Friday, April 30, 2010

Take Goliath Down

by Max Lucado

Goliaths still roam our world. Debt. Disaster. Dialysis. Danger. Deceit. Disease. Depression. Super-size challenges still swagger and strut, still pilfer sleep and embezzle peace and liposuction joy. But they can't dominate you. You know how to deal with them. You face giants by facing God first.

Focus on giants—you stumble.


Focus on God—your giants tumble.

You know what David knew, and you do what David did. You pick up five stones, and you make five decisions. Ever wonder why David took five stones into battle? Why not two or twenty? Rereading his story reveals five answers. Use your five fingers to remind you of the five stones you need to face down your Goliath. Let your thumb remind you of ...

1. THE STONE OF THE PAST

Goliath jogged David's memory. Elah was a déjà vu. While everyone else quivered, David remembered. God had given him strength to wrestle a lion and strong-arm a bear. Wouldn't he do the same with the giant? A good memory makes heroes.

"Remember His marvelous works which He has done" (1 Chron. 16:12). Catalog God's successes. Keep a list of his world records. Has he not walked you through high waters? Proven to be faithful? Have you not known his provision? How many nights have you gone to bed hungry? Mornings awakened in the cold? He has made roadkill out of your enemies. Write today's worries in sand. Chisel yesterday's victories in stone. Pick up the stone of the past. Then select ...

2. THE STONE OF PRAYER

Note the valley between your thumb and finger. To pass from one to the next you must go through it. Let it remind you of David's descent. Before going high, David went low; before ascending to fight, David descended to prepare. Don't face your giant without first doing the same. Dedicate time to prayer. Paul, the apostle, wrote, "Prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long" (Eph. 6:18 MSG).

Prayer spawned David's successes. His Brook Besor wisdom grew out of the moment he "strengthened himself in the Lord his God" (1 Sam. 30:6). When Saul's soldiers tried to capture him, David turned toward God: "You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble" (Ps. 59:16).

Invite God's help. Pick up the stone of prayer. And don't neglect ...

3. THE STONE OF PRIORITY

Let your tallest finger remind you of your highest priority: God's reputation. David jealously guarded it. No one was going to defame his Lord. David fought so that "all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's" (1 Sam. 17:46-47).

David saw Goliath as a chance for God to show off! Did David know he would exit the battle alive? No. But he was willing to give his life for the reputation of God.

What if you saw your giant in the same manner? Rather than begrudge him, welcome him. Your cancer is God's chance to flex his healing muscles. Your sin is God's opportunity to showcase grace. Your struggling marriage can billboard God's power. See your struggle as God's canvas. On it he will paint his multicolored supremacy. Announce God's name and then reach for ...

4. THE STONE OF PASSION

David ran, not away from, but toward his giant. On one side of the battlefield, Saul and his cowardly army gulped. On the other, Goliath and his skull-splitters scoffed. In the middle, the shepherd boy ran on his spindly legs. Who bet on David? Who put money on the kid from Bethlehem? Not the Philistines. Not the Hebrews. Not David's siblings or David's king. But God did.

And since God did, and since David knew God did, the skinny runt became a blur of pumping knees and a swirling sling. He ran toward his giant.

Do the same!

Let your ring finger remind you to take up the stone of passion.

One more stone, and finger, remains:

5. THE STONE OF PERSISTENCE

David didn't think one rock would do. He knew Goliath had four behemoth relatives. For all David knew, they'd come running over the hill to defend their kin. David was ready to empty the chamber if that's what it took.

Imitate him. Never give up. One prayer might not be enough. One apology might not do it. One day or month of resolve might not suffice. You may get knocked down a time or two ... but don't quit. Keep loading the rocks. Keep swinging the sling.

David took five stones. He made five decisions. Do likewise. Past. Prayer. Priority. Passion. And persistence.

Next time Goliath wakes you up, reach for a stone. Odds are, he'll be out of the room before you can load your sling.

From Facing Your Giants
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2005) Max Lucado

Thank you God for sending me this message and for another day and for knowing how to use a gun.
Amen

Friday, April 9, 2010

Tender Words to the Tired Heart

by Max Lucado

Brook Besor. Don't feel bad if you've never heard of the place. Most haven't, but more need to. The Brook Besor narrative deserves shelf space in the library of the worn-out. It speaks tender words to the tired heart.

