Newest Family Photo!

I've already said before how much I love my family! So I am loving
that we could all be together again this Christmas and get a new
family picture....here are two.....

  Please comment and let me know which one you think is best. Thanks!

A Day of Family Fun!

We had a rather quiet Christmas Day....After opening presents and seeing
Trevor, Olivia & Reuben off to his parents, we had a relaxing day. But we
decided to do something on Saturday....

Merry Christmas....early!

 The way my life is going lately, I figured while I have a few minutes
 I want to take time to post about Christmas....and probably other things!

 This time of year always brings back memories.... memories of when I was little.
 I remember making cookies with mom, roll out sand tarts. Painting on the egg,
 dumping on the decorations! We used to put on the old record album, an RCA
 Christmas one.... with all the classic singers & songs ( I looked for a pic to post
 but could not find one!) and decorate the house. What a fun time of year!

 A lot of those things I have done with my own children... and still do! And though
 we have been scattered in years past, I am thankful last year & this year we can all
 be together! What a blessing! I especially love Christmas morning when those who
 are at home gather around the tree and read through both accounts of Christ's birth!
 We have a great reason to celebrate!

 As you gather with family or friends this Christmas take time to make memories,
 start new traditions & especially remember Who it is we celebrate!

    Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 30

 Day 30 ~ The End!

   I am thankful this has finally come to an end! It has been hard to do!
   There are so many more things I am thankful for though! From 
   Thanksgiving day 2012 - Thanksgiving day 2013 I kept a journal 
   of thanks and I have been reading through it since the 24th....
   It was a challenge by a friend to continue your thanks through the
   year and I'm glad she made the challenge! If you have never even
   made a small list of things you are thankful for, you should do it...
   it may surprise you just what the Lord has done in your life!
 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 29

 Day 29 ~ God Knows Me

   I am so thankful that God knows me....all about me! He knows 
   my heart & my thoughts. He knows how & when I will make 
   mistakes and He is always there ready to forgive and draw me
   back into His arms!  
 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 28

 Day 28 ~ Learning

   I am thankful for the ability to learn. I am so glad I did not learn all
   there is to know from God's Word in one reading....I love the fact
   that I can sit down year after year and still learn new things!
 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 27

 Day 27 ~ Seeing God at work

   This one is a little hard to explain.... yet, I am so thankful I can see
   God at work in my life and in the lives of others! It is so exciting &
   encouraging to see a real answer to prayer! It boosts your faith and
   makes you want to keep praying!

   There are certain things going on right now that I can tell are a work
   of God.... someday soon I may be able to post about them! Until then
   I will continue to pray and be amazed!
 

20 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 26

 Day 26 ~ Heaven
   I am thankful that I know when I die I am going to Heaven. I am
   looking forward to seeing my Saviour, the One who died for me! 
   I am also looking forward to being reunited with loved ones....
   my grandma, my Jeremy, my brother Travis and many others.
   And to think that we'll meet all the great heroes of the Bible! 
   What a day that will be!
 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 25

 Day 25 ~ The Holy Spirit

  I am thankful for the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life.
  Pastor preached today on this idea and how we need the Holy
  Spirit because times are troubling...indeed we live in troubling
  times! Yet, as Jesus taught, the Holy Spirit was given to be a 
  comforter to us just for times like these! 

  Another thought he gave was that the Holy Spirit is not any less
  than Jesus Christ.... The Trinity are equal in quality! That is a great
  thought! When the disciples walked with Jesus, they had power when
  He was near...but when He left and sent the Holy Spirit, they could have
  power at all times! We can as well! What a great thought.... and something
  to be so thankful for!
 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 24

 Day 24 ~ My Mother-in-love
  I am thankful for my mother-in-love, Ruby. She raised my husband
  alone, her husband died leaving her many small children....my husband
  being eight years old. She has great faith and has such an exceptional
  prayer life! She is a great example to me! She was the one who lead me
  to the Lord! I can never thank her enough for that! When I remind her of
  it she takes no credit...just doing what she thought she should have done.
  She will turn 88 this January and though we do not know how many days
  we have on this earth, her life will be greatly missed by so many!
  I am so thankful for all that she has taught me over the years & I love her
  very much! 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 23

