Yuck! Our pool is green! August 30, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Forever His, Friday!  Didn’t we have an awesome break in our typical summer heat this year!  Oh yes it’s warm right now, but gosh our temps were so nice and the rain….Wow!  Fantastic!  The only negative I could find in the pleasant break was it was too cool to swim….the water in the pool got really cool!  Well, after last weekend Kathyrn and I decided that it was time for a dip with the kids, so Monday after work they came over for a much anticipated swim!  The kids came into the house looking for me, so excited in their swim suits!  I had mine on too, but was brewing tea, so sent them on out.  In just a few minutes I headed out too.  I could hear the kids squealing with delight, but it’s what Kathyrn hollered to me as I got close that threw me for a loop!  She said, “IT’S GREEN!!!”   I couldn’t believe my ears…..Green….there’s no way!  True we had not been swimming in a couple of weeks….but Kim had run the filter…..Oh my gosh, I couldn’t believe my eyes!!!  GREEN, really GREEN and full of debris from all the rain and wind…leaves, bugs…tons of dead june bugs floating….gross!  Kathyrn cleaned the plugged filter and began skimming, I begrudgingly got in and played with the kids stirring the water so it would filter better.  We filled the chlorine containers and just shook our heads……when Papa got there, he couldn’t believe it either, stating it wasn’t green on Saturday…..Well, after the kids left home I couldn’t help thinking about our green pool…..how quickly it had turned from a clear, clean pool to a yucky, murky GREEN one!  Talking about it with a friend here at work, he said the same thing had happened to his pool….he said, “All the conditions were just right.”  Conditions….just right……to turn clean to GREEN…..that’s when it hit me!  Oh my, how often is my life like the green pool….How often do I let “conditions” in my life, turn me GREEN….murky…..stressed, anxious, worried, ill-tempered, short, grumpy, jealous, hateful…My heart and mind are not “clear”……not clearly focused on the pure love of our Heavenly Father…..Rather I let “conditions” turn me murky……like the green swimming pool I am undesirable to those around me…..and I know that my Father is disappointed…..Thankfully, conditions can change.  Our Father, unclogs the filter of my heart and mind, refills me with HIS love and skims off my sinful actions through the blood of His only Son, our Savior……Clean again I pray that my actions will sparkle with HIS love…….me, HIS child, loved and forgiven…..Thank you Father, for the loving clean-ups!  All Glory, honor and Praise to YOU!

 

My flesh and my heart may fail, but my God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26.  I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.  Jeremiah 33:8.  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.  Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.  Psalm 79:9.  The Lord bless you, and keep you:  The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you:  The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.  Numbers 6:24-26. 

Love you all!  Have a great holiday weekend!  Be safe

August 3, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Magnificent is this Monday…loved by HIM!  Ever since I got my little black car two tires have had slow leaks.  Right after I got it we noticed that the back tires were both low, so one day I dropped it off at a tire shop and asked them to fix both rear tires.  When I went to pick it up they told me they couldn’t find any leaks…..hmmm I thought, that’s odd, if there’s no leaks why the heck do I have to put air in them….Oh well…..took the car and figured I would go someplace else….well one week turned into another and another; oh I had good intentions everyday of getting it in somewhere but…just didn’t, then the wreck and it was in the shop and then the transmission…all the while the tires had to have air every couple of weeks!  Well, I made a serious commitment to myself that as soon as I got it back with new transmission I was getting tires fixed and while it was there, balanced and rotated!!!!  So off to another tire shop I went feeling quite smug!  I dropped it off on my way to work with plans of having a friend take me to get it at lunch!  About mid-morning, I got a call from the shop.  “Mrs. Johnson, your car is ready.  And we couldn’t find any leaks in your tires.”  Oh my gosh, I couldn’t believe it…again!  So I said, “well, then how come I have to put air in every couple of weeks??!!!  He then explained that the leaks were so slow that they could not be detected by their machines……so slow leaks…..seemed a little crazy to me, but what’s a girl to do???  I just keep putting air in the tires which by the way are now on the front…..Slow leaks……undetectable….for now….The other morning I was once again squatting down putting air in both tires before heading to work and the thought occurred to me…..Do I have any slow leaks?  Any habits that might not seem to be bad…..habits that are seemingly undetectable right now, that if left unattended could lead to habits that might be harmful to myself or others……habits that might, if allowed to get bigger, cause our Heavenly Father to be sad……It’s so easy for us to fall into little habits, routines in our daily lives that seem harmless…..oh, in the back of our minds we know that we “have a slow leak” but we just don’t want to get it fixed…….after all…..who knows…..Oh my…..our Heavenly Father knows…….Father, give us wisdom and strength in our daily lives to develop habits and routines that are pleasing to You a blessing to those around us.   “When you live the kind of life that Jesus has planned for you, it will be a life that is lived without regrets.”  Roy Lessin.

 

Do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.  Galatians 5:13.  To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.  Revelation 2:7.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9.  Stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.  1 Corinthians 15:58.  The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.  2 Thessalonians 3:3.  No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.  1 Corinthians 10:13.