HHMMMMMM ~~ What to do.....

Here I sit at 6 in the morning. I have been up for over an hour because of the "lovely" birds in our backyard. Ok ~ so they may be lovely...but the NOISE they were making at 5 a.m. was not so lovely!!!

I've already had two cups of coffee (working on the third) and had a wonderful time of devotional, so now what?!??!?!?

I could clean (no), or do schoolwork (too early to think that hard), put my cats in the back yard to have birds for breakfast (enabling me to go back to sleep), or get dressed and go to Wal-Mart. Yep, Wal-Mart wins!!!

I pray you all have a wonderful day!!!

The Wounded Heart

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." Isaiah 53:4

I see you sitting there. Your legs are crossed; your arms are wrapped around you; your shoulders hunch over just a little as if to protect yourself.

You pretend to be interested in the conversations going on around you, but you rarely make eye contact; and when you smile, it kind of slides out one side of your mouth. You are mostly quiet.

I know you think that no one notices. And for the most part you are probably right. People today are often time so consumed with themselves that they tend not to TRULY see those around them.

But God sees the truth, just as plainly as if you had a red light flashing on your forehead. He sees your heart -- full of hurt upon hurt, upon hurt, upon hurt. You see, He knows your heart.

He sees the pain oozing through the cracks in the wall you've built. He knows what's behind the shutters that hide your eyes and the door that is firmly shut before your heart. He knows those shutters and doors are there, not to keep people out, but to keep the pain hidden inside.

He knows that the reason they are kept so tightly closed is because you're afraid that if you ever let them open, even a crack, you might accidentally unleash a flood of pain and tears that would overwhelm you.

And you're afraid that if you ever opened those restraints you could never get them closed again and you might find out there were no answers or relief for your pain.

But there is relief, there is an answer, there is HOPE! There is a way to trade your pain for joy. There is a way to have healing for the hurts that have wounded you so deeply.

Let me ask you, have you ever been despised and rejected by those close to you? Do you have sorrow in your heart for loss after loss -- grief that doesn't seem to get better?

Jesus has made a way; and its guaranteed effective if you'll just dare to reach out to Him for it. Those aren't just words. It is a fact.

The Bible says that Jesus bore our grief and carried our sorrows (Is. 53:4). It literally means what it says. Think about it. One ordinary day, an ordinary man faced an enormous challenge. That day He was sentenced to die, though He had done no wrong. He was laid down on a wooden cross and a man with a hammer bent over him to pound spikes through His hands. What do you think He thought as He looked over at His hand and anticipated the pain coming in just a few seconds? What would you have done on that day? Would you have walked away? I would have. But Jesus didn't. And there was only one reason. His love was stronger than the pain.

But Jesus' greatest pain was still ahead. As He was lifted up on that cross, in that moment in time, God placed on His shoulders every sin that has ever been committed and all that will ever be committed throughout all of time. Jesus, who had never sinned, suddenly took on Himself the full weight, guilt and condemnation for it all. How do you think He felt about that? While He was fully God, He was fully man. He FELT the literal consequences of all that guilt. And He felt the absolute rejection of His Father for the first time in His life.

You know what else He felt? As an innocent victim of all that sin placed upon Him, He felt the pain you felt when you were hurt or rejected. He felt the pain you felt in that horrible, dark, trauma that you never talk about. He felt every single pain you feel. He LITERALLY bore your grief and carried your sorrow. And He did it to provide you with a way out of your pain.

The path He walked was not quick and easy. And the path He has for you to find healing is not a quick and easy one. But He promises to walk WITH you at every step -- and that is the whole point anyway. When Jesus said He calls us His friends, He means it.

Is Jesus literally your friend? He wants to walk with you through each day and he wants to converse with you about your hurts. You can talk to Him and ask Him questions, and He will answer back. That's why He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us. That's why He's given us His Word. He has promised that the Holy Spirit would be our counselor and lead us into all truth. All we have to do is ASK and LISTEN.

Is there hurt hidden in your heart? I know where the answers are because I've found them myself. But I can't give them to you. I can only point you to the One who wants more than anything to be your dearest FRIEND and comfort you.

Will you dare to reach out and take His hand? Can you trust Him with the secrets of your heart? Will you let Him lead you to healing one day at a time, even though you can't see the tomorrows yet? Will you trust Him when He asks you to open up the doors of your heart?

God wants to heal your wounded heart. The question is only whether you will let Him.

56 days and counting......

I’m trying to think positive about these next 56 days – so any words of encouragement you can think of (even off-the-wall or funny ones) would be greatly appreciated.

