Tuesday, January 27, 2009

memory monday update

well, as you can see from the lack of posts since jan 12th, i haven't quite got the swing of things down yet with this memorization thing. but that's not to say that i'm giving up. oh no! i'm still working on my verse. i'm older now and you know what they say about old brains. no? me neither. i think i forgot!!!

how bout you? are you memorizing any scripture these days? i'll be back someday with memory verse in hand and in my memory. until then, have a blessed day!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Memory Monday



over the holidays i was thinking alot about what i wanted to incorporate into my life this year. the idea of memorizing scripture came to me repeatedly, but i wasn't sure how to go about it. until today, when i saw that joanne over at the simple wife has started a memory monday. each person picks the scripture they want to memorize and then we all head over to joanne's on monday and recite (write down) our memory verses. great, huh? and i don't have to reinvent the wheel.

so for this coming week, i'm going to memorize 1 Peter 5:10. so check back here next week and see how i did. and join me in memorizing the Word, i'd love to have the company.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

WFW Ps 39 7

i love working with graphics and pics on my computer and i love the Word of God. Word Filled Wednesday combines both, so i'm in heaven!





ps 39:7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.

i love the psalms and verses that talk about hope and putting my hope in the Lord. He is the only one that we can put our hope in that can fulfill that hope we have. no other person, thing, bank acct,credit card can grant us what we hope for. only Him.

our world has been shaken of late, our financial world was on sand when we thot it had been built on a solid rock. lots of people are wondering where they can put their hope, their trust now. they have lost money, or even jobs. the future is uncertain. but God says, put your hope in Me. I will not disappoint. I am the sure thing.

what about you? where is your hope today? in your 401K? in your job? marriage? kids? me, i'm putting my hope in Him. He's my only Hope, He's the One.

if you want to see more word filled wednesday photos and bible verses, hop on over to 160 acre woods.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Do Not Fear .... Isaiah 41



Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10





i love this verse cuz its so reassuring. its so powerful. it makes me feel secure and protected. i dont' have to fear, in fact i'm commanded not to fear. God is here with me, protecting me, helping me, strengthening me. and i can count on Him.

i need to remember this each day. it always seems like there is something going on that causes anxiety or fear in my life. but God has told me that He is my God. and He's holding me up with His hand. i'm in the palm of His hand. safe, secure.

if you are looking for more encouragement from the Word head on over to 160 acre woods, you'll be blessed.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Ps 32:8

i posted this over at challenges and adventures today, but i thot my readers here would enjoy it also.






I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with mine eye. Ps 32:8


i love this verse and how it gives us hope. hope that the Lord is guiding us, seeing whats up ahead, keeping us from stumbling around in the dark. when we get to know who the Lord is: light, faithfulness, sovereign, omniscent, omnipresent, omnipotent we have a new understanding of how much hope we have in Him. i have felt His guidence in my life and i'm in awe of His faithfulness to me.

this is my first WFW post so i'd love to have you leave a comment. if you want to join in the fun head on over to 160 acre woods. and have a blessed day!

Friday, August 15, 2008

The Rock

today we were up at our new favorite spot on the river north of boise. it is a wonderful, quiet spot with a sandy beach on a calm part of the river. perfect for josiah to play in the water and the sand. perfect for michael and i to be close by but relaxing on our lawn chairs ... chatting, reading or dreaming.

to get back to the picnic area josiah and i walked tentatively on the trail as it was steep and littered with boulders every foot or so. as i took josiah's hand to help him along we switched places. now with josiah in the front going up a steep mound, i pushed him along. josiah's balance isn't the best nor is his footing. he gets scared easily on uneven ground.

as i was giving josiah help from behind, josiah lost his footing and started falling back onto me. his weight pushing against me, made me lose my balance and i started to fall back as well. as i grabbed josiah, hoping to right myself up again, my backside and legs met up with a very large boulder and i sat right down. i was able to help josiah regain his balance and i popped up again and we made our way back to the picnic table.

when we first found out about josiah's special needs, i lost my footing. i had no clue how to raise a child with needs. i had studied homeschooling, parenting books, and preschool lessons. i thot i knew what i needed in order to parent. after all, i had been preparing for a long time. but nothing prepared me for a non-verbal, hyperactive, needy child. i found myself falling and it was only when i realized that i had fallen against the Rock, the rock that is the Lord, that i was able to regain my bearings and move forward.

i often fall, don't we all? but i can either struggle and try to get up in my own strength or i can see that i have fallen against the Rock and allow Him to be my strength, my foundation, my comfort. i am so glad that He is there for me. and that His strength, His rock solid dependability is what i stand on, rely on, rest upon. i don't have to go thru this life alone, doing everything in my own strength. i have Him, the Lord, my Rock and Salvation.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

moth and rust destroy




matt 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal."

if my treasure was in my van, i'd be in a sorry state right now. last week, a car turned in front of me and my right bumper collided with her right side. thankfully no one was critically injured and thankfully i had the right of way. (so it wasn't my fault!)

this week we found out our insurance company was going to call the van totalled. moth and rust may not have destroyed it, but it was pretty well destroyed anyway. if i put my hope and trust in the things of this world, eventually they will all go the way of my van. they are temporary, corruptible, eventually turning to dust. and this world, along with all the stuff of it, will pass away.

