I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26 NIV
Good morning or good evening, now. I started this post before 7 am. I was going to chat about flexibility today. As it turns out, my schedule had to adapt to the demands of the day. So I’m posting over 12 hours later.
Have you ever planned out your future only to get a major glitch? I’m an urban planner by profession and I plan out everything. I think my behavior makes some people a little crazy. If we go on a trip, I have events schedule from the beginning to the end. I can pack the activities in. Usually, my friends are amazed at what we can do. If I’m going to school, I have the journey planned down to when and how many hours a day I will study. At work I have lists of deadlines. I’m very focused on my goals whether at work, church, home and school.
Over the past few months I have had setbacks in my plans that placed me behind schedule on personal goals. I’ve also noticed that my age has slowed me down. This past weekend God dealt with me on this issue. He helped me to realize that faster isn’t necessarily better. Sometimes we need to learn life lessons along the way, and sometimes we need to take time for others. None of us are promised tomorrow. If you are busy, busy, busy, slow down and enjoy those around you. Help others. Give to others. Make the journey more meaningful.
As I noted at the beginning of this post, I had some delays today. However, I spent time with some of the people who needed my time and I grew along the way.
Today, I’m including a video forwarded to me by someone special in my life. Enjoy. I heard on the radio yesterday that WIllie Nelson has been unwell. Keep him and his family in your prayers. God bless you.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 KJV
Good Morning! It’s the Friday before Christmas and life is so busy! Even in our small town, the stores are packed and people are inundated with last-minute shopping. Tensions are high this time of year. My own anxiety got the best of me yesterday. I told our minister at a party last night that I thought I had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, because the whole day had been a little sour. I was surprised to hear him say that it was understandable with work to finish up, shopping to do, decorating, preparing for gatherings and similar things taking place.
This time of year we have so much more to do than usual. That alone brings stress. Then, we spend more money, which leads to more stress. We are often confused about what to purchase for gifts. Of course, we want our gifts to be perfect, which is even more stress. For me food is also an issue. I had a session with my weight watchers coach this morning. I used all my points for yesterday, plus 11 more points than was available for the week. Did I eat a lot? Not really. I just had two parties with rich food in one day. Also, there was less time to exercise. Hmmm, that’s more stress. However, she was very kind and understanding, too. Finally, we all know that Christmas isn’t about commercialism, so I don’t know about you, but I’m more involved in church and giving to the needy. All of these things bring joy and stress.
So, today I’m spreading the love and understanding that I received to you. If you feel a little, or even a lot stressed, it’s okay. There is still hope for tomorrow. God bless you
It’s already Tuesday and time to try something new. Last week I started a new weight loss program, Noom Coach. I love it! So, now I have been on the plan a week and a half. I have lost 10 pounds. Woohoo! I’m eating healthier and smaller meals. I’m not hungry and I’m walking more. All these things together slowly add up to success. You may be asking yourself, what’s the problem then? There isn’t a problem yet, but what will sustain me when I get stressed, bored, don’t want to exercise or ready to eat everything that I see? Noom Coach has some helpful hints that I’m taking advantage of, but when all else fails, God will be there. I need to train myself to go to him when I face weight loss temptations along the way, just as I do with temptations in life in general.
In many ways Christian life is like a diet. We learn how to behave and what to do from reading God’s word. If we follow Biblical teachings, slowly we will grow and see the benefits. What happens when we want to do something that we know we shouldn’t do (i.e. lie, cheat, steal, have affairs, gossip, hurt others, etc.)? What happens when we are tempted? Everyone is tempted. Everyone! Well, we simply ask for forgiveness, ask God to sustain us, and strive to do better. When we rely on God to sustain us, and we try to avoid temptations, we grow as Christians.
Today, try something new. Ask God to sustain you. God bless you.