The story emerges from the ruins of Ziklag. David and his six hundred soldiers return from the Philistine war front to find utter devastation. A raiding band of Amalekites had swept down on the village, looted it, and taken the women and children hostage. The sorrow of the men mutates into anger, not against the Amalekites, but against David. After all, hadn't he led them into battle? Hadn't he left the women and children unprotected? Isn't he to blame? Then he needs to die. So they start grabbing stones.

This could be his worst hour.

But he makes it one of his best.

David redirects the men's anger toward the enemy. They set out in pursuit of the Amalekites. Keep the men's weariness in mind. They still bear the trail dust of a long campaign and haven't entirely extinguished their anger at David. They don't know the Amalekites' hideout, and, if not for the sake of their loved ones, they might give up.

Indeed, two hundred do. The army reaches a brook called Besor, and they dismount. Soldiers wade in the creek and splash water on their faces, sink tired toes in cool mud, and stretch out on the grass. Hearing the command to move on, two hundred choose to rest. "You go on without us," they say.

How tired does a person have to be to abandon the hunt for his own family?

The church has its quorum of such folks. Good people. Godly people. Only hours or years ago they marched with deep resolve. But now fatigue consumes them. They're exhausted. So beat-up and worn down that they can't summon the strength to save their own flesh and blood. Old age has sucked their oxygen. Or maybe it was a deflating string of defeats. Divorce can leave you at the brook. Addiction can as well. Whatever the reason, the church has its share of people who just sit and rest.

And the church must decide. What do we do with the Brook Besor people? Berate them? Shame them? Give them a rest but measure the minutes? Or do we do what David did? David let them stay.

He and the remaining four hundred fighters resume the chase.

David and his men swoop down upon the enemy like hawks on rats. Every Israelite woman and child is rescued. Every Amalekite either bites the dust or hits the trail, leaving precious plunder behind. David goes from scapegoat to hero, and the whooping and hollering begin.

And what about the two hundred men who had rested?

You might feel the way some of David's men felt: "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man's wife and children" (1 Sam. 30:22).

A Molotov cocktail of emotions is stirred, lit, and handed to David. Here's how he defuses it: "Don't do that after what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and given us the enemy who attacked us. Who will listen to what you say? The share will be the same for the one who stayed with the supplies as for the one who went into battle. All will share alike." (30:23-24 NCV)

Note David's words: they "stayed with the supplies," as if this had been their job. They hadn't asked to guard supplies; they wanted to rest. But David dignifies their decision to stay.

David did many mighty deeds in his life. He did many foolish deeds in his life. But perhaps the noblest was this rarely discussed deed: he honored the tired soldiers at Brook Besor.

Someday somebody will read what David did and name their church the Congregation at Brook Besor. Isn't that what the church is intended to be? A place for soldiers to recover their strength?

If you are listed among them, here is what you need to know: it's okay to rest. Jesus is your David. He fights when you cannot. He goes where you cannot. He's not angry if you sit. Did he not invite, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest" (Mark 6:31 MSG)?

Brook Besor blesses rest.

Brook Besor also cautions against arrogance. David knew the victory was a gift. Let's remember the same. Salvation comes like the Egyptian in the desert, a delightful surprise on the path. Unearned. Undeserved. Who are the strong to criticize the tired?

Are you weary? Catch your breath. We need your strength.

Are you strong? Reserve passing judgment on the tired. Odds are, you'll need to plop down yourself. And when you do, Brook Besor is a good story to know.

From Facing Your Giants
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2006) Max Lucado

I started crying...I must be tired as well.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Now this is an opinion I have not heard before----but I tend to believe...

Jesus came to find us
March 25, 2010
... no one seeks for God.
-- Romans 3:11

Do you realize that religion doesn't seek the one true God? That may surprise you, but it's true. Religion is nothing more than man's frail effort to create God in his own image.

But while religion is man's quest to be like God, the Christian faith is about God's search for man! Isn't that amazing? This is what separates Christianity from the world's religions. Luke 19:10 says, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

So when someone says, "I found the Lord," in all honesty, they didn't. The Lord found them! You and I were lost and he came looking for us. And he found us and loved us and made it possible for us to be forgiven of our sin.

Now some people resent being judged as sinful. And if you feel this way, pay close attention, because this is the very part of our nature that rebels against God. But Romans 3:23 clearly states that, "all have sinned and fall short of God's glory."

We are lost without him and doomed to be separated from a holy God. But in his endless love, God sent a Savior to find us and to pay the ultimate price for our sin.