i like the next verse, matt 6:20 "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal."(emphasis mine) here the Lord doesn't just tell us what not to do, but He gives us direction on what to do. i always appreciate knowing what i should do and what is expected of me. and the reward is if we do this, is that these treasures will not be destroyed. for they are kept safe in heaven, the place of the eternal.

what a wonderful promise. so next time you are thinking of your treasures, i hope they are all stored in heaven and not here on earth.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

driving in the dark


last friday we drove up to boise for some appts and to see some friends. on our drive home we heard on the radio that the elk were once again near the freeway and to be on the alert. it seems that with all the snow we've had this winter the elk are coming closer to town to find grazing areas that aren't covered in snow.

it was just getting dark and as we drove along, michael pointed to the ridge where you could see the shadowy forms of several elk. what a sight! as we drove further and it grew darker, i felt myself tensing up. i knew from the news reports there was a danger that the elk would cross the freeway and an unsuspecting driver could meet with a pair of antlers. not wanting to be a casualty so far from home, i was diligent to scan the freeway as far as my headlights would allow. i was intent on seeing the elk before they became a problem.

after we passed thru the area that the elk had been spotted, i thot about how i need to be diligent to spot the dangers in the spiritual realm just as i was scanning to see the elk. often i drive thru the darkness of life unaware of the dangers just around the corner. instead, i ought to have an attitude of prayer. as 1 Peter 5:8 says: "be of sober spirit, be on the alert. your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." and 1 Peter 1:13 says: "therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit ..."

Monday, January 07, 2008

the carwash --- revisited

a year ago sept i wrote about daisy's first car wash experience. you can read it here if you'd like. since that day she has been thru several car washes and just this past week once again, we headed to the car wash to wash all the road grit and dirt off from our big trip.

as we were slowly moving on the car wash tracks, i thot back to that first car wash daisy had experienced. how scared she was and how she needed comfort and love. flash forward and she is racing back and forth barking at the attendents who are scrubbing down the back windows. what a difference! no longer scared about the process she could be herself. she was at ease if slightly annoyed.

i wonder if the Lord allows the same types of things to enter my life in order to get me to a place where i can be at ease, knowing that He is taking care of the situaion. maybe i'm not barking at car wash attendents, but maybe i can be praying fervently for others needs, my own needs, the unreached world, or other things. i think its a part of spiritually growing up when we can move from the Father's lap and instead know that even tho this used to be a scary situation we've been thru it before and we can rest assured that God will bring us thru it yet again. and thus, i can concentrate on other things instead of shivering and shaking from fear.

what about you? has the Lord brought you thru something that no longer makes you quiver in fear but instead allows you to rest in His hands? i think the Lord is trying to teach me this lesson in a couple different areas of my life. and knowing that He is the one who will complete in me what He has begun, i look forward to the end of the lesson.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

over the hills and thru the woods ....

on our drive home, we hit some rough weather in the blues of eastern oregon. as i was driving over the pass and dusk settled, an icy rain started to fall. the roads had patches of compact snow and ice. the further we went the more snow and ice covered the road. at first it was ok driving as a convoy of vehichles stayed in the right lane. but as the semi we were all following crept slower and slower over the pass, the antsy drivers behind us started to pass us, spraying wet ice and snow on our windshields as they whizzed past.

this is my least favorite kind of driving, right up there with driving in fog at night on a freeway. i always tell myself i'm never going to do this again,but invariably, being the only driver in our household, i find myself exactly in the situation i like least.

as i was driving and wishing i was anywhere but there, i was thinking that this was yet another opportunity to trust God. i think trusting God has become a theme in my life becuz i'm a bit of a control junkie. i like to be in control of my life. even if it is only the illusion of control i want to think that everything is ok. i find that the Lord has given me lots of opportunities to remind me that i an NOT in control. all i have to do is find myself on a snowy mtn pass with cars whizzing by me as i putz along to remind me that i NEED the Lord, and i HAVE to trust Him, cuz there ain't no other way.

as i watch others and myself deal with the hard stuff of life, i often wonder how those without Jesus do it. where is their foundation? how do they cope? for me, i NEED the Lord. i need to lean on Him when i have no understanding of the situation. i need to know that He is in control and sovereign. i need to find shelter under the shadow of His wing.

and the older i get, the more i see that we ALL go thru the hard times. whether its watching your parents get older and suffer the effects of cancer ravaging their bodies, or haivng health issues yourself. we dont' get to go thru life unscathed. there are fires, and floods, families coming unraveled and economic hardships. there are car accidents and random acts of violence that happen unexpectedly. but thru it all, i SEE my Lord! i hold HIS hand! i am carried by Him! He is with me.

the Lord got me down that mtn that night safe and sound. we made it thru the rough icy roads the next morning as well. and as i look at my life, i know that He is doing the same for michael and i. we will make it thru this hard part of life, He will bring us thru it all safe and sound.

one of my fav verses is in Isaiah. When you pass thru the waters, I will be with you; and thru the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk thru the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

i love how it say when, not if. the Lord knows what we as frail humans go thru. He is not unaware. and He gives His promise as to why we will get thru it all, becuz He is the Lord, our Savior. what a comfort, what a joy!

the verse before these touches me deeply as it says: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine!

so whatever you are going thru, have gone thru, or are yet to go thru, do not be afraid. cling to Jesus. remember your Savior is the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel. He is mighty to save! He will get you thru that river and bring you thru that fire unscorched. Praise be to the Lord God Almighty!!!