 Day 23 ~ My extended family
   I am so thankful for the family I was allowed to grow up in...
   Though they are not perfect, my parents did take us to church
   until I was 8 years old. My dad was always a great provider and
   now that I am older I understand the sacrifices he made to be able
   to provide for us.  My mom took time to make things special...
   whether it was a birthday or a holiday, she would make a big deal
   out of it! My sister is one of my best friends....always calling me on
   Monday mornings just to talk.  Though we do not get to see each other
   as often as we used to, the times we do spend together are special to me!
   And then there's my brother... We don't talk or see each other often, but
   like with my sister, when we do see each other we make the most of it!
   I am thankful for them all & I love them all deeply!
    

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 22

 Day 22 ~ The Baby Bean ,Reuben
   This is how we found out about the baby to be....
   

  When we were picked up at the airport in April, the car seat was in the van like
   this,(but I didn't get to take a picture until a few days later, so we recreated it...).
   And then on our next trip.....
   

   Here he is! What a privilege to be able to be there for his first night at home! It
   was an answer to prayer since he had a little trouble at birth. What a little cutie!
   He has already won this grandma's heart! Oh how my heart ached to leave! It was
   one of the hardest  times in my life! I know he's in good hands, with a daddy & 
   mommy who already love him to pieces! And a great God Who has BIG plans
   for his life! 

   I know I will cherish any & all of the times I get spend with him! Here's one final
   picture....
   

                           I love you little Reuben! 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 21

 Day 21 ~ My Other Son-in-Love, Trevor
   You were another answer to prayer...a very quick answer! In just 10
   months you won our daughter's heart, courted her from Ohio, made
   her your wife and took her to Texas! I know God was working in it
   all! 

  Though we knew you from church, getting to know you as family has
  been a challenge! It has been fun though...coming down to visit, doing
  missions trips together, camping together! We definitely have to do that
  some more! 

  You faith in God and following His leading, even when it took you so 
  far from home is amazing to me! I am thankful that you have a walk with
  God and that you are willing to do what He asks...even when it is hard!

  I am also thankful for the love you have for our daughter and I can't wait
  to see how God will use you both in the future!

OK, I had to put in this picture... right before you became part of the family!

                            I Love you, Trevor!
 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 20

 Day 20 ~ My Son-in-Love, Matt
   You have been a perfect fit for our family and a total answer to prayer
   for me. You see, I had been praying that, if it was God's will for you to
   be Anna's husband He would have to change her heart..... and that's 
   exactly what He did! It was so perfect the way it all happened, though
   not as quickly as I (or probably you) would have liked! I too had to be
   patient while God worked. 

   I couldn't ask for more.... the way you have loved and cared for my 
   daughter for the past 4 years! You have been willing to follow God's
   leading, even when it was very hard and people didn't understand what
   you were doing. Yet I admired you for doing it! 

   I know God will continue to use you (& Anna) for His glory in the years
   to come! And I am excited I can watch and pray as He uses your lives! 

Getting a little advice from his Father-in-Love!

                              I Love you, Matt!

 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 19

 Day 19 ~ My Si Guy
   "It's a BOY!" Again, everyone in the room knew we had three girls...
   and so there was so much celebration for you (by people who didn't
   even know us! )! You were "the boy" for years... that's what we called
   you. Then it changed to Si (and when you were still little it was Si guy).

   It is hard to believe 16 years have gone by. You have grown into such a
   fine young man! You have had such a tender heart through the years... 
   always coming to me if you did something you knew was wrong. I have
   always loved that about you. 

   I know God is going to do great things with you.... you have such a heart 
   to serve Him! I am excited to continue watching you grow ~ seeing how
   God will use you....

                               I Love you, Si!

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 18

 Day 18 ~ My Erin
   "It's another girl!" The room exploded with those words! All the
   nurses knew we had two girls at home, yet those words were so
   sweet to hear! You were such a good baby! You had yourself on 
   a schedule, I could homeschool without any disruptions from you!
   I have enjoyed watching you grow up... my how the time flies!
   
