I Will

I will put my own spiritual life before all others. I will purposefully draw close to God.
James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.
I will read the Bible more and daily.
Psalm 119:24 Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors
I will practice self-control over what I put in my body, making each decision to put something in my body a conscious decision.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
I will speak good. I will practice thinking good and pleasing thoughts about myself and others.
Philippians 4:8 whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
I will exercise my heart, knowing that my body is God’s temple.
Proverbs 27:19 As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.
I will support my husband as the spiritual head of the family.
Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
I will make a conscious effort to be Christ-like and raise my son by example, rather than just by word.
Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
I will practice making sure all I do glorifies God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
I will find and make time, knowing I have the support of my household, to do these things.

Please, Daddy?

I watched, exhausted, as my little boy splashed in the pool as much as his water wings would allow. My doctor had just told me I was low on B12 a few days earlier, and, boy, was I feeling it. The other "grown ups" were stationed around the pool this 4th of July, chatting about lawn mowers, summer league baseball, and fruit salad recipes. Not Cole's mommy. No, I was struggling in chin deep water to keep Cole and his Spiderman floaties from bobbing under.

Just when I was about to bail out, I caught my dad's eyes. "Cole," I exclaimed, "ask Poppy to swim with you!" My dad, already dried out, fully dressed, and full from hot dogs and baked beans, was in no way, shape, or form ready to jump back in the water.

Barely two, I knew it would be a miracle if Cole conjured those words out of his mouth, but again I prompted, "Cole, if you say those words I KNOW Poppy will get in." And I knew, beyond any doubt whatsoever, that if Cole asked that of Poppy, that Poppy would get in.

While miracles do happen, that wasn't one of them. But it did remind me that our heavenly father sometimes just wants us to ask. He wants us to lay aside the aspirin bottle, the sorrow-covered tissue, and the piling collection letters and just ask.

James 4:2 says "Ye have not because ye ask not."

When we ask, we must have faith - just like I had in my earthly father.

Matthew 21:22 says "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

Interesting... I just realized I haven't asked God to heal my B12 imbalance. Forgive me, Lord!

Hand of God: A Song

Verse 1
Oh hand of God
So mighty, strong
So quick to save
My soul from harm
Oh hand of God
That rescues me
From self and sin
To set me free

Verse 2
Oh mighty God
Stretch forth Your hand
To calm life’s storm
On thee I’ll stand
Oh hand of God
Bring forth the sun
Let me see clear
Salvation come.

Verse 3
Oh hand of God
That took my nails
The blood flowed free
Your body frail
Now risen high
For all to see
I lift my hands
To my risen King.

Verse4
Oh hand of God
You beckon me
To praise the One
Who died for me
Oh hand of God
I hold you strong
List’ to the crying
Of my heart’s song

Chorus
So mighty God
I praise your name
My hands held high:
An offering
Hear these, my words
Unworthy now
To you great God
I humbly bow.

Give me a Giggle

Give me a giggle.

A chuckle is old
it's fleeting and quick
Not always remembered
Rarely poured on thick

It comes from grayed heads
or long-nosed professors
A humph or a heh
Often ahemed to a lesser

A laugh, as you've heard
is lengthy, at best
It's hearty, contagious
A gift to the blessed

It comes from a gaggle
of manicured mothers,
of water-cooler talkers
and fraternity brothers.

A whoop or a snort
A snicker or roar
Will get a few smiles
and sounds hard to ignore

Ha! or Bah-hoo!
An exclaimed Whoa-ho!
An exuberant medicine
For an ail or a woe.

But give me a giggle
and I'll tell you why
The giggle is sweet
somewhat sassy and shy

A giggle is hidden
'neath sleep-over covers
From school girls in pigtails
and innocent lovers

A giggle is pure
A heart-skipping sigh
It can't be held in
But why would you try?

A quickly caught breath
Of excitement and wonder
Anticipations
no longer asunder

Love and the promise
of tomorrows-to-be
A secret, a shhhh
Do you see what I see?

Yes, give me a giggle
Not a laugh, nor tee-hee
Keep me young and vivacious
Loving life, loving me.

Mary, did you know...

God must have thought highly of Mary to select her as the one who would raise His Son. I've often wondered what on earth Mary must have felt when, well, for example when there was no room in the inn.

Now, me? Well, I would have freaked. "Joseph!" I'd say. "Are you nuts?!?! We cannot have the Son of God being born in a BARN! You have GOT to find us a place to stay! God will surely be mad at me if I birth this child next to a cow!"

But not Mary. I'm sure God would have put that in the Bible if she did.

The one time she did "freak out" was when she couldn't find Jesus when they'd left the temple. I think this was God's way of letting us parents know that even Mary & Joseph lost track of their child.

I know we are to be like Jesus, but I think that Mary is a good source for women to look to - after all, she was chosen by God. So, let's take a look at Mary.

Mary cared for others & showed compassion:
She visited Elizabeth, her cousin, who was also with child. In fact, she stayed with her, after she found out Elizabeth was going to have a baby, for 3 months. I feel as women that God wants us to be compassionate. So many times things "happened" in the Bible when Jesus had compassion. "...he had compassion on them and healed their sick." "...Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him." Let us realize that compassion toward each other shows more than just emotion - it is followed by, and should be followed by, great acts of love and mercy and miracles.

