the real me....

The real me is a child of God.

Born…. And protected by God my entire life.

As a child my parents took me to church, chapel, vacation bible school, and they were involved in the church wherever we moved, serving and leading small groups and youth.  I had an excellent example! My dad had wanted to be a pastor, but God had a better plan for him.

One night as we left church late it was dark in the parking lot we ran to get to our car, my dad was away at work and it was just us girls, running in the dark.  “Whoooo” my mom said, as she rushed us to the auto, “we have to hurry we don’t want the boogie man to get us!”  “Oh my” I replied, “God will not let anything bad happen to us.”  My faith and the fact that a 5 year old would say it shocked my mom into calm. 

I grew and adjusted…. God continued to whisper into my ear… I listened. As a young child I was somewhat concerned that I would not confess my sin enough…so I prayed a lot.

At 14 I went to a Bible Camp in the mountains of Japan, there was an evangelistic speaker, Dr. Cook, who took us through the steps to salvation.  I had heard those before but for the first time I realized I didn’t have to continually ask to be forgiven.  I stood up and told my testimony to my group that I always knew God was for me and that I was saved but this was the way to find peace.

~~~ after 16 I had a heart break, a young girl with a broken heart is mad at everything, I turned away from God, and decided to do everything my way… It was a sad and confusing youth, the details that are not necessary to share…

One night at 19 years old, I was alone in my apartment, sad, worried, lonely, and self-evaluating….

I prayed for God to help me and told him I could not continue on my own because all my ideas had ended in more sadness and loneliness…  within a half hour, a couple of people knocked on my door and handed out a flyer for a new church that just opened up nearby… I knew this was the answer.  I attended and got baptized.

I continued to follow God and thought there were times of desert and times of full spiritual engagement… there was always God.

I have to say that in Christ is the way to peace… in Christ is the way to wisdom…. In Christ is the way to grow spiritual strength.

I think that there are times and seasons, for everything in your life… and there are spiritual gifts that sometimes show up when God needs you for them and then are not in your life for a while, or ever.  I have had many seasons and there are times I have had wisdom and times I do not… times I had discernment and times I don’t.  It goes on… and I know I am his.

A Study on the Movie "Eat, Pray, Love" and my own working out of grief.

Eat, Pray, Love Ha!

     When grief has got a hold, for any reason, a death, a broken heart, a broken marriage, weariness, or the death of a dream... it is.. more like this....
    It's cry, pray, eat or avoid eating, cry, pray, sleep or can't sleep, cry, pray, shop, shop, shop, cry, pray, hope or lose hope, cry, pray, grab loved ones or push them away, cry, pray, anger, cry, pray, bewildered, cry, pray, shop more,cry, pray, ...
     Find new life, still cry, and pray... stay stuck, cry, pray, Jesus, yes! Pray and ...find joy hiding, be confused and repeat above....
     I haven't read the book, I saw the movie.... when I do read the book I will have the right to criticize that, right now all I know is the bare bones of the story --- according to the movie.  In which a youngish wife leaves her husband behind to "find herself".  I found myself, my true self when I contemplated the same thing.   But my faith in Gods plan and knowing that I had to stay true to the promises I had made --- How could I trust another if I could not keep my own promises?  If I could run away from my life then all my new plans could fall apart too... All I knew ... Gods promises that he had a good plan for me even if I could not see the outcome it would be a good one.  I had to have faith.  It was a good life, it was the right thing to do. 
   I see in the movie she finds another to be her husband and puts her faith again in a man --- I still do not see how this new man will be any different than her first, could she not find herself and re-devoted her self to her marriage? 
     For me now I am free of such entanglement and I am now again on the launching pad of another adventure... something has to give... I have faith.  Big Breath! Jump In!!
     WHEE!!!!

with this group I Eat, Pray and Love...............................................................................................

Some thoughts I have had and have to keep re~learning.

Trials have no value or intrinsic meaning in the themselves... It is the way we respond to those trials that makes all the difference. J.E. Tada

My thoughts exactly..... as humans we tend to want to look only at our own hurts and either soak in the pain or lash out at others.

Both the the lamb (who soaks in pain) and the lion (who lashes out) feels the thorn prick each responds in an inappropriate way... for humans.

God wants us to "give him" the thorn and the pain and learn compassion for the experience or patience. Sometime the lesson is specific for us alone. We can either get bitter or better. Those around us will either suffer from our inappropriate responses or reap the added benefits from our learning our lesson. What a "better way" to learn how to, take care of another with pain, than have experienced it yourself.

Peace!

Flood ~ My Soul !

And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
Matthew 25:40

Your service toward those in need is your service unto God Himself. Don't endeavor to preach the Gospel; be the Gospel.




Nashville Flood Relief
If you're interested in helping with the relief efforts for the Nashville Flood, please visit here for more information on how you can be of service.

Trust in the Lord

A few weeks ago this Eagle landed in the trees in my yard....snap!

Today in my Daily verse, this email arrived.......

In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

~~~~~~>> Psalm 56:10,11 <<~~~~~~

Evaluate where you put your trust and what you allow to evoke fear. Be reminded that God is trustworthy and it is in Him who you should invest your treasure of trust.

Living a victorious life requires each of us to evaluate, inspect, observe, examine and dissect our own life. Prayerfully looking for ways we are defeated, ways we are lost, ways we are cowed into not fully enjoying the blessings God brings our way. I will not be a victim and I will grab all the joy and blessing God gives! I will rise on wings like an eagles! Amen.

