Life's Interruptions

Good Morning Friends!  Wonderfully wrapped in His loving arms, Wednesday!  How many times a day do our conversations get interrupted….whether it be conversations with family, friends, co-workers or customers, seems like so often a conversation does not come to a mutual end!  What’s so frustrating about that is that of course, everything we have to say is so very important……well, you know what I mean!!  We think what we have to say, or what we are listening too is important, we want the conversation to be finished, we want all the details….then right in the middle…..something interrupts and so often what was being discussed is gone forever….we simply forget….get busy….get on with other things….and what seemed important at the time and very well could have been, is gone!  Very frustrating.  This morning a conversation I was having with a friend about a week ago here at work came to mind…..on New Year’s Eve while taking down the Christmas decorations in our front office we discussed the fact that we both needed to do that at home too!  Both of us had the desire, but weren’t sure if we would be able to get to it!  On New Year’s Day she was coming into Walmart as Kim and I were leaving, from her car she hollered “did you get your Christmas decorations down?”  I laughed and said, “Yep they are down.”  I walked to the car smiling that she had remembered to ask that.  The next day at work she again brought up the subject wondering if I had finished.  I explained that I had them down, but not put back in storage yet….at that point I remember wanting to ask her if she had gotten hers down and we were interrupted!!!!!  I never thought about it again until, for some crazy reason, this morning on my way to work.  What I felt was shame…..shame on me for being so selfish….blab on and on about myself, but never got around to asking how she did….shame on me….darned interruptions!  That’s when it hit me…..not only do our earthly conversations get interrupted, but also, more importantly our conversations with our Heavenly Father!!!!!  Oh my goodness, how many times a day I start to pray for someone, about a situation, for a need, forgiveness, giving thanks, praise…..you name it…..my intentions are good….but…..interruptions…..Thinking about so many good intentioned prayers that ended abruptly, I just had to smile…..Oh wow…..gosh….How blessed we are!!!!  Our Father knows our prayers before we pray them……He hears and knows all….right through the interruptions!  OH FATHER…..THANK YOU…..for hearing our prayers even when we don’t finish……We are so blessed to be YOURS!  All honor, glory and praise to YOU!

 

“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear, “ says the Lord.  Isaiah 65:24.  Dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Jude 20.  This is the confidence we have in approaching God:  that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us (even if we get interrupted).  And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.  1 John 5:14-15.  The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.  Psalm 145:18.  The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer.  1 Peter 3:12. 

Love you all!

Decorate with Prayers!

Good Morning Friends!  Wonderfully wrapped in His loving arms Wednesday!  Well, are you ready to do some decorating?  While we are busy shopping, baking, wrapping presents, and decorating our homes, some are busy with something else, not quite so fun!  In the busyness of my life it had not dawned on me that it’s time for college finals.  Do you all remember the stress and anxiety, long sleepless nights, worry, stress of finals!  Home for Thanksgiving from his first year at OSU, a special young man to me, and I were visiting at church Sunday.  I asked him how school was going; immediately he began sharing his concerns about upcoming finals.  He shared with me that people had been telling him that finals are really hard and he is really worried about them, and wants to do good….but.  I let him lament for a bit and then I tried to speak some words of encouragement….You know, be prepared, get lots of rest, eat well….and most importantly ask our Heavenly Father to give you a clear mind and help you do your very best!  I made a mental note to send him an encouraging email and say some extra prayers….When I got to work Monday, once again I was reminded of a young co-worker, sweet, special young woman who is also preparing for finals while working full time.  OK, I thought…..extra prayers for her too!  As I went through the day names of college students kept popping into my mind…..All of them getting ready….worrying about their finals.  No, college finals are not life of death, but to the college student they are pretty important and stressful so……I got to thinking….we need to decorate all the college students we know with prayers to help them through finals…..My goodness….let’s help them sparkle with self-confidence, glow with clear minds and sing with praise by lifting them in prayer….Oh I do love to decorate!  Father, thank you hearing all of our prayers no matter how small!  Be with our college students, protect them, guide them and help them to do their very best to Your glory!

