It is the week that we consider all the reasons we should be thankful. Today I want to share about one for whom I am truly grateful. 

Her timing is impeccable. Whenever I get discouraged and feel like throwing in the towel, invariably my phone rings. 

She is my cheerleader. Do you have one? Everyone should have at least one or two or three of them in their lives .  Sometimes I need several in a day. 

Writing is a bit of a lonely venture. It is like talking to yourself while looking in the mirror. You see lips across from you moving, but it is only your reflection, not another person responding. Writing can be very one-sided. 

My cousin, Shala has an incredible sense of timing. Somehow she knows when I need to hear her voice, need to hear her say, "Keep going! You  can do it!" 

If I were a marathon runner, she would be on the sidelines cheering for me. Rain or snow. She would be the one to come up and wipe my brow, give me a drink, and say, "You are going to make it! I can see the finish line! Keep running!" If she could not be  there in person, I would be hearing her in my blue-tooth: "Run, baby run! You can do it! I believe in you!" 

Cheerleaders are vital in the body of Christ!

They might be the most vital ones in the grand scheme of things. They often feel like they aren't doing anything very important. Oh, but they are! Yes, they are!!!

Shala has been through some very difficult things, but this girl knows how to look on the bright side. She continuously bubbles with enthusiasm. I love her for that! She can spot a silver lining when most of us can only see a looming thunderhead.

I write because of her and a couple of others who have encouraged me to do it. When I was a little girl, I wanted to play the piano . . . perfectly! Without lessons! Well, you would not want to hear me play, because I never did practice. 

I guess I am a very proud person. I am not proud about that fact.

I don't like to write and later find flaws in what I have written. They are hard to spot in one's own piece because you know what you are saying so you can easily skip over a typo or misspelled word. Then putting it out there for others to read when I know there might and probably are some errors in it. Humbling!

Perfectionist that I am, I sometimes feel like quitting. As soon as I start to feel this way, my phone rings. I honestly do not get to think about it very long, because she knows! She just knows, and she calls. 

"Write, baby, write!" says she.

Paul, in the New Testament, was such an incredible cheerleader. In fact, one of my favorite things about Paul is the way he exhorted and encouraged.  I also love how he prayed for those he was exhorting. Our pastor blessed us with  one of Paul's exhortation/prayers when he was dismissing us yesterday morning. Let this blessing fall on you, my friend. (bottom of the page)

I hope you have a whole cheerleader squad cheering you on! I hope everyone of them is like a Shala to you! 

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, my dear Shala! I love you!

Blessings!

 ^"For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,  so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects—bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,  being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully  giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.  He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:9-14 NET

 Sharing one of my favorite poems today. The words of this beautiful poem have been very true for me. One time, in a very dark hour of suffering, I remember praying, "Lord, I don't even know if the poem 'Footprints' is scriptural or not, but I need you to carry me right now." The next morning I opened my Bible to Deuteronomy 1:31 and read these words, " . . . when I carried you as a man carries his son." I instantly fell to my knees. The Lord had heard my prayer, and He even let me know that He had heard. He would carry me. We would make it through the hard time . . . together.

 Footprints in the Sand

by Margaret Rose Powers

 

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

A lot of time has passed since the day of my prayer. I can tell you that the Lord has been faithful. I am one who has been carried down many difficult roads. I'm so very thankful! 

Do you need to be carried, my friend? I hope that you feel His arms about you. I am praying for you.

Have a beautiful weekend.

Blessings!  

^{. . .} and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’  Deuteronomy 1:31 NKJV

 

Have you ever heard the story of Annie Sullivan? She was given the title "The Miracle Worker" because she is the one who was able to break into Helen Keller's world of darkness.

The story that I heard about her though happened long before Annie met Helen. She was living in a world of darkness of her own. She was in an institution, in a locked room, all alone. One day, one of her caretakers had mercy on her and began to speak to her through the door. When they would bring her food, they would speak lovingly to her. They got closer and closer in heart, it was by inches, a climb.

Annie began to change. The love she received transformed her. 

No one knows the name of Annie's caregiver, but oh, how differently history would have been without the caretaker's caress. 

