From the Oregon Coast.... :D

Everyday Hero

Hello, dear ones! I heard through the grapevine that maybe one or two of you missed me. :D I'm sorry I've been gone so long; I've got lots of thoughts brewing, but sometimes it takes me a LONG time to get a photo to go with it, or to get my thoughts to flow cohesively. :)

So I'm here today. And I want to tell you about a friend of mine.

We've never met in person. But I know she loves God with all her heart. No matter what her circumstances, she serves other people.

How do I know?

For one thing, she is passionate about ministering to the children of Haiti. She's gone on at least two mission trips (forgive me if I've forgotten earlier trips!), and her love for them and her desire to show them God's love is evident in every word she posts, every photo she shares.

For another, I have physical proof. Let me share some of what she wrote me:

I saw your FB (FaceBook to the uninitiated! :D) post about your theater friend needing clothes. A day before that, I had tried on the blue dress and was thinking about making it into a skirt. I love the material and print.... But then the Holy Spirit nudged me - I have enough skirts. Someone might need a dress. Then I read your FB note!....
Anyway, because of what God spoke to me about in Haiti concerning giving...and what the Holy Spirit prompted me about last week, I am sending these [clothing items] on to you for your friend or someone else in need....

Dear ones, I'm not going to tell you WHO this person is - she knows, and she would not thank me for "outing" her, because of the things God is teaching her about giving. :) But I want you to be AWARE of people like my friend, and AWARE of your surroundings. And that still, quiet voice of the Holy Spirit.

Many of us don't have much in the first place. But we can still give of ourselves, our time. Honestly? It's easier to throw money at a problem and go on about our lives than it is to invest of ourselves in "a problem" - that "problem" has a face, a heart, a LIFE. When you feel the tug of compassion, listen a little closer. What does GOD want you to do? I urge you, sisters and brothers, to LISTEN to Him. Take the time to let Him speak - don't just tell Him what you want. Be still, and listen. Let Him love you.

(Hmmm. This post took an unexpected turn, but someone needs it! :D)

Be blessed, dear one. Know that the King of kings loves YOU. And hopefully, it won't be so long when I come back. :D

What's your duck?

A dear friend sent me this last week, and I've been wanting to post it. So, here it is. :) Be blessed, my dear friend, and consider what your duck might be!

Here’s a great story by Richard Hoeffer:

A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot.
He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. He went back to
Grandma’s back yard, where he spied her pet duck. On an impulse he took aim and let
fly. The stone hit. The duck fell dead. The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead
duck in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all,
but she said nothing.

After lunch that day, Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.” But Sally said,
“Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn’t you, Johnny?”

And she whispered to him, “Remember the duck!”

So Johnny did the dishes.

Later Grandpa asked if anyone wanted to go fishing. Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I
need Sally to help make supper.” Sally smiled and said, “That’s all taken care of. Johnny
wants to do it.”

Again she whispered, “Remember the duck!”

Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing.

Several days went like this: Johnny was doing both his chores and Sally’s. Finally he
couldn’t stand it. He confessed to Grandma that he had killed the duck.
“I know, Johnny,” Grandma said, giving him a hug. “I was standing at the window and
saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you
would let Sally hold it over you.”

The question is: What’s your duck?

How much MORE!

I really hope you'll click on the picture today, and really soak in both the picture and the Scripture. Go ahead. I'll wait for you!

::::::::: watching dogwood sway and listening to windchimes:::::::::::

Isn't this an awesome thing? Let me give you another illustration for what God's saying here!

I LOVE tulips. I love almost any flower, but there's just something about the shape and incredible multitude of olors that tulips come in that I just love. They're one of the first flowers of spring, too, and I love watching them grow and POP UP! :) It's amazing - there can be nothing there one day, and the next they're in full bloom!

ANYWAY. :) Last time Dad was out of town, I wrote him a note to tell him how much I appreciated his planting so many. We have over 400 bulbs out there! I know it's because I love them so much. I know he doesn't get a chance to appreciate them too much when he travels - Kenn sends pictures, but it's just not the same as being able to watch them wave in the breeze!

You know what my dad wrote back? "I hope they help you know how much you're loved."

Wow. My dad plants tulips JUST BECAUSE HE LOVES ME.

