December 6, 2012

Good Morning Friends!  Time to sing His praise, Thursday!  Last night our Administrator and Directors hosted a Christmas party for all of us in the Housing Division.  Lots of food, music, games and tons of prizes!  We were each given a ticket when we got there and all through the evening tickets were drawn.  We all sat on the edge of our seats hoping our number was called!  Some at our table won…some didn’t….but we all had a good time.  This morning a friend that sat with me, told me she got the greatest prize last night…..kind of odd, I thought, since her number was never drawn…..As she began to tell me her story, I got goose bumps…..she kept company with an angel….I am just sure of it….As she was leaving the party she was approached by a young woman, she just figured she was a co-worker; she asked if she could get a ride to the Dollar Store to get some medicine, that she was really sick and it was a long walk…..my friend moved things out the front seat and the young girl got in.  My friend asked her which department she worked in and she told her “oh I don’t work, I just go to college.”  At this point I think I may have been a little nervous and my friend said she had never done anything like this before, but she just started the car and headed to the Dollar Store.  The young stranger was at awe with my friend’s car…said she had never seen anything so fancy, especially loved her heated seat…..They chatted on the way to the store and when they got there my friend asked her if she had money for medicine.  She told her she had $3 and when she called the store they said that should be enough.  My friend said she was compelled to open her purse and give her more money…..the girl insisted she couldn’t take it, but my friend kept telling her she wanted her to have it….the young girl finally gave in and they parted ways. And the young girl said, “God bless you.”  My friend said she felt an overwhelming sense of peace and happiness and had not been afraid for one second……When her husband called her later he asked her how the party was….”did you win anything?”  She joyfully told him, “I won the greatest prize of all!”  After explaining the situation to him, he had to agree….she told me she slept all night, for the first time in years…….I told her you had the company of an angel……we were both crying by this time……crying because she had taken a giant leap of faith and Jesus caught her in His arms……Jesus is the Reason….for every Season.  Father, strengthen our faith so that we are always ready to take the leap for You!  And thank you for special angels that let us know how very blessed we are.

Jesus said, “Then the King will say to those on this right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a strange and you invited me in, (gave me a ride and money for medicine)….Then the righteous will answer him, Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?.....The king will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”  Matthew 25:34-40.  Be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.  1 Samuel 12:24.  We live by faith, not by sight.  2 Corinthians 5:7.

Love you all!

December 5, 2012

Good Morning Friends!  Warmly wrapped in the glow of His love, Wednesday!  Goodness can you believe the difference in our temperatures this morning!  Crazy isn’t it?!  I could tell when I went to my car at 5 yesterday the temp was dropping…got home to a chill in the house….I was happy to change into sweats after the last few warm days.  After a visit with Tucker, Kim and I settled in to have dinner and a little TV…”Hmmm,” Kim said, “bet we should light a fire, gonna be a lot cooler in the morning.”  We sat there a few more minutes, but as reached down to pull my blankie over my feet, I said to Kim.  “Yep, I think I will start a fire….could be quit chilly in the morning.”  There’s something about starting a fire that soothes me….crumpling the newspaper, a few pine cones, and then the logs….the glow of the fire soon warms the house…I like it.  As we headed to bed we tossed in a couple more logs so we would be sure and be cozy in the morning.  Sure thing, when I got up this morning it was 37, but the house was warm….after stirring the coals and adding a few more logs I settled into my chair to have my morning chat with our Heavenly Father……the light from the stove was comforting and the room was toasty warm……I chuckled to myself….”wonder if there was a fire, a comforting light in the stable the night that Jesus was born….”   Wow…….I had to laugh at myself I as thought of the tiny baby in the manger…wondering if there was heat and light for him…...SURE WAS… the brightest, warmest, glowing light there is….Jesus the LIGHT of the world…..Jesus the tiny baby in the manager that died on the cross for us…..Jesus’ light gives us life.  Thank  you Father for the gift of light and life through your Son Jesus.  Help us to shine with His love so that others will find their way to You.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12.  The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?  Psalm 27:1.  “Arise, shine, for your LIGHT has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.  Isaiah 60:1.  Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and rise your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16.  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  2 Corinthians 4:6.  Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.  Psalm 97:11.  Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!  Philippians 4:4.

Love you all!

