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BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND OUT...2ND PLACE JR. MISS BAGLEY!

One person can change many, it takes one to start the walk, wasn't Jesus that one person, who gave His all, and is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow? Christianity is not a religion, it’s a personal relationship with Christ. I want to make that deeper. In Matthew 28:16-20, we have the great commission set for us by Christ. It tells us to GO, and make disciples of all nations. It tells us to teach them to obey everything God commands us. That everything is not just the things we want to do, we cannot pick and choose. We have to choose all or nothing. I cannot just give when I have time for, or for those I love. I should be giving to everyone! The great commission was set for all to obey, for us to go and tell the gospel, sharing it with everyone we meet. I know I have wasted opportunities, I know I have let God down, for I have not been giving my all. We tend to give our all for those things important to us. I want to hear my Father say, well done my good and faithful daughter. I know I have not given my all for Him. I should be out there sharing with the world. Are we making time for Christ? Are we giving Him the time He needs each day? Are we really living for Him? Do we treat him like a book and leave Him on a shelf until we need Him, and then we pull Him out. We need to take our time, love those we are with, share Christ,and spend time with Him. ~excerpts form my Journal and Robin's Nest~

GOD'S FAITHFULLNESS

A lot of people have material items throughout their home that reminds them of God's faithfulness to them. As I sit here at work, I can't think of any material things I have preserved over the years that remind me of his faithfulness, except the gift of my children and my husband. I think when I was younger I didn't realize how much I would cherish some of the things I gave away until now. Even though it may not be material items, I see God's faithfullness as I read my Bible daily, as I look back in my Journal and read things that were such worries at the time that never even came to pass! And I read also of last September when my walk with the Lord really began to change me inside and out! I am constantly reminded in the Bible that says, "for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

So I will put my mustard grain of faith in the Lord and watch HIM move mountains. This he does daily, we just have to take the time to look around us and see it.

GOD IS BIGGER THAN ANYTHING....

In God, I find rest. I have hope. I am secure and protected. I am standing strong, firm and unwavering. Peace rules my heart.Today if there is anything in your life causing you to fear, panic, or stress, I pray that you will claim this verse and feel the peace flow through your veins and resonate in your heart. God is bigger than anything you are going through. He always will be.

Re-New Womens Conference, Milton, FL

Attended a wonderful womens confrence in Milton, Fl. this weekend and had the wonderful experience of meeting Renee Swope...a very good friend and mentor for me! Renee in her wonderful teaching showed each of us how to re-new ourselves, to not lose heart, to frame the moments of beauty and peace that surrounds us everyday, that we live in it and just don't take the time to enjoy it. Renee reminded us that Jesus said "if anyone is thirsty, come to me and drink". Most of us are so thristy for the Lord, but we have forgotten to make time for him..to talk to him..to be still and listen to him. We all wrote our "worries" down on a note card and laid them at the alter in front of the cross, then we drew a card to really concentrate and pray about. The card I drew seemed so fitting! Isn't that just the way the Lord works. It said " YOU CAN LIVE UNAFRAID". "FEAR NOT, FOR I HAVE REDEEMED YOU; I HAVE SUMMMONED YOU BY NAME; YOU ARE MINE." ISIAH 43:1 I know I could not have drawn a better more fitting card from the stack! Thank you Renee! You are truly a child of God.

My Life...In Honor of Valentines Day!

"He'll prepare your heart as you read His word. He'll provide the first time as you step out and trust Him. He'll point the way as you follow in faith." These words were read when I wrote this devotional on the day before my 56th birthday last October and since it is Valentines Day I decided to post it to honor my walk with Jesus.

Tomorrow is my 56th birthday and I have never felt better about myself, my life, and my walk with Jesus! I subscribed to a daily devotional, proverbs31.org and decided from that day forward I was not complete! God has a plan for me and I did not know what it was. I had not obtained the satisfaction that I wanted in my life, because I felt like I was not a "Godly Woman". I want to be the woman God wants me to be and I realized the only way I will become that woman is through studying the Bible, reading devotions daily, and I started putting my thoughts, verses I could relate to and prayers in a journal. I did not realize how much I would enjoy doing this!

Today I look in the mirror and I see an older woman, my body is not as strong as it once was, and those wrinkles on my neck are here to stay, I can't do the yard work and housework all in one day, holidays (even though I love them) are so tiring, but I also realize that there is a confidence that comes with age. I have wisdom from my personal experiences, joy in watching the growth - physical and spiritual - of those around me, a wonderful husband that is more precious to me at this time in my life than I think would have ever been if we had married when we were younger. My daughters, Perry's children, our grandchildren......my career is a challenge and never boring. The list can go on and on!

My priorities are different. Different for the better! I feel bolder and more empowered to stand up and speak up. I have come to realize that even though I have nothing to offer unless I have Jesus in my life. I've become an older woman who knows a little bit about a lot of things, and now I want to know a lot more about cultivating a walk with God. I'm not sure what God have in store for me......I try to "be still and listen", but with my "A" type personality I find this difficult to do. I know that in my heart whatever it is, it will be good, even though I may not see it now.

