Too Tired to Pray

 Am I the only one?

There have been numerous times I have been too tired to pray

whether it is physically or emotionally

I was spent

One memory is of a time I went to the church 

that was open for 24 hour prayer.  

It was mid evening 

and as I entered the quiet dim lit room and sat down,

 I promptly fell asleep! 

 I awakened a few times 

chiding myself

 and then proceeded to nod off again!

As I was berating myself 

I heard My Savior say: 

"Its ok You've prayed"

SO gentle and kind

Another memory is of a dream I had 

where I was in a large building (church) with many rooms. 

 I was going from room to room, 

checking in, encouraging, watching over etc, 

when I came out of the room 

My Husband was standing over by a railing looking at me .  

He had love in His eyes 

and simply with a beautiful smile 

beaconed me with his hands to come to Him.  

I walked over and He just wrapped me 

in the BIGGEST HUG 

(that hug lasted for days in my memory and senses!)

You see friend 

our Lord is not a task master

He is not counting our words and moments 

spent in prayer as if to fill a quota

He just loves us, that's all!!

He loves to hear from us!

A couple days ago as I was pulling up to a red light 

I noticed my son's truck in the next lane.  

I used the horn to get his attention

 and as we rolled down the windows 

I melted

 seeing his handsome face and beautiful smile. 

 I ached as he drove away

 that I had not had "time" with him

 in a long time. 

 He was my baby.

I asked Jesus to put me on his heart 

and make him miss me 

Friend HE knows

He cares

He hears

He's perfect!

Holy Spirit please put Yourself on our hearts 

and cause us to want more time with You!

How are you?

 HOW ARE YOU?

Are you feeling confident?

 At peace?

 Secure?

Are you prepared

 for the changes

 the next season may bring?

Are you Unwavering 

or 

hiding under the bed?

What's coming out of your mouth?

Your actions?

Seems that wherever you go these days

someone is taking your temperature

Well so am I

I care

and the Lord longs to have you 

TRUST HIM 

to greater lengths than ever before

https://youtu.be/GfVd5x9W1Xc

Nostalgia #2

 Last month I wrote a piece on Nostalgia.

 The gist was that we needed to make decisions

 abut our stuff and move forward

Today

 Id like to speak about Nostalgia

 in regards to our memories, past lives and relationships 

that have become somewhat of a Hallmark movie in our minds.

We long for the past

when everything was PERFECT*

when the Lord was moving mightily

when so in so was pastor or

I lived at such and such

or I was 75 lbs lighter 

etc etc

Friend

the Lord wants us to move FORWARD

There is NO CHANGING the past

Today is NEW 

and we have the ability to 

realign 

make better decisions

and start afresh and anew.

Let your memories be memories.

Don't let them rule or rob you 

from moving forward.

You do not offend anyone

 from the past 

by shutting a book

ending a chapter 

or 

beginning again.

Think it through

Talk it through

and get on board with the

WAY MAKER

MIRACLE WORKER

PROMISE KEEPER 

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

Live in the 

HERE AND NOW

Onward Christian Soldier 

https://youtu.be/o6BDNlaUAUU

* or when things were terrible and horrible

those situations that we have not been able to 

Get Over

Friend its time to move forward 

Who Do You Run With

 Today in church someone posed this question

Who do your run with?  Who is your tribe?

Those are valid questions and worth pondering.

Those that we hang with are our tribe and we all will most likely have common traits

Ive heard said "if you sleep with dogs you'll likely have fleas"

Now this is not judgmental ...but wise saying.

It has nothing to do with status but more to do with character.

Choose your friends carefully. When the kids were growing up we spoke about this a lot.  If it looked like my children were being affected (infected) more by others than the other way around...we would pull back and often change friends.  It's how we teach.  Organic is good but there is still work to be done. 

