To my 2 readers. Please pray for the Haiti mission trip. We leave Friday at noon. When I return I will post pics and stories.
Thanks for spending time with me. See you next month.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Bead Addiction
I love beads. They make me happy. Beads come in virtually every color, medium, and texture you can imagine.
Glass and metal are probably my faves. Lately I've been on a pink & black kick. I like the different shades of pinks and greys together. There is something feminine yet strong in that color union.
I'm sure I like that combination because I want people to see strength when they look at me. However, I want any strength to be tempered with a grace and softness that makes me approachable.
This is an ongoing lesson for me, especially when it comes to my words. I pray that God will balance the pinks with the greys in my life.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
KO'd
I have been knocked on my backside with a fever for several days, but I am now back on my feet. I can't help feeling annoyed whenever I'm ill. What a nuisance.
This note is for the two of you that have read my blog. :o)
This note is for the two of you that have read my blog. :o)
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Seek & Find
Earlier today I was in my car running an errand on my lunch break. The errand was going to a bead store. In case anyone wonders, I do recognize the need for a 12-step program in regard to my relationship with bead stores. At any rate, I was driving and having a conversation with God.
I was asking God for guidance. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just general nudging. Without realizing it, I had turned on the radio. Static caused me to hit the “seek” button, and I landed on a station with a man preaching. I don’t know what station I was listening to, who the preacher was, or what church was represented. What I did know is that God was speaking and giving me a nudge.
The unknown preacher said he liked God’s childlike simplicity with us. He said God wasn't hiding from us, but that He wants to be found by us. Then he spoke a verse that goes straight to my heart. In Jeremiah 29:13 God tells us that if we seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him. He isn't hiding, but we still need to look.
It’s kind of like playing Hide & Seek with Josiah (3) and Luke (1) at church one night. Josiah would hide then Luke would stand in front of the hiding place. It was a beacon telling me where to look. Still, I had to pull the cushions off Josiah for him to be revealed and declare myself the winner.
God has given us a beacon leading right to Him. He is in His word and He's waiting for us, so tonight I won’t be sitting in front of the computer or the TV. I will be pulling open the cover to find Him and declaring myself the winner.
Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Matthew 7:7
I was asking God for guidance. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just general nudging. Without realizing it, I had turned on the radio. Static caused me to hit the “seek” button, and I landed on a station with a man preaching. I don’t know what station I was listening to, who the preacher was, or what church was represented. What I did know is that God was speaking and giving me a nudge.
The unknown preacher said he liked God’s childlike simplicity with us. He said God wasn't hiding from us, but that He wants to be found by us. Then he spoke a verse that goes straight to my heart. In Jeremiah 29:13 God tells us that if we seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him. He isn't hiding, but we still need to look.
It’s kind of like playing Hide & Seek with Josiah (3) and Luke (1) at church one night. Josiah would hide then Luke would stand in front of the hiding place. It was a beacon telling me where to look. Still, I had to pull the cushions off Josiah for him to be revealed and declare myself the winner.
God has given us a beacon leading right to Him. He is in His word and He's waiting for us, so tonight I won’t be sitting in front of the computer or the TV. I will be pulling open the cover to find Him and declaring myself the winner.
Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Matthew 7:7
Monday, February 4, 2008
Empty
I got in the car this morning and remembered I needed gas. The fuel gage was on E, so there was no escaping this chore before work. Being sick all last week, I had ignored the need to keep the needle above the ¼ tank mark.
What I thought would be a quick trip to Home Depot for gas developed into a test of patience and anger management. How one compact car has the ability to block two gas pumps is beyond me, but I assure you it is possible. That said, I had to pump gas in the rain because another less than considerate, motorist was also stealing more than his share of concrete.
But the test wasn’t finished. I managed many more delays before reaching work. One commuter train, two traffic jams, a complete standstill in a sudden downpour, and one stalled car (not mine) later I made it to the office. I was 20 minutes late but all was well – at least until I dropped my brand new sneakers into a mud puddle.
I would have yelled but I can’t speak. My vocal chords are blown. This fact, I am sure, is immensely humorous to anyone who knows me. To say I am a talker is like saying the Sun is warm. But as I sit here, the last thing I want to do is speak. If only I had continued with sign language. Maybe it is time to enroll in a sign language class and check that item off my list.