Don't let your pride stand between you and eternity with our loving heavenly Father. Repent and turn from your sin and begin to follow Jesus today!

"ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF GOD'S GLORY."

Sunday, March 21, 2010

"Long my imprisoned spirit lay

Fast bound in sin and nature's night,
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light.
My chains fell off, my heart was free
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee."

---Charles Wesley

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Daily Inspirations from christianity.com

Soil vs. Dirt
by Glynnis Whitwer

"But still others received the seed that fell on good soil. They are those who hear the message and understand it. They produce a crop 100, 60 or 30 times more than the farmer planted."Matthew 13:23 (NIRV)

Devotion:
Being raised in the Arizona desert, I have a different approach to planting than folks in other parts of the country. This was pointed out to me clearly when I was in the beautiful and lush state of Oregon a few years ago.
Some friends and I were discussing the Bible story about sowing seeds and reaping a harvest. I made a comment about planting seed in dirt. "Actually," one of the ladies replied kindly, "seed gets put in soil."
I smiled, and said, "Maybe here it does, but in my part of the country, we've got dirt."
We laughed about that, but it's true. In many parts of the desert, in order to plant, we need to break up the dirt and replace it in part or in total, with good, nutritious soil. This soil is created with lots of additives, or brought in from somewhere else, like Oregon. Without healthy soil, our fruits and vegetables are only a poor reflection of what they could be.
Sadly, our hearts can sometimes be compared to hard dirt, resistant to the truth God longs to plant in it. When a seed of truth is presented to a hardened heart, it is not easily received or embraced. There might be an initial acceptance, but no long term change or "fruit."
Jesus told a parable recorded in Matthew 13 about those who hear the truth, and what they do with it. In the story, some of the hearers did not benefit from the good seed because their "soil" wasn't ready for it. As I read that parable, and considered the hard desert dirt, I wondered if there is any way we can soften hard hearts.
I believe the Bible, and the natural world, give us ways to do just that. Like planting in dirt, the first step is to break it up. We can break up the hardness of our hearts by asking God to search us and reveal the hard places. The psalmist asked God to do this in Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my thoughts; And see if there be any wicked way in me..." (ASV).
Then we can bring healthy "soil" in to those places. For example, if God reveals there is unforgiveness in your heart, mix in God's truth about forgiveness. You might memorize Luke 17:4, "If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him" (NIV).

Finally, keep your heart "watered" so it doesn't harden again. Jesus declared that He was living water, and that when we believe in Him, streams of water will flow from within (John 7:38). This water is the Holy Spirit, who lives in us when we believe and keeps our hearts receptive to God.

I believe God longs to bring many believers into a more mature and vibrant faith, but hardened hearts keep us from growing. Having a heart receptive to truth is an important part of living a life that's productive and used by God. We may have lots of dirt in the desert ... and our hearts ... but where God's living water is, there is always an orchard ready to grow.

Dear Lord, thank You for making a way for even the hardest heart to soften. Help me see the areas of my heart that are hard like dirt. Please replace those places with healthy soil so that Your truth can produce a harvest in my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010


For finding this yesterday

For Time Spent with Kelly & Holly Sunday

That there is actually a prayer called Intercession

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

1st spring buds on a tree

flowers pushing up out of the cool wet earth

listening to the water sounds of a fountain with my eyes closed

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Regaining Focus

Thankful for regaining my focus

Have lost focus on my art, which is my soul connection to my God, my Holy Spirit.
I came across a favorite book of mine, it never fails to inspire me and makes me long to be in my creative mode.

To me, Art...it is like breathing...I must or i can't go on

"What is the basic nutrition for the soul? Well, it differs from creature to creature, but here are some combinations. ... For some women air, night, sunlight, and trees are necessities. For others, words, paper, and books are the only things that satiate. For others, color, form, shadow, and clay at the absolutes. Some women must leap, bow, and run, for their souls crave dance. Yet others crave only a tree-leaning peace." (Women Who Run W/Wolves)

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Today

Today I am grateful for cardinals.
I listen to them sing to each other almost every day at work.
They have a special song. They make me happy
I am grateful for yellow paint.
While making posters for work, i'm using yellow, and it reminds me of spring.
I am grateful for my friends who call just to check on me.
Thats love.