 I have tried to research this story, but this part of Annie's history is not recorded in very many places. I heard a pastor tell about it one Sunday . . . years ago. I am still impacted by it to this day. Whether it is a valid tale or not, hearing it altered my life forever.

"Let me be like the one who touched Annie Sullivan, and helped to change the course of her life and the course of history. It doesn't matter if my name is remembered here or not. That isn't important to me at all. I only ask that you let my life impact the life of someone else." This has been the echoing prayer of my heart since the day I was told about this chapter of Annie's story . 

The pastor that shared it was much like Annie's caretaker. He redirected my course.

Love is a powerful thing, my friend. Lord, help us to love.

 Blessings! 

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely; does not seek its own . . ." 1 Corinthians 13:4-5a NKJV

My grandson is two and sometimes . . . it is truly rare, but every now and again he acts a bit twoish. 

Several weeks ago he came over and he was practicing a very pouty face, you know, trying it on for size to see what we thought of it. 

I said to him, "Lovey, we don't act cranky at GG's house, we are happy!" 

He instantly burst into a belly laugh. 

The immediate transformation caught me so off guard that I could hardly keep from rolling with laughter. 

Every time he would try to pout or be cranky with me, I would repeat my phrase and he would respond with a genuine belly laugh.

 A few weeks ago he came over and he was all out of sorts. This is not his nature, but we all have an off day once in awhile, right? 

Since my little phrase did not seem to have its usual power, I decided to put him down for a nap. I told him that he was very cranky and not happy so he was going to have to take a nap at GG's house. He immediately said, "Ace is not sleepy, Ace is happy!" 

I am a GG now, you must understand. As a momma, I probably would have stuck to my guns and that little one would have gotten his nap, but Ace did begin to act happy, so I let him stay up and play. We had the best of times . . . all because he made the decision to be happy and not cranky.

Amazing!  A two year old showing self-control. The phrase, "Ace is not sleepy, Ace is happy!" has stuck. We hear it often now. 

The other day while he was here and we were playing, I yawned very big. I wasn't thinking when I said, "GG is getting sleepy." 

He very loudly responded, "GG is not sleepy, GG is HAPPY!" 

Ace is right. This GG is very happy! Very, very happy!!!

Sometimes, I have to decide to be happy and not cranky. If that little guy can do it, so can I. Honestly, sometimes  I have to pray for help.

How about you? Are you happy today? I hope so, my friend.

Blessings! 

^"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14 NIV

"What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." A.W. Tozer

I've been reading the book of Matthew. It is amazing to me how people in this book respond to Jesus. Some want to cling to him, some beg him to leave town. There are those who are appalled by what he does, there are others who beg him to act on their behalf.  Some feel like sinners when he is around, others feel more righteous than he. Some invite him to their house for dinner, some accuse him of eating too much.

Reading this morning has left me thoughtful, prayerful. 

"I want to know you, Lord, really know you. I don't want to only know about you, I want to know you. Let me draw near. Closer, closer to you!" 

My husband had a head injury a few years ago. It damaged the optic nerve which effects his eye control. He recently had to get prism glasses so that he won't see four of everything, and so that his eyes will track together. It has made a huge difference in how he sees the world.

I want to see through a prism that makes Jesus crystal clear. I feel like the blind men who were crying, "We want to see! Touch our eyes so we can see!" 

I have known Jesus for a very long time, but I long to know him more. Praying that my vision will be more clear than ever. 

I have met some really incredible people here in Louisville. People who really know Jesus. I am moved by their hospitality, their warmth. Their genuine love and concern is inviting. Their nature is to nurture. You can tell they think some really cool things about God. They have an amazing aura. Salt and Light. The way they live has stirred me to want to know the Lord more.

Drawing near today, my friends. Thank you for listening to me ramble. 

Blessings to  you!

"He (Jesus) said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' "

My friend Laura had been praying for me . . . for years.

 "One of the most profound ways you can love someone is by praying for them." Bob Sorge

Whispers to God about me . . . prayers wrapped in loving grace and beauty.