What I thought would be a quick trip to Home Depot for gas developed into a test of patience and anger management. How one compact car has the ability to block two gas pumps is beyond me, but I assure you it is possible. That said, I had to pump gas in the rain because another less than considerate, motorist was also stealing more than his share of concrete.
But the test wasn’t finished. I managed many more delays before reaching work. One commuter train, two traffic jams, a complete standstill in a sudden downpour, and one stalled car (not mine) later I made it to the office. I was 20 minutes late but all was well – at least until I dropped my brand new sneakers into a mud puddle.
I would have yelled but I can’t speak. My vocal chords are blown. This fact, I am sure, is immensely humorous to anyone who knows me. To say I am a talker is like saying the Sun is warm. But as I sit here, the last thing I want to do is speak. If only I had continued with sign language. Maybe it is time to enroll in a sign language class and check that item off my list.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Dust
(Written January 16, 2008)
Satan doesn’t get to win. I mean it. Really.
How many times have I said it?
It’s true. I know.
I know he cannot win the war. It’s the everyday battles in which he strives to add notches to his belt.
Exactly what constitutes a battle? Must it be a decision with diamond value? Can’t it also be a reaction or a thought with the significance of a speck of dust? Of course a diamond has value, but maybe we are overlooking the magnitude of dust.
One dust particle is meaningless. One slip of our attitude isn’t devastating, especially if no one else sees.
But what happens when dust accumulates? It’s dirty and can become unhealthy.
This morning I received an email with a piece of dust. It was a message telling me, once again, that the company liked my skills and experience but were choosing another candidate for the position.
There it was… a shoulder sag, slow blink, head shake, and weary sigh. I could almost feel defeat’s breath rustle my hair with a whisper, “Of course you didn’t get it. You are going to be stuck here forever.”
There is a thickness that forms in your chest just before your eyes well up. It is usually accompanied by a tingle in your nose as you realize tears are on the way.
Of course I’m not going to let that happen because I'm at work, so I won’t let a single tear escape. (Work being yet another temp job for which I reside between resentment and gratitude.)
Then I hear another voice and it tells me I am not stuck, and I am not forgotten. This beautiful voice tells me I have been chosen. It reminds me this will not last forever.
Suddenly my chin lifts and my eyes start blinking faster. Now I’m blinking back the tears of deliverance not defeat.
Father God thank you for remembering me and reminding me this is all but a blink of an eye.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass – he blooms like a flower in the field; when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known.
Psalm 103: 13-16
How many times have I said it?
It’s true. I know.
I know he cannot win the war. It’s the everyday battles in which he strives to add notches to his belt.
Exactly what constitutes a battle? Must it be a decision with diamond value? Can’t it also be a reaction or a thought with the significance of a speck of dust? Of course a diamond has value, but maybe we are overlooking the magnitude of dust.
One dust particle is meaningless. One slip of our attitude isn’t devastating, especially if no one else sees.
But what happens when dust accumulates? It’s dirty and can become unhealthy.
This morning I received an email with a piece of dust. It was a message telling me, once again, that the company liked my skills and experience but were choosing another candidate for the position.
There it was… a shoulder sag, slow blink, head shake, and weary sigh. I could almost feel defeat’s breath rustle my hair with a whisper, “Of course you didn’t get it. You are going to be stuck here forever.”
There is a thickness that forms in your chest just before your eyes well up. It is usually accompanied by a tingle in your nose as you realize tears are on the way.
Of course I’m not going to let that happen because I'm at work, so I won’t let a single tear escape. (Work being yet another temp job for which I reside between resentment and gratitude.)
Then I hear another voice and it tells me I am not stuck, and I am not forgotten. This beautiful voice tells me I have been chosen. It reminds me this will not last forever.
Suddenly my chin lifts and my eyes start blinking faster. Now I’m blinking back the tears of deliverance not defeat.
Father God thank you for remembering me and reminding me this is all but a blink of an eye.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass – he blooms like a flower in the field; when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known.
Psalm 103: 13-16
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