The Little Things

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The Little Things

DECEMBER 12, 2016 / 

I work from home and yet I still find it possible to run late to my virtual meetings. Today I had an 8 a.m. meeting that fortunately I could show up to in my PJ’s. As I was interacting in the meeting and looking at my growing to-do list for the day, I sat there thinking, “when am I going to have time to eat?”

The thought barely crossed my mind, before right in front of me appeared a warm bowl of cream of rice with walnuts and honey. My husband who was getting ready to fly out on business, found time to make me breakfast.

God is good, He supply’s our needs before we realize we have them, and often times before we can even ask.

I had started sticky notes on my desk top to remind me of all the positives in my life.Thisbowl of rice cereal just made the list. Sometimes we can get so busy, we take for granted the little things. Or we ourselves forget that those “little things” we and others do can make such a big impact on someones day.

Thank you Jesus, for revealing to me that you take care of even the littlest things.

Beauty of His Cross

I took this picture of the sunset on Tuesday as I looked up I felt the presence of Gods Holy Spirit telling me I am with you everywhere, not just on trips to Seattle, the beaches, or when you travel but always..... I posted it in FB simply stating look up or see what we miss, feeling blessed.

I just got on FB and my friends were amazed at the beauty of the cross.

Somehow I missed that but God is good He uses others to point out what is right in front of us. The beauty of His Cross.

Praying you have a blessed day

 

 

Your presence and approval are all I need for everlasting joy.

As you have been to me, so I will be to others.

God will meet you were you are

God will meet you were you are. Whether it be when you pull over on the side of the road to smoke a cigarette in your car, out climbing in the hills of Yellowstone or just sitting where you are right now.

How awesome is that, how personal. It blows my mind how He can speak so uniquely to each one of us.  He has so much insight into what we are truly looking for, if we can just empty our minds of all the distractions and chaos and just be still. He will fill our minds richly with a peace and contentment that this world can not understand. His Holy Spirit will dwell in us and His message will become clear. He can inspire us in an instant if we are attune to the world He has perfectly orchestrated around us.

Joshua 1:9 "...be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

 



In that moment when we see the flower bloom or hear the wind blowing and it is calling your name, stop for we will become blessed by taking that moment to soak in His presence. Listen in faith to His still small voice, He wants to spend time with you,respond with adoration and worship, after all He is our King. The window is always open but sometimes that perfect fellowship with Him seems fleeting. So be aware and take heed of those moments, where ever you are for however briefly and soak in His presence, He has created that time just so He can connect with you.

Thank you Lord for creating us as we are, your word is true and never changes and you can reach us wherever we are.

You are a Good Good Father.

I know I've posted it before but here is one of my favorite songs by Chris Tomlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqybaIesbuA

God is Good: Can You Lead to Water.....

God is Good: Can You Lead to Water.....:     W e've all heard the saying, "you can lead a horse to water but can not make him drink." I wanted to try a little...

Can You Lead to Water.....

 

 

We've all heard the saying, "you can lead a horse to water but can not make him drink." I wanted to try a little experiment today, being it is 100 degree's and the birds are flocking at my window eating seeds, I wondered what if I added a water container next to it could I make them drink? As you can see from the picture and there were many other pictures taken, not one bird drank from the water.

 

 John 7:37-39 Jesus says, "If a man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me will be filled with the living water." By this he meant the Holy Spirit.

                                          

How many have been given the opportunity to accept Christ and have turned Him away? Better yet how many of us are living a life so richly filled by our love of Christ that it makes others thirst for what we have.

 

John 7:4, Jesus answers, "Everyone who drinks the water I give him will never thirst again."

 

 

This world we are living in is searching to be filled, to be quenched in the water that will satisfy their soul. It is up to those who have received the gift of salivation to lead others to the well of eternity.

 

 

In His precious name I pray you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit and will saturate others with the love of Christ.

 

 



May we see His reflection
 despite the traffic in our lives



 

We live in a fallen world

It's the little things in life that truly bring us joy.

Many ask why does God "allow" bad things happen to good people. But maybe the question should  really be why are there bad people?

