"WHICH WERE JUST AS THEY HAD BEEN TOLD"

Merry Christmas Eve!

I just read Luke 2:8-20.  The part of Jesus' birth story about the shepherds and the angels.  There are so many learning opportunities in this passage.  So many lessons from the Holy Spirit.

We could sit and ponder -
     the shepherds keeping watch at night
          the shepherds being terrified by the glory of the LORD
               the shepherds going to see "this thing" the Lord told them about
                    the shepherds spreading the word concerning what they had heard and seen.

What caught my attention and held it were the last words of verse 20:

          WHICH WERE JUST AS THEY HAD BEEN TOLD!

I began thinking of all I have been told through God's word.

God created man in His image.

I know love because God first loved me.

I know the truth and the truth has set me free.

God sent His One and Only Son.

The plans for my life were in place before I was even created in my mother's womb.

Jesus WILL return.

God is my creator, my healer, my banner, my comfort, my peace, my Savior, my teacher, my love, my light, my bridegroom, my strength, my joy. . . . 

Jesus will return when His people proclaim, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD".

God does not want me to be lukewarm.

God's word will never return to Him void, but will accomplish what he desires and achieve the purpose for which He sent it.

God's word is a lamp to guide my steps.

God will guard all that I entrust to Him.

How do you stop of list of all you have learned in God's word?  This list could just go on and on.  

My take away from this morning's quiet time is 

                        God's word proclaimed to me will ALWAYS be 

  

                              JUST AS I'VE BEEN TOLD!

 

                        

QUIET TIME 12-07-2012

I'm no writer but I do want to capture my rambling thoughts this morning.  I am even considering changing the name of this blog and using it to take notes during my quiet time. 

First reading from Matthew Henry's Commentary Job to Song of Solomon pages 560-561 Ps 119

"Who are upright and honest in their religion - undefiled in the way, not only who keep themselves pure from the pollutions of actual sin, unspotted from the world, but who are habitually sincere in their intentions, in whose spirit there is no guile, WHO ARE REALLY AS GOOD AS THEY SEEM TO BE AND ROW THE SAME WAY AS THEY LOOK."  Emphasis mine

Row the same way as they look. . . . Thought about this for quite awhile.  Actually read it for the first time two days ago and have been considering it ever since.

On to verses 7-8
I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.  I will keep thy statutes:  O forsake me not utterly.  (KJV)
I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.  I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.  (NIV)

Thoughts:  So I will be able to praise with an upright heart when I have learned God's judgments/laws?

What does learn(ed) mean in the Hebrew

From The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance page 4374
Hebrew word  4340  lamad (the first A has a line over it)
to learn, train for; to be trained; to teach, instruct, cause to learn; to be trained; with implication that the learning will be put to use: - teach, teaching, train, trained, accept, adopted, cultivated, experienced, imparted, instructors, learn well, teachers, unruly, were trained.

Bold words jumped out at me.  Made me think of my goal to one day write a book entitled:
     P.E.A.R.L. - Purposely Engaging and Actively Responding to Life

Engaging - Learning
Actively -   Putting it to use
Responding - Imparting

My thoughts:
AS I learn your judgments/laws
              I will put them to use by rowing the same way I am looking
                      and impart them to those around me.

This can be applied to all areas of my life, not just my quiet time. 

More to come. . . . . . . .

MISSION OPPORTUNITY

My mother, Maxine Patterson, is sitting between me and my brother in the picture above.  She is one amazing lady.

We are in a Bible study together on Tuesday evenings.  We have 6 small groups studying the book of James.  She is actually part of the welcome team each week.  She surprised me the first night when she asked to be in my small group. 

This week our Mission Opportunity is to minister to someone in need.  We were instructed to ask God to show us the opportunity and then we are to act on it.

Well, yesterday I was allowed the opportunity to witness my mother taking an opportunity to minister to someone and at the same time live the scripture from Matthew when Jesus responds with the question, "Who is my mother? and who are my brothers?

