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In the last few days, this pretty daffodil, along with a few others, has shown its pretty face to the sun. It sits out in front of our home where the sun doesn’t reach very well. So, when they are open, they keep stretching their little hearts out trying to reach the sun. Because of that, they are leaning close to the ground trying to get even the least little bit of sunshine. So today, I went out and gave this little flower a boost to help it stand tall. I added a stick support to it so that it isn’t so weak. Since it was my first one, I wanted to cut it and bring it inside but just couldn’t bring myself to do that. I love seeing it shining so pretty when I drive up to the house.

What came to mind for me when I was looking this morning at the daffodil is what a valuable lesson we can learn from this flower. Just as it will lean out as far and as low as it needs to reach sunlight, we also need to be diligent to reach out looking for the Son and turn our faces toward the Sonlight. We need to stretch ourselves to the max so that we can gain all the benefits of being in the Light, SO THAT, we can be light for others to see, strong and healthy. We want to stand tall and stand firm with renewed life. Oh yes, just like the daffodil, we might need the help of a friend to support us at times, but that is what God has placed people in our lives to do. It is what our relationship with Him and His Word is about also. So, stretch yourself as far as you can reach, lean out with head to the ground if you need to, and let the Sonlight shine down on you and give you renewed hope and joy! Be a seeker of Light! And then…shine on!

This morning brought a morning of no power, and so it gave me a chance to get to some paper work that I hadn’t put away. One of those small stacks happened to be my notes from a Beth Moore conference. One of the statements caught my eye: “Satan is looking for what will make you quit.” Wow!! That makes one stop and think. That means, he is looking around not just as a roaring lion seeking to devour, but he is also looking for ways to trip us up in the mean time! No wonder God keeps reminding us to know His Word and to seek to have an intimate relationship with Him. We need that to help prevent the devils schemes at undermining our faith walk.

It can start so innocently through one little thing that goes sideways and we can get set up for a snow ball effect for the rest of the day. While the devil sits back and laughs because he has found a way to make you quit for the day. Boy! That lights a fire under me! I don’t want to be one to give up and sometimes I recognize his work right away and others times I don’t. But I have some tools that have helped me to be a bit more aware of the schemes of the enemy. Here are a few:

• I start my day with 5 things I am thankful for.
• I ask God to show me what He would have me to do today.
• I surrender to God all that I am and then also all that I’m not.
• I ask Him to show me all He has called ME to do. What I am called to do may not be what someone else is called to do.
• I ask God to help me believe Him over how I feel.

Don’t let the enemy in your door today and make you give up or quit. Press on and do a little stomping of your own. You know what I mean!

There is something that God has been working on in my life and I hope it will help you also. He has brought this to mind over the last couple of months at two different places; one at the ocean and the other while visiting the bay. I am walking on the beach and I see one stone all by itself with nothing else around it. And than the second time, I see a kind of red (I like red) rock sitting in the middle of all these other rocks. On both occasions, I felt like God was telling me that I am to be set apart. Different. Well, because of my beliefs since I was a young girl, I have always been a bit different then others in what I chose to do or not do, believe or not believe, or the behavior I chose to take part in or not take part in. But this time, I felt that God was telling me something totally different. In both of these pictures which I am sharing from those times on the beach, you will notice that He used stones to get my attention. Red in color to get me specifically to notice, and then a stone set apart and alone to make me wonder. So what was this about? What did He want to teach me?