Take sometime this week and think this through.  How would you title your group of friends/family

Drama club, Mickey Mouse Club,  Peyton Place, Women of Grace. Family of_______

comedy club etc etc 

If needed do some adjusting. Take it to the Lord and ask for HIs wisdom and guidance and He will show you what needs to be done

Stay Focused

Are You Leaking

I got a letter form the Utility Department 

the other day suggesting

 that I had a slow leak in my water system.  

The letter went on to say it might be close to negligible 

 and I might have to look deeper to find it.

Got me thinking!

Am I leaking?

Are there things coming out of my mouth 

that are not pleasing to God?

Are you as full on Wednesday as you are on Sunday?

How come?  

You must be LEAKING!

Do I tend to speak negatively?

Does my anger rear its ugly head too often?

DO I gossip, 

swear or act in a way 

that is not becoming to my "Station"of the Daughter of the King? 

This week

check for leaks. 

 bring a friend along side, 

ask the Gentle Holy Spirit

 to bring it to your attention. 

Repent over and over until the leak stops!

You can do it 

and find yourself BRIMMING

 like Stpehen was in the presence of his enemies!!

The Plumber is waiting for a call!

"Does it Count?"

 Leaving for Prayer meeting the other night, 

 a young catholic girl said to me "oh does it count?"

It put smile on my face.

I had many Catholic friends growing up.

If they went to church Sat night

 or some other time

 it "often counted" 

which meant they did not have to attend church Sunday morning.

It got me thinking about my relationship 

with my Husband Jesus, 

my Savior.

First I thought about when Ive had a commitment

 to call someone 

and after texting them and checking in on them

 I felt "off the hook" for the rest of the day,

 my commitment being done.

But then again 

there's the relationship of a lover, 

a fiancé, 

a possible deeper relationship.

Maybe it's a first date

 that ended nicely 

and with a promise of keeping in touch.

A text in the morning, 

expressing further interest 

sets a spark smoldering.  

You find yourself waiting for more

 and wondering if and when 

there will be more communication.

That text in the morning

simply does not suffice.  

In fact I answer right back

 hoping that it will be replied to !

Why.....

cause I'M INTERESTED! 

Someone has "caught my eye!"

In fact I'm having trouble concentrating!!

Well my friend 

that's exactly what a RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS is like!

When you come to REALLY KNOW HIM

when you've given your life to Him

 and asked Him to take control,

that relationship begins to grow.  

It moves from "counting"

 to not being able to get enough!

How about you?

Has your relationship with Jesus developed into something

 that has your attention all day long?

He's counting on YOU!!

Blessings!

The Word on the Street

 Lately I've been hearing a lot about Joshua and Cleb

You know them Right?

The two men 

who were part of the group

 that went in to get the lay out 

and scope of the Promise Land

Joshua 1-24

SO why were they singled out?

BECAUSE they looked PAST the giants, 

the tall walls and fortresses 

and saw through faith 

the Land God was Promising them!

In that group of men 

they were the ONLY TWO 

who came back with a Good Report!

Giant was NOT IN THEIR VOCABULARY!

Do you trust the Lord?

Do you believe He has the best for you 

and that HE guides, 

provides and protects 

you as you follow His ways?

OR

Do you begin to argue, debate, hedge 

or play devils advocate?

Do you play the roll of the realist 

who speaks through his carnality?

Think about that for a minute

answer the question 

Who do you represent in this story?

the Ones who came back scared 

or the Ones full of faith and expectancy

Seriously. 

Take this up with God

 if the answer is anything but #2

 you need a blood transfusion....a heart check ...to be prayed for....

Cause you either believe Him or you don't.

Don't leave this page before doing a self inspection

Blessings!

Nostalgia

This week I read a sentence that got me musing

GOD IS NOT NOSTALGIC

First I looked up the meaning

1. The state of being homesick

2 a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for

 return to

Or of some past period of irrecoverable condition

GOD S NOT NOSTALGIC

and I don't believe He wants us to be either!

Yesterday in Bible Study we talked about "cleaning out"

And the hold  our "stuff" has on many.