Mary accepted other's compassion and care:
Ladies, how many times have you told another that you didn't need help? How many times have you tired to do things - physically, spiritually, emotionally - on your own. Mary accepted other's compassion and care for and to her. First, she accepted help in anointing her "dead son's" body: "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body." This, in itself, is a huge statement. Notice the women were the ones who were taking care of people, even while they were "dead." Notice also that in Mary's time of grief, she accepted help. I'm sure this help brought her much comfort. Second, Mary accepted that John would take care of her after Jesus left the earth. Jesus, in fact, was the one who "ordained" John to be Mary's caretaker. Oh, if we would but see that accepting help, care, and compassion is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of accepting a blessing ordained from God.

Mary knew when to keep her mouth shut - even when she had Godly news:
I'm sure you're thinking I'm going to talk about gossip here, right? Wrong. This one is hard and involves discernment. Discern means (according to crosswalk.com) To examine, prove or test; scrutinize. Mary had just been told that she was going to have a baby.

Let me stop here and point out that if this were me, the first thing I'd do is worry about what people would think when my belly began to grow. Here I'd be, not even married, and pregnant. With who? Oh, just God's child. C'mon. If you lived in Bible days, would you have believed Mary? What did her family think? What about her neighbors? God hadn't "spoken" to someone for years. Now, out of the blue, this teenage girl is visited by an angel?!

Mary was surely bursting - wanting to tell someone, anyone. I'm sure she had questions. What was pregnancy like? What would it be like to have a baby? Did she need a special saddle to ride the donkey with? What would Joseph think? Would they need to add a room on to the house?

But what did she do? She pondered these things in her heart.

Ladies, I want to point out here that God may give you news. God may give you life-changing, world-changing news, but, you must discern when He wants you to tell this news. I strongly believe that God often reveals things to us that we are to ponder in our hearts. That may be a prayer for a husband, a word about a co-worker, or even an impression on our minds of a loved one in the middle of the night.

We have our best friends. But, don't forget that God is your best friend of all. Ponder what He gives you and test yourself and your motives before sharing his news.

Mary sought the Savior:
"And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren..." Mary no longer had an earthly son. When Jesus died & rose again, He was now her Savior. She didn't comprehend exactly what she was seeking, but she knew she wanted more of Him.

I think looking at the characteristics of Mary can open our eyes to what God expects of us. And, you know, I think it's a lot less that what we expect of ourselves. Many times we build ourselves up as dependant, busy women who haven't the time to accept and even sometimes give help. But, Mary, the chosen of God, was compassionate and able to accept others' help and compassion. She knew when to keep things to herself - even Godly things. And, Mary sought her savior. Did I mention she found him when she sought him?

Praise the Lord!

Sending Flowers to God

I'm a note sender. I send get-well notes and missed-you notes and especially thank-you notes. I love the latter. I hope that my tiny inscription brightens someone's day as much as they brightened mine when they did whatever it was that made me feel special. When someone goes that extra mile(s), I send a gift like flowers.

Yesterday I was overwhelmingly blessed by God in a visible way. (I know we are blessed all the time by things we just don't notice or don't even know about). I mean, it was if God was just pouring and pouring and pouring out more than my mind could hold.

How do I thank God for that? I felt I needed to thank Him an equal amount as was the blessing. But, that seemed impossible.

God, how do I thank you?
I can't send you flowers - You created them.
I can't write you a note - You inspired the very Word.
I can't bake you cookies - You are the Bread of Life.


Lord, what do you want from me to show you just how overwhelmed I am? I know you don't give us blessings to bribe us to do something for you, but if I can do anything, let me know!

Okie Verse

Tower:
Eiffel Tower?
Sears Tower?
Leaning Tower of Pisa?

Somehow I don't think that's what God had in mind when he commissioned the Proverbs scribe to write The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe (18:10).

No, in those times, towers were a place of refuge, of security. No armies could defeat you. The walls were impenetrable. I picture men, women, families running to the tower - knowing that once they reach its stone wall they can rest and know they are completely secure.

I picture a modern storm cellar. Here in Oklahoma, it's the only real place I feel safe when the sirens of the city sound. Thunder crashing, lightning. If you're in the path of a tornado, the only thing stopping it from hitting you (other than Divine intervention, of course) is being underground.

Once, my husband and I heard the sirens and dove for the bathtub (if you live in the South, you'll understand). Pillows and blankets stuffed around us, we hoped the walls of the tub would keep us safe. Michael had his weed-eater helmet on and I doubled up the stuffing around myself. (I should also throw in that we put the dog in his kennel and the kennel in the cabinet under the bathroom sink - I'd hate for you not to have a clear picture).

When I want to feel completely safe in a literal storm, I want a cellar. No pillows or stuffing or helmets. Only a cellar will do. Living in Oklahoma during one of the worst tornadoes in the nation's history, I know that bathtubs and closets many times just hide the fact that a storm is outside. Often, it can't stop the storm from burrowing through.

So, while it's not very pretty, my version is
The name of the Lord is a storm cellar; the righteous run to it and are safe.