Quote for the Day: Psalm 63:8, "My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me."

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Sigh...

I'm on Psalm 40 today and there is a lot to meditate on.  Yesterday, I read Psalm 38 and 39.  There were only two things that I could identify specifically in these two Psalms, however they were packed full and I think we all can identify with Psalm 38, "You hear my every sigh".

How many of us sigh every now and then because of weariness, stress, uncertainty, physical tiredness, etc.  We've all done it.  Isn't it wonderful to know God hears your every sigh?  I think it is and wanted to share that little bit of encouragement.

Psalm 39 went right along with that sigh.  It said, "You are my only hope."  When we sigh, it is sometimes because we are at the end of ourselves and can truly say, "The Lord is our only hope."

God is so faithful to tell us He is there for us at just the right time.  Oh, how we need to listen for Him.

Blessings,    Pat

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

God Does Answer Prayers

I don’t know why we are always surprised when the Lord answers our prayers.  Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  That is because the desire of your heart will line up with His will because you will know Him and His heart.

Oh, the desire of my heart is to be pleasing to the Lord. The 5 “R”s are the cry of my heart to the Lord.  (You will find other posts explaining them more.)

1) Renew my mind
2) Revive my spirit
3) Reinvent what I do, how I do things, etc.
             ( I am in my 60s. It is never too old to change.)
4) Reveal. Reveal those things in me that are not Christ like.
               The deep things that I have not acknowledged
5) Restore. Restore what is broken in my life. Restore the joy.

I’m adding a 6th “R” as the Lord reveals things I need to have done…Regenerate.  Regenerate those things in me that have lost their strength and power.

After getting back into town this past Thursday, I was so emotionally exhausted that I almost didn’t go to the Don Moen concert we had tickets for for over a month.  Many from our church were going to be there, so I didn’t want to disappoint them, nor my husband, so I went.

The concert was very good and my husband and I both felt washed of the stress and exhaustion we have been feeling.  However, one other thing happened that, at the time was so insignificant, I didn’t think about it until I got home. 

One of the biggest Christian radio stations was there hosting and promoting one of their programs and were giving out little flyers with a free ebook.  So, I picked one up during intermission.  No big deal, right?!

When I got home I read the title of the ebook by Randy Carlson. He has a program on the radio called, Intentional Living, a ministry of Family Life Communications Incorporated and Parent Talk, Inc. with a mission of transforming the world through the power of living an intentional life
in Christ.


Now remember one of my 5 “R”s was “reinvent”.  The name of the ebook was, “Really Live – When Getting By Isn’t Good Enough”.  That has been the feeling inside my heart, I don’t want to just “get by” and settle in to the same old routine and being comfortable.  I want God to really change me and reinvent what I do in this life.  To make my life make a difference now and the rest of my life.

So, He is giving me insight on how to take one more step to renewal and reinvention through this ebook. (If you want a copy of it and go on the journey to really living, with Randy Carlson, go to his website: http://www.theintentionallife.com/.)  Join the journey to renewal and reinvention.

God does orchestrate our lives, in ways we don’t expect and at times we don’t expect, to answer our prayers and to help us.  How I thank and praise Him.  Look for His leadings and His answers.

Blessings,     Pat

Friday, May 25, 2012

Baby Gracie update

 
0522121522aI've been out of town being Grandma this week. I was getting my two granddaughters ( 10 and 11 years old) off to school in the morning, then going up to the hospital to see my daughter-in-law who was in the hospital with an infection (doing better and is home now), then going to another floor to see her baby (my granddaughter), Baby Gracie.

She has been in the Infant Intensive Care unit for five weeks. She was born at 34 weeks with an omphalicele (her liver outside her body) and her lungs underdeveloped.

She is still struggling with her breathing, but she has gained weight. She was born 4 pounds 1 ounce and is now 5 pounds 11 ounces. So, she is thriving, but through a feeding tube.

She does not have the sucking reflex and has acid reflux so they have to feed her through a tube inserted into her intestines. She is a fighter, but she has some bad days still.  She seems to take one step forward and two steps back.

We believe she is going to make it and believing God's faithfulness.

This is yesterday morning’s picture of her.
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Please pray for her mother (Billie) and Baby Gracie and the family who is pulled in every direction right now. This will be a long journey and is indeed “uncharted territory”.

We were ministered to at a very needed concert with Don Moen last night, who wrote an album called “Uncharted Territory”. He shared some of the journey in song and I thought of my son and daughter-in-law and their family who are on this long journey.

We never know what life will throw at us, but we do know God is faithful and will be with us as we walk through whatever we have to.

Blessings!   Pat

Monday, May 21, 2012

Another R

I've added another "R" to the last post.  RESTORE!  Restore the joy of my salvation.  I haven't lost the joy, but there are some things in my life that need restoring. And the Lord is showing me those things and asking me to let Him restore.  It is part of the journey I am  on.

This morning in my time with the Lord, the verse from Psalm 51: 10 and12 (KJV), came to mind,

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

No matter where we are in our relationship with the Lord, there seems to be a daily opportunity to be made whole and to "be changed" in some way to be more like Christ. We can't do it, but God can...if we let Him.

By reading the Psalms, you will learn to trust the Lord to do everything and be everything you need. There is one condition...that you have accepted Christ as your Savior.  He is the way, the only way to be restored to God.  He paid the price for that reconciliation.

On the sidebar on the left of this blog I will put what I am finding in Psalms.  Maybe it will help you see Psalms in a different light and see the mighty, wonderful, loving God we serve - Our Heavenly Father. 

