“A professional writer is an amateur

who didn’t quit.” 

Richard Bach

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Incompleteness Of Me...

 

The question is, what are you strong in?

When I was young my body was strong... it was my god.

I found my completeness in it.

In the gym, morning and evening.

I rode my bike. I ran. 

I still ride my bike.

  I do yoga, pilates...

My body is strong, though not as a twenty year old. 

 

I will care for this temple, respect it,

but not as a youth.

 With age, my mind has benefited, becoming

stronger than as a youth.

Over time I have filled it with truth, wisdom... and junk.

There will always be junk.

 I sort through it, tossing it off, away from me.

Proverbs 2:6 "For the Lord gives skillful and Godly wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

In the depth of my heart and soul, I seek truth. 

 When I reach the end of me, I reach wisdom.

When I am incomplete... I find my completeness.

In God, my strength.

Philippians 4:13  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

I will be stronger than I think, because He lives in me.

I will recognize my incompleteness, my limits, my humanness,

  my sin. 

He will have His way in me.

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not; for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

 My body may despise me someday, leaving me weak, unable to do what I do today.

My mind, if stayed on Christ, will remain rooted in Truth. 

He will make me complete.

This is the completeness I desire.

What makes you complete today?

Is it your physical body, your outward beauty...

or your desire to find your worth in Him?

 

 

 

This Friday Morning... I Hope You Say This.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”

                                                                       Oscar Wilde

 We don't always appreciate the day ahead of us. 

Some days are more promising than others and some days... we just need to end so we can crawl home and put on our jammies. 

 Then there are the days that the bottom falls out.. big time.

When we can't find our way back and don't know if there will ever be a going back.

Some days, our world changes and is never the same.

 Sometimes, it takes that kind of event to understand the picture above.

It makes us grateful for the everyday...

The repetitive, the constant, the blessing in the small tasks of the everyday.

I appreciate the thought that I get to wake up everyday.

I've been in the black hole of life, wondering if I will ever be joyful again.

God restores the joy.
He is the giver of peace and restoration.

I long to do more that exist.
I long to see life as a miracle.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” 

Albert Einstein

Are you living or just existing? Are you seeing the miracles?

Lent... Act, Love, Walk

 Lent ...

Waiting... for,

The Kingdom Of God. 

His death and resurrection.

 "Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed,  nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Luke 17:20-21 

It is within us.... The Kingdom Of God.

Through transformation.

During Lent, 

we wait, we ponder death, and life.

We can get lost in that...

Maybe we should remember that it an opportunity to...

"Feed My Sheep"

as Jesus told Peter Three times. 

Micah 6:8 sums it up...

"He has shown you, O man, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God."

Maybe Lent is about humbling ourselves before God.

Preparing our hearts,

for His sacrifice,

taking His word literally...

and feeding His Sheep. 

Act justly, 

love mercy,

walk humbly.

How do you practice Lent?

Building Walls Or Bridges...

 

We are good at building walls, when we should be designing bridges.

We draw borders, lines in the sand, don't cross it... or else.

My husband and I are in a class on resolving everyday conflict.

It is not because we need it... well, sometimes we do, he does.

We all have conflict in life. The minute we rise it begins.

Have you read this?

 Dear God
  So far today I've done all right. 

I haven't gossiped, I haven't 
lost my temper, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or 
overindulgent. 

I'm very thankful for that. 

But in a few minutes, 
God, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on I'm going to 
need a lot more help.
 AMEN

More truth than fiction.

If I realized that every wrong doing offends God,

maybe I would hold my tongue, bite down on it, if need be.

Ouch.

Either I hurt my tongue or I sin against my God.

One causes long term damage, sometimes remaining an open wound for years to come.

My tongue will heal. 

The Bible calls the tongue a sword.

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

 Proverbs 12:8

I was accused of that often as a teen... from the mother-ship.

It was true. My words cut deep and left lasting scars.

This built walls in my life.

Walls keep me from seeing truth, you, relationship on the other side.

Gentle, kind words build bridges. 

They provide a safe path over rough waters, finding communion and relationship on the other side.

I prefer bridges these days.

Remember the verse about the log?

I don't like it either, but it is true and I am usually guilty.