My summer classes started today. What that means is I have 56 days to complete 42 assignments. These assignments include:
8 papers of 6 pages
1 paper that is a minimum of 10 pages
1 page that is a minimum of 20 pages!!!

I am sitting here thinking.....ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?

My other thought is.....DECEMBER 13TH, DECEMBER 13TH, DECEMBER 13TH (Lord willing, that is the date I officially will have completed my Master’s Degree.)

Yep ~ that's me....

Your Response is: Stay Calm

You don't have much of a fight or flight response. In fact, you rather do neither. You don't like getting worked up. You are able to approach most threats calmly and rationally. You don't let your emotions get the best of you!

http://www.blogthings.com/howdoyourespondfightorflightquiz/">How Do You Respond: Fight or Flight?

The Spring Rain

I am not one to complain about the weather ~ but I sure have learned to appreciate it more!! We have had so little rain that it seems like I could dust the house twice a day and still need to do it again before we went to bed, so it was such a blessing o wake up to the sound of rain this morning.

It didn’t just rain though – we got rain, hail (tiny, but still hail), thunder and lightening.....and currently we are under a tornado watch. It seemed like we got A LOT of rain, so I was very surprised when the news said we got less than a ½ inch.

I can sure tell a difference though. The air is cleaner, I don’t feel like I need to dust every two hours, and everything seems so fresh.

It is amazing what a little rain can do to clean things up!!!

Hello, Again, Hello

I took a technology break......ok, not completely, but as much as possible. The last few weeks of school were a killer on me, so after they were over I just couldn’t seem to get on the computer unless absolutely necessary (like for work, since they pay me!!)

I figured I better get back in the habit though –especially since make next 2 classes start May 28th. Only 4 more to go though – 2 during summer term and 2 during fall (and one of those is more of a step by step for doing my thesis than an actual class with tests and assignments,)

I can’t believe that in about 6 months I will have written a thesis and graduate with a Master’s degree. For a while there is seems so far away and now it seems so close!!! I won’t lie, though. I can’t wait to be done and no longer be a student. I ready to drop that title from the list of “things I am.”

Now, with that said ~~ let me share devotion for the day.....

GOALS

If you aim for nothing, you'll probably hit it.

We all need to have priorities. If we don't, we sort of aimlessly wander. Without priorities or goals, we have no direction. Ever person ~ no matter how old or how young ~ needs something for which to attain.

Seriously -- what about you? What are your personal goals and priorities? There is an endless menu of available and desirable goals. It just takes the courage and determination to pick one and get started.

What about your church, are you helping your church reach their goals? Do you know what the goals of your church are? If you don’t, isn't about time that you ask?

Maybe you can be the catalyst to start a project – even a small one – and get it accomplished. If you don't have stated goals, you'll just wander through the same routines and not really advance the kingdom of Christ.

You'll repeat the Lord's Prayer, sing the same hymns, take the usual offering, and just tread spiritual water listening to sermonettes for Christianettes.

People, church is serious business - don't play around with it like it's a social club. We all see the state of our world today. We don’t need social clubs. We need churches that are out there spreading the Gospel and helping the helpless!!

Romans 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

I hope that will give you something about which to think as you establish your goals.

What Are You Having This Week???

WOW ~ It feels great to sit down, make our menu, grocery shop (online, of course, because I do NOT like shopping), and not worry about assignment due dates!!!

Italian Pork Chops with fresh veggies
Taco Salad & fresh fruit
Chicken Parmesan, angel hair pasta, & corn
Sloppy Joes & Tater tots
Cabbage rolls & baked potatoes
BBQ – steak & chicken

Doing the HAPPY DANCE

This term of school is over and couldn't be happier!!! I am so doing the Happy Dance! I don't know why, but this term just about did me in.

Now, I am celebrating!

Yesterday was my first day of freedom, so I escaped to Minot to play with my sister. I'm not quite sure when it happened, but sometime over the last 5-10 years my sister and I have become friends. I love it. We have fun together. Yesterday we had a great time doing absolutely nothing.

I took Braden with me so that Braden and Tristan could play together (OK, so 3 and 5 month old boys don't play with blocks or race their cars together.....YET....but we are preparing them for later.) While they played we just talked. That was our exciting day together. I loved it!!!!

I plan to continue my HAPPY DANCE from now until my classes start again....sometime in June. Any want to join me????

Me and My Door...

What Your Front Door Says

You are intriguing and charming. People are naturally drawn to you, even if they don't know you. You are calm and wise. You are a true leader. You never feel isolated in a group. Somehow, you always belong.

The Front Door Test