   I love your sense of adventure! I believe you got that from both your 
   dad & me! We have had some awesome travels together (Wyoming,
   Texas, Prince Edward Island....). I hope to have many more with you!

   Whatever plans God has for you, I'm sure they are BIG! Your tender
   heart to the things of God is a challenge to me and I know He will
   continue to use you! I am just going to enjoy every moment I have
   with you!

                                    I Love you, Monster Baby!

Happy Thanksgiving !

   " Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
       and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms."
                      ~ Psalm 95:2 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 17

 Day 17 ~ My Liv
  You were such an answer to prayer! After we lost Jeremy, I longed for
   another child. I finally had to give it over to the Lord. He helped me to
   be content with what I did have. And three years after our loss we found
   out we were expecting again! How excited I was!

   From the moment you could play, you became Anna's best friend. It was
   such fun to watch you play together! And memories we made...I want to
   remember them always! (Making cookies at Christmas, taking family
   vacations... you in South Dakota "hiking" at 15 months old!...all those
   times spent at Grandma Davis's...getting together with Aunt Robin, Danny,
   & Katie...) My how time flies! 

   You are an inspiration to me as well. You willingness to follow your
   husband and live so far from all your family is a challenge to me! I know
   I talk about it, but it would be down right hard to do! And now you are a
   mommy! You get to make memories and be challenged & inspired by your
   family! Enjoy every moment! I am excited for your future too! I know God
   is going to continue to use you & Trevor greatly!

A hug on your wedding day...I greatly miss those hugs ....

                               I love you!

  

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 16

 Day 16 ~ Our Jeremy
   Though the Lord decided to take him home before birth, I am thankful 
   for he time I got to carry him with me. I had been wanting to have another 
   child and when I found out I was expecting and due in March 1991 I was
   so excited! Especially when my sister and my step mom were due in the
   same year! Sadly, just 16 weeks into the pregnancy he passed away in
   the womb. After delivery we found out it was a boy, our first son.
   My sister and step mom both had boys that year, in April & June. 
   I am thankful I knew the Lord, though I had not been saved for long. He
   comforted me with the song, Jesus Loves Even Me. It is so dear to my
   heart even today. Though it has been 25 years since you were born, I think
   of you often and can't wait to meet you in Heaven!

   In Loving Memory of Jeremy Lee Davis
    Stillborn on September 18, 1990  
 
    

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 15

 Day 15 ~ My Anna
   From the day you were born, you have changed our lives! Our first
   born! We were no longer us but we! It is incredible how much love 
   a parent can have for a child! You were our only child for so long, it 
   made you so spoiled! But spoiled in good ways.... is there such a thing?

   You were (are) such a good big sister! Almost like a second mom to 
   your siblings! You have been an incredible example not just to your 
   siblings but at times to your dad & I as well! Your trust in God to supply 
   your needs when you were in Bible college were such an inspiration to us!
   You have always been a blessing to me and I am so thankful for you! I
   am excited for your future... I know God will continue to bless your
   marriage! But that's for another post!  

Me & You on your wedding day

                                          I love you!

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Days 13 & 14

 Day 13 ~ My Family
    This is definitely going to get more than one post! I love my family
    collectively, but also individually. I have been so blessed that God 
    allowed me to marry, give birth to, live with, etc..... these people!
    My life would not be the same without you all ! And I love you ! 

 Day 14 ~ My Husband, Terry
     

In just 6 short months, we
will celebrate 30 years
together !  How quickly
time has gone ! 
Though I was not even
saved when we got married, I am thankful
that we both know the
Lord now and we can
serve Him together. 
I love these pictures from
Matt & Anna's wedding...
<--- this one makes me
think you are modeling
that suit....so not you!
I love your smile in this
one!                     ---->



The way you have provided for us all these years is a blessing! And when you decided to leave a
great paying job to follow the Lord's leading was a great example to our kids! Your sense of adventure has always been a thrill... though I think I am getting too old for all those hikes! 
Can't keep up with you or them! I am hoping the Lord blesses us with many, many more years
together!   You are the love of my life and my best friend!