Dear one, God does the same thing - He CREATED those tulips because He loves me. And if He'll give me beautiful tulips in the spring when Dad plants them, just THINK what other good things He wants to give me!

This passage says He'll give me as much of the Holy Spirit as I'll ask for. We all-too-often forget the Holy Spirit when we talk about God. He's IN me now - but how often do I allow Him to guide? Do I LISTEN to what He's trying to tell me? Do I follow His tug to do this or that?

I'm learning. I'm a living sacrifice, after all - and that means I tend to crawl off the altar when I'm not focusing. But I want to get my SELF out of the way, and let GOD shine through my life. I want HIM to get all the glory. As I follow His leading, it gets easier. But I can still get unfocused - my prayer is that I continue to lift my eyes to Him, and not look at things around me that distract me. The more I fill my vision with Him, the less I get distracted.

How's YOUR vision, dear one? Are you looking to Him for your sustenance? Is He your Guide, or just your emergency rope?

The MOST excellent way!

Hi, sweet reader! Thank you for coming to visit today; whether it was by your design, or by "chance", I'm glad you're here. I want you to take a walk with me, down a Roman road.

We're just going to stroll down this road together; there are some "sights" I want to point out to you. Don't stop reading! Just get to the end of the path with me. :)

It's a beautiful spring day! Can you hear the birds, and feel the breeze - and see the buds on the trees? Look at that beautiful fruit tree that's full of blossoms ahead!

Here's the first thing I want to show you! It's Romans 3:23: "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." That's ALL, my friend. NO ONE can save themselves. We were born into sin.

But that's not the end of the road!

This stop is a two-part stop! Look on this side:

Romans 6:23a "The wages of sin is death..." We all will die a physical death. But we don't have to die in our sin - that is not only a physical ending, but a spiritual ending you need to understand we all DESERVE. There is nothing we can do ourselves that can make us righteous.

But look at THIS side of the stop!

Romans 6:23b "...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." It's a GIFT!! It's free!! God offers it to you and me, to save us from that sin and from the spiritual death that goes with it. But you do need to receive it.

Let me tell you a story that will illustrate this really well. I used to be the only non-family member of a company. One of the three families involved was REALLY, REALLY disfunctional. I mean, WOW!! So the dad is NOT a nice person at all, but his sons tried SO HARD to get his approval. One year they were feuding badly, but the younger son still wanted to please his dad; he gave him Christmas gifts, came and put them on the dad's desk. THEY SAT IN A CORNER, UNOPENED, all year. The son gave the gifts, but they weren't RECEIVED - the dad ignored them, left them unopened, unused, and neglected.

Let's keep walking! This is a beautiful road!!

Here we are!

Romans 5:8: "God demonstrates His love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!"

Oh, dear one, do you HEAR that??? God is outside of time; He sees all time at a glance. And while He was looking at our sin - YOUR sin, MY sin - He knew He wanted to give us that precious Gift. Jesus paid the ultimate price for our gift! He died for us, so we could be saved! Eternal life in God's presence. His presence is so sweet here on Earth - I can't WAIT to be able to see Him face-to-face!!!!!! And it's available to YOU - all you have to do is ASK!

Oh, look! It's Romans 10:13!

"Whoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Anyone can receive this gift! There's no "I'm not good enough" or "I need to straighten up my act first". God will meet you WHERE YOU ARE!!!! Just ask Him!

Oh, here's the last stop on this road. Isn't it beautiful?

Romans 10:9-10: "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

Oh, how LOVELY this stop is. Do you see how EASY it is? God hasn't made a lot of hoops to jump through. There's not a physical torture test, or a decathalon to compete in for this prize.

If you've been down this road before, isn't it a sweet place to visit? To be able to thank God for His incredible, awesome GIFT? I hope our walk today reminded you to praise Him for it!!!

If you've never been down this road, and you've heard Him offering you His precious gift today, you might be wondering what the next step is.

Just talk to Him! We call it "praying", but it's really just having a communication session with The Most High. :) He wants us to talk to Him!!! You can simply tell Him something along this line:

Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I know that has kept me separated from You. I ask You to forgive me of my sins; I want to repent (that just means "to turn 180 degrees" from the way you were going), and ask You to help me walk the way You want me to. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and that He rose from the dead and is alive today. I ask that You become my Savior, and Lord of my life. Thank You! Amen.