Like we know I can easily make decisions about your stuff

 but mine is a different story!

What are we to do?

First of all God is our Provider

Second I believe as Pilgrims we need to travel light

Third in this blog I'm referring to the things 

That keep "getting in our way"

Those things that occupy our minds and cause us to be unsettled.

Pictures, passed down stuff, memrobelia. 

I'm not by any means saying we must live stark, bare lives 

but more that we just

Need to

MAKE A DECSION!!

Our society is one of STORAGE UNITS

Storage units OFTEN are filled with nostalgia

Things that I simply cannot...

or CHOOSE not 

to make a decision about.

Things that are COSTING me something every day

Matthew 5:37 says

"Simply let your yes be yes and your no be no"

So my friends....this blog is for me!

I'm pulling things out.....

Those things that I'm often not even seeing anymore.

the stuff tucked away

Or maybe, although under my nose,

 I don't see anymore.

Actually, we were discussing the story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 10:21

who Jesus told to 

"sell all that you have and 

GIVE YOUR MONEY TO THE POOR 

and you will have treasures in Heaven; 

come accompany Me 

and walk the same road that I walk"

Ok ...I know right where I'm going to start...

I'm going to start a Blessing Fund

I will post whatever is worth anything ..

give it two weeks to sell 

if it does then the money will go to Bless Someone,

if it doesn't,

the items will go to a nearby thrift store 

and it will still be a blessing to someone!

Anyone with me?!

Today

JUST MAKE A DECISION!

COMPROMISE.

THERE SEEMED TO BE NONE IN HIM!

thinking about Daniel 

 Just a Young male called into duty.

How did that happen?  

who raised him? 

how was that foundation laid to be so sturdy?  

He was a young man at the beginning of the story...

yet he had an unwavering character 

Its not mean to expect something from your children.

 During the same conversation the topic of all the stuff (imput) that comes at us on any given day.  what do we do with it all? How do we decipher and discern what we believe and what we throw away?

The picture I got was the mailbox   

I saw myself take out a large stack 

and carry it into the house.  

I opened the trash compactor and one by one sorted the pile.  

Keep, throw, throw, throw, keep etc etc

Now mind you 

I do not open the throw away envelopes!  

I toss them!  

A friend was having difficulty with her aging relative 

who would open every piece of mail, 

read it and promptly write checks to all the senders.

"No its not junk!  

It has my NAME ON IT!  

they are writing to me because there is a need!"

Friend the HUGE MAJORITY of stuff coming your way whether it is mail, news or just information is not all to be saved.  Much of it is junk.

Take a short cut....sort over the trash.

there 

DONE~

Junk Mail

So much arrives daily in our mailboxes.  
Junk Mail.  
What a waste of time
paper, 
postage etc etc....
just someone trying to sell you something,
get your attention.  
A bait thrown out in front of you 
With hopes that one day 
you just might take a bite.

I talk with many people 
who struggle with junk mail. 
Their tendency is
to open it and read it.  
Many file it or leave it 
in a pile on the counter.  
But even then its taking up space!  
Why do we have such a hard time dealing with it?
 
One of the first things 
I have to do 
is show them and convince them 
that its JUNK

That, just because it's addressed to them,
does not mean 
that they have to open it!  
One lady said 
"But you don't understand! 
When I open it
it's addressed to ME
..MY NAME is on it. 
 Its PERSONAL.  
Ah Yes. 
Just another tactic of our enemy 
to tie us up and waste our time.  

When I go get the mail...
I carry it to the kitchen, 
open the trash 
and sort it IMMEDAILTELY.  
I open ONLY what I recognize 
as personal and important 
and ALL THE REST 
goes unopened into the garbage.  
I make short work of it.  

I guess Im working hand in hand 
with the Scripture 
that encourages us to
"Cast Down VAIN IMAGINATION 
and everything that tries to exalt itself over the knowledge od God"
2 Corinthians 10

Please take some time 
and consider what you're doing 
with the STUFF that makes its way 
into your "box". 
Please don't waste your time!