But let every man prove his own work, and then he shall be rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. Galatians 6:4
It’s Monday and time to share something good. I was a little down over the weekend, but I was still able to play with my grandson, spend time with my husband, clean my house, get to know my kitten a little better and write half a word study paper on judging. I will share more on the paper later. On top of all of that, I made two new friends. One is from Holland and the other from Georgia. Meeting these two ladies reminded me that when we think we have it bad, there is always someone who has it worse. I’m glad God brought these ladies into my life and I hope that I can be a comfort to them.
For many people Monday’s mean we “have to” go to work and do what we don’t want to do for a long week. This type of thinking leads to a bad attitude. Have you ever considered what a privilege it is to work? There are many people who are not able to work. Have you ever considered that when we work we are pleasing God? Work is mentioned many times in the Bible, and Galatians 6:4 states that when we prove our own work, we can rejoice in what we have done. Have you ever thought maybe this is the week you can help your boss in a new way that will make his/her work be easier, better and less time consuming? If you want blessings from God, you must submit to authority. That means doing your job the best you can when you are at work and trying to help your supervisor. The attitude you adopt when you approach Monday or the first day of your business week can make a huge difference. Yes, there will be those who are gloom and doom and who will try to bring you down today, but you can choose a different attitude. Try it. You will be so much happier.
God’s Name Is a Place of Protection. Proverbs 18:10
Praise be the name of the Lord! I’m moving slowly at home this morning, but I’m still moving. Praise God!
One week go today we picked up our little bundle of joy, Baron Dominic. Dominic has been quite a handful. We love him. I can’t believe how much the little guy eats and how quickly he gets into trouble.
The only one I know who can get into trouble as quickly as Dominic is me. Yet, no matter what I’ve done or how hopeless life seemed at the time, God still had me. Joel 2:25 says when we have faith “God can restore what is broken and change it into something amazing.” I have found this to be true countless times in my life.
Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you.
Psalm 63:3
Once again its Forgiveness Thursday. Isn’t it great to know we can always turn to God and he will forgive us!
Yesterday morning I had a talk with myself about only letting what I did or said reflect God. I intended to keep this promise. I worked on it all day long, but at the end of the day, I fell short. So, today’s a new day. I will ask for forgiveness and try again.
So, what about people who ask for forgiveness repeatedly and do not try to improve? By the way, isn’t that what I’m doing with my diet? I know what it means to eat healthy. I ask for help, yet I repeatedly fail and ask for forgiveness for overindulgence. Yet, even still, I’m only hurting me, or am I? If my health is bad because of my weight, others are affected, like my family, other tax payers and people with the same insurance. How does that compare to a serial killer, who repeatedly kills other people? I don’t know. I’ve thought about this many times. We may have a role in prosecution to prevent the criminal from hurting more people, but beyond that I think the answer is we are not supposed to judge others. That’s God’s job. We should be thankful that God has taken care of us and focus on our own shortcomings. This is something I struggle with, but I’m always trying to improve. I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Today, forgive yourself and others as Christ has forgiven us all. God bless you.
Above all love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8
Happy Wednesday! How are you using your gifts to change the world?
Today is day four with a new baby in the house. Yes, as silly as it sounds, at our house bringing a kitten home is like having a new baby. I have the jealous sibling, my Great Dane, Singer, and the baby who is adjusting, Dominic. When there is too much stimuli, like when visitors stop by to meet him, he gets overwhelmed. He never sleeps. In fact, he stalks and tries to kill us in our bedroom, his jungle, all night. I have the battle wounds to prove it. He needs me to stay with him while he eats. Yet, I have to be careful because Singer gets jealous and cries. When Dominic can’t find me, he cries. Then, there is the third pet in the equation, my aging Shih Tzu, Freckles, who wanders around trying not to be attacked. Last night it took me about two and half hours to get everyone settled down.