I went with my mother to her annual physical checkup.  I wanted to meet her doctor (again) and hear what he had to say about a couple of concerns I, along with my siblings, had.  After her checkup (which went very well) we got to go out for lunch.  We had some delicious food and some great conversation.

When we returned to her home, she looked out her front window and saw a lady who had been her neighbor until just a week or so ago coming out of the apartment next to hers.  She wondered out loud if Mrs. Blackman needed a ride back to the resident's hall.  I told her to go find out if she wanted to do that.  She did.  She came back inside, looked at me and said, "I'm not trying to run you off but she needs a ride."  She got her keys and didn't wait for me to leave first; she headed out the backdoor.

I could have had my feelings hurt a little.  I did just take the whole day off work to spend it with her.  I am her daughter, family.  I could have just said I would wait on her but she really didn't give me that option.  She didn't have to look at me and say, "Who is my daughter? and who is my sister?"  She demonstrated it.

I heard the Holy Spirit whispering to me - Look at this Child of God responding to a need without thinking.
What a lesson.  What a blessing.  I am one of the luckiest daughters in the world.

I do love Maxine Elaine Voss Patterson.

55 THINGS ON MY 55TH BIRTHDAY

I really don't know if I can accomplish this goal but I am going to try it.  AND I'm not making a list to check off.  Just going to see what I do today.

1.  Checked email - what a way to start the day.  I woke up at 3am and could not go back to sleep.  So at 4am I got out of bed and checked my email.
2.  Brewed hot tea - awesome.  Enough said.
3.  Ran/walked 3.1 miles in 47 minutes, a new record for me.  Then finished up by walking the rest of the way home for total of 3.4 miles in 54 minutes, burned 342 calories.
4.  Quiet time - Read Streams in the Desert, and then studied the readings for this coming Sunday.  What a lesson I learned.  I can't wait to hear how Pastor Shealy preaches on Sunday.
5.  Got ready - yes I am counting that because it takes time and energy to do all that stuff to be ready to walk out of the door and go shopping in a little while.  (Rereading this - I should have counted each step!)
6.  Purposely put on the ring my husband gave me on September 6, 1976.  The first piece of jewelry he gave me. 
7.  Ate breakfast.
8.  Clorax clean uped my kitchen counters so Jeb wouldn't have to do that later.
9.  Made my bed.  I know it just has to be done.
10.  Moved three cases of Coors upstairs.  Yep we drink beer occasionally and it was on a big sale so we bought it.  I just was ready for it to be out of the living room.  I live in a little house and our living room is more like a den.  But I still call it the living room. 
11.  Finally threw away the roses Jeb gave me 1 1/2 weeks ago.  They were done.
12.  Washed a load of clothes
13.  Fed Lucky - the dog!  She was very happy I did that.
14.  Opened birthday card from my mother.  Beautiful card with a check!!!
15.  Looked for a new hair dryer at Kohl's.  Didn't find one.
16.  Bought my best friend part of her birthday present.  Her birthday is next week. 
17.  Bought two - yes two - commentaries on James.  (I left them in my mother's trunk.  So sad.)
18.  Went to lunch with my mama.  55 years ago around 10:30am I was born.  60 years ago at 2:00pm my parents were married in Freeport, Illinois.  (I was child #3.  3 children in 5 years!!)
19.  Answered an email from a friend.
20.  Laughed hard when my mama told me about arriving at the motel on their wedding night.
21.  Went to Dress Barn.
22.  Bought the cutest vest that looks like a scarf.  It is great.
23.  Folded the load of clothes that had been left in the dryer by my husband.  (What a shock, he really doesn't ever do this.  He's a put everything in its place right away person.  Thank you Lord.  Because I am not that person.)
24.  Opened two birthday cards I received in the mail.
25.  Puts the clothes in the dryer.
26.  Drove to Freeman's Bakery. 
27.  Bought a birthday present for my best friend.  Debbie if you're reading this, it will make you wonder for 7 days.
28.  Bought a loaf of bread for someone that has been on my heart and mind all day.
29.  Bought a cranberry white chocolate chip cookie for myself - it was delicious.
30.  Went by someone's house to deliver bread. 
31.  Answered my phone while parked in front of someone's house.  Talked so long that a neighbor came outside to  look at the crazy person parked in front of her neighbor's house.
32.  Rang the doorbell of someone's house.  They were not at home.  The neighbor told me that they were at the beach.
34.  Talked to the neighbor.
35.  Drove to Lisa's house and gave her the loaf of bread.
36.  Talked to Lisa about so much stuff that it would take an hour to repeat it all.  That was so much fun.
37.  Came home/folded another load of laundry.
38.  Answered a call from Jackson.  Happy Birthday to me!!!
39.  Went to Stefano's for birthday dinner.
40.  Said yes when asked by "the management" to sample a glass of a new bottle of wine.  It was delicious.  Don't know what it was.  Just can't remember.  How sad!!
41.  Ordered not 1 but 2 pieces of "million dollar pound cake" and "tiarmisu".  Brought home half of it.
42.  Opened presents - Large Yves Delorme "provence" soap - I love this soap; Tyler candle - English Ivy; and a new bag by Rowallan.  THANK YOU PORTER'S FOR HAVING ALL OF THIS FOR MY HUSBAND TO GIVE ME!!!
43.  Read lots of birthday wishes on facebook
44.  Oh my, I still have 11 things to do before bed.  #44 typing up the list.
45.  Sat and just talked with Jeb.  How fun!  It really is fun to just sit and talk with him.
46.  Wrote two thank you notes.
47.  Answered the phone and talked with my friend Joann.  We just can't seem to get our schedules fixed to celebrate my birthday.
48.  Put on pjs
49.  Brushed my teeth.  I'm really pushing it here.
50.  Said thank you to God for such a wonderful 55th birthday.

