The Plan I Have For You

1 John 3:1 New International Version (NIV) 3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  When I think about the word lavish,a beautiful princess comes to mind. Dressed in a beautiful dress, hair perfect. She's surrounded by a staff who takes care of her every need. Lavishly loved. Most days I don't feel like a princess.  There is no staff, and it seems I pour more of me out than I get put back in.   Friday was a road trip day. I was on my way to the doctor for a procedure and a test...and a nervous wreck.  The weather was gloomy, drizzly and gray.  The results of the test had been consuming me for weeks.  We had been dealing with vehicle issues.  Several other things weighed heavy on my mind.  I felt completely overwhelmed. As I topped the hill, there was a moment of sunshine and I beg...

James 5:9-11 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!   Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.   As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Have you ever dropped a spot of something on the carpet and then went to clean it up?  If you don't do it correctly, you start to rub, and the more you rub, the bigger the mess becomes.  Sometimes being around people is hard.  It is inevitable when you put people of different backgrounds together you are going to have disagreements.  We get our feelings hurt, or we see things going on that just simply shouldn't be.  It is really easy to continue to rub at the spot and create a huge mess of feelings....

Exodus 14:13-14 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord , which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.   The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. This morning God led me to the story of the Israelites and their journey across the Red Sea.  It still amazes me that every time I read something I have read many times before, I can still learn something new. In Exodus 14, God places the Israelites in an area where they appeared to be trapped.  God hardens the heart of Pharaoh and he sends out his army after them.  We all know what happens from here, Moses, led by God, stretches out his hand and parts the sea so the Israelites can cross on dry land.  Then God instructs Moses to once again stretch out his hand so the sea returns and drowns the Egyptian army.   We all have had our wilderness experiences....

Zechariah 4:6 So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. I crave expectations and goals, and I get a high when I can check one off the list.  Not too long ago, I completed four months of work to create a beautiful list and portfolio of projects in anticipation of a deadline.  The timeline should have allowed all projects to be wrapped up in a neat bow...but one thing after another stalled progress.  In spite of my greatest efforts I left one project dangling.  I simply could not make it happen no matter how hard I tried.  My expectation of praise for the volume accomplished was quickly replaced with the words, "I'm disappointed."  My spirit was crushed, but I had to hold my head high and know that even though my best was not sufficient, I had given my all.  I left the meeting, sat down at my desk, and my eyes met with a scripture taped on the ...

I am following through with a commitment I made last night.  God has been all over me about putting things in my life ahead of what he calls me to do.  This blog is one of them.  There have been so many times over the past few months that he has laid a message on my heart, and I would scribble down a passage thinking I would get back to writing it "when I have time."  I should have learned by now that is a beautiful four letter phrase that lives in a fairyland.  The point is, there are several scraps of paper, and several more draft posts that got started and haven't been finished. Our ladies class on Wednesday night at church has hit home so many times.  Last night's lesson was from Luke 14.  It was the story of the great banquet.  Many guests were invited, and many gave excuses as to why the could not come.  One had bought a piece of land and needed to go see it.  One had bought oxen and needed to try them out.  One ha...

Deuteronomy 31:6  (NIV) Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." I've started to have people asking when my next blog was going to come out.  I've always let God lead the timing.  My entries have been few and far between this year.  It's not because he hasn't been speaking, and thankfully it hasn't been because I haven't been listening.  In April, I started a series of medications to control my constant dizziness and vertigo that left me feeling even worse than before.  While my heart has been filled with stories to share, my brain simply would not give me the words I needed to convey the deep love and protection sent from my heavenly father during this time. There have been lots of days that just getting through the day was an accomplishment.  My 10 minute commute to work many mornings included listening to a song that brought much com...

Psalm 139 13 For You shaped me, inside and out . You knitted me together in my mother’s womb long before I took my first breath . 14 I will offer You my grateful heart, for I am Your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe. You have approached even the smallest details with excellence; Your works are wonderful; I carry this knowledge deep within my soul. 15 You see all things; nothing about me was hidden from You As I took shape in secret, carefully crafted in the heart of the earth before I was born from its womb . 16 You see all things; You saw me growing, changing in my mother’s womb; Every detail of my life was already written in Your book; You established the length of my life before I ever tasted the sweetness of it. 17 Your thoughts and plans are treasures to me, O God! I cherish each and every one of them! How grand in scope! How many in number! 18 If I could count each one of them, they would be more than all the grains...