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Showing posts from 2016

TIM TIMMONS - Everywhere I Go: Song Session

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What I've learned from football...

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Football.   I am truly trying to learn the rules and the teams and the standings and  why it has such a powerful connection with people. I am trying to not pray for every guy that gets tackled - or hurt - or is at the bottom of the pile - or gets hit hard enough that his helmet flies off.  Oh my stars.    So, basically, I think I'm not wired for football.  I feel badly for the kicker that misses the point that could have won the game, or the receiver who doesn't catch the long pass thrown to where he's suppose to be.   But, here's what I HAVE learned... +Winning doesn't happen without practice, strength, being aware of the opposing team's strategy, and each person doing his part.  "I've Got Your Back" is demonstrated in the playing of the game.   +Who a person is rooting for can effect how they see a replay that will determine a penalty.  Two people can watch a replay and interpret it completely diff

Clean the ...

So - This morning I cleaned out 2 closets, finished a worship set of songs for next Sunday's time together, spent time with a serviceman from Sears who can't fix our refrigerator until NEXT Thursday because he needs to order parts (it's been broken since last Thursday), cleaned the snack drawer, did laundry, had devotions, tried to catch up on email and email junk elimination - all before 10:30 AM.     When I am feel stressed, I clean.   I don't eat junk - I feel like I'm drowning if I do 'deep breathing', so ... I clean.  (No, I will not come over and 'de-stress' at your house!  Ha!) This afternoon I dropped off 5 bags of stuff at the Goodwill, and some stuff at the dry cleaners (ugh) for Dennis.   How could this possibly be encouraging to you?   Well, while I was making those huge decisions about keeping and donating and throwing away - there was a still, small voice saying, "clean out the hidden places".   Hm

Hero

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"Hero" is a strong word.  It conjures up superman-like images, superman-like strength, and also an awesome ability to fly. In real life, a hero looks much differently. In real life, a hero steps up to do the small things that others don't have time for, don't see how it advances them personally, don't want to get involved with because it's too messy or painful or seems unworthy of their time. Luke 16:10 - "One who is faithful in a very little  is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much." We practice with the littles of life. I have been saddened to see fellow believers in the Kingdom of God be very willing to celebrate and dance, but not so willing to kneel.   I don't think you can truly dance until you've truly knelt. I watch people say that being a warrior with authority is what we should all be - but sometimes they are not men or women of their word, of faithfulness, of consist

I am your good- hearted, obnoxious friend...

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There are some things I've promised myself I'll never do.  I won't share them all with you, but here are a couple... I won't make my surgery history & ailments the main substance of conversation. I won't make everyone look at my latest and greatest pictures of our grandkids. I won't tell people everything I've learned - like - it's a great idea to moisturize before waxing. And...I won't make people look at my travel photos for hours on end while I explain every fascinating detail of a trip the person I'm speaking to is not really interested in, or does not have a frame of reference for.   Except today.  Today I am sharing a few pictures of our Celebrating Life trip.  It did not involve orphanages or burying people.  A trip without pain (heart and body)?  The only thing that I heard clearly after talking to God about this was, "How about saying - 'Thank you'."   So that's what I did.  Every day.

A New Use for Anti-Itch Cream

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(Picture is just for fun!) Ok, hypothetically, let's say that a dermatologist prescribed some acid something or other for my face - sighting something about wrinkles and my age.  Using it directly on my skin seem to make my skin super angry, so her advise was to combine it with moisturizer.  I've been encouraged by the absence of the red glow that I had been experiencing.  Not sure that it helps wrinkles - maybe the red glow was suppose to serve to distract from the wrinkles?  Hmmm...  Anyway - this morning I looked at the tube that I was adding to the moisturizer.  It was some anti-itch stuff.  ANTI- ITCH STUFF?  Really?  No wonder my skin didn't feel burned.  The tubes were the same size.  I'm not sure when I had an itch that needed medication.  (Side note: it was NOT PreparationH) ( I know...how is this going to connect with God?) Our son had surgery because of a bad ankle fracture.  Someone gave him an essential oil to rub on the surgery site to aid in

Place of Freedom - Highlands Worship

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Yes! Where is YOUR place of freedom? In the song, "Place of Freedom" there is a line that says - "I'm going to lift my hands till I can reach heaven..." - and I know that can be a bit confusing,  but I so 'get' it. Heaven is not far away.  HE is not far away.  But other voices and distractions and questions can get in the way of the very real saturation of heart that comes only from being in the Presence of God.  The safeness of His Presence.  The peace of His Presence.  The joy of His Presence. Sometimes I lift my hands in surrender.  Sometimes I lift my hands in declaration.  Sometimes I lift my hands to say, "YOU ARE HIGHER THAN ANYONE OR ANYTHING IN MY LIFE." "...It's a place of healing....it's a place where I find freedom..."

Beat a path to praise - Jodi Detrick

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I rarely just pass on someone else's work, but here's a timely word ...  I love this  .... February 25, 2016  /  Jodi Detrick  /  Faith ,  Praise Somehow, through the thicket of despair and the snarled undergrowth of discouragement–even though thorns of doubt snag your soul and cause you to bleed resentment at the unfairness of it all, beat a path to praise. G rab the sturdy handle of your will fixed to the razor-sharp scythe of this truth: God’s eye is on you and His sustaining love will bear up your weary heart. Beat a path to praise.  Cut through the briars of crazy circumstances, stomp down the poison-weed of thes e whispered lies: you’re not good enough or important enough for God to help…you brought this on yourself, so just deal with it…no one cares; you’re all alone in your confusion. It’s time to whack away at self-pity and the mental amen-ing of enemy deception. Though it takes all you have left, beat a path to praise. Praise, even from brokenness, i

Gifting Laughter

This morning I was suppose to go in for a (fasting) blood test.  I know this, because I was hungry last night.  Unfortunately, I woke up 3 minutes after I was actually suppose to be at the lab.  So - I jumped up, and imediately had a honkin' leg cramp in my calf.  Really?  Cheese and crackers -  that hurt.  You'll be glad to hear that I put on clothes, put on a hat because my hair looked really bad and headed out. Had the test.  Ouch.  But successful.  Getting blood work done is always a challenge.  I have had people get angry at me because they couldn't find a vein and I guess it was my fault.  Whatever. It reminded me of one of the trips I took to this same lab with my mom.  It was early in the "she needs a wheelchair" days and the wheel chair I found at the lab was for a VERY large person....and I couldn't figure out how to lock down the legs.  So her hamstrings got a good stretch that day.  Yikes.  I tried to fit her through the narrow lab path and see

In the Silence

Hosea 2:14-15 Therefore, behold, I will allure her (Israel) and bring her into the wilderness,  and I will speak tenderly and to her heart.   There I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor (troubling) to be for her a door of hope and expectation .  And s he shall sing there and respond as in the days of her youth and as at the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt.   Life is weird.  I get that God doesn't think it's weird, but honestly, I do.  It will be nice when we get to heaven and see how all the pieces fit together, but for now we hold each piece and treat it as an invaluable part of the whole puzzle.  Even when it doesn't look like it fits ANYWHERE. The thing that helps me the most with this puzzling life is to hear from God.  That settles my heart. So....what if God is silent.  What if God seems to be sharing grand things with "everyone else", but with you it seems...silent.  What then? My "what then" loo