There are hard times, too. Change is hard. Financial struggles are hard. I am at a time in my life where I am and will be experiencing more loss. Friends and family I'll possibly lose to disease and death, friends and family struggling with faith and suffering broken marriages.....there is the sadness and the realization of the cruelty of living in a fallen world. This is earth shattering to me, I want the world to be "a bowl of cherries"! I pray that God will make me the woman that is capable of dealing with all these changes as I age.

So today I ask God to change me. Make my heart sensitive and teachable. I want to become a wise and treasured old woman, not one that everyone wants to avoid. I want to live in God's glory and give glory to God until my last day on this earth. As I read this week in one of my devotionals, which I thought was so appropriate, Lord, help me to keep laughing about all the changes in my body as I age, but help me to take the change within my heart and soul seriously.

I truly want to grow older and godlier instead of old and grouchier! Thank you God for the hard things that come with age. They are the things that make heaven become more appealing and more like home.
Amen

WHAT IS LOVE....

Love in the dictionary is define as anything from a warm feeling to strong affection. But is that all it is? Do people make a lifelong commitment to one another based on a warm fuzzy feeling or a strong affection? If that's all it is, then what does love really have to do with a "'til death do us part" kind of marriage?

The answer is...everything. Love has everything to do with it. Dictionaries fall short of defining love, however,The Bible gives us a very detailed definition of what love is by explaining what love does in 1 Corinthians 13.

This is what love is and what love is not:

Love is patient, Love is kind, Love is not jealous; Love does not brag, Love is not arrogant

Love does not act unbecomingly; Love it does not seek its own, Love is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but Love rejoices with the truth;

Love bears all things, Love believes all things, Love hopes all things, Love endures all things.

Love never fails!

HABITS......

If you want to form a new habit, work hard.
If you want to break a bad habit, work harder.

PRAYING FOR PEOPLE MAKING BAD CHOICES

It is so difficult to pray for people that have made wrong choices, seem to have no morals, break the law, etc. I know what I am suppose to do in times of other peoples poor judgement, poor choices, like of morals, etc. The church I attend is a beautiful old church with a very small congregation. Everything we have within the 4 walls has been made possible through the grace of God and the generosity of the congregation. We have been broke into twice within the past month, breaking beautiful stained glass windows, taking our possessions as if they were their own. It is so hard to pray like Jesus wants us to pray for this person or persons! I've had to read over and over in the Bible,scripture to give me guidance and help in praying, "...love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (Matt. 5:43) So pray, pray, pray! Don't let people steal your blessings. My job is to pray for them. Prayer is my key to God's treasure chest. Pray with me and pray for me. God Bless you all.

FACING YOUR GIANTS by Max Lucado

This book was a David and Goliath story relating to stories about everyday people. God saw in David that it did not matter what other people say or think, it matters what God thinks. It pointed out that people measure what they have by material items, by their waist size, by the amount of money they have in their billfold, but not God, he examines you by what you have in your heart. This book compares today’s problems like grief, divorce, addictions with the battle that David had to overcome with Goliath.

My take off’s of the book were to surround yourself with believers of God who will turn to God and study the bible when “Goliath” time appear in your life. The book is a reminder that we should never forget to reach out to those in need and help someone else spiritually, and to be there for others. Forgive others and ask for forgiveness of your own sins.

My opinion is that this was a self help book about the Goliath’s we are facing in today’s world, and was very difficult to read and understand without reading several pages over. I have not read Max Lucado books before, so this just may be his style of writing.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

TAKE TIME FOR ME

On this day, God wants me to know....... that you are a human being, not a human doing. Take time to just be, to breath slowly, to feel your body that is the temple of your soul. No activities, no worries, no buzzing, no TV, no FB, no work......


February 19th & 20th Renee Swope will be in Milton, Fl. and I am going to do everything I can go.....I need some "alone time with God"!

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ~Matthew 6:6

PRAYER ROCK

I’M YOUR LITTLE PRAYER ROCK AND THIS IS WHAT I’LL DO.
JUST PUT ME ON YOUR PILLOW ‘TILL THE DAY IS THROUGH.
WHEN YOU TURN BACK THE COVERS AND CLIMB INTO YOUR BED.
AND “WHACK”, YOUR LITTLE PRAYER ROCK WILL HIT YOU IN THE HEAD!
THEN YOU WILL REMEMBER AS THE DAY IS THROUGH,
TO KNEEL AND SAY YOUR PRAYERS AS YOU KNOW THAT YOU SHOULD DO.

WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED, JUST DUMP ME ON THE FLOOR.
I’LL STAY THERE THROUGH THE NIGHT IN CASE YOU NEED ME MORE.
WHEN YOU GET UP IN THE MORNING, “CLUNK”, I’LL STUB YOUR TOE,
SO THEN YOU WILL REMEMBER YOUR MORNING PRAYERS BEFORE YOU GO!

NOW PUT ME BACK UPON YOUR PILLOW WHEN YOUR BED IS MADE.
YOUR CLEVER LITTLE PRAYER ROCK WILL CONTINUE TO BE YOUR AID.
BECAUSE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER CARES AND LOVES YOU SO.
HE WANTS YOU TO REMEMBER TO TALK TO HIM, YOU KNOW.