 
 

  

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Days 11 & 12

  Day 11 ~ My Country
    I am thankful to live in America. Though I am sad at the condition of
   my country, I am still thankful to live here. There has never been a 
   place on earth so blessed by God in such a short amount of time. I am
   thankful God has blessed America, now I believe it is time for America
   to bless God!

 Day 12 ~ The Old Hymns of the Faith
   I am thankful for these because of the messages they contain and the
   stories behind them. If you have never read any hymn histories it is well
   worth your time to read them ! We have some great songs to sing and
   they will never be too old fashioned for the times ! We have a God Who 
   never changes, why should our songs?
 

Taking A Little Break....

Hi Everyone!

 I am sorry for the delay in posts...I am actually going to have to
 take a little break...I should be back on to post next Friday the
 20th. I will have a lot of catching up to do, I'm sorry!

Thanksgiving

             Thanksgiving is not a day... it is a lifestyle!
                                                                                                       ~ seen on a church sign

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 10

 My Pastors~
   I am thankful for the pastors God has allowed me to sit under.
  Those I currently have, but also those in the past. They have all
  been great men of God who have helped shape me into the person
  I am today.  From my early days under Pastor Godby (unfortunately
  he passed away earlier this year), then Pastor Wahlberg (a very 
  humble man who was a great teacher/preacher...I learned so much
  from him!), to Pastor Starr ( a great man of God and a great fiery 
  preacher who is still a great friend!), there was Pastor George
  (my brother-in-law, another fiery preacher!), and now Pastor 
  Sweitzer (a great, humble man of God who can preach with power
  quietly, yet fiery at the same time!) and I can't let out Pastor Terry
  (another humble man of God who can preach & teach God's Word
  with power yet so simple a child can understand!) I have truly been
  blessed to sit under these men God has placed in the ministry!
 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 9

 Life ~
  I am thankful for life. That I have the ability to get out of bed in the
 morning, breathe, and just have life. It is something I think we all take
 for granted.
  Then there is new life. Spiritual life. I think I already covered that, but
 I can never be thankful enough for that life!
 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 8

 Church / Freedom of Worship ~
   I know, this is two.... but they go together! I am very thankful for
  the freedom to worship! It allows us to have access to go to church
  without fear. We can attend church openly and that is a great right
  I hope we never lose.
  
  I am also thankful then for my church. The building we have to meet 
 in, but also for the people who make up my church. I have learned that
 there will never be a perfect church.....they are full of sinners saved by
 grace (of which I am one!). But I can truly say, I am thankful for my 
 church and the freedom to attend openly!
 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 7

  Prayer ~
    I am so thankful I can talk to my God in prayer. When I think about
 how the God of the whole universe cares about the things on my heart
 it is amazing! There are days when I get too busy in my quiet time to
 take time to pray, I admit it. I get up late or things just get too busy to
 have time to pray in the quiet. But those days are usually harder. I 
 know this, yet I still have days where it seems like the easiest thing to
 not do in the morning is pray. I am trying to not do that, but there are
 still days... I am thankful, though, that God waits for me to come to
 Him. He is never too busy to hear.... I need to not get too busy to talk!
    

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 6

 Daily Provision ~

     As I sat eating my breakfast, I thought..."how often do I take for 
 granted every meal I eat?" Oh, I give thanks for it. But we are a 
 blessed people, to have food on the table at every meal. There
 have been times when I had to figure out how I was going to feed
 my family. Even had answers to prayer by others giving to us, not
 knowing there was a need. 

 And it doesn't stop with just food.... think about clothing, and a 
 place to call home. How about the utilities....electric, heat, etc.

 We have so much to be thankful for! Take time to thank the Lord!

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 5

 God's Creation ~
       I could go all over the place with this! Think about ALL the
 wonderful things God has created! I'm just going to put some
 pictures of things I have taken....