Reading this you are probably wondering why I would want such chaos. Well, like with any new addition in your family, there is great joy. Dominic makes us laugh and feel younger. The joy overrides the aggravation. We love him. Also like other babies, Dominic will one day grow up. With my children it was too soon. No matter what I did, I couldn’t slow time down. Also like with people, pets will age and die. I suspect my beloved Freckles will be next and probably not too far in the future.
Family is like that. We never know how long our loved ones will be around. So, today I challenge you to use your gifts to Change the World at home. Remember to spend time with and love your family. Have a great day. God bless you.
Thank you Grace Over Pain for nominating me for the Liebster Award. I’m honored to be considered. Efua created her site to provide a platform for Christian girls. If you haven’t visited her blog, I encourage you to go to Grace Over Pain today. It will change your life and how you see the world.
I would like to nominate the following bloggers for this award.
Acknowledge the blog that nominated you and display the award.
Answer the 11 questions the blogger gives you.
Give 11 random facts about yourself.
Nominate 11 blogs
Notify those blogs of the nomination.
Give them 11 questions to answer.
My 11 Questions to Answer:
1. What is your favorite worship song? This is hard for me because there aren’t that many worship songs that I don’t like. My favorite song to hear at church is Come Thy Fount of Every Blessing. I’m always changing favorite worship songs on the radio. I love 10,000 Reasons, but one of my new favorites is Even If (Mercy Me). Others I love include: Feel it (Tobymac), Oh My Soul (Casting Crowns), and Thy Will (Hillary Scott). Oh my, I better leave this question because I keep thinking of more.
2. What is that thing you cannot do without and why? My Sweet Lord. I can’t imagine enduring one day without him. He is my friend, my Heavenly Father, the one who I can turn to who always knows and understands, and he makes life worth living. I’m so blessed.
3. If you were to eat one food for the rest of your life, what will that food be? Yikes. I like variety. I guess if there was one food that I could eat the rest of my life with other foods, it would be bread. If I could only eat one food and nothing else for the rest of my life, I would eat fish.
4. Outdoorsy or Indoorsy? I like to spend more time indoors. I’m not a fan of bugs, snakes and heat. I do spend some time outside because it is healthy and God’s world is beautiful.
5. What made you give your life to God? I gave my life to God when I was eight years old. It’s hard for me to remember the exact reason, but I do remember feeling something inside that I’d never felt before. I knew it was the right thing. To me the more important question might be why did I remain a Christian throughout my life, even though I could have easily said I was too young to understand at eight years old. The reason is not one day have I been alone. He’s been with me helping me through every day of my life. When I was abused as a child, he helped me endure the suffering until I could do better. When my first husband did everything in his power to kill me and later left me for another woman without a dime to my name, I cried to God to take me. Instead he gave me a cat (Buttermilk) to take care of and even later he brought a good man into my life, who changed the way my life was spiraling. When my family disowned me for telling the truth and protecting a child, God was there to hold me up and he brought a Christian counselor into my life. When my daughter was a baby and we didn’t know if she would live, God healed her. When our children were teenagers, he brought them home safely every night. I could keep going for hours. The bottom line is, no matter what was happening God was always there by my side, and I will never forsake him. If you haven’t needed him yet, the day will come when you humble yourself, fall on your knees and pray for help. He will be there.
6. Are you a morning person or evening person? When I was younger, I was more of an evening person. However, for the past 20 years, I have been more of a morning person. I usually get up about 3:45 am. Mornings are quiet and I tend to get more accomplished early in the day.
7. Who is your favorite bible character and why? Besides God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, I like John, Paul and Peter. I think John is a funny character. He claimed to be Jesus’s favorite. I also remember reading John’s account of Peter and him running to where Jesus’s body was, but John pointing out that he arrived first. I like Peter because he said he would never deny Christ, yet he did three times. I sometimes wonder the circumstances. For example, did he deny Christ in an effort to ultimately help him. No one knows, but later after the famous “feed my sheep” dialogue, Jesus tells Peter it will be okay because one day he will die by crucifixion for teaching Christianity. I like Paul because he totally did an about-face. As Saul he was against Christ, but later became a Christian named Paul who spread the Gospel through many nations despite shipwrecks and being in prison.