Monday, February 15, 2010

I'm Learning

In an email to me, my son said this:

"May we not limit God to our idea of Him.
May we trust in his limitless power, rest in His love for His children, and share this love with others bring Glory to His name!"


how cool is that

so true, i forget all the time and limit my God to my idea of Him, which in my mind isn't very big.
I'm learning...

Acceptance

And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.

When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.

Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake.

unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy.
I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.

(BB, pg.449)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Thank you God for blowing on that oscillation over Greenland that has been repeatedly sending snow and cold and suffering to our area.  I thank you for the cold temperatures so that there are fewer flies this coming year but we are all worn down, disheartened, and sickly from the pounding.  Since Washington DC got 3 ft of snow, does this mean that Hell finally froze?  that Congress will work for their constituants as they are intended?  I pray it is so.

Thank you God for putting Mary in my life.  I had never gotten to meet a truly gentle spirit in all the days i have walked the earth in this lifetime until she came into my life.  Her posts have been so kind, patient, and genuine!  I am inspired by her honesty.  Thankfully pruning dead limbs do not hurt and I pray you prune us when the sap isn't running to those live ones that need to be removed to achieve true spiritual growth.

Thank you for protecting me and showing us all the things we need to know---whether we want to see them or not.  With truth, we can not be deceived later on.

Yours truly,
Lori

Walk in the woods

Friday, February 12, 2010

I am grateful Kelly is safe
she gave me a scare for a few days, but its turning out ok
i think she wants to move back to missouri soon
back where people love her

grateful Jimmy, Holly and I went to movies and hung out and had some laughter
no matter what, laughter breaks everything

Rule # 13
you cant be depressed and laughing at the same time

grateful that i have a variety of friends, that if i was ever in a jam or needed anything at all, i have people I can call
am thankful for friends in my life, whether they know it or not

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Like a tree, I must be pruned of a lot of dead branches before I will be ready to bear good fruit. Think of changed people as trees that have been stripped of their old branches, pruned, cut, and bare. But through the dark, seemingly dead branches flows silently, secretly, the new sap, until with the sun of spring comes new life. There are new leaves, buds, blossoms, and fruit, many times better because of the pruning. I am in the hands of a Master Gardener, who makes no mistakes in His pruning

Tuesday, February 9, 2010




Thank you for
the exquisite beauty
fragrance of flowers
and knowing spring is right around the corner

(original photos by mary)
The lifeline, the line of rescue, is the line from the soul to God. On one end of the lifeline is our faith and on the other end is God's power. It can be a strong line and no soul can be overwhelmed who is linked to God by it. I will trust in this lifeline and never be afraid. God will save me from doing wrong and from the cares and troubles of life. I will look to God for help and trust Him for aid when I am emotionally upset.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Thankful for
Lori's Chicks

Thankful for
Song "Grateful" -Hezekiah Walker

Thankful for
"I need you to survive" Hezekiah Walker~ I need you, you need me.
We're all a part of God's body.
Stand with me, agree with me.
We're all a part of God's body.
It is his will that every need be supplied.
You are important to me, I need you to survive.
You are important to me, I need you to survive.

I need you, you need me.
We're all a part of God's body.
Stand with me, agree with me.
We're all a part of God's body.
It is his will that every need be supplied.
You are important to me, I need you to survive.
You are important to me, I need you to survive.

I pray for you , you pray for me.
I love you, I need you to survive.
I won't harm you with words from my mouth.
I love you, I need you to survive.
(Repeat 6x)
May the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
Be pleasing to You
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer

~from psalm 19~

Friday, February 5, 2010

Lori,

we aren't damaged
i believe we were wounded
by the soul sickness of this sinful world

we walk out of the darkness
into the glorious light
we are chosen
we have been called

His unending love, mercy and grace shower us
we are His masterpiece
we now come confidently and boldly into His presence

listen to this, the most beautiful words I've ever heard
i can hear it with my inner hearing
in my heart of hearts
my soul had been searching for this truth
it was spoken to me almost everyday for months
and then I finally heard

so now i must tell you

"When I think of all this, i fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and earth. I pray that from His glorious unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit.
Christ will make His home in your heart as you trust in Him.
Your roots will grow down into Gods love and keep you strong.

And may you have the power to understand how wide, how long, how high, how deep His love is.

Ephesians 3:14

(that is some beautiful poetry)
Ditto Mary's post God.
Is it ok to be me, or not?

Didn't you make us?
Trust is difficult for those of us who are damaged.

