The seasons of our lives...

Good Morning Friends!  Wise and wonderful is our God, Wednesday!  Last night when I got home from work, Kim was nowhere to be found, figured he wasn’t far, so was enjoying putting around the house.   After about 15 minutes or so, I saw Kim and his helper come in the drive in the backhoe hauling hay for the donkeys.  Then my phone rang, “Come on out here.  We are closing the pool up” was all he said.  A little bewildered, I responded, “OK”  and headed out the door.  I really had no idea he had planned that for our evening!  Closing up the pool is really the official sign that summer is over and winter on its way…..The change of seasons….Taking proper care of the pool for winter is really very important, saves the filter from freezing and the winter chemicals help keep it clean, and of course covering it up is so important!  Last year, we never did get it done and what a mess we had; luckily, the filter didn’t freeze, but the pool was gross and took hours of hard work and chemicals to get it clean again…..Here in Oklahoma we truly have “changing seasons” each season so different from the one before and the one to come….In the spring we have to get the storm cellar ready, summer get the pool up and going, fall close it up, stock up on firewood, winter make sure everything is insulated and lots of feed on hand for the livestock….you get it right….each season, winter, summer, spring, or fall brings unique situations….As I sat on the deck holding onto the cover while Kim got the ladder off, I got to thinking about seasons….our lives are full of seasons aren’t they…..seasons of contentment…seasons of discontent…..season of health….season of illnesses…..for us…our lives….everyday might confront us with a new season……we need to prepare for the changes in our lives, just like we prepare the summer pool for upcoming winter…..How we handle the “changes” in our lives depends on how well prepared we are…..And the way to be prepared is…..lots of time with our Heavenly Father, keep Him posted on your life through lots of prayer time, find wisdom and guidance through HIS word, and strength from worshipping with your Christian family!  Our Father Is always there for us….how close we stay to HIM directs our “change of seasons.”  Father help us to be prepared for all the seasons of our lives by being close to YOU.  Give us wisdom and strength to know YOU and follow YOUR will for our lives.  Thank you for being Changeless! 

 

Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge.  I said to the Lord, “you are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” Psalm 16:1-2.  You  turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.  Psalm 30:11-12.  The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer.  1 Peter 3:12.  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. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Love you all!

Watered by the Holy Spirit: September 11, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Wonderfully wrapped in His loving arms Wednesday!  I had to chuckle this morning when I got the paper at work and it was in a plastic bag….Ha, ha I thought….sure looks like rain doesn’t it!  I know we had so much wonderful rain earlier in the summer and spring, but now it is getting so dry again.  Our grass is crunchy, and leaves are falling way to soon…driving to work the poor pastures look so dry and thirsty and the fire danger signs have been upgraded….conditions are looking bleak.  As I opened the paper I said a little prayer for rain…..it was then I felt the tap….”Hi Father.  What’s up?”  “You know Kathie, the yard and pastures are not the only things that dry up when there’s not enough moisture.”  “Ok Father, go on, tell me more.”  My child you too dry up spiritually when you are not ‘watered’ by the Holy Spirit, ‘immersed’ in My word, prayer, and worship……your spiritual yard goes dry and look out, that’s when things get bleak……stress and worry consume you because you turn to yourself rather than come to me….small situations turn into misunderstood messes because you try to figure things out for yourself rather than follow My words of guidance…..sadness can consume you because you don’t see My arms wide open…waiting to hold you, lift you, comfort you, guide you My child through every dry spell.  Come to Me, follow Me through My word, pray to Me, trust Me….you are My child, I love you.  Thank you Father…..forgive my stubbornness…”rain” on me!

 

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.  He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.  Jeremiah 17:7-8The Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for Him!  Isaiah 30:18.  Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.  Proverbs 16:20.  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  James 1:5.  Dear friends, build yourselves up  in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Jude 20.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.  Isaiah 26:4. 

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