That is a question that we can answer. We were all born as sinners, some of us have been fortunate in our life to have not only heard, but to have received the message of salvation, and accepting Christ into our lives. For those that who have not heard or accepted the truth, they are the ones that struggle with darkness, they are the ones who are not saved, they have hardened there hearts and have not allowed the saving grace of our savior, to fill them with the His Holy Spirit. These are the people we need to pray for.  Praying for the saved who are sick, the financially broken, emotionally struggling and the list goes on is definitely something we should do. We should lift up our brothers and sisters in Christ, that is what the Christian family is suppose to do.

Matthew 5:44 .."love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you..."

Now not to sound cynical, but like my husbands doctor just told him, you can eat healthy, exercise do all the "right things", but in the end none of us get out of here alive.  WOW, how true is that, so yes live your life with intent and purpose, but that purpose should ultimately be having that peaceful relationship with Christ that no earthly possession or person can fulfill.

By living in a constant walk with Christ, our mission field is all around us. We will be the light of the world, so be happy, smile, His saving grace is all we need. He will reveal to us what true happiness. Recently joy came to me seeing my first sunflower bloom, next  was seeing the sunset on the way home from work. I share those things with co-workers and some say, "who has time to stop and look up at the sky?"  I'm like who doesn't have time,  our creator is sharing His most beautiful work of art, enjoy the gifts He has freely given us.

Those who's hearts are hardened who do not know the love of Christ, THAT IS WHO WE TRULY NEED TO PRAY FOR.  They are lost and going to hell, so why would they care if they hurt others? They do not see the beauty in life. They have no faith in a living God. Yes, we pray for all of those suffering, but when we are sick and know Christ we are blessed with the peace of eternity, despite any turmoil our lives our in.

Luke 6:32.."if you love those who love you what credit do you have?....35 "but love your enemies, do good to them expecting nothing in return..."



Those filled with hate, those are the ones we really need to pray for, their minds have been brainwashed, their humanity stolen, the joy of a sunset none existent. Their lives are true tragedies,  and will suffer for eternity, because they do not know the truth.

Pray for the lost. Stand United in Faith. Love those around you and Hug all those you can, you never know if you will be the first and only glimmer of hope in someone life.


In Christ Precious Name I Pray.
Peace be with you all,

May we see His reflection
 despite the traffic in our lives

Thankfulness



 

 

Colossians 2:2-3 "....that you may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  Col 2:6 "As you received Jesus Christ as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with THANKFULNESS."

Thank you Lord for being a mystery, it creates in me a yearning to seek and learn of you more.
Thank you Lord for letting me know my true treasure, your promise of eternity with you.
Thank you Lord for building the foundation of trust I have in you.
Thank you Lord for strengthening me with your word, by speak through scripture and through others.
Thank you Lord for your consistency so I can say, I have faith because I know you were and always will be there for me.
Thank you Lord for joy, for being filled by your spirit, when circumstances around me say I should be feeling different.
Thank you Jesus, for every time I think I've arrived, you let me know the road has just begun.
Thank you for letting me see opportunities in every situation and forgive me for not always taking them.
Thank you for impressing upon me to never be idol and forgive me when my I stand motionless.
Thank you Lord for letting me enjoy life's moments, and not being sad when they go, for I know you will have more to come.
Thank you Lord for my gifts and forgive me for not always taking opportunities to use them for your glory.
Thank you Lord, for your divine intervention in my life and for being patient with me when I am slow to let go.
Thank you Lord, for not letting me look back with regret, but with eyes that see you have used every situation to create the person you intended me to be.
Thank you Lord for your love, when I cried out in pain, when I struggled with my demons, you were always there.
Thank you Lord, simply for letting me be thankful.
Thank you Lord for letting me be happy.
May your praise me forever on my lips.

God you are so good. You bring us together to praise you Lord.

I love this song by KALLEY HEILIGENTHAL - YOUR PRAISE WILL EVER BE ON MY LIPS ...

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9AarM9w5lU

He is thankful for you, He restores when it seems impossible to rebuild.
Lord, please let this message be from you and let everyone who reads it know that you are with them in this moment.
I am pray, you can experience the joy and thankfulness only Christ can supply.

In His Precious Name I pray.
Jeanne



May we see His reflection
 despite the traffic in our lives

His Revealing Light

God's Revealing Light

   Ezekiel 1:28

" Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance of His face. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of the Lord speaking."