Christmas is made of this ~ Love

And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10,11

For His sacrifice, let us be thankful. Let us celebrate the true meaning of Christmas as we endeavor to love as He loved and give as He gave.

Mano Con Mano ~ We did a lot of Sewing! 90 + Baby Hats

We had another Sew~A~Thon ! This time we sewed fleece newborn hats for the Mano Con Mano mission to Guatimala. About 6 of us from the Womens Ministry of the Christian Life Center in Freeland Washington got together on a sunny fall day. At the end of the day we counted over 90! Keep warm and healthy little babies! AMEN!

How do you spell Perseverance?

This is how it is spelt, not with letters and words or even works, but with every breath we take and every cake we bake (to quote a famous song). He is watching us... breathe in the day and ask for help...It arrives just in time. I recall those Eagles that swooped down, at just the last moment, and rescued Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings), they walked through it all and were kept safe and allowed to see the beauty of the new and the rising of the new sun in glory because they slept, ate and lived the word perseverance.

...but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.Isaiah 40:31 ~ ~ ~

In my opinion, one of the hardest things to do is wait. Be encouraged, though - God's timing is perfect so remember to trust Him and as you wait - take time to envision having renewed strength - running and not being weary - walking without feeling faint. The wait will be worth your while.

Endurance ~ Hope ~ Love and Peace

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:3-5 ~~~~~~
Read the passage again and let it soak into the deepest depths of your heart, mind and soul - and be encouraged.

Working on things....

Jesus said to him, Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
John 20:29 ~~~~~
Often times, seeing is believing, as far as us humans are concerned. Be reminded that even when you don't feel like you're tangibly seeing results of God's faithfulness, He is faithful - He can not deny Himself.
(from http://thedailyverse.com)

Many of you already know that I have experienced a shocking and sad event ... a life changing event and I am slowing returning to life myself.

This is my first attempt to reconnect with my old life...

I will write and explain more as time and energy allows...

Prayers work ~ Continue to Pray!

Thank you.

the Daily Verse

Some of you who are my regular readers may have found your way all the way down to the very bottom of the page where I post the "daily verse". A year ago or so I was searching for a devotional type of ~ something ~ some wisdom ~ so I could just open a mini study right here at my computer. Well after several attempts at it and not finding just the right thing either because of content or style. I found the "daily verse" and I signed up. Here is how it works, each weekday in my email I receive a verse with a little comment after it by the author. She always seems to pounce right on the very point of the verse, her comments are insightful and poignant in ways that cheer my heart and help me meditate on the love of God and his precepts. I hope that you will not miss the daily verse when you visit this blog ~ scroll down and check out what verse is there for you today.

Here is one I found so insightful, useful and it was just for me!

"So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:26,27

~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes we feel like we're running on a treadmill, getting nowhere, running aimlessly. As you step into today, consider discipline and control, and be intentional about where you're headed. Perhaps you don't have the strength to complete a marathon, but one step at a time, seek the Lord's grace, and draw from His reservoir of endurance. He will give you what you need to press forward. "

Service makes life Heavenly

Today in my in box I got this email from a friend. I don't know if she is the author or if she just took it from the internet somewhere, I am repeating it here because it is just that good....

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said.

"Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like."

The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, "You have seen Hell."

They went to the next room and opened the door.

It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long -handled spoons, but there the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, "I don't understand."

"It is simple," said the Lord. "It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves."

When Jesus died, he was thinking of you. Are we willing to share our spoon?

As I contemplate my next life ~ adventure ~ I am compelled to choose service to others rather than just self.

Cool.

Pearls of Wisdom Nugget of Truth ~ Part 1

The following is a list of important bits of Wisdom and great advice I have received or given over time…. These mostly work… I will be adding to these from time to time.. and updating those where I find tweaking needed….let me know if you have a pearl of wisdom or a nugget of truth, I will be glad to consider adding it to my list….


1 ~ Don’t put that in your mouth.
2 ~ Look for that at the Library.
3 ~ Think and Think again.
4 ~ WWJD
5 ~ A place for everything and everything in it’s place will keep you from losing things.
6 ~ Have your thyroid tested!
7 ~ The only thing you can change is yourself.
8 ~ Live well in spite of your difficulties.
9 ~ There is help just ask, the right person.
10 ~ The Golden Rule! It works!

Advice - take it or leave it your choice - as always.

This is the treat (Fruit Pizza) my teen daughter made for me as a welcome home from my trip to Waveland, Mississippi, relief.
The relief effort for those along the gulf coast has not finished and my trip last summer to help with the rebuild will continue to impact me for some time. I am truly glad I did go and I am sure those who went with me have the same feelings.

I sell my purses and other craft stuff at this amazing site called Etsy, see my shop at http://www.terryann.etsy.com/. And see these folk who are from that area and are trying to make a living and hang on to the life there. Help them out if you can.
AngleKisses
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5133426
jolieblonde
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5201767
midcitymosaic
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5186500
I put a few others in a couple of blogs ago….. scroll down and check those out too!

Well I have been doing some thinking about what I should write next and this is what I came up with…..I got this somewhere a while ago and it has stayed with me since……..….

Why Go To Church?

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this .! .. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!"When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, "Jesus, could you get that for me?"