 

I urge, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority (and college students), that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  1 Timothy 2:1-2.  This is the confidence we have in approaching God:  that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.  1 John 5:14-15.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4:16.  “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear,” says the Lord.  Isaiah 65:24.  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  1 Peter 1:22.

Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. George Matthew Adams.

Love you all!

"In His grip" : Isaiah 41:13

Good Morning Friends!  Thankfully Trusting in His will, Thursday!  As I headed into work this morning, I had a few things to share with our Father…..nothing new just the same old concerns and needs for others that I seem to bring to Him every day…..As I started to pray, I had this feeling that good grief you have prayed about this before, leave HIM alone for while…I felt guilty of not trusting Him enough….maybe I should just skip these prayers….but I didn’t, I took a deep breath and lifted my concerns to Him , asking Him to strengthen my faith!  Got to work, and was flipping through a calendar when this quote popped out at me, “As you walk with God, don’t worry about how tight the grip of your hand is upon His….Remember, He is the one who is holding on to you!”  I read it several times, relaxing a little more with each read….HE doesn’t get tired of hearing from me! Oh my….I  made a couple of additions of my own feeling so blessed, “As you drive with God, don’t worry about how tight the grip, of your hand is upon His, or how many the prayers, or how heavy your heart, or how many times you have asked before, He is the one who is holding, lifting, carrying, loving, cherishing you!”  Go on, get busy, have a blessed day, trusting and believing in HIS plan for YOU, in HIS answers to your prayers because HE does hear and answer everyone single one!  Oh Father, forgive me when I try to out guess you….fill me with faith to trust you completely and THANK YOU Father for hearing my prayers, over and over again!

 

Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.  Philippians 4:4-6.  For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.  Isaiah 441:13.  Be joyful always; pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Love you all!

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

June 29, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Forever His, Friday!!!  A couple weeks ago a new friend at church shared a concern with me about a situation with her husband.  They had been attending a monthly luncheon in their community for the past few months; she looked so happy as she expressed how much they were enjoying it and then her expression changed as she told me that her husband did not want to go anymore because he was afraid they might ask him to lead a prayer.  She was so disappointed….we visited a bit more and then I told her I would prayer about her situation.  Last Sunday, I had a chance to visit with her again and  told her  I had been praying for her and her husband.  Her response surprised me….”Oh there are so many big things to pray for, you don’t need to pray for that.”  I reassured her that, indeed her situation was important and I would continue to pray.  She has been on my mind ever since our conversation……I feel sad to think that she didn’t think her situation was important enough to bring to our Heavenly Father in prayer……Oh my….how silly we so often are….how we underestimate His love, His omnipotent powers, His mercy and grace……Our Heavenly Father knows how many hairs we have on our heads…..every concern that we have….however small it may seem is important to HIM….if it bothers us…..it bothers HIM!!!  From broken fingernails to broken relationships…….tension headache to terminal illness….a few pennies short for a soda to bankruptcy……HE KNOWS…..HE CARES…..Our Best Friend….Take it to the Lord in Prayer!  Father….thank you for knowing our concerns before we do…..humble us to come to You and give you the glory.

 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9.  The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.  34:17-20.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.  Matthew 21:22.  Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.  Matthew 7:7-8.  This is the confidence we have in approaching God:  that if we ask ANYTHING according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us---WHATEVER we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.  1 John 5:14-15. 

Love you all!