Until recently, I have been completely unaware . . . it moves me that the Lord was not. Ever the listening one, He has heard my name from her prayer closet.

Intercession is a powerful and precious gift, my friend. The greatest of gifts.

I gave some minute little bit of nothing to her, so she purchased a gift for me. She intended to send it right away, something tangible to give me as a thank you. It sat on her dryer and every time she did laundry, she thought of me, she said. Days,months, years passed without her sending the gift my way, but every time she saw the gift, she would pray for me. She has a family, she frequents the laundry bay of her home. Her prayers for me have been many. When she shared this with me, I was humbled to tears.

I received the gift in the mail a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful candle. The package was padded with many other beautiful gifts. Her heart is a generous one. I am overwhelmed with her sweetness, her kindness.

Of course the gift that sat on her dryer for many seasons was a candle. (She mentioned that I should blow the lint off before using.) 

Light. I wonder how much more my life has been illumined because of her blessed intercession. Oh, I wonder! 

It was so much fun to receive a package in the mail. Christmas in October! Again I was overwhelmed with her kindness. Most beautiful though, most dear to my heart are the prayers that she has prayed with my name pegged to them. 

Laura writes beautifully. Her words become poems, sonnets, verses. Her pen is the brush of an artist, it brings beauty and color to the page. I can only imagine the beautiful prayers the Lord has heard. My guess is that He writes her prayers down and tucks them away to pull out and revisit again. I have pages and pages with her name attached. How blessed I am that when He does revisit those prayers, He will find my name among those beautiful paragraphs and phrases.

Thank you, Laura,  I am forever grateful!

Blessings, my dear friends, I am praying for you.


⁹ For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." Colossians 1:9-12 NKJV

 

"You can't change who they are."

My husband gently reminds me of this fact over and over again.

He is right, and I believe what he says is true, but sometimes I want to try. 

I'm powerless. I can't make someone with a Melancholy personality become a Sanguine, or change a Choleric into a Phlegmatic. I will waste my time even wishing for such a thing.

I know someone who has the power to change people. His name is Jesus. The first miracle Jesus performed was changing water into wine. He transformed the drink from pure water to pure wine. The wine was still a liquid. It was a drink, but it had extremely different qualities. 

A transformed soul is one of the most beautiful things in the world.

I went to Women of Faith this past weekend. Several of the speakers told about their transformed lives. We were empowered by one transformed life after another. My favorite was about a woman named Lollie who had been a stripper in a strip joint here in Louisville. There is a  church that ministers to the women in these joints. There are twenty strip joints in this city. Some concerned women from a church here started making meals and taking them to the strip joints to feed the women. They go back stage and talk with the ladies and share their love and faith with them. Women are getting saved and leaving the profession. Praise God!

We did not see Lollie, but she was in the room, and her story was shared. At that time, she had not danced for 165 days. The Lord Jesus has come into her heart, taken up residence, and she is a new creature. She now goes by her given name, Lauren. 

The ladies who took Lauren food could not change her, but they could love her with the love of Jesus, and they do. The whole church is not going into these places to minister, but they are praying for those going in and for those needing set free. Beautiful story, no?

Lollie's story is extreme. Some of the testimonies were from church girls. "I sat on a church pew every Sunday, then one day, He changed my life!" 

Everyone needs transforming. Jesus is the only one that can make that happen.

Wouldn't it be awesome if there were zero strip clubs in this city someday? 

The Lord doesn't typically change your personality style when you ask Him into your heart. He does transform your soul with a new nature. Desires change. Before He comes in we are dead in our sins. After He comes into our heart, we are alive in Him. Have you experienced His liberating, transforming power? It is something that you can't help talking about!

Blessings!

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:16-18 NKJV

 "Let me entertain you . . . " is their lifesong.  Sanguine or Otter personalities believe that life is a stage, and they prefer to be front and center on it.

 "TaDah!" they say as soon as they exit the womb.

"Hello, world! Here I am, ready to play!

 An Otter's presence will completely alter a families dynamics. They love to laugh, and make others laugh. Life is jolly when they're around with quick wit constantly rolling off their tongues. They tend to be people magnets. They have the largest circle of friends, but the majority of their relationships are very superficial. They like to keep it all on the surface, only building deep ties with very few.

