It's been too long. :)

Please forgive me for seeming to drop off the face of the earth where this blog is concerned. I think I've kept in touch with most of you personally. I started this blog to be able to communicate about the daily struggle of being a Godly woman, and haven't posted in two months! I do ask your forgiveness. I lost my message for a while - but then, I realized, we ALL do sometimes. Sometimes God changes our message, or we refuse to listen to the message He wants us to share (as a wise woman admitted in her study last night at church!:D)

So, I might as well jump right in with a tough subject, right? :D

I've been feeling lately that I'm sleepwalking through my personal walk with Jesus. Let me tell you what I mean, and I hope you'll share whether I'm crazy :D, whether you've gone through something like that yourself, or whether something in your spirit is testifying the truth of what I share.

I read my Bible. I read devotionals online. I read REALLY great stuff that's being written by my friends and contemporaries.

I pray. I pray with my husband. I pray throughout the day. I do devotions with my husband.

I listen to praise music. I sing praise music - and worship music. I sit in stillness and try to listen.

I minister. I help my friends. I give them tough love and we have real communication about what God wants.

And some days, it's GOOD. Some days, I feel GREAT about where I am, what I'm doing, and what God's using me for.

And yet.

There are MORE days when I don't feel like I'm moving. When I feel NOTHING. When I know God is moving, and moving ME, but I'm not being MOVED. Does that make sense?

Like I'm sleepwalking through when I should be WIDE AWAKE. Like I'm not engaged in what God is doing to me or through me.

Or is that the way it's SUPPOSED to be? Am I being a vessel, poured out and used by Him?

So tell me, dear one. Does this strike a chord for you? Which do you think it is? And can you give me some Biblical backing for what you think?

The picture of the cat, above, is one I dearly love. I took it in Kalama, WA, outside a little restaurant. It's one of the prettiest places that's not directly on the ocean that I know of. :D This cat was sleeping on the handrail outside the restaurant. He wasn't phased by ANYTHING or ANYONE. He was content, comfortable, fed, and on his own turf.

But I don't want to be found SLEEPING. I want to be awake, alert, and AWARE. So talk to me!!! :)

Sharing with you!

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. ~ Philemon 1:7

Good afternoon, dear friends! The above photos are several years old, but they all show a little bit of who I am. Daughter, friend, wife, aunt, stepmom - we all wear SO many different hats during the same day!

This email was sent to me several weeks ago by a dear friend. It touches me in a different way every time I read it. I hope it awakens something in you!

Quilt of Holes
Author: Unknown

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt

before the Lord along with all the other souls.

Before each of us laid our lives like the squares

of a quilt in many piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our

quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.

But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the

pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was.

They were filled with giant holes.

Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had

been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in

everyday life.

I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.

I glanced around me.

Nobody else had such squares.

Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled

with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune.

I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened.

My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together,

threadbare and empty, like binding air.

Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the the scrutiny of truth.

The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries.

So filled their lives had been.

My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise.

My gaze dropped to the ground in shame.

I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes.

I had love in my life, and laughter.

But there had also been trials of illness, and wealth,

and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it.

I had to start over many times.

I often struggled with the temptation to quit,

only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again.

I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life.

I had often been held up to ridicule,

which I endured painfully,

each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin

beneath the judgmental gaze ofthose who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth.

My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was.

I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light.

An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around me,

at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.

Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me.

Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ.

Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes.

He said, "Every timeyou gave over your life to Me, it became My life,

My hardships, and My struggles.

Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you."

May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowingChrist to shine through!

Good afternoon!

How are you doing, dear friend??? I know it's been a while; real life is sooooooo busy for us in the fall - between photo sessions, craft fairs, and classes, I end up wiped out. :) But that's the season for me. I take December off, so I can enjoy friends and family without being SICK the entire month, and to enjoy the quiet winter mornings, the twinkling lights, and a hot cup of tea any time I wish. :)

What season are you in right now? Is it a busy season for you? Do you feel like you're chasing your tail? :) Or are you in a fallow season, wondering what God has for you next?

He's told us there's a season for everything! No worries. Keep chasing after Him, and He will lead you into each and every season, every activity you're to do! Be sure to consult Him, THEN your calendar, before you add something new! :D

My stamping business is keeping me SUPER-busy right now; I've got two craft fairs next month, and I also show my customers lots of new things during this time of year. I'm further ahead than NORMAL, but that's not saying much. :D PLEASE don't let me totally off the hook; leave me a message if I'm gone too long!!!!!

YOU ARE LOVED, dear friend. God loves you. He cherishes you, cares for you, and seeks an intimate time with you! Count your blessings - don't forget! We're going to start posting ONE thing a day in November!!! :)

Capture That Thought!

Hello, dear friend. How are you doing today? Are you feeling blessed? Because you ARE. AND highly favored!

This isn't the message that I thought was going to be first to you, but it's the one God's been dealing with ME about, and I feel that He is asking me to share my struggle and my understanding on it.