I did do some other stuff.  It is amazing how much "stuff" we do every day.

FALL IS IN THE AIR

I went to Columbia today to spend the day with my younger sister, Lorie.  .  We talked briefly and emailed a couple of times over the weekend and decided that we would make fall wreaths for our homes. So this morning we met at Michael's on Two Notch Road and picked out all of our materials. 

When we arrived at Lorie's we set up on her breakfast table and got to work.  We painted out frames and our letters.

Next we made a quick lunch and went to eat lunch with our sister, Cynthia.  Here we are!!

Then Lorie and I headed back to her house to wrap the frames with leaf garlands.

Almost done.

Here's Lorie's on her front door.

And the one we made for Cynthia!  It was a surprise for her!!

Here is the one I made. . .

And now it is on my front door!!

We are ready for fall!  And I am ready for some CLEMSON FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOURS CUT AGAIN!

I have the day off unexpectedly because all "non-essential" staff has been "asked" to work only 32 hours a week through the end of August. 

I usually love a day off.  But I'm not excited about this day off for two reasons.

1.  I didn't "ask" for this day off.

2.  It doesn't feel very good to be viewed as "non-essential".

 

I am having a hard time writing about this.  I feel like a big whiner.  I've written several statements and deleted them.  I keep asking myself if I really want someone to know how this makes me feel.

Well, as I was reheating my tea a few seconds ago, I decided since no one reads this blog but me, that I would use this as the beginning of my quiet time with God.

Father, I can never come to you without first just recognizing who You are.  I thank You for Your majesty, Your love, Your holiness, Your love, Your consistency, Your omnipresence, Your glory.  I thank You for loving this world so much that You sent Your Son, Jesus.  And Jesus I truly thank You for being obedient.  Your obedience leads me each day to surrender.  Thank You for teaching Your disciples so we could be taught.  Thank You for showing me how to pray in all situations and at all times.  Thank You for returning to Your Father so that the Holy Spirit could come.  Oh, and thank You Holy Spirit for being my teacher, my constant companion, my comforter, my director, my friend, my correcter (is that a word), the words in my soul.   Thank you for already blessing me with peace for this day, for a smile on my face when a few minutes ago I was frowning and oh so negative.  Thank you, just thank you for always allowing me to enter your presence.

