Would it really help?

We're now into Exodus in our chronological reading. I have read this book several times in my lifetime. As I've read it this time though, I have been more aware of how often God told Moses the same information about Moses' new task/role as the deliverer of the Israelite people. Many times God spelled out the exact things that would happen before, during and after the exodus. He gave Moses specific directions and many times promised His own presence to be with him. God even told Moses this whole adventure with Pharaoh would be successful!! But what did Moses do with such knowledge?? As far as I can tell, not much. He continued to highlight his own feelings of inadequacy and lack of skills, etc. He continued to see the problems (real and imagined) rather than look at the big picture God was giving him. It was as if he was almost deaf to what God was trying to tell him. Moses should have claimed this new calling with joy, with strength and with faith-filled purpose and with great enthusiasm. Regardless of Moses' response, God pursued His purpose to equip and use Moses to bring freedom for His people. Moses' opinions about himself didn't stop God from using him anyway!!

I found myself asking aloud---what would I do and what do I do when God does choose to give me explicit information about a task He's asking me to do for Him or with Him? Don't I do the same things as Moses--immediately highlight my own faults, lackings and hesitations. Does it really matter that God tells me promises and details. Sadly I must admit it, I act as if it doesn't matter. God gives me plain truths in His written word today and guides me by the Spirit in my heart and prayers and yet I "tune these out" to listen to my own shortcomings. Praise God that He doesn't stop giving me opportunities for service. I hope that like Moses, I will do the task anyway--exercising the faith I do have and ever asking for it to be increased.

Happy reading!!

Where are my words?

Happy 2009 everyone! I really wanted to write more during this year and already I am off to a slow start! So where are my words? Ask most anyone who knows me well and they'll agree I usually am not at a loss for the spoken word! Maybe I have not allowed my mind enough quietness to gather any cohesive thoughts. Maybe I am not listening enough to the Lord to hear what is being said. Maybe I am just not disciplined enough to sit at this computer and put my words on screen. Whatever the reason, I want to use this means to acknowledge those things that I am learning, experiencing and appreciating as I daily live 2009.

I am reading the Bible through chronologically for the first time this year. I guess I have been expecting more "divine revelations" to occur before I posted any comments. However, that really hasn't happened yet. I have noticed some new things in Genesis, but nothing that's just been a "wow". I am often amazed when I read other people's comments and gleanings as they apply phrases and verses so beautifully to their lives. Being jealous or envious of others is a sin-that I know is true! When I began this journey, my prayer was to ask God to read His word with me. I want to learn, hear and obey. Maybe right now it's my job just to sit quietly and listen as we read together. Those teachable moments will come.

My friend Karen has rightly described me as a black and white kind of person. I am generally a rules follower and have great difficulty dealing with those gray areas (then why did I wear all gray to church today? Go figure?). Maybe 2009 will be a year that God stretches me further into those gray areas so that I depend totally upon Him and not on those comfortable rules.
We'll see.....

I hope your 2009 is off to a splended start.

Merry Christmas!

Since my writing doesn't seem to come as often as I'd hoped it would, let me wish everyone a very Merry Christmas now. I do hope that as we celebrate the joyous birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, we will keep Him as the center of all we do. I hope that time spent with family and friends enriches each of our lives and causes us to appreciate each other more and more!

Recently my friend Karen and I were deeply saddened to hear about the death of a Guatamalan child, on the verge of being adopted in the states, by a group of home invaders who killed her and her entire foster family. Such senseless evil! This led us to consider the numerous young children that have died this year that we knew mostly by internet connections with their families. It just seemed too high a number in my mind. Plus the tragic situation with the national attention now on the Caylee Anthony case-- My heart breaks for each of these families touched by such a deep loss and grief.

During such times we must constantly remember that God is Love and God is good. His heart is grieving also when pain, suffering and loss occurs. We must cling to the promises in His word and seek His presence even more. Though I will never understand why such things happen, I can rest assured that I serve a God that understands, cares and is moved to action by what happens to us.

Yes, Christmas is a time to celebrate, but it is also a time to pray for those whose joy may be marred by grief and pain.

Read the verses of the familiar carol "Joy to the World" soon. Ponder them in light of our current world situation. Maybe you will also be thinking--how timely!

An Ideal Day

Is there ever such a thing as an "Ideal Day"? It would probably be safe to say that most of us would not consider a cold, rainy, blustery day in November to be an ideal day, right? Today I will go against that norm and say that this has been close to an ideal day (so far). Why? I'm glad you asked.

First, there was no alarm going off in my ear at 5am! When it did go off later, I leisurely rolled over and hit the snooze button a few times before rousing myself up for the day. 2nd--there is no need to wear a work uniform or make up today as the only place I plan to go today is to the mailbox! 3rd-I hear the whirring of the clothes dryer and the chugging of the washer as they diligently clean my 3rd load of laundry---exciting because for over 20 yrs I had to use a laundry room outside my home. 4th--my dog Kipper doesn't like to walk in the rain so our stints outside have been very brief and to the point--negating the usual 20-25 min walks we do each day-thus giving this doggie momma more time for her "to do" list. 5th--I have played Christmas music which always brightens my spirit. 6th--I have some time to write on my blog spot which has been sorely neglected in recent weeks. 7th--I have already accomplished some things on my to do list and added a few "I didn't know I needed to do this, but did it any way" things too! 8th-I have about a half of this day left to still enjoy!

I hope you have the wonderful gift of enjoying your "ideal day" very soon.

Friendship--What a blessing!