Love you,
Lori

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Dear God,

it's ok if i don't know the answers
it's ok if i dont understand
it's ok to just be me

cause you got it covered
right?
Dear God,

Please whisper

"Blue Springs"
Blue Springs
Blue Springs

to Glory
Dear God,
Thank you for the incredible relationship and long conversations I have with my son, Jim Jr.
He is so amazing to watch and his love for You is contagious.
Thank you for Kelly, letting me into her world on a daily basis. I know you already do, but please walk close with her. Hold her hand, or send her a league of guardian angels. You put people in our lives for a reason, please put someone in Kellys path who has a soft, loving heart. Keep her safe in your arms. Draw her close to your heart. I miss her very much
Dear God,
Thank you for guiding the baler into the shed without damaging it or the shed!  Thank you too for keeping them reminding me to do it.  This out of sight, out of mind mode my brain has gotten into is very frustrating.

Thank you for getting that bonfire roaring even though things out there just weren't that dry.

Thank you for releasing the lawnmower so i could park it in a better place!

I'm so glad you helped me get ready for the next bout of weather.
Please help me get the chicken houses fixed and get those girls in a healthy place.
Thank you,
Lori

Monday, February 1, 2010

Dear God,
Thank you for taking single digits out of the forecast!!!! My horses and i greatly thank you!!!

Thank you for giving me email and the internet to connect with the outside world.

Thank you for telling Nick he needed to talk to me so i do not go crazy.  His knowledge and humor are always tremendously appreciated.
Yours,
Lori

Friday, January 29, 2010

Thank you Father that you allow your grace and mercy to flow and cover me each day. I would be lost w/o you. Every where I turn I am reminded of you and this keeps me going along with everything that you have done and given up for me so that I can show your love to others.
Thank you for blessing me so that I can be a blessing to others. As you have told me to be in your word and in our alone time together. I am in awe of you and all that you do and have done.
Thank you for another day to seek you and follow you. For things that seem hard and difficult and take me out of my comfort zone so that I may grow, rely, lean, and trust more in you. Not in myself because I know that I will make a mistake but thru you I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Dear God,
I love your sense of humor.
Thank you for showing me that glaring character defect today we have been working on together.
Omgosh, the joke is always on me. You crack me up how that works out.
His laundry, seriously? I think you have a slightly twisted sense of humor, but then so do I. That's what made it even more funny. Yes, I will be obedient to your word.
Your loving daughter,

Monday, January 25, 2010

God, thank you for not giving me children that i must bury.  My prayers go out to my cousin Karen and her husband John who lost her youngest son Matthew early this morning.
Alicia was gifted with a liver transplant.
Whoever reads this, Please hold her and her family up in prayer.
Mary's (not me) friend is dying of cancer. She makes her mashed potatoes to eat because its all she likes. I thank her for sharing her story with me. I am so deeply humbled. It put me right back in my place. We hold them up in prayer.
Watching her walk in life gives me such a deep appreciation for my life, the people in it, and how precious life really is.
How much I take for granted.
Heavenly Father, Thank you for never letting go.
No matter what or where I may wander, you never let go.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Dear God,
Thank you for showing me places where my pride and ego stand in the way of my relationship with You. Thank you for lessons i have learned in that. Thank you for showing me the fear & self~centeredness that keeps me away from you. It isn't pretty to look at. I will practice keeping my eyes on only you, pointing my heart to only you Lord Jesus, my Father and Savior. I invite you into every area of my heart and life.Please use me where I am.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Thank you God for giving me the gift of 'gab' even though i do not seem to show it in my letters to you. 

Thank you God for giving me the strength to turn away from those I would gladly engage in a fight based on their treatment of me in previous days.

Thank you God for sustaining us and showing me windows even though I know i can not jump through them at this time.  Those windows show me a possible future that i feel i do not have at many times.  However, those windows show me hope, which at many times i do not have.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Grateful

God I am so grateful for the conversations we have with our friends and family... I am grateful for the lessons that are learned from one another as we speak to each other.. I am grateful that when we are talking to one another, we also speaking to ourselves as well.
I am grateful for relationships (marriage, friendships, my sisters and brothers and the children)
God bring people together to help us see Him in each of us in a godless world ....to reassure his existence..our purpose for his plan....
I am grate for each and everyone God places on my path....

