earth Day” the beginning…when God decided to create, form out of nothing, the heavens and the earth!  “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  Colossians” 1:16-17.  And what a magnificent job He did, right!!!  No matter where you live you can look outside and experience the wonder of the heavens and the earth….for me living in the country, I of course think I have the best of all, green pastures, full ponds, tall full trees, animals grazing, stars twinkling, frogs croaking….never ceases to amaze me….”but ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you.  Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?”  Job 12:7-9.   wherever you are, you are part of His creation…”Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.  And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”   Being made in His likeness, brings with it an incredible responsibility to take care of HIS earth…..we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139:14.  We are His children, blessed to live on His magnificent earth….He has given us dominion over all the earth…..let’s get out there and give HIM all GLORY, as we enjoy and take care of HIS EARTH!  “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.”  Psalm 19:1.  Happy Earth Day, every day….Thank you Father, for loving us so much!  For the wonders of Your creation, for Your Son!

 

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.  Psalm 100:1-2.

Love you all!