I am a part of a small group through my church. We have been meeting every other week for just over a month now. It has been an incredibly rich experience to bond with these 5 people over the course of time. Each week as we read our material, discuss our questions, share our struggles and victories, I come away richer in my spirit. Truly God's plan to have us unite as a family of believers through the local church is marvelous. Since my biological family lives quite a distance away, I truly treasure those relationships that can nourish me and support me when my biological family cannot by virture of distance and/or timing. These 5 friends have become a blessing. Though our hope is to branch out to create new groups next spring, I am sure that our connectedness will remain strong as we continue to worship and serve with one another through our church.

I also had another occasion to help a close friend celebrate a significant birthday by hosting a meal at my home for her. As we spent the evening together in conversation, laughter and sharing a challenging game of Scrabble, I once again was vividly reminded of what a treasure friendship is. In the recent past, I had expressed some things to this dear friend that were not very positive or kind in nature. She in turn has offered me forgiveness, acceptance and a willingness to stick with me and our friendship with unconditional love. What a picture of the love of God! How many times do I "tell God" things that are not kind or positive and yet He continues to love me unconditionally. Thank you friend for demonstrating God's love to me again and again.

Another friend and I have had several deeper conversations lately that have allowed me to understand her more and more. We view the world differently, approach things differently and play different roles in our lives and yet we are bonded together through the love of Jesus Christ. We value our differences and rejoice whe we do share things in common. She has often been the instrument of God in giving me guidance, resources and a listening ear. Again, I am so blessed to have this friend in my life.

I have another dear friend who is truly my "Barnabas" in that she is my encourager--she always lifts my spirit by faithfully praying for me. She also helps me recognize those areas where I need to persist in prayer. Her kind, gentle spirit challenges me to do the same towards others, though I often fail. She believes in me and that matters so much. Truly I am blessed.

As I grow older, I have realized how much I also treasure the friendship of my parents and sister and brother-in-law. While I will always be their daughter and sister, we have developed a new relationship where we can discuss things as friends, see each other as individuals with needs, wants, gifts, etc. Each time I am with them now, I appreciate more and more who they are as persons. Each one contributes something valuable to my life. I look forward to more experiences with them in future visits together.

I could comment on others who are important friends in my life, but neither time nor space will
allow that now. Having friends makes a person rich in the things that matter. I hope everyone can name at least one other person who is a true friend to them. I am so grateful for those God has placed in my life.

Friendship--what a blessing!

Who moved my August???

Okay, who moved my August?? How did 31 days get past me so quickly? This morning I turned my dachshund calendar over to September only to wonder how 31 days moved so swiftly. Each day is a God-given gift but I must admit that I squandered some of those days. I thanked the Lord this morning that the start of a new month brings a sense of renewal, of "beginning again" and of hope for improvement in the days ahead.

So what did August include? For a few starters let's say.....my mom's 74th birthday, my sister and brother-in-law's 15th wedding anniversary, my aunt's 75th birthday, a new computer program at work, the beginning of training classes for me and my dog, an opportunity to attend the local Super Saturday training conference, a few church-related meetings to host and attend and the everyday things of maintaining a home. Whew!

September's now here. Thirty days to fill with all the things God has prepared. It is my hope and prayer that I will be alert and ready to respond. There will be mistakes, missed opportunities, and some time wasted I am sure because I am not perfect. 30 days to enjoy and to see what God will do!! Hooray!

Sorry I missed the entire month of August in blogging--hopefully there will be more coming this month---

It's nice that this month is starting out with a holiday! Having a change of pace is great!

Happy September everyone!!

Rabbits & Cats & Dogs, Oh My!!

Who knew that a condominium complex could house a menagerie of animals--mostly of the nocturnal sort!! During the past few pre-dawn walks with Kipper, we have encountered quite a variety of God's little creatures. Thankfully I have seen them before "Mr. Let-me-at-em!" has! Otherwise we could become the alarm clock for an entire building!! Rabbits, squirrels, assorted cats and dogs have wandered the same areas we have! As you know, his nose is much more sensative and he seems to "sense" the presence of some critter that has either been there, done that in the area we're in or is hiding out in one of the bushes nearby. I on the other hand must rely on my half-awake, bleary eyes to catch a movement or distinguish shapes in the moonlight. I've kinda learned where "cat alley" is and where "Rabbit corner" is so we try to steer clear of these at these times.

Also, we have discovered that those big, yellow, very loud machines that appear outside our big windows to mow the grass also cause one certain dachsund to absolutely go bonkers!! We must be able to see outside at the time they are doing their thing or we really can't control ourselves!
Thankfully, the mowers seem to be efficient in their tasks and the process is short in length. Now I know what happens when I'm not home! Kipper is busy defending our home from these strange "invaders of our space". I do feel more secure knowing that! :)

Kipper absolutely loved his vacation time with my family. He and my parents seemed to have an instant bonding experience. He and Mom became quite good buddies as they shared the backseat all the way to Alabama. At their home, he loved the big fenced in back yard as he could happily and quickly run freely and amuse himself. It was even more "heavenly" if my dad happened to be outside at the same time--Mom gave him the nickname "shadow" as he did follow them everywhere he could. I called him "velcro dog" but I think Shadow sounds better! I was so pleased that both he and they meshed their routines so well. I enjoyed having extra eyes and hands to take of him and entertain him. Did I miss those pre-dawn walks? Um---NO!
My sister and brother-in-law graciously adapted to having an indoor dog for a couple of days too. Their 2 dogs are outside dogs. Kipper enjoyed them also--I'm not sure who napped more--Kipper or my brother-in-law!!

The world is a place of wonder and excitement for my dog. He seems to be curious about so many things--kinda reminds me that I need to maintain that attitude also. I need to appreciate the creative world I see, the family God has provided me, and the love that surrounds me.

Rabbits & cats & dogs, Oh my!---we're off to see the world through a dog's eyes!!