Don't be consumed by lesser things
Marnie

Start by Stopping

 Tonight while talking to a guest 

I heard this piece of counsel 

come from my mouth

"Start by Stopping"

we had been chatting 

about how to turn around a negative 

and sometimes "devils advocate" attitude 

with a little bit of eyore thrown in. 

An attitude that had become the norm 

and God in His wonderful way 

was opening her eyes to it.

"What do I do to stop this?  

It is just "who I am" and so natural ."

I was reminded  of a time 

when I was struggling with my mouth...

(hard to picture I know!)

I Told the Lord 

I felt it was a demon who was pouncing on me 

when I least expected it 

and it "made me" become a reactor ...

The Lord simply said to me, 

"If I (or any other friend for that matter) 

were sitting at your table 

would you have control?

well Of course I would!  

I stood with no excuse...

Remember Friend 

HIS work on the cross FINISHED it all!  

We stand with NO excuse.

We need to take HIs Grace and Strength 

We need to start by Stopping.  

Do what we need to do.  

Confess and repent. 

Ask the Holy Spirit to change us

 into What He intends us to become.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!  

https://youtu.be/rpJ4u0QbQwc

Are You Easily Swayed?

Are you easily swayed?

I heard a story tonight of a woman, who sold everything and bought a Winnebago. She travelled by herself, led only by the Holy Spirit.  

She was parked for a couple weeks on a lovely southern island with people that she was enjoying getting to know.

But just like that story of old, one morning early she felt The nudge of the Holy Spirit to pack up and move....today.   As she was mulling over these directions a couple friends stopped by with a wonderful invitation for a park clam bake.....TONIGHT.

you know what it is to feel torn right?

"Let me see,  wow I'm feeling that I need to pack up and leave today....but maybe early morning would be ok.  I mean what a great way to leave all of you, after a great night of fellowship!"

Long story short....she heeded to His Voice and left

A terrible storm came in that night and washed out the bridge and took out power as well.....

but she was safe on her way...

We both know it likely would not have been the end of the world if she had disobeyed (and that our Father will work all things together for good) BUT.....what do we miss by not obeying immediately?  Is it really a big deal?

Lord ...help me not to think this is not a Big Deal...Hone in Me the desire to Obey You FIRST.....above all others.  Streamline my walk by prompting me to take Your path FIRST.  Light my path with Your Word so that whether I escape a storm or You choose to take me through one....I will be able to say I listened and obeyed!

 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light until my path

Unwavering

Hagar was set out into the wilderness

Genesis 21:14

    And she wandered on aimlessly and lost her way in the wilderness of Beersheba   

Gen 16

"Hagar......HAGAR.....y

ou must take Ishmael and leave"

She wakes trembling 

at the sound of his voice. 

What has happened now? 

As she sits upright 

she sees her master Abraham 

in the early morning light.  

He motions for her to hurry 

and she gathers her things.  

Meeting him outside the tent 

he explains that Sarah has erupted once again 

but this time 

she has demanded that she and her son leave.

"Leave?" she asks. 

"Where am I going?" 

Still groggy from sleep 

she begins to realize what he is saying. 

She is being cast out! 

He quickly prompts her to gather her son 

and their few things 

as he almost pushes her 

to the edge of the camp. 

Once away from the others 

he seems to move in slow motion.

Silently he shoves a loaf of bread 

wrapped in cloth 

and he slings a skin of water 

around her neck.

His face is grey and drawn.  

He looks so sad.

Master, what has happened?"

"Isaac is the Promised Seed." 

"Yahweh has promised to multiply through him".

"It is only going to get more difficult 

if you stay here....

Sarah will make sure of it"

As if in a thick fog 

Hagar stumbles and pulls Ishmael with her.  

A million thoughts run through her head.

"Lord why?" 