As we begin this day, help me to be a good steward of all that you have given/blessed me.  You have always provided for me and my family.  The money will be cut, seems like that always happens right around my birthday.  What is that all about?  But I know me and when money is tight, that is when it seems like I get an itch to do more for others.  So help me to be discerning and know when it's time to scratch that itch and when it's time to leave it alone.

I always over plan a day off, Lord, and today is no exception.  I have so many things crowding my mind.  Exercise, mow the grass, complete my presentation for Saturday, balance the checkbook, buy new flowers for the pots in the front yard, vacuum the house, wash clothes/linens, quiet time (how did that get in the middle since we always do that first), call ~50 people for Betty's fundraiser, call all the teachers for the fall Bible study, send handwritten notes to all the teachers for the fall Bible study, plan menus for the rest of this month and September, call my mom, check on my siblings, call Carrie, etc, etc, etc. . . . . take a nap!!!

So Father, please slow me down.  I truly pray to have eyes that see today, see Your glory.  I pray to have ears that hear Your voice while I study and then as I work at home, I pray for a mind that not only takes in what I see and hear but understands what I am seeing and hearing.  And then Oh Father, help me to hide it all in my heart that I might not sin against You and that I might take it with me wherever we go today and proclaim it.

This blog began one way for me and now it is ending another way. 

So what if I didn't "ask" for this day off?  I will remember that:

     THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HATH MADE, I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!
                         PSALM 118:24

So what if I am considered "non-essential" by the world?  I will remember that:

     FOR WE ARE GOD'S WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS TO DO GOOD
     WORKS, WHICH GOD PREPARED IN ADVANCE FOR US TO DO.
                         EPHESIANS 2:10

I am going to rejoice in this day and be glad doing the works which God prepared for me in advance!!



    

   

REJOICE WITH THOSE WHO REJOICE

Romans 12:15

     Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

A couple of days ago I was talking on the telephone.  Someone I am very close to told me some glorious news she had received.  I was very happy for her for a moment. 

That's right I was VERY HAPPY for A moment.

The news she had received was the very news I have been waiting to hear for myself for three years.

Instead of staying in the moment of rejoicing with her;
     Instead of embracing the joy that news brought her;
          Instead of celebrating the answer to one of her prayers;

I turned it into a moment of mourning.

Mourning for the news I haven't heard;
     Mourning for the frustration of my waiting;    

          Mourning for my prayer that has yet to be answered!!

As soon as we hung up the telephone, I heard a whisper in my soul.  Truly in the very depths of my soul.

  BE HAPPY WITH THOSE WHO ARE HAPPY!!

My heart was broken and humbled at that moment.  I asked for forgiveness.  I asked the Holy Spirit to help me never forget how I had taken away at least part of her joy, her celebration, her rejoicing.

Romans 12:15 is a command right in the middle of 13 verses (Romans 12:9-21).  God does not ask us or tell us to rejoice with those who rejoice if we feel like it; God does not ask us or tell us to mourn with those who mourn if we feel like it.  God tells us, he commands us to do these things.


Is it hard to be happy with others when you're sad for yourself?
Is it hard to be sad with others when you're happy for yourself?

YOU BET IT IS!!!!!!

We have a lesson here in Romans 12:15

 

Our lesson is that there will be times that those around us are rejoicing and we truly don't feel like rejoicing.  


Our lesson is that there will be times that those around us are mourning and we truly don't feel like mourning.

Our lesson is that in those times we are to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us so that we can truly -
   

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

What Do You See

I wrote this entry 3 years ago.  I wrote it on my computer just for me.  I read it this morning and decided to finally add the pictures and then post it here.  I hope God will speak to you through these words today.