Otter's are fun to be around. Their first priority is to have a great time. Their forte, looking on the bright side.Are you having a gloomy day, you should go hang out with your friend who is a Sanguine. They are sunshine for the soul.

Why spend time discussing personality styles? I raised five children and they all have very different personalities. My husband and I are very different, too.  Understanding the personality styles helped me to raise my husband and live with my children . . . oops . . . I turned that around, didn't I? 

There is some great information out there about this subject. Google or Amazon might help you find some great reads. I highly recommend. Studying this subject has been life changing for me. 

I will be back Monday!
Have a blessed weekend, my friends.

 

She brings calm to storm, peace to trial, tenderness to pain, and is patient with proud ones. 

She has a Phlegmatic or Golden Retriever personality. 

These dear gentle people are silent pillars that usually hold us up and keep us together. They are the peacemakers. Are you familiar with the character, Diana on Anne of Green Gables? She has the nature that I am speaking of.

They tend to be slow, meaning they don't get in a dither about things. They pace themselves a few notches below everyone else. It is a must because they are very busy enjoying the finer things in life that the rest of us so often miss. They can drive a Choleric absolutely crazy!!! Golden Retrievers might be mistaken for lazy, but they aren't, their priorities are just different than most of ours.

Our youngest is a Phlegmatic. He was a delight to raise. One time I was working and he called me to come home, "Right now, mom!" he said. Not being his nature to panic, it stirred panic in me and I hurried home to him. 

He wanted me to see the purple wildflowers that were blooming in the meadow. Wildflowers do not linger! He got on his little dirt bike and instructed me to climb on behind so that he could take me to see them in their full glory. Hop on  I did, in my dress and all. We crossed the muddy creek and went to the meadow. Breathtaking beauty! I cannot remember one other incident of that day, but that little ride around our meadow is forever tucked away in my heart. 

When Josiah was 18 months old, I was going through one of the most difficult of seasons. My heart was literally breaking. One night I prayed that the Lord would send an angel to comfort me. I reminded the Lord that even He needed angels to comfort Him when He was here walking about in our tough world culture. Minutes later I looked up and there was my little Josiah, angel on assignment. He was without whimper. I took him in my arms, headed for the rocking chair, and rocked for a long while with him nestled against me. My heart was strengthened with his presence. The Lord had answered my prayer . . . not like I expected . . . but in an even better way. I put my little man back in his bed and he never made a peep. He didn't wake for himself. He was awake for me.  

This one has many times been a comfort to me.

Do you have a dear Phlegmatic in your life. I pray so. They are dear, wonderful people. If not, perhaps you need to buy a GR puppy! 

Tomorrow we will discuss the Sanguine. 

Blessings, my friends! 

 We call him chief. He is the one who always assumes authority whether or not he is actually the one in charge.

"We will eat . . . "

"We will go . . . "

"We believe . . . "

A choleric speaks for everyone . . . all the time. They like to be in charge.

Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, these were probably the Choleric personality style. The Choleric or Lion  are born leaders. You feel their presence when they are in the room, whether or not they speak. They will speak though. They tell you what they know and they will expect you to agree with them. They are not as concerned with the feelings of others as much as they are about being right . . . which of course they always are. They are chief. Their dominance can be overwhelming.

They are typically very responsible. They are not easily intimidated, this quality alone makes them leader worthy, but they are not always good people. Gang leaders are most likely choleric.

When they do choose healthy moral leadership, they are the best. Their dogmatic tendencies help a group to create healthy and steadfast boundaries. 

There are fewer cholerics than any other personality group. This is a good thing. 

Do you have a friend that is a choleric? You are blessed. They will be committed to the death. 

Is your spouse this personality style? Then you probably are a phlegmatic or a melancholy personality type. 

These strong, wonderful people come out of the gate knowing who they are. As children, they can be super challenging to raise. Even if you are a choleric, it will be challenging to raise a child with this personality style. 

Tomorrow I will share about the Phlegmatic or Golden Retriever personality type.