     He fell facedown at the appearance of the Glory of the Lord!!  Can you even imagine, if the curtain was pulled back and we were in the complete presence of God?

     I have known God for almost my entire lifetime and though I stumble and fall He continues to reveal His glorious light to me a little at a time. It is like being in a dark room and the curtain is being slowly opened to let in the sun. If the curtain was pulled back all at once the light would be blinding.

     God has the perfect plan, He knows our human minds could not comprehend all of His Holiness at once, so he reveals Himself slowly throughout our lives. He allows us to settle into a season, to learn to trust Him in that situation before He moves us to the next level of our growth.  When we enter into the next season we again are weak, needing His light to be revealed to strengthen and uphold us.

      

      If God gave us all we asked for at once we would not be able to absorb it, our darkness would deflect it, but His perfect plan of slow and steady light throughout our lives makes our relationship more dependent on Him and our lives a testimony of His steadfast love.

     Thank you Lord for your perfect plan. Thank you for shining your light on us at every age, giving us new growth and purpose. You Are a Good Good Father.

  In Your Precious Name I pray, you all know His Light.

  Amen

  Jeanne




May we see His reflection
 despite the traffic in our lives







Our God is an Awesome God

     How many times have we heard that, "Our God is an Awesome God'? I know I've heard it, but when we are going through life's struggles sometimes it's not always easy to see the bigger picture. And He does!

     God's faithfulness is never ending, His love so encompassing that it can be inconceivable to comprehend that He has amazing plan for our lives, if we just let go and let God. 

Proverbs 3:5

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

 

Romans 8:28

"And we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."

     This is easier said than do," to let go".  For each time I even want to let go I am afraid  I will loose a part of myself.  It can be as simple as getting rid of a piece of clothing that has out grown its use (or I have out grown it ;) or as big as letting my children go.

     How thoughtless of me to hold my children hostage to be obligated to stay near home base, just because I was afraid of separation, of change. I decided instead of being sad they were growing up, I looked at it as a blessing. After all we had worked hard raising two great kids, and it was their time to spread their wings. I looked at them as a gift from God and how could I be selfish to not share them with the world.  
     By letting go, it allowed all of us to grow. Me stronger in my faith and in developing passions I didn't even know I had. My relationships with others became more meaningful and genuine. My life's pace  slowed from the pressure I often felt with being "on call" all the time as a mom. My husband and I are more relaxed and just have fun being together again.  Our children traveled other country's and many states, they grew more independent, self confident and secure in themselves. They discovered on their own that Christ needs to be the center of their lives.

God is an Awesome God, He allowed us all to let go and grow, which helped us become stronger as individuals, yet never loosing the tight bind us as a family.

   Fear and control could have prevented this growth. To come out of our comfort zones takes courage and do not let anyone tell you otherwise. We never know the big picture God has in store for our lives, but in every situation he is teaching us something new. We are NEVER to old to change to grow to be still and listen to His Spirit speak to our souls.

    I am so grateful God releases me from my fears instead of letting them hold me back.  He is with me in every situation, and out of every situation I then become closer to Him.
   I pray you are able to let go of something, even small and be blessed by how much more God will pour in.
   In His Precious Name I pray.
   Amen




May we see His reflection
 despite the traffic in our lives

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself









God is soo good!

How many ways are there to reach our neighbors. Yet I regularly seem to miss the simplest opportunities standing in front of me. My neighbor doesn't have to be in a shelter, it could be my co-worker who just needs someone to talk to. 

I am amazed at God's timing. I started this post March 6th and life had me busy. Then today I was doing my devotion and my thoughts kept going to love your neighbor as yourself. I was like I need to post something on this yet I do not have much time this morning, but feeling prompted I opened my blog and could have cried. I had totally forgotten I had started this post a month prior, but God knew and must have been prompting me to finish, as I opened my Bible I read

Matthew 19:19 "...love your neighbor as yourself"

Mark 12:30-31 " Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is love your neighbor as yourself."

The Holy Spirit is powerful, he reminds me of the important things in life, spending time with Him, thinking of others, being more compassionate. Sometimes we do not understand the season of life we are going through, but I am amazed how Christ brings it full circle if we keep our eyes, hearts and minds on Him.