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

Matthew 7:3

 

 We have responsibility to own our part of every conflict.

If we call ourselves believers in Christ we have added responsibilty...

to be kind,

gracious,

gentle,

respectful.

 To be peacemakers.

I did not say doormat.

Peacemaker.

Seek to honor God and glorify Him in all you do.

There will be conflict in this life.

It is not always negative to have conflict. 

Sometimes it is necessary.

It is important that we seek God's provision and wisdom in the midst of conflict.

He will show us Truth.

Always look for the bridge in the situation.

It will not be easy and it will not happen quickly.

But... the bridge is the only way to the other side,

where relationship grows.

Hmm...

It has taken me many years to figure this out.

If I keep doing the same thing I've been doing, nothing changes.

I don't change, grow... stop bad habits,

Yes, I have a few.

I am thankful today is a new day.

A day to see opportunities and embrace them.

God has new opportunities for you and me.  I'm ready for them. 

Are you?

Today I went to a yoga class at a new gym.
They have an indoor and outdoor pool... this excites me.
I signed up for the membership.
There is no excuse.
It's so close to my house I could ride my bike.
It's snowing today so that doesn't seem a good option.
I was invited by a new friend...  who teaches the class.
Yes, God dropped this little gift in my lap and I'm not walking away from it.

I am doing a little freelance writing for a new publication in my neighborhood, starting today.
I see opportunities to be stretched, meet new people, learn new things.
Talk about a gift falling in my lap...

What is God calling you to today?
Do you sense His calling, because He is.
Stop, ask Him and listen.

He has new things for you to do today.
Go Do Them...
and share them with me.
 We need each other.

What Is Success To You?

Do you live by this motto?

Many of us do, hiding the answers that make our life successful.

What is success to you?

Do you want others to have it?

Share what you know today, about success.

What has made you the woman, man that your are.

What have been your battles?

We all have them.

How do you trudge through the tough days?

The lonely days.

The painful days.

Who guides you?

Is it you... Or do you know true 

Success?

In the form of a Savior.

He guides our every step. He knows the plans He has for us.

That is success we should share.

Don't hide your success under a bushel.

Let that light shine, so men will know Who guides you...

in Truth.

"Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,and the strength of salvation."

Isaiah 33:6

"For You will light my lamp; The Lord God will enlighten my darkness."

Psalm 18:28

Share your wisdom, knowledge and light with others today.

Show them the way to true Success.

Don't Ever Forget...

Do you know... God smiles when He looks at you.

He loves and adores you. 

He knows the number of hairs on your head, the thoughts that keep you awake at night. 

The worries that consume your days.

Give them to Him. 

God is bigger than our fear and worry.

He is the maker of all things good, lovely, true and pure.

He knows the plans He has for you today and they are good. 

He is faithful.

He is worthy... of our trust.

Rest in this today and be boldly blessed my friend.

This Could Be Your Valentine Day... Again.

I can think of worse things than not getting a Valentine card today.

This picture sums up my worst fear.

Stale chocolate, sappy cards, and fake colored "fresh" flowers can all be found at this establishment, as well as others.

This is NOT the Valentines Day you want.

Instead, take the pressure off you and your guy.

It's a no win day... married, single, dating, divorced.

It's pretty much a set up for 90% of men who find themselves breathing today.

The other 10% get props, but recognize that 90% of men, including your buddies hate you .

It took me many years to figure out this is a no win day.

Most men are born knowing it.

Including my husband.

There are a few reasons for this truth. 

One, your guy pal, hubby, will be tired when he returns home. 

He will possibly or possibly not have remembered to go to Walmart.. gag.

He will not look like the men you constantly watch in movies and read about...

Bradley Cooper, Clive Owen, Ryan Reynolds, or Johnny Depp.

You get the picture... 

Do any of the men in the above picture look like the above mentioned men?

Need I go on? 

Or if you are lucky like me, he might look like them, but he still won't say the lovely things they say.

 Instead he will say, "Where is the ketchup" as he stares into the refrigerator, scratching his backside.

Or he will come home and say, "What's for dinner?"... giving you your first clue he didn't make a dinner reservation.