The moon

Snow (No, I'm not a big fan. But it is pretty)

The ocean

Fall colors

Flowers

 

 This is only a few pictures of the many things God has given us that I enjoy.

Our God is a great God Who has given us such wonderful things to enjoy!
Take time to remember Him & thank Him for all He has given us!

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 4

 My Salvation ~
  I did not come to know Jesus as my Saviour until I was 20 years old.
 I had repeated the "sinner's prayer" so the preacher would marry Terry
 and I, but I had no idea what it meant and the preacher never followed
 up with me. (It did not help my mom was in an accident and not 
 expected to live so we ended up not marrying in his church.)

  My salvation happened in my mother-in-law's living room. We spent
 a lot of time at her house when we were first married and she has a 
 close walk with the Lord. We were talking one night about Hell and I
 knew that's where I was headed. She asked if I wanted to get saved &
 I did. We went into her living room and there by her couch, I asked
 Jesus to save me. She did not give me the words to say, but she was
 talking to the Lord for me, I could hear her.

  It has been just over 27 years since that day and I can truly say 
 "every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before!" And I do love
 Him more now than I did before! I was already a wife & mom
 when I got saved. I had lived 20 years without Him. BUT I am so
 thankful my mother-in-law took time to talk to me about Him! And
 I am so thankful for the work of the Holy Spirit in my life! There have
 been struggles, and there will be more, but I know my Saviour is with
 me until the end! And because of that I can have strength & courage to 
 carry on!

 "For in him we live, and move, and have our being" Acts 17:28a
  

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 3

  God's Word ~ My Bible

   This is the Bible I have had since about 1974 (?)! I got it as a child, when we
 went to a Brethren church. I LOVE my Bible! I have had this Bible since before
 I was saved, yet, even then, I knew it was a special Book. I remember getting it
 out and looking through it thinking.....how could I ever read the WHOLE thing!
 Now it is something I look forward to every other year! And this year I tried to
 slow down reading it so I can catch the little things I would read over so quickly.

 I am so thankful God gave us His Word so we would know how to live!
 Everything we need for life is in it! It is complete! Praise God for that!

 I close with another picture of a Bible. One that I am sure will become just as
 dear to my heart. I had been wanting a study Bible for a few years. Well, last
 night we went to Ollie's and I found one! I am so excited, yet I hate to retire my
 old faithful Bible! I asked Terry if I could get it for Christmas and he agreed.
 When we got home I started to open it, then I thought, wait! You should wait until
 Christmas since that was the reason for buying it! So I left the plastic on,closed
 the box and put it with the other Christmas gifts. I won't use it until next year
 any way!

 I hope your Bible is precious to you and that it becomes even more precious
 as time goes by!

.

 

30 Days of Thankfulness ~ Day 2

  Jesus Christ ~

   My Saviour, Redeemer, Friend..... I cannot say enough about Him!
   When I stop and think about how He left Heaven to come to this
   earth to die for my sins, it just amazes me! And where would I be
   if I had not accepted Him? But that is for another post!

  "To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory 
   and majesty, dominion and power, both now
   and ever. Amen."  ~Jude 25 

30 Days of Thankfulness...Day 1

 I know this has been done by many a few years ago, but I didn't have a blog
 then so I decided to do it now! I will do my best to have a post every day....

Who but God in Heaven could make a sky this color?

  Day 1 ~ My God

   I am thankful for The God in Heaven Who created ALL things! He created them
  for His pleasure, according to Revelation 4:11.
  He is also My God. A personal God Who loves me! Stop and think about that...

God's Will...

  This seems to be a most interesting subject..... finding it.... knowing it....
  doing it......

Coming Soon....A New Post!

   I'm sorry I have not been on here to post in a while. I have been trying to
   catch up on the ministry blog and I'm also mulling over a few post ideas...
   I will try to get something posted here soon! Meanwhile, here are a few
   pictures of where we have been.....

 This is in Ramey, PA....
 kind of out in the middle
 of nowhere!
 It is a beautiful place
 that the Lord provided
 for this camp.