Last night, I was REALLY tired. We'd been up a long time, today was going to be a busy, long day, and I was ready to rest. But God wasn't ready to let me end my day. :)

I lay in bed for a long time, trying to be still so Kenn could get some sleep. I finally crept into the bathroom and took a bath, hoping that would be relaxing enough to push me into sweet slumber.

Nope.

I went back into the bedroom and lay back down. (My glasses were in there, so I couldn't really go anywhere else!) I decided to try some other tricks that usually work.

Nope.

Finally - why is it ALWAYS the last resort???? - I asked God what He wanted to tell me.

"Capture every thought."

Huh? What did THAT mean??

And then I began to follow the "thread" in my life lately. Holiness. I'm sure you've either heard or sung the song "Holiness is what I long for". And that's been the sermon topic for four weeks at our new church. It's becoming more and more important to me; I want to seek holiness, to "be holy as I (God) am holy" - and I know I CANNOT be, except to let Him take me and fill me.

"Capture every thought."

OK, Father. I will. I know there's a Scripture that relates those very words, so I'll look it up.

Still no sleep. :::sigh:::

OK, God. I hear you. You want me to capture every thought. Practicing self-control in deed is not enough; each THOUGHT needs to be held up to Your light. No dwelling on past hurts, no thinking about temptations that I know I'll not succomb to (but thinking is fun!).

Yes, Lord. With You, I'll do it. You'll have to do it through me, though. I'm not strong enough.

The next thing I knew, it was morning. :D

Here is the Scripture, dear one:

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (New International Version)

4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

That is my pledge this week. To capture EVERY thought. Every "pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God".

It's so easy to get caught up in Satan's lies and ambushes for us! To get caught in the daily grind, and - even though we know we don't "believe" it, our actions tell a different story! - to live as though the problems of our lives are all-consuming.

If you can grasp this ONE point that I have to share with you, dear friend, it's this: this life is so fleeting. We don't know from one moment to the next if we'll be ALIVE for that next moment. But worrying about the future consumes us! BE FREED FROM THAT. Yes, it's important - and we have to live with the repercussions of our responsibilities. But God is bigger than EVERYTHING. He's BEFORE everything, He's AFTER everything. He SO loves you. He's trying to get our attention. He wants us to know Him. Face-to-face. Intimately. And so many times in our lives, we have to chase down the kids, or talk to the doctor about a life-threatening illness, or deal with a butthead of a boss. And that clamor drowns out His voice, His pleading for a little time with you.

My prayer for you is that you can put all the noise, the clamor, the busyness, the hectic schedule, to one side. There's no checklist! There's no "Do this to get closer to God" instruction manual. Do you know, He's waiting to just BE with you? Tell Him you want to know Him, and then just be still in His presence. You might not hear His voice, but you will be so awed by His presence, His peace, His MERCY - His HOLINESS.

Just be STILL, and know.

It's MONDAY!

And it's time to share about what you learned in Sunday school, church, or watching/listening to your program yesterday!

Yesterday was Graduation Sunday at our church; we had three high school graduates, and three college - I THINK. :) There were some sweet photos of some of the grads when they were little. Oh, the memories. I'm feeling a bit OLD today!!! :)

Our youth minister preached, and it was a good sermon! He talked about operating from the platform God has us on - using as his reference Nehemiah 8:4-6. He also tied it in to the sermon his preacher preached two weeks ago - giving what little you have to God, and allowing Him to use it. It was an encouraging, exhorting sermon - and Jerry should preach more often!!! :)

We arrived at Sunday School late; I'm fighting a sinus infection, and Kenn's allergies are really acting up, too. But we got there, and the lesson was on Life Changes - specifically, Jacob's relocation to Egypt where Joseph was.

I can't wait to hear from you! What did you learn yesterday? What is God saying to you TODAY????

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?

Nope, not gone yet...! :D

Good afternoon, dear friend. Thanks for coming back and checking in. :D

Yes, my family is STILL here. God has a purpose, but sometimes, one just has to wonder.... :D They're SUPPOSED to be staying tonight in their RV if/when my brother-in-law and other niece get here, and taking off without seeing us in the morning. We'll see what God has planned!

Plans. Hopes. Dreams. Aspirations. Some days, I don't think I have any anymore. Sometimes, it feels like it's useless; like they're never going to come to fruition, so why even bother? Today is one of those days. BELIEVING that I am blessed and highly favored on these days is difficult - it's HEAD knowledge, but getting my HEART to know - well, it's a struggle.

Today is a good day for Psalm 42. I will be meditating on it today; I hope you're not in the same struggle I'm in today. But if you are, I pray this will help YOU, too. GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME. Regardless of my circumstances, my outlook, or my emotions, HE IS.

Psalm 42

1 For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night,

while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul:

how I used to go with the multitude,

leading the procession to the house of God,

with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and 6 my God.

My soul is downcast within me;

therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan,

the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;

all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me—

a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I say to God my Rock,

"Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?"

10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me,

saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.