Thank you for stopping by. Blessings! 

"I'm so thankful that you hang my shirts in the closet with the opening to the right!"

"What did I do?" I replied. I was completely unaware of doing the task a specific way. I always feel like if the laundry makes it to the final destination of being put away, then all is well.

This was one of our first conversations we shared as a married couple. Unforgettable. To this day, I cannot hang a shirt on his side of the closet without thinking about it. "Let's see . . . which way should it go?" I always have to ask myself.

 My husband is into details. I am not so much. In the beginning, our differences were the source of many clashes and upsets.

Personality styles is one of the most interesting studies that I have visited. Understanding the different styles has helped me move through life with  a little more grace and patience toward others. You might have studied them as well. If so, you should leave a comment, because I always love to grow in this area.

What is your personality style? 

Are you a melancholy like my husband?

Melancholy folk have also been pegged as "Beavers" if you are familiar with the Gary Smalley studies. That is the terminology that I will use.

Beavers like to work and work they do. They are driven, loving to see a task completed. Details are extremely important to them and they expect perfection of themselves and pretty much everyone else. 

They tend to see the glass half-empty instead of half-full. They can be very serious and often their sense of humor is very dry. This is why they pair well with an Otter, and they often do. They are not outgoing, they are very deep thinkers. This can often be misunderstood as haughty or aloof. Most of the Beavers I know are pretty much brilliant.

Raising a Beaver can be challenging if you are not one. We have two children that are Beavers. They are like their poppa. 

They are the ones who make to-do lists and pass them around to the rest of us when we get together these days. Their organization skills often attribute to our awesome time together.

They naturally see order and are able to draft it from chaos. We need these amazing people in our lives. Especially me!

One time my husband and I had a bit of a tiff. He couldn't understand why I wasn't seeing the world the way he did.  

"I wish I was more like you," I honestly told him. That was one argument that ended in a hug. 

Do you have a Beaver in your life? Beavers are planners. They make lists. They accomplish many, many things. They are amazing people. 

Every personality trait has strengths and weaknesses. The trick is bringing even the strengths into a place of balance. A strength out of balance appears to be a weakness. I've found that this is a good time to pray for discernment and wisdom.

Tomorrow I will be sharing about the Choleric or "Lion" personality style. I hope you will stop by. 

I love to hear your thoughts.

Blessings!

We drove through the oldest part of the cemetery. Only God remembers these folk, how they lived, how they died.

"We are the only ones in here," he says.

"Alive . . ." I reply.

Born 1754-Died 1803

Born 1821-Died 1845

Many ancient dates carved in stone.

This section is void of flowers, real or otherwise. We do not spy even a stray plastic petal. They were not invented yet when these stones were set. 

 We leave this part and move on to the more recent. The stones tell stories.

This one is very moving. "His last words, 'Good Bye my Men, leave me, save yourselves.' " He was lost at sea. Lost but not forgotten. His men placed this stone here to mark his courage and his unselfishness. We are moved by their story. 

These plain white markers, reminders of the great and terrible civil war. 

We are grateful to those who serve. Our son, Josiah is at sea. He left the first week of September on a submarine mission. We do not know where he is or when he will return. We are so proud of him. We ache with missing him though.

I remember him coming home once, fully dressed in navy attire. Many folk stopped to thank him for serving, shaking his hand, or patting him on the back. Their gratitude moved me to tears. He told me that it happens all the time. 

Thank you for being grateful, my friends.  

Thank you to all who have served! Thank you for laying down your life for us. We are a grateful people. I am praying for you! 

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." John 15:13

 Can you see the male and female duck in the middle? He  just happens to have his mouth wide open.

Scotty and I are taking classes so that we can join a church here in Louisville. We get  up very early every morning, so days can get very long. We got through the first session  of class with Scotty only yawning twice. We had a short break, the second session began. 

Pastor tells us that he hopes this part of the class will not be long, or boring.

Then . . . 

Scotty yawned so loud. Not once, but four times. We were sitting in the middle of the room . . . elderly ones among lambs . . . seriously, I believe you would think so,too. 