 

I spent a couple years of married life beating my husband up for sucking at special days. He does and he owns it. But, he is great at loving me, protecting me, wanting the best for me. You can't find that at Walmart.

Thankfully.

This year he is off the hook.

Yea, he really is "off the hook" (sorry)

So what he doesn't buy into the Hallmark thing.

Everyday is a gift with him... some days a gift I'd like to return. 

Truthfully, he is a gift I never thought I would find.

Happy Valentines Day Sweetie. 

I love you to the moon and back.

Enjoy today, married or single.

It's a day... a day to rejoice and be glad.

A day God made and gave you breath to rejoice in Him.

AND... If your guy did go to Walmart... be nice, smile and be thankful.

I'm home watching Clive Owens look for ketchup.

What's In A Smudge... The Ashes Of Lent

 A smudge of ash on my forehead. 

A sign. 

A reminder... that this day will come to an end. 

I will come to an end.

 A cross pointing to the One who came to give us life, more abundantly.

We are destined for more... in Him.

I didn't grow up with this smudge.

I did not understand the significance of it.

 

I see the beauty and blessing in it now. 

Lent ~ Holy Spring

An outward sign, marking us to Him, The Creator of all.

An opportunity to feed my soul,

in remembering the six weeks...

leading up to the death and resurrection of my Savior.

We give something up... or,

we take something on. New attitudes, of gratitude, grace, brotherly love, prayer, simplicity.

Forty days to be immersed, converted, transformed.

A journey.

A smudge in the shape of a cross and words spoken.

"From dust you have come, from dust you will return."

From Genesis 3:19 when God spoke to Adam.

A reminder that we will die.

God's loving hand formed us from dust and to dust He we will return us.

The story doesn't end there... it takes a beautiful, magnificent turn.

We celebrate this season as it calls us to renewal.

 A resurrection occurred. The resurrection.

One that changed the course of our lives.

A Savior to the world.

To all who will accept Him, for the Truth that He is.

He welcomes all, to Him.

In peace, love and joy.

The message of His word.

Love God. Love People.

Thomas Merton wrote, "Lent is then not a season of punishment so much as one of healing."

 John 14:3, "And if I go prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you may be also where I am."

May we find healing in Christ and know that He does prepare a place for us, forever.

How do you prepare for this season? 

Change... Is Up To Me

Change came round the corner of my weekend.  God blessed deeply through His gifts.  In the form of women, coming together to be magnified, healed, shining like gold... coming through the fire of trials, grief, loss.   Changed from brokenness into beauty like gold encrusted rubies, emeralds and diamonds. Through honesty, openness and the sisterhood of Christ.
God has been teaching me to be quiet, waiting on Him... since our move. I have learned to trust and recognize when it is time to move these feet of clay that desire Him, though at times seem stuck in hesitation, selfishness.
This weekend He offered a way. A way to see Him through others. Women, who desire more of Christ and are willing to share their sorrows and joys. He blessed me richly by joining them. 
Joy is what I received. God gave me what I have been waiting for. Community. Now, what will I do with it? It is up to me.. to keep moving these feet where He leads.   Oh Lord, I pray today that I would follow you, wherever you lead, wherever you send your servant. Though there is nothing worthy in me, use me for your glory and kingdom. Let it be as you desire.   Change is just around the corner. In the form of opportunities to glorify God. Don't miss yours today.   How does God show you opportunities each day? 

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Define Yourself

 Who are you?

How do you define yourself?

Do you believe you are beloved by God?

If you believe it, claim it... have you been transformed by His power?

The power of the Holy Spirit that gives you eyes to see eternity, refusing to bow to the present darkness you find yourself in.

When the storms of life come raging through, tossing you back and forth, you find the quiet center that holds you close. 

Tight. Without fear, because it is God who holds your hand.

It is God who whispers in your ear, 

"Be still my child, and know that I am God. I will never leave you. I will protect you always."

Joshua 1:9 "This is my command, Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Define yourself today, radically... as the beloved daughter and son of the Most High.

The Creator of All. Yahweh, Gentle Father, Loving Confidant, Powerful Protector, Lord of All, Your Great Physician, Beautiful Healer,

 Your Rock and Redeemer.