I am humbled by my illness last summer, until then I had always been healthy. Now I see people and their situations differently, my empathy has expanded and I can relate to their suffering. I am so grateful that God has given me the life I have, He goes before me and knows the outcome, all I have to do is trust and obey in Him.

Life is continual, we are here for many seasons, never stop living exploring and trying new things. This opens opportunities to share His word, sometimes just by others observing the life we lead will prompt them to ask questions and follow Christ.

I pray we all follow the prompting to love our neighbors as Jesus loves us.

Jeanne





May we see His reflection
 despite the traffic in our lives



Learning to Slow Down and Live Your Life

 

Seeing His Beauty in Every Situation


I love you Lord and I lift my voice to worship you oh my soul rejoice, let it be a sweet sweet sound to your ears. (from the song I love you Lord by Petra)

I love it when out of no where the joy of the Lord fills my soul. What a blessing it is to be completely in His Presence. I know from my own experiences even as a Christian,  I tried to fill that void or longing to be complete by staying busy.  I would try to fill the days with working, volunteering anything to keep moving.

But all God really wants us to be is still in His presence and He will fill that void and direct our paths.  That stillness does not come easy in a world that implies we need to be constantly busy, social media leads us to believe if we are not moving then we are missing out.  But in reality if we are able to block out the world and focus on our creator He will bring us the fulfillment we are longing for.

 

Matthew 5:6
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."



Last summer I was gravely ill, prior to that I was trying everything possible to quench my thirst. I was in constant motion. God literally had my life come to a complete halt both physically and mentally in order for me to hear Him speak clearly to my soul.  It took being laid up in bed to realize that the world will keep going even if I do not. That I was not really missing anything and there is nothing more important then living the life God intended for me, not even the one that I was so desperately trying to create on my own.

While confined to the house I read the book  God Isn't in a Hurry, Learning to Slow Down and Live Your Life by Warren Wiersbe. I highly recommend it.  Initially I even found this book difficult not  to "hurry" through ;)
This book helped reveal that all the "things" I was doing to get closer to God, were really getting in the way of what God wants and that is a communal relationship with us.

I feel blessed for my illness, obstacles in life are not planned, but they do not  need to be stumbling blocks. Instead we should use them as opportunities to grow closer to our heavenly Father. By drawing closer to Him, He will set us on the path that He intended for us.

In His precious name I pray that you allow the path you are on to bring you to a closer fellowship with Him.

Jeanne



May we see His reflection
 despite the traffic in our lives

 

~God is So Good~

         My son sent me this picture from his phone while walking a trail in Petaluma, California. I on the other hand just finished shoveling four plus feet of snow. But when I saw that picture I immediately went to that peaceful place in my mind, my happy place.

         How often do we focus on the situation we are in rather then what gives us that internal joy regardless of the snow piling up all around us?

2 Corinthians 4:18

"We are to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Clarity comes when we are able to push aside the chaos jumbling up in our minds.

Here is my go to song by Chris Tomlin~ Good Good Father

http://www.bing.com/search?q=chris+tomlin+good+good+father&src=IE-TopResult&FORM=IETR02&conversationid=

When you have a moment to be still, please listen, let it speak to your soul. You are loved, we are  uniquely made for His perfect plan. I pray you know Him personally, Christ can encourage you out of any struggles you may be facing.
In His Precious name I pray.

Jeanne





 

May we see His reflection
 despite the traffic in our lives

     

Being His Reflection

 

~God is Good~

 

~I journal, that is what I do and what I love~

 

Spending time in God's word is so revealing to me, as hopefully it is to many of you.

He speaks to me not audible but through Scripture.

Often I journal then read my Bible and find that He guides me to scripture that reinforces what I believe the Holy Spirit has been impressing on my heart.

I constantly struggle not with being better, but a more consistent Christian.

 

Mark 13:35 "...watch (be ready) because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back...."

 

Wow, to me this reiterates what I needed to hear. Be ready, though I know I am saved if the Lord would come at this minute or while I am in the grocery store, or talking to a telemarketer or with my husband would I be proud of that moment? Would the other person walk away knowing by my actions and words that I was a child of God? 

 

I can not undo the past, but I can live from this moment on trying to emulate His likeness, this may be the last encounter I have with that person, let it be of love and reflecting the joy Christ has given me.

 

In His Holy name I pray.

Amen







May we see His reflection
 despite the traffic in our lives