May 21, 2013

Good Morning Friends! Thankfully, no matter what the situation…His, Tuesday! Watching the news last night and again this morning, I feel so hopeless and sad….here in my area we have so far been spared from the extreme devastation that has touched so many….Praising God for our immediate safety, I am deeply humbled…..deeply….and my heart and prayers go out to for all of His children suffering. I had a call from Kathyrn around 7 am, urging me to leave really early because the rain was just terrible….she was only going 15mph….driving in the rain is stressful for me ever since my accident last year….so I grabbed my stuff, kissed Kim goodbye, told him I love him and headed out the door with a prayer! As I drove, my mind kept turning to people suffering from the storms….the rain was very heavy, hard to see the road and it was so dark…Oh my, I thought….how are they going to get through all of this pain, suffering and loss! I kept my eyes forward, watching for the lights in front of me…..with taillights in front of me, to guide me, I was able to stay in the right path…..Oh my….Yes Father……with Your light to guide them….that’s how they will see their way through this….With You…..Only with You! You can see us through anything….as long as we place our trust, our hope in You. I looked in my rear view mirror and could not believe what I saw….a car behind me….with no lights on….driving in the darkness….no light to guide them…..Father, we cannot make it without Your light guiding us, Your love holding us, Your peace comforting us, Your mighty power holding us…..Father, we do not understand devastating situations like these….Help us to put our trust and hope in You….letting Your light be our guide. Father, thank you for the comfort and care that YOU WILL shower on all Your precious, suffering children.

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with and everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful.” Jeremiah 31:3-4. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I stay close to You; Your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:6-8. You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. Psalm 18:28-29. “Bless is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8. 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.

Love you all and prayers for safety.

April 24, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Wonderfully loved by our Heavenly Father, Wednesday!  God is great, God is good let us thank Him for our…..we always said this prayer before meals…let us thank Him for our food!  This morning I want to say….God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our flowers…..and the special people that planted them and the special pots that my Hailey left for me to have and made arrangements for my Kathyrn, Cooper, and Katy to fill them with flowers!!!!  The little blessings that mean so much, and He sends them when we need them the most.  Monday, I came home from work quite tired….having a terrible issue with my teeth, such pain, and missing Hailey and family, I was just not in a great frame of mind…..as I pulled in the driveway, heading for the carport, I couldn’t believe what I saw!!!   Not only were my old flower pots filled with spring flowers, but the pots that Hailey had to leave behind were there and full too!!!!!  My goodness…..how my mood lifted instantly……the flowers were beautiful….but knowing that someone cared enough for me to do that……well, made my old heart soar!  I called Kathyrn immediately to thank her, couldn’t you just see her there with Cooper and Katy planting flowers for Nana!  She said , “Your welcome!  You know, Hailey asked me to bring pots down and fill for you!”  Double blessed….for sure….from Fairbanks to Lula…..blessed with a special, “love blessing.”  Thank you Father for spring flowers, but most importantly thank for the people in my life that “plant love” shining their lights!  Your blessings are new every morning!  We don’t need flowers to “plant love”  we only need the love of God in our hearts….Where can you “plant love” today….where can you bring a special love blessing to someone that just might need one…..

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another about yourselves.  Romans 12:10.  Love one another deeply, from the heart.  1 Peter 1:22.  We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Ephesians 2:10.  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.  Colossians 3:23.  Encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  1 Thessalonians 5:14.  Keep on loving each other.  Hebrews 13:1.  May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your heart and strengthen you in every good deed and word.  2 Thessalonians 2:16-17.

Plant a little love today…..love you all!!!!!