Did you know that when you said that prayer, Heaven threw a party for you?!?!??!?! The angels REJOICE over EACH soul that receives the Gift!!!!

I'd like to rejoice with you, too! Please email me, or leave me a comment, and let me know so I can - and so I can pray for you, too! The next step is to find a good church where you can learn more about the decision you made, and start to grow and learn about this new life!

Praise God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. Dear one, He rejoices over YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Epiphany

Yes, it HAS been a long time. God gave me this post to share with you about two weeks ago, and making myself sit down to do it has not worked. :) So, I'm going to attempt it now. I really have a feeling that someone besides ME needs(needed) this post!

Please go click on the picture above, and read the verse. Let it soak in. Then come back.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::waiting::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Welcome back! Did you HEAR what the verse said?

Well, let me tell you what I heard from God concerning this verse! :)

Haman was doing just fine, having come from the FIRST banquet with the King and Queen of Persia. That is, until he OBSERVED Mordecai.

Now, let's take a look at that word. Here you go, straight from Webster's Online:
1: to conform one's action or practice to (as a law, rite, or condition) : comply with
2: to inspect or take note of as an augury, omen, or presage
3: to celebrate or solemnize (as a ceremony or festival) in a customary or accepted way
4 a: to watch carefully especially with attention to details or behavior for the purpose of arriving at a judgment
b: to make a scientific observation on or of
5: to come to realize or know especially through consideration of noted facts
6: to utter as a remark
intransitive verb
1 a: to take notice
b: to make observations : watch

That 4a is the one that applies here. Haman HATED Mordecai with a PASSION. As most of you reading this know, that hatred fuels the whole book of ESTHER.

Haman had to look with this INTENT at Mordecai, to be ABLE to observe. He took his focus from the joy of being Haman, and started to look at the places he lacked - namely, Mordecai's lack of acknowledgement, in this case. Haman wasn't complete when he looked at Mordecai's contempt for his power.

Dear one, when we take our eyes from where they're supposed to be - fixed on the finish line, on our Lord and Savior - and start to observe our circumstances, not only do we not see the whole picture, we start to judge ourselves, others, and our situation in our own sight. If I start looking at what is - or ISN'T! - going on in my life right now, start taking a look at what seem to be insurmountable obstacles.... Well, let's just say that I would cover MY head, too, and run up, crawl into bed, and NEVER come out.

In MY sight, if I observe the circumstances, I can't go on.

If I keep my sight fixed on God, I cannot observe anything but Him. I can't get distracted and distraught by things beyond my control, that are actually there to help me grow in Him. Good or bad, circumstances are there. They change constantly. GOD DOESN'T. He's bigger than ANY circumstance I am under - or IMAGINE myself to be under. God is sufficient for ALL my needs. He is my Rock, my Strength, my Strong Tower. There is NO OTHER. Period.

Dear one, please let these Scriptures encourage you!

2 Corinthians 4:17 - 18:
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Hebrews 12:1 - 3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Be blessed, my dear friend. Let us determine together to fix our eyes on Him. All things will pass away, but the Lord endures forever! PRAISE HIM!!! Lift your song to Him, PRAISE HIM, REJOICE ALWAYS. Not only will you lift your song, but your HEART will be lifted. Sometimes praise is a sacrifice, but it is one that God will acknowledge and honor - and you'll be lifted up, too!

I love you. I care about you! I want to share your struggles. I know I've been a bit absent lately; February and March have been super-busy with Stampin' Up!, and I've been doing an AWESOME Bible study on Esther - it's Beth Moore's new one. If you get a chance to take it, DO SO. You WILL NOT be sorry. I knew the story backward and forward, up and down, inside and out. But the life application stuff that's there I never saw for myself. Such good MEAT.

Oh, sweet sister, I want to encourage you SO much. God is so good. His mercies are new, EVERY morning. He is faithful! Let Him love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's MONDAY! :D

Hello, dear friend! HOW ARE YOU??????????? Have you had a good LONG weekend??? What did you get to do?

Our Sunday was absolutely WONDERFUL again. :)

I had a hard time getting up, so it's a good thing that we go to the late service normally. :D But I'm looking forward to going to church every week! Believe it or not, I'm actually enjoying the long drives; it gives us a chance to catch up, and to be together. To hash things out, to laugh or to set things straight.

Church was WONDERFUL. We're on week 4 of the holiness series - I think servanthood is next, and that's a subject I really enjoy, so I can't wait! :D

ANYWAY. Pastor Ronnie spoke again this week. His text was Isaiah 6:1-8. "I saw the LORD...high and exalted." His reaction wasn't YIPPEE, aren't I special! :D It was "WOE UNTO ME!!!!!!!!! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips!!" In His presence, you don't look around and boast about how much better than someone else you are. You look at yourself - His perfectness and His light expose how DIRTY you are. I don't know about you - but I've felt that way during worship. I am SO unworthy to be in His presence - but HE MAKES ME CLEAN!!!!!!

All it took for Isaiah? An angel to touch his lips with a hot coal from the altar. It doesn't say it hurt, have you noticed? You know what I think (at this moment, anyway:D)? I think it DID, but NOTHING can overcome the overwhelming presence of the KING. There was so much more in the sermon, too - I can't even begin to fit it all in!!!!!! My heart overflows when I think of how much He loves me - so much that He sacrificed His Son so I could be in His presence!!!!

And you know what? The angel told him, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's what JESUS did!!!!!!!!

The next thing that happened?? God looks for someone who will go for "Us" to His people. Isaiah doesn't say, "I'm unworthy." Oh, NO. He's been ATONED! He says, "Here I am!!!! SEND ME!!!"

When God's love and redemption illuminates your heart, you don't spend precious time feeling unworthy. Oh, NO, dear one. You are equipped, THROUGH HIM, to go. GO!!!

And that is an INCREDIBLE segue to something I wanted to tell you about - thanks, God! :D

My dear friend, Kellsi, is in South Africa. She's a nursing student at Bellmont, and is an INCREDIBLE young person. They have a blog going for their trip; I'd really appreciate it if you'd visit, read, and encourage them with a comment! Most importantly, PRAY FOR THEM. They're in the middle of a dangerous area. So, GO HERE to read and thank God for these willing young people!!!

OK, so I'm still not caught up with everything I wanted to talk about, but I'm praying HARD about a subject I really feel the need to talk about. So, I'll be working on that the next couple of days.

Thank you for not giving up on me! :D I AM here, but this summer's been MUCH busier than I thought it was going to be - this week is SLAMMED, and my sweet baby sister is going to be here for a few days, too! :) HI, KELLI!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I'm going to run now - I have to go update my other blog, teach a class tonight, and have dinner with my wonderful husband. OH! So, anyway, after church, we went to a Japanese restaurant and had California rolls and some yakitori for me, veggie tempura for him. :) Then, we stopped at Providence Marketplace on our way home, and used a coupon at Marble Slab Creamery (buy one, get one 1/2 off!) and had ice cream together. It was a WONDERFUL day! :D

Anyway. LOL!!!! YOU ARE BLESSED, dear one!! Oh, gosh, I just thought of another topic to blog about. I type about 75 wpm, but I just don't have the time in my days to tell you everything I wanna!:D

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!!!! They re all around you! Did your little one give you a kiss this morning? Did your husband say thank-you? Did you see a beautiful flower, or get a laugh from something you read? God is a God of the little things, too, dear one. Little things are the moments you'll remember tomorrow. LOOK.

SOOOOOOOOO blessed!

Have you ever felt so generally blessed that you couldn't put it into words?? That's how I've been feeling, ALL week. God is so awesome. He's blessed me businesswise in the past week, churchwise, and I'm just BLESSED. I have a wonderful husband who works hard to try and take care of me, I have wonderful friends who also protect me :) and who love me and laugh with me and praise God with me.

So, I have some challenges in my life. Don't we ALL?? Would we trade ANYONE'S burdens for our own? Nope, didn't think so. And you know what? Those challenges don't change who GOD is. They don't change His holiness, righteousness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or mercy! They may change ME - will I choose to use self-control? To allow Him to grow those awesome Fruit of the Spirit in me? To pursue holiness? Sure, it may STINK to be where I am at any given moment. But am I going to allow God to use it to GROW me?????

Wow. Not sure where that came from, but I think one of you must have needed to hear it, too! :)

OK. I didn't post yesterday - it's time to SHARE!!!!! What did YOU learn, either in church, Sunday school, from your private study, or from watching someone on TV? What is God saying to YOU???

We're continuing the series on HOLINESS at our new church. You know, if you'd like to hear any of our sermons, they're available online to download! Here's the link to the site! :) The series is the first three sermons at this point. A lot of GOOD HOLY WORD STUDY going on! It's making me thirsty again, my friends. I am sooooooooooo grateful!!!

Now, then. :) It's your turn! Share!!! And here's a picture for you to meditate on. :)

I can't wait to hear from you, dear one. God LOVES you. He's seeking YOU, He wants to know YOU face-to-face. Can you hear Him?

Happy Thursday!

Good morning, dear friends! How are you today? It's rainy here today, kind of gloomy - the BEST kind of day for snuggling down into your bed and sleeping all day. :D Is that what I'm doing?

NO!!!! :) I've already taught one class today, and have another this evening - so I'm having to be alert and oriented. ;D

Please go read this post from Lysa:
http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/2008/05/still-holding-hands.html

Now, come back and tell me: are you as CONVICTED by her post as I am? It's SO hard for me, in my relationship with Kenn, NOT to keep a record of wrongs. There are days when it all piles up, and I just want to scream ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then something comes along, like Lysa's post, and I am so convicted I can't sleep. Do you struggle with this in your relationship, too? Has anyone found an EASY way, or even a way that works for YOU, to forget those wrongs????? It's not even BIG ones that I have trouble with. It's all the LITTLE ones. LOL! As women, I really think this is something that is difficult for us. So, I'm asking you to pray for me. Talk to me; am I the only one who's struggling with keeping no record of wrongs?

HAPPY RESURRECTION WEEKEND!!!

God is SO good!! Enjoy your family, your worship, and your celebration of the greatest Gift ever given to man!

BACK TO NORMAL!! :D

Hi, everyone! I'm so sorry I've been MIA for so long; last week was difficult, with the family here AND things going on in real life. I am here now, so let's share! :)

Sunday shcool yesterday was about being faithful through hardships, using Jacob as an example. We talked about lessons you learn, etc., when walking through hardships.

Church was AWESOME! We had a Messianic Jewish pastor speak about Passover - his church is in Israel, or I know we'd be attending there! :D It was truly insightful, and he was passionate about Christ. We're getting the CD to listen to, because there was so MUCH meat to chew on we didn't get each piece in the first listening! :) His passage was Luke 12:12-19. If you'd like to read the passage, here's a link. :)

First of all, he said that the label for that passage is incorrect, because some of it has been mistranslated. He talked a bit about the festivals in Leviticus, and about how Passover shows the need for death for redemption. He was VERY scornful of celebrating Easter, because it IS a fertility celebration to Ishtar, the goddess of fertility. It's interesting history of the church - read up on it sometime. (I already knew this. :D) I've always felt that way, too, but part of the thing I see in most contemporary churches is a lack of history of both the church itself and the Jewish heritage.

He also spoke about true worship, and why we are supposed to worship. He did some research: the top 10 churches in America aren't teaching about GOD, they're teaching what God can do for YOU, how to feel better about yourself, and be blessed. TRUE WORSHIP is about worshipping HIM because He's worthy. Not because we're grateful - which is also important - but because HE is worthy of ALL praise, honor, and glory. Period! How long has it been since you worshipped, in spirit and in truth? Sometimes worship is an act of obedience - but out of that act can come TRUE repentance, joy, and a true understanding of our UNworthiness - and even more gratitude for His grace and mercy!

ANYWAY. :D I'm going to have to wait until we get the CD to tell you the direct translation of some of the words - what a benefit to KNOW the languages of the Bible!!!! - but that the cries of the people in verse 12 were greeting Jesus as the person who would throw out the Romans. Here's what REALLY struck me: the rabbi said that if you ask ANY rabbi how many Messiahs there are, they will tell you TWO: the humble servant Messiah, and the triumphant, victorious Messiah - and that they believe that, with prayer and petition from His chosen nation, Israel, God will choose to SKIP sending the servant Messiah!!!!! WOW, talk about walking in blindness. How He must grieve!!!