"You told me to return 

when I left as a pregnant woman". Gen 16:9

"You promised to make a nation out of Ishmael".

"Are you a man that you can lie?!"

"She wandered on aimlessly and lost her way in the wilderness of Beersheba" Gen 21:14

 "Beersheba" the dreaded wilderness, 

known for its wind and dry land, 

 she recalls it being called 

"the land of the dead end"

Hours turn into days as she tries to find a way.  

The bread is gone 

and the water skin dried up days ago. 

Ishmael is having trouble walking 

and weariness has settled heavily upon the two.

The end is near.

She practically carries Ishmael 

to a near by bush and tells him to sleep.  

She knows they are both near the end. 

Her tirade has reduced to a dry sob 

and she herself walks away 

and leans her bent body against a rock. 

"Lord I cannot bear to see my child die.  

Take him quickly".

She realizes there are sobs 

mixed with the rise of the winds.  

They puncture her heart 

and her own cries join the boys  

in a final discord.

And the end becomes 

THE BEGINNING

Let it Drop

LET IT DROP

Mark 11:25-26

"and whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it~let it go),  IN ORDER THAT, your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your own failings and shortcomings"

"But if you don't forgive, neither will Your Father in heaven  forgive your failings and shortcomings"

Is forgiveness forgiveness 

if we continue 

to "pull it back up" 

finger it, 

reminisce and dwell on it?

No I think not 

yet I DO realize it IS a process .

PROCESS 

1.a series of actions or steps 

taken in order to achieve a particular end.

The process must be ACTIVE ..

it is not stagnant.   

We cannot afford it to be.

Friend, 

He promises to give you 

the strength and Grace 

to do 

what otherwise could never be accomplished 

in your life

Drop it...

let it go...

and then that burden 

dropped along the path 

will get smaller and smaller 

in the distance 

until it becomes a vague memory 

if any at all.

I fully realize 

that our wounds may go VERY deep 

and they are OURS...

HE asks us to give them to HIM...

so that HE can deal with them

When we drop them HE picks them up....

HE will continue 

to do the work that we cannot do.

Live in peace my friend

Love you all

The couch

" befriend your problems,.... you can even give persistent problems nicknames, helping you to approach them with familiarity rather than dread" Jesus Calling

This made me smile as the memory of a coach surfaced.

When removing a ratty old couch from the house I asked my boys to put it by the side of the road, in case someone wanted it.....you never know!

I began trying to make a plan to get it to the landfill. Call after call, person after person......

 dead end......FOR WEEKS!!

My couch continue  to set by the road, rain, sleet, and sunshine.

I massaged my ego, not to take it personally.

I would drive in or out of the driveway and say,

"Nice couch Lord!! Maybe I should put a tea cup on it with a sign to Come in and rest!"

"Hey Lord I see you still have that couch! And I would always end with..."I'm trusting You Husband of mine..to take care of this.

The couch was now water logged and it would need effort to move it

One late fall day while putting the gardens to bed, Kendall and Euni were stacking wood when Kendall ran to me and said "mom, you want that couch gone right? (I guess she'd forgotten and it had become just a part of our scenery!) 

She ran back to where she had come from and then a few minutes later came to tell me she had "entertained angels!"

Mom, two gorgeous preppy young men in a brand new van drove by and waved, but up the street they stopped and backed up

He rolled down his window and asked "are you getting rid of this couch?"

After the affirmative reply the two

Got out of the van

Flipped it like a feather into their van 

Waved and drove away

"Mom I think they were angels!"

Who would ever want that couch?

I smiled

My husband is so wonderful...sometimes it seems to take Him a while but His ways are so much better than mine

Thank You Lord for sending Your Men❤️❤️❤️

MISS~UNDERSTOOD

Last night I had a disturbing dream. 

 I found myself 

in situation after situation 

where "Things" were being "held against me" 

and I Felt I Had done nothing wrong.

In one scene

 I was at a retreat with women

 and everywhere I went I was "overlooked"

 even my mom could not see my distress. 