8. Which country would you love to visit next and why? I would love to visit the Holy Lands next. I’ve always wanted to go there, but I know there will be a great deal of walking involved. I want to go before I’m unable to keep up.
9. Would you prefer extremely cold weather or extremely hot weather? Neither, I don’t think I would physically be able to survive either.
10. If you were to pick one of these which one do you think you are mentally. Old school or new school? Old School
11. Favorite book apart from the bible. This question is like the music question. I read all the time and I love books. I’m not Jewish, but when I was studying International Affairs in college, I took a Jewish Religion class. As a part of the class I read As a Driven Leaf. I have thought of it many times over the years. When I was about 12, my Sunday School Teacher gave me a copy of The Hiding place by Corrie Ten Boon. If you haven’t read it, do. These two books touched me.
11 Random Facts about Me:
I love animals and they love me.
I grow orchids. At one time I had over 50. We actually enclosed our porch with glass for the orchids.
I started a grass-roots ministry at church over four years ago and we still meet regularly – Crafty Ladies at Work (CLAW). It provides ladies an opportunity to socialize, learn and teach a yarn craft, and provide a prayer shawl for people who are unwell. Sometimes we make tatas for women who have had a mastectomy.
I was once a music major. I play saxophone, guitar, bass guitar, and some piano.
In high school I had my own pop music band.
In high school I was student conductor of our band of 250 students. I once directed the band in front of Stone Mountain.
In high school I arranged music for the marching band. My music was played at the Blue and Grey game which was televised on Christmas Day in 1983.
My favorite Disney character is Donald Duck. When I was five I met him for the first time and he danced with me.
My favorite movie is A Walk in the Clouds.
I wrecked a car as a toddler. I was left alone in a car that was running, and I knocked it into gear while playing. I hit a tree.
I have a weak stomach. Don’t get sick near me or I’ll be joining you.
God can restore what is broken and change it into something amazing. All you need is faith. Joel 2:25
Happy Monday! It’s time to share something good. The last few weeks were more than trying for me, but last week ended with a new member in our family, which is something good. I must admit, Baby Dominic gives me some new blogging challenges. As I’m typing this post, I’m being stalked and attacked by a 4 pound kitten. It’s amazing how a baby brings new life into the house.
We were protected on our long trip to Tampa, and greeted by our new friends, Michele and John. It’s wonderful how God sends the right people into our lives at the right time. His plans are always best. Then, our long trip home with a kitten in the car was uneventful. I must admit I was surprised. I’ve never seen a cat ride so well. Once home we were both exhausted. However, Dominic had rested for five hours of travel. About the time we went to sleep, he was just waking up. I think Dominic stalked, killed and conquered our home during the night.
Sometimes it seems like everything that could go wrong has already happened. Then, something else sends us spinning. Even then, we are loved. Isn’t it great to be loved and accepted all the time! I’m never alone and my relationships are so much better. My husband and I are closer. Life is just wonderful in every possible way. I no longer have to worry. I just trust our sweet Lord.
He is there for you too. He’s ready to watch you, child of God, enjoy life and share his love with others. Trust him and enjoy your day. Don’t forget to share something good in your life, so others can witness his love. God bless you.
For he will command concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11
Praise the Lord it’s Sunday! We are about to head out on a ten plus hour driving adventure to pick up Baby Dominic, the kitten. I’m so excited!
I didn’t want to leave without taking a moment to say thank you for following Hisperfecttiming and sending supportive comments every day. My husband and I keep all followers in our prayers. Each of you is special and unique, and my life is much fuller having known you. As you go through the day, remember to trust God.
Whenever I return, I will share the story of our adventure. God bless you.