This is the house we stayed in...
A great place the Lord provided!

The trees were just starting to get beautiful!
This was taken the first week we were there,
which was last week. They were SO much
prettier this week....pictures to come soon!

This is the road that leads to the cabins
where Terry & Josiah worked.

Little Things

         
       Enjoy the little things for one day you may    
       look back and discover they were the BIG 
       things.          ~Robert Brault

A Most Valuable Lesson

Sunrise from my front door

 I just finished a series of posts on a class I heard at the Northeast Vision Summit.
 This post is about the most important thing I learned from that class... Quiet Time.
 We've all heard that phrase before and it may even bring a negative thought to your
 mind. However, I learned it IS important, but in a different way...

 How many times do we hurriedly sit down to read our Bible in the morning and we
 basically just go through the motions? We "have" our devotions, but we walk away
 and don't even bother to reflect on anything we have read? I know I'm STILL guilty
 of this even after learning this valuable lesson!

 The pastor's wife who taught the lesson said she learned about five years ago that
 sometimes it is good to just sit and be quiet first thing in the morning. Let God
 speak to you in the stillness. Let your mind think thoughts of Him and only Him
 BEFORE you read His Word... It reminds me of the verse " Be still and know that
 I am God" in Isaiah.

 So I put the knowledge to the test... my first morning home from the conference I
 got up at sunrise. (That's what the picture at the top is from. Sorry for the poor
 quality!) I was pretty disappointed because I thought I could sit on the back deck to
 see it, BUT I had to stand at my front door! So for now any future sunrise moments
 will have to wait...

 I am still guilty of walking away and not really reflecting on what I read...you all
 know how busy a day can get! But how can I change this? Well, I know sometimes
 I will write a verse out on a 3x5 card and lay it on the table or kitchen counter so
 I can read over it during the day. Do you have any suggestions for me? I'd love to
 hear what works for you! Let us encourage one another in the Lord!

Maintaining a Good Attitude ~Part 3

      WOW! I'm sorry it has been longer than a week since my last post! We were
       away for five of those days! I hope to finish with these posts now though...
       I hope it will not be too long.....

      The last point on the worksheet is:
      F.  Aim For Consistency Every Day.
           She used a box of chocolates as an example....do you just eat any piece of
           chocolate in an assortment? Or do you read the little chart and pick what
           you like? She gave us each a Hershey's Kiss and said that a Hershey Kiss
           is the same no matter how many are in the bag....they are consistent. Neat,
           huh? I thought it was! She explained how our families need us to be
           consistent ~ they need to know that mom, or wife or grandma, is going to
           be the same whenever they ask us a question or need to talk. I KNOW
           this is something I needed to hear a LONG time ago. I was not always
           a kind mama or wife, but with the Lord's help I am trying to be more
           consistent. That's not to say there will be bad days.....we're human! We
           will make mistakes, but we have a forgiving & loving God Who will
           help us when we ask.

       So there you have it. No, I didn't share the biggest thing I learned...I'm
       going to do that next time. I hope this has been a blessing to you and if
       it has, please share that with me!

Maintaining a Good Attitude ~ Part 2

        I'm going to jump right in today with the next section on my paper :

        How Your Spirit Can Sustain Your Infirmity:

       A. Determine what it takes to pick yourself up and do it!
              When you feel your attitude going bad, force yourself to memorize
               a verse of Scripture, put on a cd, or pick up a book that is uplifting.
       B. Let the high times carry the low.
              When things aren't going quite right and you feel yourself slipping,
              remember the times God did speak to you or when He did answer
              prayer and rejoice in those memories!
       C. Don't cry over things that can't cry over you.
            We tend to spend so much time focusing on things that are out of our
            control that we lose our joy and get frustrated. We waste our emotions
            on things of no value.
       D. Let people do what they're going to do.
             This was a big one for me and I may take more time to explain...
             She (the pastor's wife) taught how Jesus basically told Judas to do
             what he was going to do when He dipped the sop and gave it to Judas
              ~ Even after 3 years with Jesus, Judas wasn't changed! Some people
             will be who they are... they may never change.
             BUT, it should not change who we are! Don't get bitter or waste your
             time getting angry. It's like a wise friend of our family (Ross) told us
             one time..... "sometimes we put people in the wrong slot.... we expect
             them to be a ten, when in reality they may only be a seven. When you
             get them in the right slot, they won't frustrate you...." Or they shouldn't.
       E. Have an all-day connection with God.
             Our walk with God should be an ALL day thing. Sometimes it's just a
             "hey, God, I know you're there".....that's what the word acknowledge
             means in Proverbs 3:6.
             The other thought she gave with this was.... Do I really want to know
             God inside & out?  (Food for thought.....)