It reminded me of when I was a little girl. My family would be sitting in church and my little brother would stretch into a big gigantic yawn accompanied with lots of sound. My mother would reach over and cover his mouth with her hand, but everyone still heard.

I did not handle yawn number four so well. I began to giggle. I was holding it back as best I could, so no one could hear, but they could see. My body got the jiggles . . . earthquakes have less vibration. Tears began to run down out of the corners of my eyes. I tried to catch them before they got to my cheeks. 

I was laughing at him because he was making a scene. Now I was making a scene and I could not stop! I wanted to run out of the room. Why did we have to be right in the middle of all of these young people? Center stage?

Scotty got tickled that I was laughing. He leaned over and wrote sweet nothings on my paper. It was kind of personal, so I will not share. I can tell you, it did not help me suppress the giggles one little bit! 

I felt the instructor's eyes on me. I dared not look.

 It seemed like I wrestled with giggles for at least twenty minutes. Not sure what the instructor was saying. I know that it wasn't funny. I don't think it was boring either. We were just in our own little world.

Finally, my eruption of giggles subsided and I dared to look to the front of the room. The face of the man standing behind the podium was beet red. Oh, dear, I think I embarrassed him, too. 

We made a scene. We do that sometimes. Growing old together is so much fun, and sometimes a bit awkward!

I let it happen. 

I said some things I should never have said. I knew as the words were coming out of my mouth that it was the wrong thing to say . . . we were not in the right company . . . it was not the right time . . . but I did not hold my tongue.

Words slipped because I let them go. A balloon bouquet escaping my grasp would have been more beneficial for my company. 

My gut twisted and turned with regret for days. It still does when think about it. I'm so sorry, but my sorrow does not fix anything.

These leaves have left the branches of the trees they have been hanging on all year. They can never be attached again. Some things cannot be undone.

Have you ever heard the analogy about toothpaste and words? We used it when I taught children's church about 100 years ago. You show kids that words are like toothpaste out of the tube. You can squeeze the tube and the toothpaste comes out, but no matter how hard you try, you can never get the toothpaste back in the tube. Words are like that. Once they are out you can never get them back. 

I  am going to try to do better. Regret rarely visits when I have held my tongue. I hope I do not soon forget this girdle of misery. I really need your help with this one, Lord.

I use the backspace button more than any other when I write these pages. Wouldn't it be nice to have such a feature with our spoken words. 

Do you struggle with your tongue, my friend? Will you pray for me? I will pray for you! 

"Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth. Therefore let your words be few." Ecclesiates 5:2

                      Do versus Don't Do

It has been happening almost every morning. I have been waking up at four a.m. with thoughts. I hop out of bed and run to the computer to write them down. I don't go to bed with these  thoughts . . . they come to me, I am awakened, I hop out of bed and run.

"Where are you going?" Scotty asks.

"I have to write!" 

Before I fell asleep last night, I had decided I wouldn't  write here today. 

But here I am, four a.m., Compelled!

This morning I woke with the scene of Peter and Jesus in my head. Not the scene that I talked about the other day, the one where Jesus told Peter that he was going to mess up . . . BIG time!  Not that one, but the scene where they are seaside after Peters big spiritual crash. Jesus asked Peter 3 questions that all began with, "Peter, do you love me?" 

Do you remember that beautiful scene?

It struck me this morning that Jesus didn't respond  to Peter with a "if you Do love me, then Don't" answer.

"Yes, I Do love You!"  Peter answers three times.

All three times Jesus responds with . . .

"If you love Me, DO this."

I have been reading some red letters in my Bible every day. Red letters are the words that Jesus spoke. I just want to hear what He has to say about things. It is not my only stop every morning, but it is the first place I read. 

I will be searching  . . . 

does Jesus have more "dos" than "don'ts" in all those red words?


One thing He did say, "The most important commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all of your mind. The second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself."

The two most important commands are "Do" commands.

They sound so much like His response to Peter.

"Peter, do you love me?"

"Yes, Master . . . " 

"Then do this . . . LOVE my sheep . . . "

Is it possible that if we were doing what we should be, there wouldn't be time to do those things that we shouldn't be doing?

What if we were so busy being kind that there wasn't any time to be unkind?

 Is this getting to you? It is getting to me.

Yesterday, my very sweet, beautiful cousin Tiffany was heading through the drive through at Starbucks. A kind lady motioned for Tiffany to move in line ahead of her. Because the lady was so kind, Tiffany decided to buy the lady a coffee. (If you are a friend on fb you might have read this on my page yesterday.)When Tiff gets to the drive up window, the barista tells her that her coffee has been paid for. Tiffany tells him that is quite funny . . . that her plan had been to pay for the coffee of the sweet lady behind her. "That makes you number 14. Fourteen people have paid for the coffee of the one behind them." "Paying it backward," Tiffany called it. 

Early morning people being kind. People who are in a hurry to get to work, people who haven't even had their coffee yet, being thoughtful. hmmmm

People doing love.

There are "don't" things . . . things we should never do. Not ruling them out, but perhaps our focus shouldn't be on them so much. What do you think the world be like if our focus was on what we could do instead of what we should not do?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon, Peter, 'Simon, son of  Jonah, do you love Me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Feed My lambs.' He said to him again, 'Simon, son of  Jonah, do you love Me?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Tend My sheep.' He said to him a third time, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, 'Do you love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed My sheep.' John 21:15-17NKJV

I have never been able to find it, the straight path to forgiveness. It has always been a process for me, more like walking through a maze. I make the decision to go for it, let go of the hurt and walk it out, but it seems I don't get very far in when I hit a wall. I always hear a voice, "keep going, you will get through this," so I continue until I find the opening . . . grace to keep going forward. 

Forgiveness begins with a step of faith . . . you step into it whether you feel like it or not. It is not about feelings, but then faith stuff never is. It is about making a decision to enter.

I don't like mazes. I am claustrophobic . . . get me in the middle of a maze and I panic. I want to get to the end of it quickly because I need to breathe again. 

Forgiving someone can be like that for me. 

Somewhere in the middle of it all, I have to remind myself of how much I have been forgiven. I desperately need the Lord's mercy . . . every day without exception. Remembering my own ugliness will often soften my heart, helping me to move on.

I have to keep reminding myself that there is an exit to this place, this maze I have gotten myself into. Keep going forward . . . hit another wall . . . turn the corner, then go forward . . . hit another wall . . .

Like a walk through a maze, walking through forgiveness you eventually reach the end, the exit is there waiting for you to go through . . . finally . . . FINALLY and not a minute too soon you  find your way through!  FREEDOM at last!

Some have told me, "I could never forgive - - - - - -!" 

The truth is, you can, dear friend. I know because I have been in this maze before and I can tell you for sure that, though there are many walls that come up against, you will eventually find the exit. When you get there, it is you who will be free. 

"But if I forgive them, does that make what they did to me okay?" This is a familiar wall I come to. Forgiveness doesn't justify the one who sinned against me. Once I realize this truth, I make progress.
  
When I make the decision to walk out forgiveness, I am in a maze and walls are in my face, the only thing I have found to do is get on my face and ask for grace to keep walking this thing out. That is the only thing that has given me the power to keep going. 

Take it from one who has been there . . . when you finally get to the place where there are no more walls that come up against you in your heart . . . well,it is simply aMAZING!!!

Have you ever been there? It would be an honor to pray for you.

Blessings, my friend.

"For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You."
Psalm 86:5NKJV 


 

                            Play Day

The babies are coming over to play this morning. Ace, Grandpa Scotty and I played with the play dough last time they were here. Everything that goes into Petra's hand ends up in her mouth. She doesn't get to play with play dough yet. 

I can't wait for them to arrive! We always have a very good time. 

                                                 Petra

                                                Ace
 I know today is going to be wonderful! I already know because these two little people make me so happy!

I hope that you will have a very happy day, too! 

I wish you could come over and play with us . . . I hope that you will have some playtime today mixed in with whatever you are doing. 

I thought you might enjoy this from my friend Lea!

 http://myletterstoemily.blogspot.com/

It made me smile! 

Enjoy! 