He is God, and He is at our hearts door each morning waiting to be invited in. 

Imagine that for a moment... and recognize the Power, Beauty and Truth you have waiting to guide you today.

To that quiet center.

He is the quiet center of our soul and He will carry you through each day. 

What words do you use to describe yourself?

What words do you use to describe God when you call out to Him?

    

What A Six Year Old Remembers...

Here is post from Mary DeMuth Live Uncaged Website.

I’m grateful to host Dale Carroll-Coleman here today. You can read her blog here.
She shares a heartrending story of loss and down-the-road hope. I pray it blesses you.
…
What A six Year Old Remembers…
When I was six years old, life changed.
Tragedy paints a sharp picture on our hearts. I am now many years past that age but I see the day as if it were yesterday.

The June sun was shining as I waved goodbye to my brother. I was headed to school, the last days of 1st grade. He stood at the top of the hill waving, a daring, funny 4 yr old.
I remember the phone ringing in my classroom that afternoon. It hung on the wall, a long dangling cord. My teacher took the quick call, looked at me, told me to gather my things and go to the office.
Walking to the front office I met my older brother. Our Principal smiled at us from the doorway, waving goodbye.

A couple from church seemed to be taking us home… a surprise perhaps? We traveled the short mile to our house, in silence. I was six. I didn’t ask questions.
We drove past my grandparent’s house. I noticed my aunt walking around the front of the house with someone, their arm around her.
I said that she was taking Jeff on a picnic today. My mom’s friend said something about not feeling like going on a picnic.

We arrived home to a driveway full of cars.
We were met with familiar faces, mostly from church… but they looked different. My grandfather sat, motionless, red eyes, wet with tears. People were crying. My parents walked across the room to meet us.
Our little brother had been hit by a car. He would not be coming home… at least to this home. He was with Jesus.

As I sat by my mom, I watched my little sister, circling the dining room table on her scooter. She was 2 yrs old… unaware. I wanted to be her. She had lost her pal, her buddy, her partner in crime, but she didn’t know it yet.
Boy, girl, boy, girl… a family of four. Life changed that day. Boy, girl, girl.
My sister lost, my brother lost, sharing bunk beds, life as brothers.
I became a middle child that day. We all lost… our innocence, our belief that life was always sweet.

At six I felt deep sadness. Yet, there was a trust. A peace. My brother was with Jesus, and I knew I could trust Jesus.
I knew Jesus loved the little children. At six, Jesus was deep in my soul.
In the days following I watched my parents behavior and modeled it.
Practice bitterness, hatred, fear…. That will be grown in your children. I saw faith, forgiveness, hope.
My faith was solidified in the days after losing my brother. Jesus showed Himself to me new that day. He whispered in my ear… I am with you. I will never leave you. I will take care of you.… and He has.
He does love the little children, because the Bible tells me so.

Recently, we have watched mouths agape, hearts torn open, as our children have been attacked. The small ones, the innocent.
We think of moms and dads with empty arms and hearts. We mourn the loss of their sweet children. We pray for brothers and sisters. They will remember the day, the sadness, loss. What they were doing in that moment, the color of the sky… burning deep memories in their souls.
I pray they remember…. hearing Jesus whisper in their ears… I am with you. I will never leave you. I will take care of you.
I pray their mamas and daddies hear that same voice and trust God for the days ahead.

Matthew 19:14 “Let the little children come to me, do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”
 

Resonate with this post? Want more?

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Mary DeMuth.. Live Uncaged

Hi dear reader.

 I am over at Mary DeMuth Live Uncaged Today

marydemuth.com

Check out her site. 

Mary is a gifted lady, who has been inspiring me for a couple of years now.

One of these days I will hope to meet her and hear her speak.

 

Being Brave...

 We can all be brave.... 

Brave - showing courage.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9  one of my favorite verses on being brave.

 Joshua was all about bravery and leadership. Moses had died and Joshua would lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.

Joshua exhibited Godly leadership, obedience and faith.

I am thankful I don't lead a vast number of people as Joshua did... I have a few who might look to me for those leadership skills.

It seems like the responsibility may be the same.

God gives each of us people to encourage.

This will take bravery.

Have courage. God is with you.

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson