May 16, 2011

We had a great time together in South Dakota, it was good to see family and to be together.  Congratulations Cody

The most wonderful thing is having a Saviour that is risen and waiting for us.

I'll Be Back


"'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This
same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same
way you have seen him go into heaven.'"

-Acts 1:11

"It's one of the rules of the church nursery," my friend with three little girls
 told me. "When you drop off your child, always tell them you'll come back. And
then by all means, come back! It's the only way they'll accept being in the nursery."

What would it be like for us if the angel on the Mount of Olives had said, "Jesus
has gone" and nothing more? What if Jesus had said "I'm going to prepare a place
 for you, but you'll have to get there on your own"? I know what I would do. I would
give up hope. I'd be like a child in the nursery standing alone in the middle of
 toys and books, staring at the door that once framed my mother. And I'd cry. Not
whimpers but bawling screams of pain and panic. There are few things more frightening
to a child than being left alone without hope that Mom and Dad will return. For
the child, life has ended.

But Jesus is coming back, He told me so. I need not spend my days in tears or pain.
I can enjoy the fellowship of others who are also expecting His return. And I can
tell others about Jesus, friends who wonder why they came into this world in the
 first place.

He's gone, but He's coming back. I know. Daddy told me so. And that makes all the
difference.

Lord, You've promised us. You promised that You'd come back for us. It's been so
 long, Lord. When will it be? Please remind me often of Your promise because I need
to enjoy fellowship with others of like mind, and I need to reach others who don't
know about the promise of Your return.

May 13, 2011

Yesterday was an interesting day, we had the photographer come and take photos for the annual, all went well til we came to speech photo,  they wanted to do a pyramid, except that the girls were tops that when they lay are revealing, so she took the photo and when she got done I told them to stand up and we would take a photo for the annual.  They were a bit torked and asked why I was disgusted by that time and said I wasn't putting in a photo with there boobs hanging out.  Now I wish someone would come to me and ask me about it.  I don't think there was a problem with the staff and not with some of the students.  I don't really appreciate having to look at cleavage with our teen girls, and some of them think that is the way to go.  Other wise a good day, had a lengthy conversation with my sister, they are having real bad water issues at Williston, so she won't be able to come this weekend.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will
strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

-Isaiah 41:10

God always uses such intimate language when He relates to us. He paints warm images
of sheltering us under His wings, holding us in the palm of His hand, or drawing
 us close to His breast. He's so personal with us, why shouldn't we be with Him?

Yet when we affirm Christ as our personal Savior, we often talk more about Christianity
than about Jesus. We distance ourselves from our Lord, relating to Him in detached
and objective terms. Describing Jesus becomes an exercise in discussing "the Christian
experience," or "the Christian walk." We are more relaxed talking over doctrines
 and church traditions rather than about Christ as a person.

If we're embarrassed to talk openly about our love for Him, perhaps it's because
 we feel we so often fail Him. Maybe we fear total surrender to Him because of what
may happen if we let go and love. Ah, but "There is no fear in love. But perfect
 love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment" (1 John 4:18).

The words of 1 John 4:19 are so intimate: "We love because he first loved us." If
you desire to be free of fear, memorize and meditate on portions of Scripture that
describe God's love and your need. Read parts of John's gospel to hear the heartbeat
of Christ just hours before the cross ... read Psalm 51 to grasp the bitterness
of sin ... then enjoy the Song of Songs to find the warm and intimate language of
love.

Oh, Jesus thank You for being so personal with me. That You should be so intimate
with me pulls at my heart. I love You, Jesus.

May 12, 2011

I survived yesterday, actually I only had to fix breakfast, another gal came and did lunch and we all survived.  I made a small amount of oatmeal and that all went.  Otherwise a usual day, visited with Frank and Dorothy for a while, I don't think Frank is feeling very good.  They go to the Dr. today.  The sun came out later in the day and I did pull some weeds in the flower beds.

Knowing His Name


"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them
on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the
road, when you lie down and when you get up."

-Deuteronomy 6:6-7

My husband and I have only been, uh ... you know, Christians a short time. But we've
been reading the ... the Bible more and learning about, uh, the Lord." As I listened
on the phone, I could tell that God was taking this woman, who had gone to church
all her life, to a new spiritual dimension.

She's uncomfortable using spiritual terms right now, but all that will change as
 she talks more about her Savior at home and when she goes throughout her day, when
she gets up in the morning and when she retires at night. Talking about Jesus ...
makes it easier to talk about Him!

In fact, I'm looking forward to the time when she will be able to confidently say
the name of her Lord. For, "Those who know your name will trust in you, for you,
 Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you" (Psalm 9:10). Until then, I'm praying
that she will make a new habit of talking about the Lord Jesus freely and openly
 during the course of her day. It's the best way to feel at home with His name.

Some Christians have an awkward time bringing up the subject of Christ during dinner
table conversations or while driving in the car. We reserve discussion about spiritual
things for church or Bible study, often failing to bring Him into our everyday moments.
But remember, talking about Jesus ... does make it easier to talk about Him!

Make me more bold, Lord Jesus, to speak openly about You. For this will not only
 glorify Your name but will encourage other Christians who may be more timid than
I. I love the name of Jesus!

May 11, 2011

Say a prayer for me, the cook at school is sick and I have been called to atleast start the day in the kitchen,  so I need to get on the road.

