Bible

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Praise Him in the storms.


Peace-Amid-the-Storm“I Will Praise You In This Storm” *Casting Crowns copyright

So many I know are going through long, on-going trials.  As I listened to Casting Crowns song (link above) I am encouraged to know that not only does He have a plan for these storms but that He never forgets we are down here struggling.

“I was sure by now God You would have reached down And wiped our tears away Stepped in and saved the day But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining”

She tends to his needs day by day while caring for others along the way.  His body crippled by Parkinson’s and other maladies, she longs for sleep and energy.  Racked with pain, her own body screams, for Him to intervene is her biggest dream.

“As the thunder rolls I barely hear Your whisper through the rain “I’m with you” And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away…”

The death of loved ones on both sides of the family has taken place. Tears of “it’s too soon, there was so much more to say” make their path down their face. Days they want back, words taken away.  If only they had just one more day.

[Chorus:] “And I’ll praise You in this storm And I will lift my hands For You are who You are No matter where I am And every tear I’ve cried You hold in Your hand You never left my side And though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm…”

His mind is not in the present, his body worn out.  They long for his suffering to end or for him to turn about.  The days are long, it seems it will never end.  He looks at them and tries to remember, “family or friend?”

“I remember when I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry to you And you raised me up again My strength is almost gone How can I carry on If I can’t find You…”

He’s lost his job, maybe his home. She’s working hard, the days are long.  Day in, day out … week in, week out … month in, month out … year in, year out.  Time is at a standstill for them; God made time for them, not for Him.

“But as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain “I’m with you” And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away…”

The trials and suffering for many seem to have no end.  The world we live in, the life we live.  God is in control, still on the throne.  He loves us and has a plan to work all things together for our good.

[Chorus] “I lift my eyes unto the hills Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord The Maker of Heaven and Earth.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB) “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

Psalm 121:11 KJV  “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from which comes my help.”

The Praise You In This Storm lyrics by Casting Crowns is copyrighted and Lights In The Storm is featuring it for non-commercial use only.
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Just LEAVE ME ALONE!


Have you heard those words …  from one of your kids?Leave-Me-Alone-I-Know-What-I-m-Doing-T-Shirts  How about from your spouse?  Maybe, you said them.    It’s a cry of , “I don’t want to deal with it.”  Sometimes we think ignoring something will make it go away.  Sometimes dealing with an issue is worse than the issue.  Kind of like the old saying, “the cure is worse than the illness.”

Matthew 8:33-34 NASB  “The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region.”

They were comfortable with their lives.  They did not want them interrupted.  Some people will not hear the Lord, because they are afraid of what they’ll have to give up to live for Him.   Many accept Him and then hold back parts of their lives, not willing to give up what is “theirs”.  Truth is, it’s all His … holding back just keeps you from getting what He has for you.

Are you comfortable with your sin?  Do you want God to leave you alone?  Deal with it now, because until you do God will keep nudging you.  He chastens you much like you do your children to clean up their room, do their homework.   You do so because it is good for them and because you love them.  God will keep after His children to mold them as they “grow up” as well.

Hebrews 12:6 NLT “For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

He loves each and every one of us.  He never stops loving you and will never stop loving you.  It is safe to turn over everything to Him, every little corner.  If you do not, you still have a toehold on your life, and so does satan*.  You will never be satisfied with your life as long as you are in control, and neither will He.

Is God satisfied with you?
*satan, devil – I know people capitalize the “S” or “D” but, I don’t.  I refuse to give him any status of importance.  He’s a snake, so satan, devil, etc. are lower case, as he is one.
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Happy New Year, Happy New You!


The New Year has come and I have a resolution …. to make no New Year’s Resolution.  In the 1960’s a popular saying rose up, “today is the first day of the rest of your life.”  I remember thinking, “duh”.  It was a saying born out of a rehabilitation program; another version of the Thomas the little engine’s chuggin’ “I think I can, I think I can.”   And another cliche’ repeated by mothers everywhere, “you can do anything if you put your mind to it”.   All are true in essence, but then life happens.  Statistics show 80% of us fail at our resolutions before the end of February.  I am sure one of the previous schools of thought gave way to the saying,  “the road is paved with good intentions”.

Happy New You!

Happy New You!

When I was a small girl I wanted to be a famous ice skater like the ones we saw each year in Holiday On Ice shows.  As I grew older I wanted to be a famous fashion designer.  I even looked at attending fashion design school.  Reality and practicality set in and I started college in the business department. When my father was diagnosed with lung cancer I dropped out of college for a semester.   With the circumstances at that time, I switched to a local community college and switched to an education degree.   I loved English, thanks to my high school senior English teacher, Miss Fields.  When I graduated I decided to go to Georgia Tech and study industrial management.   Dreams … I had them.  They just kept changing.

We all have dreams, plans for our lives.  Some have plans that were planned out carefully by their parents.  So many people graduate from college with degrees in fields they never enter.   Many never work a day in their ‘chosen field’.  There are so many perpetual students out there, always in school learning something, looking for something, needing fulfillment.   Deep inside we all have a hunger for something, a dream that needs fulfilling.  Many of us will never realize that dream.