I do a Praise and Coffee Night every other Wednesday night and this last week as I was praying about what to share during the chat time, God seemed to lead me back to these pictures and the scripture came to my mind about Christ being the Cornerstone and being “living stones”. Go figure! So I took out my Bible, my commentaries and got on my Logos program and had some fun learning about being living stones. One of the things that I read was, Living Stones = A Holy People. God is building a temple for eternity and He plans for each stone and where it ought to be. If that stone is out-of-place, it may cause others to stumble. We think of Christ as the Cornerstone. Every house is built by someone. So if I want to not be a stumbling block, I have to practice being a living stone. To do that I must edifying others. We must be set apart, different because of what Jesus means to us. We need to be examples. It means we might be studying the Bible on a daily basis so that we can be prepared to share with others what it means to have that personal relationship with Him and know scriptures well enough to lead them. We have to set ourselves apart daily to do that. It might mean going to church on a regular basis where others go when its a special occasion. Or going to a Bible Study or small group when others are sitting at home watching their favorite TV show. But just like those stones, we need to be set apart for His work. There are times we are asked to do something that someone else is not asked to do. There are other times when we may be asked to do or face something alone or being without friends for a length of time due to a season God has us in. But this much I know, that when I am set apart, He is always there with me. If I trust Him, He will lead me, guide me, provide for me, and grow me up in a deeper intimacy with Him.

Let’s go back to edify. You can do this by

• Building each other up. Just like the rocks in the wall’s foundation, you support each other.
• Practice love in all you do and say.
• Don’t try to be one up on someone and act proud because of what we know.
• Don’t compete or compare.
• Be a Godly example.
• We need to be careful of our speech and season it with salt as Col. 4:6 talks about.
• We also edify others by praying. When we do, the Spirit can build up their faith and cause them to mature in their relationships with Jesus.
• And lastly, use the Word of God so that you can be spiritually wise. There is an inheritance for those who take the time to spiritually be in the Word everyday.

As living stones, it is our responsibility to find the place where God is working and building and work with Him in that place. Be faithful to that place. Remember to be that living stone; something that is set apart for His service. What we build will last forever…

God seems to take those daily chores in my life and make a lesson of them. Making room…moving furniture…humm…that can get the creative juices of the creative person flowing just thinking about it! This week has brought a change to my home. I sold our beautiful entertainment center and it is going to a friend’s home. I love it when I can share something with someone and still get to visit it once in a while! But have you ever noticed that when you change one large piece, you have to do something with the rest of it too? So I have to re-think my room, my existing furniture, the look and feel of the room, and maybe even replacing a piece in order to have the room give off that warm and cozy feeling that I like. Now, my creative thinking is really taking off!

When I think of my relationship with God, it is a lot like that. If I want to have that intimate relationship with the Lord, then I need to make room for Him. My life sometimes gets too crowded and so I can’t enjoy that leisurely conversation with Him. I look around the room of my life and see “stuff” and my eyes are so busy, they don’t even realize  how little room I have to move around. I may have to get rid of a “something” in my life so that I can make room for that special time, relationship, or task that He is calling me too. He wants me to be creative and clear out my agenda, bring new things in and move old things out! He desires to give me the means to make those changes in my life so that I can look around, sit a spell, take a deep breath and celebrate His hand in my moving forward with Him.

Don’t trip over your big “something” in your crowded room. MAKE room. Ask Him to tell you what has to go and what to keep and EVEN how to arrange it! He will! He is the greatest Organizer! Trust Him and move those things out! It will give you joy and give the Lord pleasure as He begins to show you where He is taking you. I know I am excited to see where that space that I have made in my life leads me. Celebrate ~

History, as it pertains to my family or extended family, has always been interesting to me. Getting to know family members and what their interests are, fascinates me. I spent many hours with one cousin that was into painting and photography. As a young child, I loved to listen to him share his love of painting, photography and his cameras. But in our family on both sides, we have relatives, parents and grandparents, from Norway. My mom began to research her family history to gain knowledge for herself. I can remember in high school watching my mom writing letters to relatives in Norway and how excited she was to receive mail back. Thankfully, some of the relatives knew English and so that helped. It was the highlight of her day when she would walk to the mail box and there would be a letter in the mail giving her some clue into her family story. It was interesting to find some missing pieces that put the puzzle of her life together. One piece of the puzzle that she discovered was a half-sister that she knew nothing about. That began another journey as she questioned how that came to be. My grandfather was quite young when he left Norway. It has always intrigued me how someone would choose or be forced to choose to leave their homeland for expectations of a better life. How difficult those times must have been for them!  How very brave they were! From what I know, my grandfather felt he had no other choice, or even a bit desperate given the times, but he felt he had to leave.