Jesus's response to their not understanding who He is was to quote back the verse in Zech. 9:9, with ONE twist - and you'd never notice, if you didn't really study BOTH passages!!! JESUS said, "FEAR NOT"! Zechariah says REJOICE GREATLY!!!! Jesus was acknowledging that He came to fulfill Scripture, but at the same time telling them that He was not who THEY wanted him to be, and was NOT coming to defeat the Romans. But they didn't understand it, didn't want to - and the disciples didn't, either.

I'll share more when I get the CD and listen to it again. It's REALLY insightful!!! Such good, basic MEAT of the Word!!!! I don't know about you, but SO OFTEN I wonder what the ORIGINAL word really meant, and what the author REALLY meant. :)

SO. What did YOU learn yesterday?? What is God revealing to YOU???? Share!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE! :D

Have a blessed day, dear one. You are SO precious to Him!!!!! Worship Him! :)

They are STILL here! :D

Hi, everyone. My family is STILL here. Things have been detoured in Georgia for the past few days, so they're here. It's a houseful, and I think they're tired of being bored. :) It's difficult when everyone doesn't have their own space - but I think it's gone well. God is good. :)

We had a difficult time at Sunday school yesterday; the lesson was on Esau again. It was the stuff going on outside of the lesson that was difficult. I'll write more when I get a chance, and get my own feelings and thoughts sorted out. I ask you to pray for Kenn and for me. I promise to sort of explain later. :)

OK, I'm off. I have a class to go teach tonight, and another workshop tomorrow night. :) Plus show stuff to tend to - life is CERTAINLY busy around here right now. :)

THANK YOU for being faithful! I appreciate you, my friend, and I'm grateful that I can ask you to pray for us. May you be blessed beyond measure today - and may you pass that blessing on!!

It's SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!!

I SO love the snow. Right now, most of my enjoyment is coming from watching ALL the birds outside; there are dozens of them!

So. Today is supposed to be when I go to the movie with my friend. I didn't tell you! When we arrived on Friday, the times had been changed for the weekend - and Julia had to be at home for her grandkids as a special time. So, we went to Lifeway Bookstore - the new one in Providence Shopping Center in Mt. Juliet - and then to Panera for lunch. We had a good time - Julia is a wonderful person. :) So, anyway, we're supposed to go to see the movie today, but it's still snowing. I'm not sure if Julia's going to feel comfortable enough driving or not. Regardless, I have an invitation for lunch with another friend if the movie doesn't happen, and I need to go to a customer's home to show her how to do a project she bought the supplies for. Phew! A lot to fit in! :)

Here's another picture, just because I wanted to see if you could spot all 7 birds in it. :D

I wanted to respond to some of your comments, because I haven't done so in a while. Not because I don't CARE, but because things have been kind of wierd.

So. Here we go! :)

This one's from Sparrow - her blog link is to the right. This is the least-spiritual thing she asked me. :D She said, "What crafts will they be making at your church?"

What we do is have a "Craft Night" every second Friday at our church. We all bring our own supplies, and work on whatever we want. Most of us scrap or stamp, but we've had knitters and crocheters, too, and women who just need to get out of the house for some other adult female company come to visit. :) We go for six hours; there are several of us who do it the whole time, but you're free to come and go! If you live in the area, we'd LOVE to have you come - just email me for more details! :) It's FREE!

Nancy - whose blog link is ALSO to the right! :) - said, "Very fun stuff! I think I need some of those shoes. Everyone says they are the epitome of comfort. How are you feeling and how is your glucose level holding?Still praying for that."

I do LOVE my Crocs. I was kind of hesitant at first; Amy gave me my very first pair of Crocs for Christmas a little over a year ago, and they are textured on the bottoms. My feet are VERY sensitive to what I walk on; the wrong kind of socks can bother me! But I LOVE Crocs. I now own three pairs - the two Amy got me, and one pair of black Mary Janes Kenn let me pick out when we were in Oregon last May. I love them - and rarely wear any other kind of shoe!