 

"Remember the only thing whiter than snow is a freshly cleansed child of God." Beth Moore 

"Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18NKJV

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean, Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7 NKJV

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10 NKJV 

Have a beautiful and happy Sunday!  

                 

                   

"Here comes Bob!" 

Bob number 3 was entering the store where I am  now working. 

I met four new people yesterday and three of them were named Bob. Unrelated Bobs.

I checked by inbox when I got home from work and there was an e-mail asking, "How is Bob _ _ _ _ _ _ doing?" I'm sure glad they put the last name! Bob number four had entered my day.


I write about diversity and the Lord gives me a day full of Bobs. All four Bobs in this story are about the same age, same size . . . they have lots of similarities! 


Your sense of humor is in full swing, Lord!


FUNNYYY!!!


As a result, I must add a few thoughts to yesterday's post.

We are all born with the same name . . . SINNER. We all need to be delivered from sin!  

 Jesus doesn't like sin. He hates it. Sin was the reason He had to go to the cross. It wasn't His sin, but ours. He died in our place so that we could be delivered from sin and have eternal life. We have no hope apart from Him.

He set the prostitute free from her sin. He forgave her. He delivered her. He loved her. 

He didn't condone her sin. He didn't become a sinner like her. If He had, he couldn't have been her deliverer. 

I think it would be wonderful if everyone in the world had the same NEW name . . .SINNER SAVED BY GOD'S GRACE!!!

Perhaps that is your name now. AWESOME! 

When we meet someone who does not have that new name yet,those who are trapped in the death-grip of sin, we should love them. Hate their sin, don't jump into it with them, but love them like Jesus does!  

It could change the world!!!

Your thoughts?


"The thief does  not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 NKJV

ps. Do you know Jesus as your savior? I would love to tell you more about Him. Please e-mail me at cheribunch@gmail.com if you have anymore questions. I'm praying for you!

                      The Color of Love

Fall, the  most beautiful of seasons!  Vibrant colors warm the heart and refresh the soul.

I wonder why it has to be so temporary? Why couldn't we have an ever-orange tree? Ever-red? I always look forward to this magical season. Perhaps that is the reason that the Lord made it temporary. It is good to have something to wait for, no?

My husband and I just made a long drive to Kansas and back to Kentucky again. This is the season to do that! It was glorious! 

It struck me that one tree by itself is so completely glorious, but many trees altogether is breathtaking.

The blending of brilliant color is amazing!  

Its true of us as well. We all have our own colorful personalities. Diversity makes life so interesting. 

We can be very judgmental, looking on with our views, and missing the beauty of someones perspective. We like people who are like us. We easily love people who think like thoughts . . . those with similar passions.

A teenaged girl told me one time that she didn't see things the way her parents did. She had her own ideas about life.  My response was, "You don't have to agree with them. The Bible says that you need to honor them."

And that is what I think we need to do with people. Honor them. Treat them with love. Be like Jesus. I don't think that He believed in prostitution but He caressed the heart of the one trapped in it, drawing her to a better place. He despised the sin she was in, but He demonstrated love and respect to her. Witnesses of this affection were appalled! "How could He?" 

He could because He knew somewhere inside of her was a hurting soul that needed to be delivered. His kindness led her to repentance.

Jesus and a prostitute! Now there is some diversity for you! 

Jesus wooed her to the way of right instead of hating her for being wrong. 

One thing that always amazes me about the stories in the gospels where Jesus is actively liberating sinners, is the fact that those in the picture who were judging were just as wretched as those they were judging. They had a sin of a different sort.They had desperate need of forgiveness, too, but they were unaware of their own wretchedness. Perhaps their sin was less visible. Or maybe they were just blind to it.

So what am I saying exactly? When it comes to loving, I think we should be like Jesus. Before we hate someone else for their sin, or their differences, we should examine our own hearts because we might be harboring some sin of our own and not even realize it. 

Our love for one another needs to be vibrant! We need to be patient, kind, loving. When we live like that, it makes the world a much more glorious place to live. Lord, help us! 

Your thoughts?

"This is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." 1John 3:11 NKJV