Blessings,    Pat

Monday, May 14, 2012

The 4 “R”s

I have been so wanting God to transform me.  As I was praying about it I felt that He showed me three things that were the cry of my heart – three “R”s - Renew, Revive, Reinvent.  That is what I want the Lord to do in me.  I pray, that over the next 21 days, He would change me in all those areas. As the week has gone on, I added a fourth “R” to the list – Reveal.

1) Renew my mind
2) Revive my spirit
3) Reinvent what I do, how I do things, etc.

                ( I am almost 63 years old. It is never too old to   change.)
4) Reveal.  Reveal those things in me that are not Christ like. 

                   The deep things that I have not acknowledged.

Then I sensed Him telling me to read the Psalms and over the next 21 days write down who He is in each Psalm.

Example: Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
2
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

After reading Psalm 1 - Write downHe watches over the way of the righteous.

Sometimes you will only get one or two direct references. But really meditate on who He is.  Then there will be Psalms, like Psalm 31 where you will come away with many.

Look at Psalm 32 for example:

1 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight(You forgive my disobedience.  You put my sin out of sight.)

2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty! (You cleared my guilt.)


3When I refused to confess my sin,my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.


4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
 


5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. (You forgave me. You took away my guilt.)

6 Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.


7 For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory
(You are my hiding place. You protect me. You surround me with songs of victory.)


8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.(You guide me. You advise me. You watch over me.)


9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

10 Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord. (Your unfailing love surrounds me.)
11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!



Also, as you read, if one particular verse pops out at you as being just what you needed, write the whole verse out.  Make it personal as it applies to you, such as, “You are my protector.  You are my refuge”…etc.


I want to encourage you to try this as your daily devotional time with the Lord for a 21 day period and see what the Lord shows you! You can take 10 minutes or longer if you want. Don’t let “no time” be an excuse. You will be blessed.

Read as many as you like or can digest in one day.  But, don’t rush through these.  Really think about who God is and who He is in your life. 

Over a few days you will notice your mind being renewed and your spirit being revived…by His Word.  I have noticed subtle things in the “reinvent” area. He has definitely “revealed” to me things that are not suppose to be in me. I am praying about those and He is working on them.


The Lord is changing those who have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, to be transformed into His image. He will not leave us the same. Although, we cannot do it, He can and will. Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”. Amen!

I’ll keep you posted occasionally on how this is going.  I would love to hear your testimony on what the Lord says to you along the way.

Blessings,  Pat

Saturday, May 12, 2012

No Waste Day


Wouldn’t it be nice if our refrigerators looked like this all the time?  Well, if yours is like mine, before no time at all, food I was planning on using for something, ends up pushed back behind something else and I forget about it.  Then, it is no longer consumable. 

I really got tired of throwing food out, especially when there are others with no food, and with the price of food escalating at such a fast rate. 

So, some time ago, I started thinking about having a “no waste day”.  On that day, once every week or two, I would look through the frig and see if there was anything hiding. I would either freeze it raw or cook it and freeze it.  (You do have to make sure to date it and write it on a list somewhere that it is in the freezer or else it will get lost too.)

Today was the day.  This morning I found some mushrooms that were still good, but maybe not for long. I had no immediate plans for them because of our hectic schedule. so I better do something with it.   I also had some fresh blueberries and strawberries that had not been touched.clip_image002 And some celery stalks.

Not knoclip_image002[4]wing when I would get around to using them, I rinsed the berries, drained them good, then put them in a freezer bag, sucking the air out with my mini vacuum freezer tool my daughter bought me a couple years ago. I labeled it and dated it with a permanent marker.  The next time we have ice cream I can stir in some sugar and make some fruit topping.  Or, it is good to use in smoothies, or jellies. No waste! 

Then I turned to the mushrooms.  I knew if I cooked them they would last a lot longer than sitting in the frig fresh.  So, my intention was to just cook them up and freeze them as I did the fruit.  Well, this is what I did to them.

I put a little olive oil in a small fry pan, about 1 tablespoon.  Then I added three cloves of peeled garlic (smashed but whole) just to flavor the oil.  Then I put 1/4 cup of wine, crushed red pepper flakes, maybe 1/8 tsp. Add 1 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar. Then I put about 1/4 cup of chicken broth.  Let that simmer for 15 minutes.

While that was simmering, I took the stems off of (about 9 big button) mushrooms, rinsed them off (I normally just brush them but I was going to cook them down anyway). Then I sliced them in fairly big pieces.clip_image002[137]
I added them into the hot liquid, added salt and pepper and sautéed them on medium heat,  stirring frequently (don’t leave them) until they had shrunk in size and were soft, about 15 – 20 minutes.  Then I turned them on simmer for about 20 more minutes.  I turned the stove off and just let them sit and soak in the juices which were a beautiful rich brown. 

I was going to let them cool and put them in the freezer, however, they were scrumptious.  So good in fact my husband and I sat down and had a bowl of them.  That was our satisfying dinner.  No waste! 

There is not  much you can do with celery, except to chop it in small pieces and freeze it to use in soups or some stews. 

I know it is just my house that is trying to save a little here and there, but it is one way to be a good steward of all the blessings and provision the Lord has given us. 

And I hear my mom every now and then say, “Waste not, want not”.  The older generation were a lot more frugal and could turn nothing into something.  As for me and my house, I just want to make a little difference in a “waste not” lifestyle. 

I am praying to get a lot better at it. 

Blessings,  Pat

Friday, May 11, 2012

every day life

image
That is what this is…just every day life as the Lord walks us through it.     Things we do or learn to do from cooking,sewing, crafts,family events, relationships, financial ideas, entrepreneurship, family, etc. 

This blog has changed because we want the whole package. We feel it is important to not only have the devotional things the Lord shows us, but everything women have going on in their lives and how they handle it in light of their faith in Christ.
We will see how this goes.

Hope you enjoy!  

Blessings from all the women at the Fellowship House!