I'm feeling a little better than I did yesterday; it's that time of the month, and not only do I have the regular mood swings, but it does affect my blood sugars. So you can pray for poor Kenn. :D

My glucose levels are doing really well! I can tell when I haven't done what I know I should, and there are still times when my bod does whatever it wants, but overall, I'm very happy with where I am - as opposed to six weeks ago! :)

Thank you for caring, and for praying!!!!!!!!! That means SO much to me!

One more before I go get busy. :) This one is from my local friend, Lori P. She says, "I really wish I could have heard the sermon but I was helping in the preschool and I really like doing that also. So for me yesterday was learning about Abraham and how he listened to God. It also put a whole new spin on sacrifice. That word is used too loosely. I can tell you that everyday I am in worship I find myself being more and more patient on waiting for God to show me what he has in store for me. For me, that is not easy so it shows me that I grow from hearing the message over and over. I hope that makes sense."

It sure does, Lori. I agree; we do use the word "sacrifice" too loosely. Webster's Dictionary says that a sacrifice (n) is destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else. The verb definition: to suffer loss of, give up, renounce, injure, or destroy especially for an ideal, belief, or end. And that's the secular use!

God sacrificed His son for us. We say we sacrifice for Him, but what have we REALLY sacrificed lately? Ourselves should be the answer - but one of my favorite points to make is that living sacrifices tend to crawl off the altar often....

I hope maybe you've found something fun, or interesting, or thought-provoking today. :)

Know I love you! Time to jump in the shower, and get ready to be a social butterfly in one way or another. :)

GOD LOVES YOU!!! Enjoy His blessings today!

Did you miss me???

Lori P. contacted me to make sure I was OK. :) Thanks, Lori! I appreciate your concern.

But I'm fine. I have been SUPER-busy the past two days. After the men finished the flooring in my bedroom, Mom and I painted - and then Kenn & I rushed off to meet up with some friends who are in town from Oregon.

Yesterday was spent putting everything back in the bedroom, trying out new furniture positions, etc. And finishing sorting my clothing - I got rid of about half of what I had! - and organizing my closet again. Phew. Was I ever tired!!!!!!

Then last night, we had a general membership meeting for the theater company we do a lot of work with. Kenn and I are co-directing the next show, OUR TOWN, and tryouts are this Sunday & Monday - so it was important that we were there. We got to see our budget, and you can pray that this show is as successful as it has potential to be; the theater company needs to have a good turnout, or we'll be in trouble financially. Kenn & I have already done something to make it a little easier for the show to turn a profit, and we've sent out audition notices to about 200 people ourselves, so we're really trying. It's going to keep us busy for a while, that's for sure!!!

Anyway. I'm here! :) Yes, the diabetes thing is still up and down, but I'm still plugging away. I have a specialist appointment this coming week, and I'm going to discuss some changes, for SURE. :) (The photo is sugar-free pudding. Don't you just love creamy chocolate anything? LOL!)

Today is SHOW & TELL FRIDAY, so I'll be thinking about what I want to share and do so later.

Right now, I want to start a discussion about GRACE.

What is your personal definition of grace? Not some platitude you heard from someone else, but how YOU define it. Go ahead, think about it.

Ready? Have you defined it for yourself? I'm still thinking....

Grace is OFFICIALLY defined as "unmerited favor". But what does that MEAN?

God's grace is incredible, ladies. I'm sure you've seen this:

God's

Redemption

At

Christ's

Expense

But WHAT DOES THAT MEAN???

The infinite, perfect, all-knowing, all-seeing God of the universe loves ME. He loves me enough that He sacrificed His perfect Son as a blood sacrifice for me. Because He loves me, He FORGIVES me. He has allowed me to be covered in that blood, so He sees me as able to come into His presence. I'm FORGIVEN, SANCTIFIED, and BEING MADE HOLY because of His grace. I could NEVER earn His favor. He GIVES it to me.

SUCH a hard concept to understand for a lot of us!!!! I'll be talking more about GRACE in the next few days; I think it's an important concept to at least try to understand - not only God's grace to us, but our responsibility to extend grace to others. And to be brutally frank about why we have a hard time both accepting and extending grace.

So, let's discuss! :) What's YOUR definition of grace? Do you have a hard time accepting grace - or is it something that you never really think about?