Meditating


"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on
 my holy days, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking
idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord."

-Isaiah 58:13-14

Memorizing Scripture, especially paragraphs of Scripture, sounds so time-consuming.
Little wonder people say, "I can't ... where will I find the time?"

The best time to invest in memorizing Scripture is the time that already belongs
 to the Lord. The Lord's Day is a twenty-four hour period set aside for you to spend
specifically on spiritual objectives. How does God ask you to spend your time on
 His holy day? He simply asks that you do not do as you please, or go your own way,
pursuing your own pleasures; He asks you to find delight in honoring Him on His
special day.

When is the best time to meditate on what you've memorized? Rehearsing God's Word
is a great way to close out the evening. After all, God established that our day
 should begin in the evening anyway ... "and the evening and the morning were the
first day." This was how the Sabbath day was observed, and for good reasons. The
 last important thoughts on our minds in the evening remain in our subconscious
throughout the night and unconsciously set our mental attitudes for the day.

When we go to sleep meditating on Scriptures we've memorized, we follow the advice
of Psalm 63:6, "On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of
the night."

Lord of the Sabbath, I want to look at Your day as ... Yours! Forgive me when I
crowd Your day with my goals. Yes, I do have time to memorize and meditate, and
I will remember that this is the Lord's Day.

May 10, 2011

esterday was a very full day at school.  Secretary was absent, so I got asked to do a copying job for her, making 6 manuals, that were atleast 2 inches thick each.  Then annual, several teachers were sick, one left before end of the day and I took her place.  Alice asked me if I would take Gabie to community concert, so we got home about 10:30  I awoke to thunder this morning....

Memorizing


"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares
the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'"

-Isaiah 55:8-9

There's hardly a Christian who doesn't wish his thought life were more pure. After
all, the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all our... mind.
Memorizing God's Word is the best way to rebuild your thoughts. Committing portions
of Scripture to memory is like thinking God's thoughts after Him. When we think
that way, our mind can't help but be elevated.

Also, memorizing large portions of Scripture gives us insight into understanding
 the very thought structures of our Lord. Through memorizing, we can appreciate
the way God thinks! And that, more than anything else, will heighten our thought
 life to a pure level.

There is a story told of a family living on the edge of a desert who were amazed
 to see that flowers had sprouted in the salty sand behind their home. No one could
figure out how that happened, since they had tried for months to grow vegetables
 and flowers. The mystery was solved when someone realized the mother had been throwing
her dishwater out the back door every day. After many months and many dishpans of
water, the salt was washed out of the sand. That's why flowers were able to grow.

As we soak our minds with Scripture, old and impure thoughts will be washed away.
New thoughts-God's thoughts-will find a home in our mind.

I want to think Your thoughts, Lord, and fill my mind with Your ideas. Help me to
elevate my thinking toward Your level as You lead me deeper into Your Word. And
show me today what thoughts of Yours that You would have me memorize.

May 9, 2011

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  we had services with the Christian Fellowship Church and it was a good time.  After getting our usual pizza we came home, I rested for a while and then went to see the homeschoolers play.  They did a very good job and I also got to communicate with Paula and Miranda about food at camp.  Thank you for the Mother's Day calls.  It was a good day.  May this encourage you.......

A Learning Experience
~

"The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction."

-Proverbs 16:21

I'm a quadriplegic, but I used to drive a van (it didn't have a steering wheel,
but that's another story). One time I cruised into the drive-thru lane of a fast-food
restaurant to order hamburgers and Cokes. After I gave my order over the intercom,
I explained that the boy at the window would have to help me since I was disabled.
No problem.

I then drove up to the delivery window, stuck out my arm, and asked the boy to take
the ten dollar bill that was folded in my arm splint. That was no problem, either.
As another server was bagging my order, I asked him to place my change in it as
well. Both boys looked at each other, a little confused, and so I smiled and slowly
repeated my instructions.

Both servers got the message, and they even wrapped the change in a napkin before
they dropped it into the bag with the food. They handed me my order, but I had to
ask, "Could you please lean out of your window a bit more and wedge the bag right
here between me and the van door?" Both boys looked at each other again. "Remember?
I can't use my hands" I smiled.

"Oh yeah," they laughed and proceeded to reach over and fasten the package securely
between my wheelchair and the door. They waved as I drove off. And I smiled back
 knowing those two boys would now have a new appreciation for disabled people. What
could have been an awkward, embarrassing situation turned out to be fun.

Today, take a complicated situation and with time, patience, and a smile turn it
 into something positive ... for you and for others.

Lord, when I ask others to do something today, help my words to be pleasant. For
 Your sake, may my instructions be a blessing to others.

May 8, 2011

Today is Mother's Day and instead of writing anything else, I have been thinking about my role as a mother, about each of you who are either Mother's or Aunts and how you can effect someone else's life.  I have been thinking about my mom and how she felt about being a mom.  It is an honorable place to be.  But today I want to just tell you, you are each special whether daughters or son, whether children or grandchildren.  I feel blest to be able to share my life with you.  

Father, today I pray that you would bless each one of our children and spouses,grandchildren and spouses, and great grandchildren.  May they realize your great love for them and may it be real in their lives.  In Jesus Name. amen.