December 4, 2012

Good Morning Friends!  Totally taken by His love, Tuesday!  Seems like so many conversations right now are all about Christmas shopping….what to get who….how much does it cost…..and then every other commercial is about some big old fancy Christmas gift and the stores and sale papers….gee whiz….easy to get stressed out.  We stress out over getting the perfect gift for our family and friends, the hottest new toy, or biggest tool, buying the perfect paper and matching bows…..people actually go in debt buying Christmas presents that they cannot afford……BAM!!!!  This morning it hit me……..each of us have already received the most perfect gift….many, many years ago……no it didn’t come from a high-dollar department store and wasn’t wrapped in shiny paper……didn’t cost us one cent….not one single penny……..This gift was born in a stable…..wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manager…..a stable….for animals….donkeys, sheep, cows…..now I love all my little critters but I night with Chloe and Eyore….no thanks.  This gift God’s Son, born in a manager for us, lived, died and rose again for us…..died that we might live…..Our Heavenly Father gave us the PERFECT GIFT….His only Son…..our Savior…..This Perfect Gift was a gift of LOVE…….unselfish……total LOVE for each of us.  The gift of LOVE, wrapped in swaddling clothes….The perfect gift comes from love……not how much money was spent or the name brand…….So go ahead finish your shopping, but remember the Perfect gift comes from love.  Father, thank you for giving us, the Perfect gift, Your only Son who died to save us from eternal death…..Fill our hearts with Your Love so that everything we do brings glory to You.

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  Luke 2:11-12.  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.  John3:16.  This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  1 John 3:16.  We love because God first loved us.  1 John 4:19.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.  1 John 4:12.

Love you all!

December 3, 2012

Good Morning Friends!  Mighty is our God, Monday!  We have a little make-shift apartment on our property….started out as little individual rooms that Kim and I lived in when we first moved here.  They look like stores in an old west town; quite a few years ago when our son was coming out to live we pulled them down the hill side by side and built a porch all the way across.  Kim, put a little kitchen in the living room, the office became a bathroom/laundry room, and the bedroom got a closet (we had used our travel trailer for bathroom, kitchen, and closet).  Hence a make-shift one bedroom apartment!  After Shawn returned to California we had several different renters, the last ones moved out two years ago.  Kim and I got right on fixing it up…..well for a week or so, but then….well you know….stuff happens.  As winter approached, Kim turned the water off and swore he drained the lines…..Two years ago……Well, we have the apartment rented, so we had to get in there and finish up.  First thing Kim did was turn on the water……oh boy….guess what……leaks….yep…just a couple he thought not bad.  He fixed them, turned the water back on and dang it…..discovered two more spots leaking…..oh not bad he thought….but sure did think he had drained the lines.  Well yesterday after church he had to go to Home Depot and get more fittings, we had lunch and he headed back to Lula to get to work the leaks while I went to Walmart for some groceries.  I was standing in line when he called me….”Kathie, this place is full of leaks….everywhere!”  I could tell he was really upset, “behind the shower and toilet, in the walls…Kathie….it’s a mess!”  Poor guy, he was really upset and kept saying, “I know I drained the lines.”  I have no doubt that with a little hard work and perseverance that Kim will get all the leaks fixed, but the whole situation got me to thinking.  What happens to us when we just sit….unattended……we spring leaks….our faith weakens when our prayer life has leaks, when we are too busy to spend time chatting with our Heavenly Father and reading His word…..our hope gets weak….just like the water lines….we begin to see life dimly…..glass half empty…..we look at things with a negative attitude…Kim will fix the leaks in the apartment (up to nine), but our leaks can only be fixed by our Heavenly Father…..Kim goes to Home Depot for his supplies….we go directly to our Heavenly Father….when we go humbly before Him He fills our leaks with His perfect love.  He plugs the holes of sadness and anxiety with His peace…..He strengthens our hearts and minds with hope…Hope for better tomorrows….hope for life everlasting with HIM.  Father, forgive us when we let our spiritual life just sit……causing us to have leaks…..Father, bring us to You, fill us with Your Peace, encompass us in Your love.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.  Hebrews 10:23.  Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  Psalm 62:5-6.  “Blessed 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.  I will listen to what God the Lord will say; He promises peace to His people, His saints.  Psalm 85:8.  Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  2 Timothy 2:22.  Mercy, Peace and Love be yours in abundance.  Jude 2. 

Love you all

November 29, 2012

Good Morning Friends!  Totally Trusting in His will Thursday!  A friend asked me how she could pray for me today and after I gave her a list of current and on- going frets she replied with this, “comes to this….praying for direction; trusting God and having patience to wait for His will.”  Well said don’t you think!  Definitely not easy, but straight and to the point....and exactly what I need to do…..I thanked her for listening and praying with me and then read the quote on my daily calendar….Wow…..”God orders your days and is the Lord of all your ways.  He is not only the Lord of time, but He is also the Lord of all timing.  His timing is always perfect as He works through circumstances and people to fulfill His plans for you.  He is never late in bringing His will to you, and He will never bring you things before their time.  He knows your heart, He sees your faith, and He will fulfill all things that concern you.”  Roy Lessen.   God knows our hearts….that brings me comfort….He knows what is bothering me and He is taking care of it in His time…He is the “Lord of all timing”…..just like my friend said this morning….now the waiting is up to me…..sure glad “He is never late”.  Thank you Father…..help me to be a good and faithful waiter.

Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.  Psalm 42:11.  This I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail…The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him to the one who seeks Him.  Lamentations 3:2-22, 25.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Romans 12:12.  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy spirit.  Romans 15:13. 

Love you all!

November 28, 2012

Good Morning Friends!  Wow, it’s a wonderful Wednesday wrapped in His love!  Seems like we spend so much time worrying about balancing….balancing our diet…..you know making sure we get healthy stuff go along with the junk.  Balancing our budget so that we make sure we can pay our bills before we buy a new dress….balance is important in so many ways in our lives.  Yesterday I was responding to a missionary in Turkey that our church sponsors; I was telling him about all the activities we were planning at church and Sunday School for Christmas and as I listed them, I began to feel overwhelmed……unbalanced so to speak.  I finished my email and as I hit send, my thoughts returned to all the things I had ahead of me, programs, costumes, decorations, Hanging of the Greens, shopping, decorations, wrapping, cooking, cards, letters……Oh my gosh….I felt like screaming.  That’s when “Balance” hit me……I need to do more than balance my diet and budget….I need to “balance” my priorites….my time…..Number one priority for this season of Advent and Christmas is JESUS!!!!  JESUS is the Reason for the Season!  Without our precious Savior there would be no season worth celebrating.  So without further ado, I am asking our Heavenly Father to help me balance my Christmas activities….after all, it’s all for naught without HIM!!!!  Without JESUS…..there’s no need for a tree….the tree points to heaven, reminding us where Jesus came from and the green represents the eternal life we receive from HIM…and the lights, well….HE is the light of the world!  So, as you shop for the perfect gift for loved ones….remember the perfect gift of Jesus life….Thank Him, Praise Him and love others as He loves us…..That’s the reason for all the fuss and muss……We will all be busier in the next month, that goes without saying….but with God’s help we can “balance” our business and joyfully celebrate the birth of our Savior…..The REASON FOR THE SEASON!”  Father, thank you for the gift of your Son and the joy of celebrating His birth….keep us focused Father on what is really important and Go Tell it on the Mountain!

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and place him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped cloths and lying in a manger.”  Luke 2:6-12.

Love you all!

November 26, 2012

Good Morning Friends!  My goodness it’s a marvelous Monday!  Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving.  We had such a fun day with family and oh what good food….truly blessed in every way.  Friday morning after breakfast we headed out to get our chores done.  Kim needed to go to Home Depot in Norman to pick up 2 air conditioners (should be the end of supplies needed for the big project); Ada store didn’t have any, hence a trip to Norman on the Friday after Thanksgiving!  Yikes!  I told him I would go with him, but might have to make a couple extra stops….if you catch my drift.  He also wanted to go by Sam’s and get his tires rotated, so we had a good day ahead of us.  First stop, lunch at I Hop (right next to Home Depot).  We had a great lunch and bravely headed into the store, knowing we would have to be patient because we were asking them to do something extra on such a busy day!  Well we were there a little over an hour, but really went pretty smooth considering….next stop Kohl’s where Kim stayed in truck while I went in to catch a few sales….oh my the line was long, but I had found just what I wanted so I decided to be patient and wait….glad I did went really fast!  Back to the truck and on to our last stop, Sam’s.  Once again a line, but not too bad, got the truck in and headed into store to shop a little while we waited.  In about 30 minutes truck was ready, so we checked out, got our key and headed to truck…we were both quite ready to be headed home!  Burr it hadn’t gotten cold out, I encouraged Kim to hurry and get the truck unlocked…Kim was using a key he had gotten made a few months ago, worked just fine in the ignition, but he never tried it in the doors…..he rarely has the need to lock…..Guess what!  Yep!!!!!  The key did not work in the door….we were locked out of our truck, after a long day in the city, and it was cold.  We had no options but to call a lock smith.  I headed back into the tire shop to see if they could recommend someone….they gave me a couple of numbers and Kim called the first one….said he would be there in fifteen minutes….now just the wait…in the cold….tired and hungry….Soon the guy showed up and in no time we were in the truck and headed home with a key that worked!  As I stood in the cold waiting for the lock smith I thought about a dear friend whose father had passed away on Thursday…I thought of her deep sadness and said a prayer for her…. That’s when it hit me….Prayer is our key and our Heavenly Father our perfect Lock Smith!!!!  He gives us the key, so that through prayer, sad, grieving hearts can be opened and filled with His Perfect Love, His Peace, the only Peace that comforts.  When there’s nothing else we can do, we have the best gift of all….the key….from our Heavenly Father….the Perfect Lock Smith.  Father, thank you for hearing our prayers….for comforting sad hearts with Your love and peace.  Help us to pray faithfully for those in need.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Matthew 5:4.  Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help.  Psalm 30:10.  I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.  Jeremiah  31:13.  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.  Psalm 23:4.  Dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Jude 20.  “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear, “ says the Lord.  Isaiah 55:24.

Love you all!

Kathie A. Johnson