I had sat in a group of people 

where I confronted some relatives about words 

they had spoken about me 

while I was caring for mom. 

 In every situation... 

 I could not be HEARD 

 I was distraught and SO frustrated! 

 When I awoke 

I tried to pray about it 

as I muddled through the feelings left behind 

 "But I did nothing wrong! 

 "Why is this all happening to me?

 Jesus what are You trying to say? 

 Immediately I saw Him before Pilate 

The PERFECT ONE 

RIGHTEOUS...NO SIN..

PURE 

all evil was being hurled at Him 

from every side 

Yet He remained silent. 

He had nothing to prove or gain 

by trying to protect His reputation. 

Father You sent Your Son 

to bear a punishment 

for something He didn't do . 

He took our place without screaming or whining 

about His rights. 

In Hebrews it's said that He laid them down 

taking on a form of a servant

I too am not my own

Ive been bought with a Price

Father who do I have to impress?

Who do I answer to in the end?

Help me Lord....

I once again give this issue of "my rights" 

to YOU

You alone are mighty to save!

The Splinter

The Splinter

A few weeks ago while filling the wood stove, 

I got a Splinter in the palm of my hand 

right under my right index finger.  

OUCH DID THAT HURT!!

I couldn't see anything but a small speck 

 after I detached my hand from the log.  

Soon my finger swelled,

 the area became red and was very sore. 

I started to get concerned. I could not use my hand at all!

 I'm not one to rush to the Drs 

and after praying numerous times, 

showing a friend, calling another,

 I decided to soak my hand in warm Epsom salts and see what would happen.

My hand remained swollen for almost a week

I continued to soak. And prode. And "favor" it.

One day as I was pushing around the area

 a Large Piece of wood "popped"out of the wound. 

WOW! It looked huge!**

Yet

The wound continued to fester

I continued my regime of favor, probe, and disinfectant 

And even though the area seemed decidedly better, 

My hand was still very sensitive and I had to be gentle even when applying lotion to my dry hands

I COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING!

Why did it still hurt??

2 full weeks into this

 I was driving to an errand when I pushed gently on the spot

 (it was very hard to leave it alone)

Immediately I saw out of the corner of my eye (I was driving) something literally "fly" out of the spot!

I knew IMMEDIATELY it was another Splinter and I also knew it was the last

Seeminginly immediatlely

My hand felt different

The infection stopped building

The sore grew smaller and smaller

It did not hurt to the touch!!

I have had many "splinters" in my life

In the natural the norm is that they will cause infection to build that will eventually "erupt" pushing the Splinter out.....

So interesting.

I've seen it in the natural and I've seen it in the Spiritual

Many people are carrying splinters

They are infected, touchy and often out of sorts as they try to protect the area

Pray for them

Give them time

Ask the Lord to allow the infection to erupt

That the wound could be healed.

Be available and sensitive...carry the Balm of His Healing

And be there....

It's time to stop being so self absorbed that we are blind to the world around us

We are His Hands

We are His feet

https://youtu.be/y0WtTvXamKQ

ps. another observation I made was when the first splinter erupted it was Huge!  After being out of my flesh ,in a very short while, it shrunk down to size.  The infection amplified its size and blew it out of proportion.  chew on that thought for a while.

Vacations

Vacations..

Did you know 

that Christians should not take vacations

 or naps for that matter?

There is no place in the Christian life

 for Carnal Cruises or cat naps!!

Have you ever thought 

"I just need a break...

not for very long...

a few weeks off won't hurt...

No ones Perfect!"

What would it be like if God thought that!!

We would all be in serious trouble!

I will repeat it again

we can not afford to take a carnal cruise or a cat nap!

Too much is happening 

in and around us 

to let our guard down

1 Peter 5:8

"STAY ALERT! 

WATCH OUT

 for your great enemy, the devil. 

 He prowls around like a roaring lion 

looking for whom he can devour"