January 16, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Wondrously Wrapped in the loving arms of OUR FATHER Wednesday!  Gonna share a meditation I received this morning that so touched me in light of our Todays this week…..Oh to be His children…..children of the Heavenly Father.  “Blessed are all they that put their trust in HIM.”  Take a minute to sit with HIM today!  You know how our Daddy’s like that!  Love you all!

January 16, 2013 Daddy's Girl By Suzie Eller "He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs." Zephaniah 3:17b (NLT) When my son-in-law walks through his front door, he throws his arms wide open and calls out, "Elle!" Two-year-old Elle races toward him in her awkward toddler run and throws herself into his embrace. He tosses her high in the air, then pulls her close, saying, "Elle, do you know how much Daddy loves you?" When I have the privilege of watching this scene, I always think the same thing: My beautiful granddaughter will always know she's her daddy's girl. A daddy's girl is loved even when she throws a tantrum and has to go to time out. A daddy's girl feels beautiful even when she's in need of a tissue and has spaghetti stains on her shirt. A daddy's girl doesn't need to search for love anywhere else, because her daddy has provided a safe and loving place in his heart. Maybe as you read this, you think of your own dad. Perhaps he was absent, destructive, or failed to provide a safe shelter for his girl. I understand that feeling. I met my biological dad briefly at the age of 13, again at 17, and at 40 years of age I stood beside his casket to say goodbye to a man I really didn't know. I will never be a daddy's girl in the sense that my granddaughter has experienced, but it doesn't mean I am exempt from a Father's love. In the New Testament, Abba is mentioned only three times—and is closest to our word "daddy." When Jesus used it to describe His—and our—intimate relationship with God, it offended those within earshot. They questioned how He could use a term so familiar to describe God. But I understand it perfectly. You see, regardless of an earthly father's love or absence, I'm still a Daddy's girl. And so are you. Our Abba Father delights and sings over us (Zephaniah 3:17). He adopts us as His own and offers a rich inheritance (Galatians 4:6-7). We walk into His waiting arms daily, and when we need correction, His love does not ebb. When we stand in front of Him with our sin-stained heart, or hold up tears for Him to dry, He remains our Abba Father. Maybe you've been longing to fill that empty place left by an earthly father. As a Daddy's girl, you don't have to search for love anymore, because your Abba Father has provided a safe and loving place in his heart. In fact, He's waiting with open arms. Dear Abba, I hold up the gaps left by an earthly parent, and thank You for pouring into those places until I overflow with confidence in Whose I am. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

January 7, 2013

Good Morning Friends! Magnificent Monday, loved by HIM! Seven years ago I was given a very special gift from a close friend of my daughter Stacy’s. It is an Italian charm bracelet; she had several charms on it for me. SRK, Stacy’s initials, HIK, my granddaughter Hayden’s initials, an angel and a heart…..a beautiful gift at any time for sure, but a most precious gift to me because it was given to me on the day that Stacy and Hayden were laid to rest…..7 years ago. Other than when I am working on the ranch, I have worn that bracelet almost every day! Silly, I know, but slipping it on my wrist gives me some kind of comfort. Yesterday, sitting in church, head bowed, my eyes focused on my bracelet…..I tenderly touched the charms….the initial charms are worn almost completely smooth…....have been for a while now….I thought about replacing them, but only for a fleeting moment; I really don’t need to see the letters to know what they represent…..they are in my heart. As I sat there, in God’s house, beautiful music coming from the organ, surrounded by loving Christian friends, I smiled to myself……silly thought once again…..my beautiful bracelet with worn out charms….is like our faith…….I have never seen God, but I know that He is there. I wasn’t there at the manager to see Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, or at the cross to witness His death, or there to see the empty tomb, but I know…..I believe that Jesus died and rose for me……God’s only Son, my Savior……my faith is rooted in Him without ever seeing Him……I gently rubbed the charms, thanking God for the gift of His Son and asked Him to keep my faith strong. Thank you Father, all glory, honor and praise to You.

We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1. Thought you have not seen Christ, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9.