She slips in quietly, the beautiful alabaster box in herhands, the contents rare and precious – soon be poured out on Jesus head.  Her gift an almost priceless gift of love,expressing deep gratitude Him for the freedom in which she now lives, the bestthat she could bring for her Master.  Andthe Reader of Hearts understands.  Matt 26:6-13

I ponder and the questions arise:  Does my heart overflow with gratitude?  What gift do I bring?  Does it cost me anything?

It seems that cultivating the habit of thankfulness willresult in a heart overflowing with gratitude, one of the best gifts I can bringfor my Master. 

The cost – purposefully making a quiet spaces in your daysto ponder and appreciated the gifts I have been given and whisper praise toHim.

Bow the Knee

There are moments on our journey following the Lord

Where God illumines ev’ry step we take.

There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us,

As we try to understand each move He makes.

When the path grows dim and our questions have no answers, turn to Him.

*Bow the knee;

Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.

Bow the knee;

Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.

And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan,

In the presence of the King, bow the knee.

There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall,

The cold and lonely winds won’t cease to blow.

And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel;

We are tempted to believe God does not know.

When the storms arise, don’t forget we live by faith and not by sight.

Tonight I didn't capture it in photograph, but captured it in my heart.  In the distance, pink fades into blue over the snow capped Sierra Nevada mountains as night falls and the sacred hours of the Sabbath begins and that special peace is poured settles over our hearts and lives.  My heart is filled with happy anticipation of the next twenty four hours which I have been given to spend with my family and my Creator -  who blessed these hours and declared them holy and who simply askes us to Remember them...it's all joy and blessing.  May you pause to ponder this gift from your Creator and linger long enough to experience for yourself the peace and joy this Sabbath.

Do you realize that you disappoint God when you place a low estimate upon yourself?  When you are negative about yourself, say you don't care...think that you don't matter...Have you ever thought about that?

It is His greatest desire that you realize your true value - the value the value that He has placed upon you because of the high price He paid for you...His very own life...can you imagine that...someone who would value you so much that they would give all for you...yes, for you....ponder it...

God desires you, to know you, to love you, to have fellowship with you...otherwise he would not have paid such an expensive price to redeem you.  This is not just anyone....this is the God of the universe who desires to walk with you....The Almighty God and you....intimate friends....this just amazes me...

God desires to use you.  He has a special purpose for your life...a purpose that only you can fill because of the unique way He has created you...so are you content to just drift through your days, or are you seeking His purpose or you...the special God designed plan that he has for you?

He is just waiting for you to ask Him for big things - big things that would bring glory to Him.  God wants to use you - He trusts you, He has confidence in you...He's there to guide and empower you...work through you to change lives forever. 

Surely we can expect big things as we put our faith in His promises!  And surely as our loving Father He delights in giving us what He has promised even more than we delight in giving good things to those we love and are dear to us.

Weekends are for pondering and realizing anew the true meaning of life...I guess I am just standing in awe of who He is and how much He loves us.

I haven't been here in a regular and consistent way for a while and I have missed being here...missed the friendship, encouragement and the inspiration that you each bring to my life...and how much I will be able to be back again I really don't know...life has been rather intense lately. 

By His grace we made it thorough another year and with Him by our sides, against all odds we walk confidently into this new year knowing that He is in control of our lives...we are learning to trust Him in new and deeper ways than every before and He has been so faithful to us, giving us peace in the midst of every storm, holding us in the hollow of His hand.

Surely He has gone before us, He has been with us and not failed us or forsaken us.  Because of He is with us we do not need to be afraid or discouraged. (Paraphrase of Deut 31:8)

 
Rebuked, Moved, Inspired, Motivated...

If you don't do anything else online today, I challenge you to watch this...you will never be the same.

Depraved Indifference or God's Heart? 

Be blessed and then share how it impacted you.

Always wanting something more

and willing to lose sleep and stand in long lines

and spend of their precious treasure 

to  satisfy the desires of their hearts

for a fleeting moment.

Not understanding

that what they really need

is given freely and

cannot be bought

with earthly treasure.

Love, peace & contentment,

hope and

a future

forever

priceless gifts

from our Father's hand.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Today spread before us in abundance we taste the goodness of God.

The rich earth, the summer sunshine and the life-giving rain, the hands that helped bring blessing.

His provision a never ending miracle and gift of love to earth’s children.

In our hunger we are fed by the Giver of good gifts.

We humbly give thanks.