April 23, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Totally wrapped in His loving arms Tuesday!  Last Saturday I was on a mission! I desperately needed  half a day in my house!!!!  So, I gave up breakfast with Cooper and Katy and headed outside to get my ranch chores done quick as I could, so I could get in my house and get to work….oh my what a mess I had.  Well, Kim and I worked hard and believe it or not I was back in the house by 11:30 and got right to work.  I was going gangbusters.  About 30 minutes later Kim called…..Oh boy I thought…..wonder what’s up.  He was frantic to say the least!  “Get the 4 wheeler and get up here now!  Sheep are out and all over the Beagles, going crazy, they’re acting crazy!”  I grabbed my jacket and a bottle of water, who knew how long I would be gone….started up the 4 wheeler and headed up the hill.  Kim meet me at the cattle guard and waved me to follow him, he was fit to be tied.  We went to the intersection at the top of the hill, our property on one side, the Beagles on the other.  Jumping out of his truck he hollered at me to stand in the road and make sure they went towards home, he headed down the side road to stop them, turn them around and head them home…..I stood in the road and waited and waited and waited……oh gosh, I thought this is not good….thinking he might need a little help, I said a little prayer.  Finally, I could hear the 4 wheeler, the sheep (about 150 with lambs) making a ruckus, and Kim hollering at them and me.  “Don’t let them go up that hill (if they got up the hill they would be out of my reach and would head the wrong direction…not good).  Well of course 5 or 6 head right up that hill too steep for the 4 wheeler and besides Kim was busy trying to keep the rest from doing the same thing.  No other choice, I had to head up the hill, glad I had on my good boots…..I got up just fine, before they got away….headed them back down and then….well let’s just say getting down the hill wasn’t quite as easy as getting up.  Kim was right; they were acting crazy, like they had been locked up in a dirt lot all winter, and the green grass had them crazy when actually they have eaten lush green fodder all winter…..150 sheep plus lambs acting crazy is not a pretty site on CR 1600 on Saturday…yes we did finally get them on 1600, but it wasn’t easy, Kim got stuck and they headed into the trees….finally got them out of the trees and heading down the road now….would they turn in where they were supposed to….could I keep them out of the neighbor’s yard……could I warn traffic in time to slow them down……I jumped in the truck and turned on the hazard lights just in time to slow down a car…..well we lucked out…..they turned in the right gate and headed out to pasture!  What a relief and Thank you Father!  We headed back to the house for lunch, shaking our heads, wondering what in the heck we were gonna do with them…..crazy sheep.  I didn’t think much more about them until Sunday morning in church when Pastor read the Gospel lesson from John 10:22-30.  Jesus was talking to some Jews that needed some proof that He was the promised one….He said I already told you I am, but you don’t believe because you are not part of My flock……”My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”  Oh my gosh, it was all I could do to not burst out laughing right in church!  I thought not always…..they don’t always listen or follow!  My thoughts returned to Saturday and our crazy sheep…..they had everything….green pastures, fresh water, dogs to guard them, mineral on demand, green pastures….and what did they do….tore up good fences and took off….no clue what was out there….no regard for the dangers outside the pastures….Oh no……Father…how frustrated you must get with Your sheep….us….when we tear down the fences…and head out to the unknown without YOU…..not listening to Your voice….not following You….looking for the greener grass when You provide us with everything we could ever need…..Protect us, forgive us, love us, comfort us, heal us…….Father, forgive us when we don’t listen to Your voice, help us to hear and to follow You.  Remember this song…”I am Jesus Little Lamb, Ever glad at heart I am…..”

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before m in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil’ my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  Psalm 23.  The God of peace be with you.  Philippians 4:9.

Love you all!

Kathie A. Johnson

January 8, 2013

Good Morning Friends!!!! Totally taken by HIS love, Tuesday! Have you ever had a problem, want, need, issue that you just prayed about and prayed and prayed…weeks, months, years……friends praying with you, but dang seems like nothing is happening? God isn’t listening…..He just doesn’t feel my pain……I have a good friend that has been in this situation for a couple of years…..we have faithfully prayed for God’s guidance and help with her problem……nothing….Yesterday I had a chance to visit with her for a few minutes; we had not talked in a couple of weeks….my goodness she just glowed! She jumped up, clapping her hands together, hugged me and whispered in my ear the most beautiful answer to her prayers…..I was so excited for her....I shouted out loud, “Oh thank you Father for hearing our prayers.” What seemed like a long time to us….was God’s perfect time……so often she would be so discouraged, wondering why. I always tried to encourage her, emphasizing that we must pray harder….we have to give it to HIM! But I too would be discouraged for her…..And then all of a sudden…BAM! Her problem is fixed…..oh there will be other problems for sure, but yesterday renewed my faith, strengthened my perseverance….uplifted me and humbled me…..Father forgive me when I lose hope, or feel ignored by You….Thank you for hearing all of our prayers and answering them in Your Perfect Time with Your Perfect Plan! Help us be faithful in our prayers for others.

 I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God. Psalm 38:15. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16. “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear,” says the Lord. Isaiah 65:24. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know,” says the Lord. Jeremiah 33:3. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears t God. Job 16:20.

Love you all!