        I think I'll stop there.....there's lots to think about and the last point is too
        good to put in at the end! I also want to share the biggest thing I got from
        her class........next week!


        

Maintaining A Good Attitude - Part 1

      A month ago, we attended a conference where I went to a session with this
      title....I had no way of knowing anything about the class..... we picked only
      by title! I am so glad I picked this class though.... and I'd like to share some
      things I learned....I will break it down so the post doesn't get too long....

     The title at the top of the handout says " A Good Attitude In a Bad World"
     The pastor's wife who taught the class used Proverbs 18:14 as the theme verse.
     "The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can
      bear?" She likened the word infirmity to a trial, but when I looked up the
     word in Strong's it means sickness.... in most cases....it can also mean to
     be rubbed or worn, to be weak, as used in Psalm 77:10, but that's for a
     different post!

     She used 3 examples from the Bible; Jochebed ~ Moses's mom, Ruth & Mary.
     Jochebed was forced to make a decision when Pharoah ordered all males
     babies killed. Can you imagine being under that kind of stress and keeping a
     good attitude? Next was Ruth, she chose to leave everything she knew to
     serve the God who was new to her. And then Mary, the Mother of our
     Saviour...she rejoiced in God in her trial. She was already showing when she
     praised God in Luke 1:27!

     Those are some big shoes to fill when you think about it! What trials we face
     in our daily lives are small in comparison to most (not that we do not face big
     trials at times...). The question is... How do we react to them? Are we able to
     maintain a good attitude?

     Remember I Thessalonians 5:18a -" In EVERYTHING give thanks..."
    

     

How to Find Joy in Life's Simple Pleasures

       " A peaceful heart finds joy in life's simple pleasures." 

     If you know me, you know I do not like cold....but I was looking for a picture that 
     looked peaceful.... and how much more peaceful is the quietness of newly fallen 
     snow? It looks beautiful and sounds SO peaceful! Do you know what it sounds 
     like while it is snowing or just after it has snowed? Peaceful.

     So if a peaceful heart finds joy in life's simple pleasures, where does this peace 
     come from?

     Well, the verse that comes to mind is Isaiah 26:3 ~"Thou wilt keep him in perfect 
     peace,whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."  I have heard 
     that the word perfect means peace, so the idea is God (the Thou) will keep you 
     & me (the him)  in "peace, peace".....Ok, that sounds funny but remember when 
     Jesus taught and said something twice it was to drive a point home. So Gods 
     keeps (guards or protects) us in peace~ gives us peace... BUT the verse says 
     "whose mind is stayed on thee..."   It takes action on our part too! How do you 
     "stay" your mind on Him? This word stayed has many meanings....I'll just pick 
     a few that are SO fitting!.... to lean upon, take hold of, establish, rest self, set 
     self.... so think about these....We all know we can lean upon God or take hold 
     of God in times of need, but think of the other definitions.... our mind  needs to 
     establish itself on Him....know Him.....the same can be said for setting our mind
     on Him. Keep our thoughts focused or trained on Him. 

     The verse finishes by saying "because he trusteth in Him." We can fix or 
     establish our mind on Him because HE can be trusted! I'm not going to go into 
     an explanation of that, we know what trust is.... So I hope that you have this 
     "peace, peace" that God can give... so you too can enjoy life's simple pleasures!
    
                                                                      * The above quote was taken from a church sign