Just the other day, I received a letter from Norway. I was as excited as my mom was! I’m sure she was smiling down as I opened the letter with a picture of this very woman who was now a grandma herself. As I sat and looked at the picture, my heart goes out to a child who never got to know her father. She knew he was in America, but the distance and circumstances kept them from knowing each other. I have learned that she always wondered about him and wanted so much to meet him. I wish I could have known her so I could have shared some of her father, my grandfather, with her. I am thankful to be learning more about her through the stories told by her family. I have found that finding family ties takes on a life of its own as I journey through pictures, letters, postcards regarding relatives so far away. I am so thankful for Facebook and the tenacity to search for bringing us together! I have come to love each one that I have gotten to know as we share about our lives and families together. My grandfather was a good dad and grandpa. I am so proud of what my grandparents accomplished through the struggles to make a life for themselves and their children.

As I thought about this, this story isn’t so different from our relationship with Jesus. We may live our lives thinking we know what we need to know. But just like this child who grew up never knowing her father, we can grow up without really knowing our heavenly Father. Oh we may know he is out there and we may wonder, but we never get into the Word deep enough to really know Him better. We would like to talk with Him maybe, but we think He doesn’t know who we are or we aren’t that important to Him. In reality, He already knows us and he wants us to know Him better. He accepts us just as we are. We don’t have to feel the way this child felt growing up not knowing her father. We CAN know our heavenly Father in a very intimate way. I am so thankful for the blessing of knowing Him personally.

As for my great Aunt, I am a bit sad that I didn’t get a chance to communicate with her. That would have been a great day for me! But I admire her dignity through all those years when a little girl’s heart cried out to know her father. She was brave and it seems, never blamed him. That is like the love of our Heavenly Father. Unconditional love. He loves us in spite of our sins, thoughts and sometimes neglect of Him. Don’t wait to get to know Him better. Seek… Him.

My time has been so occupied with work and all those things,

I fail to do the things I should and guilt is what it brings.

But I know You don’t want me to hold onto the stress one minute more,

So I give it all to You Lord, to cast upon the shore.

Take it all away, like the ocean sands are moved,

Carry it so far away until the sands are clean and smooth.

I know you are a mighty God and You will do these things,

If I will just pause a moment, for the peace that You can bring.

The waves come up and on the top my burdens are cast away,

They disappear as they roll down under, pulled out like ocean waves.

When the waves come back they are clean again, they come back pure and blue,

The sand is scarred and marred no more because of what Your grace can do.

Thank you for Your grace refreshing, like the smell of ocean air,

And the fact You always tell us to cast our every care.

So never will I watch the ocean without this thought in mind,

God’s love is gracious, endures forever, no greater love will I find.

JoAnn Shiley 1997

Today, I was watching a DVD for a class I am taking and the counselor was talking about chronically troubled relationships. One of the types has trouble with an “all or nothing” type of thinking. I think this can apply to many of us these days. Let me share some examples. A problem or situation comes up in your life and/or family. What do you do? Do you ask God to take it away or fix it somehow? It’s not that we shouldn’t ask God to helps us or our family get through it, and yes, sometimes relieve them of the pressure or situation, but we need to be mindful of what our attitude is when we pray. What is God’s will in it? What might God want to teach through this? What about a challenge that comes your way? Do you ask God to not give you the challenge and get upset because it’s there, or do you ask Him for grace for you to go through the challenge? See, I think that sometimes we either expect life to be mostly good or nothing at all; certainly not challenges, problems, illness or troubles. No one is going to ASK for them. But with them, God wants us to be have a life in balance over all. That doesn’t mean that we will never have the valleys and live only on the mountain top. It means that He will walk along side us through the valleys to the top of that experience where we can learn His love, mercy, grace and overwhelming forgiveness of our doubts.