Each of us are born with a purpose, a driving plan for our life, God’s plan.  Sometimes family, circumstances or even our own sense of purpose drives us away from His plan.  People dream of being rich, famous and think all of these will bring fulfillment for what they really want, acceptance and love.  It is so simple that many over look that all we need is His son Jesus in our lives providing that acceptance and love that is unconditional.  We are all loved by God.  Sadly, many never discover His love.  Even sadder is that many Christians forget He loves us unconditionally and walk through life defeated.  Are you running around looking for acceptance, that sense of purpose, that plan and totally missing His plan that is wrapped in His love?

Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NLT) “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

I can ice skate for my own pleasure (far from being good enough to be considered for an ice skating  job). I can sew and design and  made clothes for my girls and myself, costumes for school and church plays, and managed the fittings and alterations for 10+ years of choral and band programs.   I have used my business school experience to work in many jobs as an administrative assistant in my over 40 years of working.  I used my English studies  background to help many students, even though I never became an English teacher.  I used my industrial management training in the printing industry as well as my current management job at the bookstore.   I never quite ‘got there’ in any of the ‘dreams’ yet God had a purpose in letting me learn those things even though I never worked in a the field full time as a career.   Has my life been a failure?  NOTE TO SELF:  When things do not turn out the way you planned; when something goes wrong, no matter how bad,  THANK GOD for His plan and that He has one.  Ask Him to show you what you are to learn and which direction He is pointing you.

God’s plan, His perfect plan.   So many more blessings than if I had managed to follow MY plan.   I have been married for 36 years next week.  We have two beautiful daughters and three precious grandchildren (oh, and there’s those two son-in-laws too :-D).   The life that happened to me is filled with blessings and joys beyond my capabilities of dreaming.  I never fulfilled my plan, because God’s plan was the one I really had a desire to find, in my depths of my heart.  He reveals your true dreams down deep inside of you.   You just have to listen.

If you do anything this year, discover Him in you.  Allow His plan and not your own.  When that plan of yours falls through, thank Him and ask Him to reveal His plan.  Our failures are some of our biggest successes.  We learn from them and we learn to let God take control.  God’s plan is never a failure.  God takes everything to the best end.

Romans 8:28 (NASB) “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

LET GO AND LET GOD!  HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY NEW YOU!

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Do something, VOTE!


James 4:17 HCSB “So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and does nothing.”  I bet you thought  the quote, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”  by Edmund Burke was original.

I have thought long and hard about blogging regarding the election. I prayed, “Lord, if Billy Graham would just say something.”  He did.  After watching David Jeremiah I was thrilled.  But, today when reading this scripture in James I realized that every one of us as Christians needs to speak out, so I am taking to it my blog. 

I have one question:

One day you will stand before your Lord and explain what you did in regards to November 6, 2012, a day that will change America forever.  I am not being dramatic.  Everyone knows it is a crucial point in time for America.    The Lord will ask you, “did you vote for Me?”.  God is our creator … did you vote for Life.  God instituted marriage between a man and a woman, did you vote for marriage.

Maybe you felt the economy, foreign policy, medicare and jobs were more important to God? The truth is God, our Creator,  will not ask you about your economy, job, or health.  He will ask you, did you vote for ME?

As a parent, will your child look at you in the years to come and ask you why did you not do something when you could?

NOVEMBER 6, 2012 you can do one of three things.

1) Not vote, not get involved

2) Vote against God’s word.

3) Vote according to God’s word.

Don’t let satan* block you, deter you or convince you that your one vote won’t make a difference.  Then, call someone and convince them to vote.  No matter HOW long you have to stand in line, VOTE for God, He spends a lot more time on you then an hour in line.

November 6, 2012 DO SOMETHING, VOTE! 

*satan, devil – I know people capitalize the “S” or “D” but, I don’t.  I refuse to give him any status of importance.  He’s a snake, so satan, devil, etc. are lower case, as he is one.

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“GASP” Oh, no! What just happened?


GOD: “Oh, no.  How did We let that happen?”

JESUS: “I don’t know Father, I thought You knew!”

HOLY SPIRIT (looking at the Father and Son in His reflection): “Don’t look at Me, I am always the last to know!”

….. (silent pause as I allow you to contemplate the above conversation.)
RIDICULOUS! Right? Of course it is.  Yet this is the way so many live their lives.  No matter what you are facing today, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are not looking down out of a window of Heaven and gasping, “how did that happen”.
God knows.  He’s in control.  He’s still on the throne.  He cares for you, loves you.  He wants the best for you.

Jeremiah 29:11 (HCSB) “For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Romans 8:28 (NLT) “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Are you facing your “RED SEA”… walls of “water” rising up on all sides?  Do you trust the dry land that God has put in front of you?  Are you trying to back up?  Afraid to go forward?  Looking over your shoulder?  Did you hear God gasp, “what happened?”

As you reflect on your circumstances, what have your “actions” been speaking?  So many times we act as if God gasped when we came to our “Red Sea”, just like He did not know what was going to happen, or what is happening in your life.  We kick and scream like He’s not there.  We act like we are not going to make it,  or we cannot make it.  We revert back to lack of trust and forget to move forward based on what we learned in our last circumstance.  Can you trust your Lord?  Will you wait on Him?  He is going to answer because He has the answer, He has the plan.

The people of Israel had to go through the Red Sea (Exodus 13:17 – 14:29 ESV)  They had to trust; praying on the go… actions to their prayers.  What did they learn?  What will you learn at your “Red Sea”?  Will you have to be taught the same lesson over and over again?  God will continue to teach the lesson until you learn it .. He’s very patient.