I'm grateful for my daughter LaToya and God working things out in her life.... and for the people that God has place in her life.
I thank God that these people show Latoya how much they care about her... And them being very sincerely..
I am grateful God is deliver her out of things that have held her captive for years .I thank God for answering prayers in his timing and not mine / ours ...I'm finding His timing is perfect and he knows best....

I ask of this to you my sisters..

If God is for us who can be against us ... These battles are not ours they are the Lords ... The victories have already been fought and won when will we act like it ???? When will we walk in our victories Jesus gave his life for us those that believe in him ....
Jesus being sacrifice was made just for you and I so that we may be made whole ....
Let's make Jesus our Lord and Savior one and only living God who loves us and cares for us all unconditional .... He wants very best for us ....that is himself Jesus is the only way .. The one and only living God ... He do not want not one of us to be separated from him for eternity... So if you have not except Jesus as your lord and Savior over your life ... And or if we slip and fall short He is always there to forgive us. Just ask him into your heart....and receive in your heart as Lord and Savior ... Amen

All of these things I am grateful for ..I love each and everyone of you..
Continue to be blessed as you bless others , LaTanya

Sunday, January 17, 2010

My Father I thank you for my mom, who constantly is supporting and watching out for me.You knew that she is the one person who gets me even when I get an attitude with her. She still showers me with her love.
Thank you Father for revelation to come and guidance while I go through trials and temptation and even when I don't go through them and everything seems to be going well.
I am thankful God that you answer my prayers as they line up with your word and will/plan for my life.
I am so grateful for the people that you allowed to cross my path,whether it be through physical interaction or through the web. Each person helps me to grow and my prayer Father is that I continue to be a blessing.
Thank you God for giving me such a beautiful farm to grow up on and live now.
I pray i can continue to keep it and please help me to see your way in this and all things.

Thank you for all the wonderful, vibrant horses outside who support me and give me butterfly kisses when i'm feeling down.  i pray i can continue to keep them as well, in a manner that they should be kept.

Thank You for my chickees who show me such love, even when their situation is not what i think it should be.  Please give me the strength and wisdom to take care of them in the manner they should be.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Thank you for a sense of humor and my sister Lori
I Love her

Friday, January 15, 2010

Dear God,
I am grateful for television that educates us and expands our imagination.
I am grateful for central heat and air.
I am grateful for my cats, even though i curse them at times, because of all the love they show me and the help they give.
Thank you,
Lori
Thank you God for sending your Son to earth.

Thank you God for connecting with you and your serenity when I do creative things!

Thank you God for still being amused by and caring for your Children all these many, many years.  A few days to you, BUT millions to us.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Today I Choose to Walk In Faith

I really found it difficult to accept todays pains & anxieties with a degree of serenity, as those more advanced in the spiritual life seem able to do, I give thanks for the lessons of today anyway.
Today I choose to walk in faith, some of it mine and some of it borrowed, to draw closer to God as it seems thats where he wanted me all along anyway.
Thank you for the kind words & love spoken to me today, it was music to my heart.
Thank you God for the time & flow of creativity to finish the violin painting.
Thank you Father for clarification of your will for me. That you have me in the palm of your hands and my ways are not your ways.
Thank your mercy and grace that you shower upon me constantly. Leaving me in awe of you.
Thank you for sending me guidance so that in this lost world,I know who I can turn to, call upon and harken @ your words.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Iam so thankful Father for the strength that you gave me to get through my PE class.Thank you for your grace that abounds towards me. I know that it is not by my works,nor power that I am able to do anything but by your grace! I thank you for giving us examples/ situations that others have gone through,I know that you will bring me out. I just have to meditate day and night on your promises so that I am not moved by what I see but stand fast on who I know and trust!
Thanks for the new lady you sent tonight, I got to tell her to hang on tight, God will do for us what we can't do for ourselves. I saw myself and where i used to be, Thanks for bringing me all this way
For seeing Alicia, she is waiting for a liver transplant
For seeing Tim, he made it thru his liver transplant
They are miracles, we are all miracles
Dear God,
I am grateful that the Sun is shining today!  I imagine you are smiling at me during one of my most fearful days.

I am grateful that my aunt threw away such a valuable violin.  I hope someone out there will find it on Etsy and treasure it as a masterful work of a Carpenter!

I am grateful to Mary for starting this blog site so that each day, as bad as I feel, I must recollect and remember just how blessed you have made me.