Life is on a continuum. It is some of both! It takes the challenges to move us forward sometimes. It takes the problems in order for other things to come to the surface or come out in order to be dealt with. It takes the troubles for us to realize that God is there ALL the time and that He wants to teach us how to go through. Not just go through, but to come out on the other end of the fiery trials and not even smell like smoke! Oh how I love that thought. I may be hopping over the coals as I go through the fire, but I will come out on the other side and not even smell like smoke! Amazing!

Life is lived by balance. I want to have that balance in my live. I don’t want an all or nothing mentality. I want to see God working in spite of and for my circumstances. He is gracious to bring me out. He gives me teachable moments. Am I willing to learn? Willing to listen? Am I willing to have the nothing sometimes in order to have the ALL later? Are you?

We all have noticed the change in the air; of fall coming after the summer fun. However, this year, I find myself seeing other reminders of the season. Summer represents adventure, water activities, sun and fun, BBQs and wild waves. We may even find ourselves thinking that is the kind of lifestyle we want to live year around. I believe that God made the seasons for a reason. For me, this fall has taken on a new meaning. There are changes in the air in my life. There is a slowing down that has taken place this year. There is a need for learning to have more fun and quiet time in my life in order for me to live out my life’s summers.

Today, my husband and I went out on ourcovered deck, him with his coffee cup and me with my mocha, and just enjoyed the sound of the rain and the freshness of the air. Even the birds were enjoying themselves in a puddle in our driveway where the hard ground tried to absorb all the rain and could not. But the birds cared not that the water had not sunk into the ground. They were waiting for the advantage of the rain to cause the worms to come up, and while they waited, they were making the most of the rain and bathing in it. That, I think, is the wonder that we miss out on. I need to be more like the birds this morning. Make the best use of what comes my direction and see the best in it. I need to bathe in the showers of God’s blessings, knowing that whether I am showered in sorrow or showered in joy, that I can dance in the showers that come.

So I look forward to watching the change of colors knowing that I too, am a part of that change. I will ease into fall with the expectation of those changes, and welcome them with abandon just like those birds today danced in the showers as they bathed themselves. Pretty exciting dance, don’t you think? That word has taken on a new meaning for me this past couple of years and it seems that it continues to pop up in my life a lot. So, I remind you…don’t forget to dance; even if it is in the rain!

Last week, I wrote a post about a wonderful trip to the ocean and what I learned from that trip. One of the lessons was regarding my dear friend in Colorado that I wanted to go see. My thoughts were about how I would feel if I didn’t get to go and see her. God was asking what my attitude would be if I didn’t get there. This week, He has to work on a different area in my life. I have lost my friend here on earth and she is now with Jesus. On the one hand, I am devastated to lose that wonderful friendship of over 33 years. I want to continue to have weekly conversations with her , share and laugh together. But her life had become very difficult for her. So I have to ask myself if I am not being selfish in wanting her to be here with us. The answer would be yes. On the other hand, I don’t want her to have to suffer anymore. I want that wonderful mind of hers given to her by God to be hers again. I want her to have that new body to dance joyfully in heaven and enjoy fellowship with her Lord and her family.

So today, as I write this, I am choosing to think on our time together and what a great friendship the Lord gave us in the first place. How many laughs, giggles and tears we have had together and all the wonderful things she taught me. I remember her invisible shelf that she used as a visual to teach the importance of the words and thoughts we use in our daily lives.  Her husband told me the most amazing thing that happened the day before she died. She was trying so hard to tell him something and he could not understand what she was trying to say. He told me she reached out her hand like she was trying to pull the words from the air. I told him the story of what she used to teach in her training. He was unaware of that part of her teaching and found great comfort in hearing it.

She gave me a warm fuzzy many years ago that she shared with special people in her life and I was an honorary member. At the time she made these, she was a manager of a large group of people. She gave each person one and she said when times are hard, you just grab that warm fuzzy and hold it, look at it, and know that someone loves and cares about you. That warm fuzzy has taken a special place in my office this week. I honor her, her life and what she stood for. I will never forget…