 

 June 2009

Have you ever been in that time in your life where you just don’t know what to study in God’s word.  You’ve just completed a study with friends; you have learned so much new information about God, about yourself, about how others interrupt God’s word, about life.  Or you’ve decided to try the new way of studying that you’ve learned about on your own to see how to really dig out what God is trying to teach you in your life at this time. 

Well, that’s where I am at this point.  I’ve been there about 10 weeks now.  It’s been a very busy time in my life.  My older son graduated from college, a cousin’s daughter was married, a nephew graduated from law school and then we celebrated his engagement a couple of weekends later by attending his party, at work we went through an accreditation, my younger son graduated from high school, and a niece graduated from high school.  Through all this, I have not been grounded in a particular study so my quiet time has been jumbled which has led me down some very interesting paths, some very definitely God’s paths, but some of my very own choosing which as you may know lead to stresses that could have been avoided.  I haven’t been still so that I could listen and follow but I finally slowed down enough to hear what God was saying at this time in my life and I invite you to slow down enough today to hear what I heard.

On Friday, June 12, 2009, I left my house so early, about 6:15 am.  I had to buy a graduation card for my niece, nothing like waiting to the last minute, fill my car with gas, get a biscuit from Hardee’s and go to work.  I chose that day to take my bible with me and have my quiet time in my car in the parking lot at work.  As I sat there, eating my biscuit (don’t tell my doctor, the biscuit is definitely not on a diet to reduce cholesterol) I poured out my heart to God.  You see I really needed to confess about not allowing his glory to shine through at work.  It’s the hardest place for me to shine.  I’m organized at work ( not very much anywhere else).  I like to do things in order, maybe a little OCD, to the point that I allow myself to be very frustrated at times.  So back to God’s direction.  I decided to read Jeremiah and to follow Anne Graham Lott’s study method of looking at one verse at a time. 

I got to Jeremiah 1:11, 

“The word of the LORD came to me:  “What do you see, Jeremiah?”  “I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.”

I have to admit that my first thought was, “What do you see?”  How does that apply to me right now.  And then it hit me.  How much am I missing because I am so caught up in whatever is happening around me, that I am not seeing what God is showing me.  How much am I missing because I am not listening?  How much am I missing because I am not looking?

So I looked as I sat there at what I could actually see.  I read the verse and literally looked at the world right in front of me and beside me.  I saw a tree.

The night before, we had a brief but pretty strong wind/rain storm.  This tree lost a pretty big branch in that storm.  It was the perfect example of life and of God’s word. 

This branch was attached to the trunk on Thursday, standing tall and proud.  Thursday night it was hit by a storm and it just couldn’t stand firm with the tree.  It fell.  It will never be attached to the trunk again.  I got out of my car and took the picture.  And then I started to really look at the tree.  The branch that fell, when I looked closer had already begun to leave the trunk.  The outer part of the branch had been dying but no one could see it, it was covered up by the bark and by the fact that the very center of the branch was still getting fed by the trunk.  (How often do we show the world an outside that doesn’t go along with the inside)

I looked closer still and noticed because the branch had fallen, it broke other living branches as it went down.  My tears began at this time. 

 But I looked even closer and saw the fruit of the tree on this branch and the others that were no longer connected. 

This fruit would never develop, it would never go on to produce other trees, it would never accomplish its purpose.  Tears trickled down my face as I stood and looked and heard my God say to me, “What do you see, Beckie?”

I saw that life is full of storms.  I may be walking down the perfect path of God but there will be storms, the wind will blow.  I saw that I didn’t want to be the branch that is dying and will fall when the wind is strong.  I saw that I didn’t want to be the branch that causes another one to break and fall.  I saw that I didn’t want to be the branch whose fruit will never accomplish its purpose. 

There are so many lessons in these pictures.  Look at them, look at yourself.  Talk to God.  Be the branch that is still standing, be the branch that remains connected to the trunk, be the branch whose fruit will grow and accomplish its purpose. 

LOOK ON THE INSIDE

Recently I was walking on a NC beach.  I purposefully decided to pick up a few shells to bring home as a reminder of my time there.  I first noticed shells that were blue.  They were so eye-catching and I couldn’t remember ever seeing a blue shell.

Then I noticed the small shiny black shell in the picture above.  It caught my eye.  I took a picture of it.  I didn’t think I would be able to describe how it looked in the midst of so many other shells.  I picked it up, brushed it off, and turned it over. I saw this.

 

It actually took my breath.  So quick was the thought:

                            Don’t look on the outside of a person, look on the inside.

More to come!

It's Black and It's Shiny

I know it is the same picture.  The object that caught my eye is BLACK and is SHINY!  Do you see it near the top of the picture?  I am trying to figure out how to write what I experienced when I picked up that shell.  More to come!

What Catches Your Eye?

I want you to look at the picture.  Don't take a long time to study it.  Just look at it and then tell me in the comment section what caught your eye.  In a few days I will tell you what caught my eye and why.

No Secrets In The Medicine Cabinet

I posted this on a blog I have begun between me and my two sons.  I will not post what I put on that blog here often, but I wanted to share it here today.

Several years ago I was talking with a friend.  In our conversation she told me she and her husband had gone to dinner at someone's home that I know.  She told who was there, what they had to eat and drink, and then added this:

"While I was there I went to the bathroom.  I always open the medicine cabinet when I use someone's bathroom.  It tells you so much about them. You wouldn't believe what I found?  There was a 

bottle of Viagra in there.  I can't believe they need that."

So why am I telling you this?  

First, don't open other people's medicine cabinets.  For that matter, don't open closets or cabinets or refrigerators or drawers or anything in someone's home unless you are invited to do so.  When you are invited into someone's home it is a privilege.  And I don't care if it's your best friend from high school and he's living in his first apartment.  It is still his private stuff in those places.

Second, some people (friends included) are going to be nosy.  They just might open your closets or cabinets or refrigerators or drawers or anything else.  If there is something that is personal, something you want to keep private then you just need to find a really good hiding place for it.

The title up there "No Secrets In The Medicine Cabinet" means just what it says.  There are no secrets in the medicine cabinet.  So clean your medicine cabinet and keep it clean.

Hebrews 4:13 

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 

Just like your medicine cabinet is not closed to people who come into your home, your life is not closed to God.  He sees it all.  You can never find a really good hiding place for anything you want to hide from God.  He sees it all.  Please go read Psalm 139.  And just like I told you to clean your medicine cabinet and keep it clean, I tell you clean your heart and keep it clean.

I love you,

Mom

Back Home

I am back home. I am GLAD to be back home. NC was awesome. I believe as I think about that time away more and more, it will become even more special.

I am doing a biblical word study of the word WAY. A friend asked me to share with her what I have learned so far. This is the email I sent her.


Without looking at my notes - two things are uppermost in my mind about being on God's way.

First, The word "ways" in Psalm 103:7 (He made his ways known to Moses, his deeds to the sons of Israel) is present tense in the original Hebrew and the word deeds is past tense in the original Hebrew. Makes me believe that Moses was "present" on the way, right there while God was happening and the sons of Israel got to hear about what had happened.

That's really basic and I may just have to dig deeper on that. I never learned verb tenses very well and I struggle with that lack of knowledge. Doesn't mean I can't learn it now.

Second, I don't remember specifically where this verse is in the Old Testament. It is found in the story of Joseph coming to Jacob as Jacob is dying. Jacob perks up and talks with Joseph. He tells him about Rachel dying while he was "still on the way". Made me contemplate sorrows. We know we will have sorrows on the way but it made it very clear to me again.

(I have deleted the next paragraph I sent her because it has specific names in it and I don't have their permission to use their names. So I will summarize what I said to her)
This scripture brought a friend to my mind whose husband passed away in
November. She is "still on the way" without that man beside her. She
shines with God's glory as she walks this path of grief. Also, the person
who asked me to share with her, has been walking the way, the path of grief
since 2005. Her son passed away at the age of 17. She and her husband
are "still on the way" without their child.