Love,
Lori

grateful

I'm grateful for true/ real Christians.. I am grateful for christian music and how the different messages speaks to me / my situation ...it help me to think / relaxes ... I'm grateful for time of reflection ...see/ search within to see what needs to be changed within ...the desire of wanting / the need to be a better person... To help someone other then self....
Be a Blessing not just being Blessed , LaTanya

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Thank you for the funds Father to go to school and pay bills. I know that if it was me trying to do it on my own I would be stressed beyond measure trying to figure out what to do. I know that I have to trust you and follow what you have placed on my heart regarding my finances.
I thank you that I have transportation to go places that I need to go. Even if it costs to keep it maintained, you provide the funds through my job.
Thank you for the warm weather that we have been experiencing here. It is amazing! Not having to worry if the car will start because of the cold weather. Even if it was really cold I place my trust in you that it will start. I cast all of my cares and worries onto because I know that you can handle them.
Dear God,
Thank you for the red cardinal on the fence this morning. I was so happy to see him.
I listened to his song and was very moved.
Thank you for my heating pad for my sore muscles.
Thank you that its enough to be right where i am today. I don't have to do or be or say anything extra so you will still love me. You love me no matter what.
Thank you Moog for providing me the ability to stay home during these trying times in my life.

Thank you for continuing to pull me back from the Darkness when it latches onto me.

I am grateful we live in a free country where only you dictate our Future.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Thank you Father for giving me the strength to endure everything that comes my way, the confidence in knowing that as long as you have good thoughts about me. It does not matter what others think. I am serving your will and not others.
I am sooooo grateful that my father and brothers will serve you. Mom and myself are standing in agreement on your word that we have whatever we asked for in the name of Jesus and that you are faithful to provide. Because you said we have not because we ask not.
This beautiful morning Father was soooo amazing and you created it just so I could stop and thank you for your beauty. So that I keep putting myself in rememberance of your love for me and never doubt you. I am soooo humbled and honored that you call me your own, your daughter.

Grateful 1/11/10

Today I'm grateful for the people God places in our lives not really knowing why but as time passes clarity comes ....
I'm grateful for the things that God has created , like the sky , trees , the birds , stars ..as I went about my day I realize the beauty that surrounds us that we take for granted ...
And I'm grateful for time , that allow us to think things through ...
Dear God,
I sincerely Thank You for opening the door to restore my relationship with my daughter Kelly.
I am humbled by the fact that in my greatest weakness I am finding your strength.
Thank you for showing me that the purpose of turning the light on the darkness inside of me is to set me free. And the beginnings of the words to voice that out loud. I can't wait to be rid of it so it's your light that shines. Thank you for loving me.
Thank you God for imbuing me with patience even though you know i have never possessed that trait as a normal characteristic.

Thank you God for bringing into my life such supportive friends even though i am not out in Your World to meet them myself.

Thank you God for teaching me things happen on your timeline, no one else's.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

I am grateful for everyday that God gives me that is anew ...the want to make better choices then the day before ....I'm grateful for God allowing me to see my past mistakes that allows me to make better choice next time I'm faced with an issue .... I'm grateful that God allows me to see that it's not just me my choice affects but that they affect those that are around me as well which makes me want to make better ones ....it makes me to want to do better and want better for myself and others.... My life is to be lived according to God's ways .... My life is not my own and shouldn't be lived out in such ways ...... I thank God for each one of you..... love you all , LaTanya
Father I thank you first and foremost for breathing life into me so that I can continue to do your will that you have planned for me.
I am sooo thankful for your patience with me, even though I make mistakes or even allow things to take my focus off you!
You always always always send someone to cross my path to bring my focus back on you.
Whether it be from my sisters, a message from Joel, Creflo or Mac and even through a song.
Thank you for my sisters!
Thank you Father!
Thank you God for healing and protecting me to see another birthday!
Thank you for keeping mom physically able to care for herself.
Thank you for breaking the cold snap so my horses don't hurt and I will be able to better care for them---this heatwave is a wonderful birthday gift!
Thank You God for opening my eyes this morning. For the longing placed in my heart to seek you in all things for this day.
Thank you God for this winter white sparkling blanket of snow. For even tho it is cold, it gives me time to completely stop and learn to be in this very moment in time.
Thank you for winter, as the bears hibernate, I too slow down and feel you working beneath my inner surface, in the realm that does not walk in this world.

I am forever in awe of His beauty

Saturday, January 9, 2010

I love the clouds Mary
They are sooo beautiful
It just makes you stop and think of God's beauty