I KNOW many things bring sorrows to us. I KNOW in my mind and my heart that we have to remain "on the way" if we want to see God's glory in the present and not just hear about it. I KNOW I am to love God with all my heart, all my mind, and all my soul. I KNOW my feet get ahead of my heart, my mind, and my soul many times.

SO, I am seeking to teach my feet to follow God as I love Him with all my heart and all my mind and all my soul so I will stay "on the way".

There are other, in fact, lots of other things that I heard and saw while I studied in NC. I just need my notes. So I'll share some more later. Thank you for asking. It made me think.



I think we should all be asking each other to share what we are learning. It will keep us on our toes. So I thank my friend for asking me when I got BACK HOME what I learned.

HAVE FAITH

I will be leaving home in a few hours heading to the NC coast for time alone. I have never gone on a retreat, vacation, etc purposefully alone.

I am excited. I can't wait to get in the car and turn on the music and sing at the top of my lungs. Actually, I will probably hum along since I just got my voice back. This past week and a half I heard lots of things I would not have heard if I could have been talking.

I am nervous. Will I be able to get the water and electricity turned on in the house where I have never stayed. Will my prayer time exceed my expectations? Will I be ready to hear what God has to say to me? Will I get scared staying by myself? I use to be really afraid of staying by myself when I was first married.

I am sad. I romanticized this vacation week. Time alone with my husband - he has to work this weekend. Time with friends - no one could fit time off in their schedule.

I am quiet. I can already feel the need to just be quiet, to listen. I already feel the need to step back and look.

In October 2009, my Momma gave me the devotional book - Streams in the Desert. In fact she gave several of these books away right after my daddy passed away. She wanted us to be comforted the way she was being comforted. (My sister, Lorie, has used this devotional book for years. She got us all started on this.) I say this to share the verse I read this morning as I began my quiet time.


Have faith that whatever you ask for in prayer is already granted you and you will find that it will be. Mark 11:24

This word from my LORD brought tears to my eyes. He already knows what is going to happen in NC with me, He already knows what will be accomplished with us, He already knows. . . . . .

Then I read the notes from previous years written on the devotional page for Feb 18:

2010 - Learning a new way to pray, Listening to Believing God in the car, Reading So Long Insecurity, Studying Me, Myself & Lies, Beginning Purposely Engaging and Actively Responding to Life.
2011 - Wondering - Am I a "secretary"? Am I the "Stage Manager"? Where do YOU want me OH LORD?

I did not know on Feb 18, 2010 or Feb 18, 2011 that on Feb 18, 2012 I would be going to spend alone time with God.

So I am going to take God at His Word and "HAVE FAITH" that ponderings/prayers with God in 2010 and 2011 will be revealed in 2012.

Green Pastures

Psalm 23:2 HE MAKES ME LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES!

You know I love to lie down. I love a good nap. BUT. . . . . . . .

WHEN "He makes me lie down" sometimes I just don't want to.

I'm just wondering if sometimes I MISS THE GREEN PASTURES because I don't want to lie down.

My prayer today,
"Help me Father God, to lie down in YOUR GREEN PASTURE willingly.

Something to look forward to. . .

http://www.riverjordan.us/praying-for-strangers/praying-for-strangers-12-keys-in-12-weeks/

My mother-in-law lent me a book, Praying For Strangers by River Jordan.

I know it made an impact on her just by the way she wouldn't stop looking for the book so she could lend it to me.

I did a little research and found River Jordan's blog and found River Jordan on facebook. Read some and found the 12 keys in 12 weeks.

The week of Feb 20, 2012 I will take a week away from work. Don't know if I will stay home or go away. My desire is to spend the week at the beach in a FREE place. (Don't have the funds to spend on that extravagance so may just have to spend it right in my own home. I have let God know this desire.)

Anyway, I will be finished with all of my teaching/leading responsibilities in Bible study for awhile on February 18th. So, I am going to begin the 12 keys in 12 weeks and just see where God will lead me.

Anybody want to join me?