Journey into Forever

"You shall have no other gods before me."     - Exodus 20:3 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."     - Deuteronomy 6:5 I have to admit I am in a downer lately.  Sorry.....guess I'm not supposed to be that way.  But that's just the truth.  I wonder if that is one of the reasons we fail to convince others sometimes.  When we don't admit we have ups and downs, feel low, discouraged, even depressed.....does that tell others it's not allowed?  That if they experience these feelings they don't "get it?"  Since I'm a "Everything is out on the table" kind of girl, I tend to express everything.  It's all out there.  So here I am today.   Downhearted, melancholy, a mess. A friend posted something the other day that really caught my eye.  This is what she said: "What are you wanting in life right now? I had to take my own advice today as I remin...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."                                    -Proverbs 3:5-6 "If I have made gold my hope, or said to fine gold. 'You are my confidence'; If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gained much;  If I have observed the sun when it shines or the moon moving in brightness, so that my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand; This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above."                                   -Job 34:21-28...

" Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."    - James 1:12 I like to think I have it all together.  In all the periods of my life,  I can look back and see God's presence , His guidance, His plan. That's  not to say I saw it at the time, trusted at the time, and at one period even believed at the time.  But He had a plan.  Knowing that, I want to believe I could weather anything now, knowing what I know and witnessing what I have witnessed. Then reality sets in.  I do pretty well with the minor, mundane irritants.  The driver  who is irritating the soup out of me....the rude person in line..... The appliance I cannot get to work right.  It's the big stuff I'm still not very good  at.  And I wonder, if the REALLY big stuff happens, do I have what it takes to still trust Him? My last post...

Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. -Psalm 37:4 Another Mothers Day is over. As with many holidays in our culture, the build-up and hype is tremendous.  Emotion sells.  And, for some, it WAS a marvelous day with family...moms, grandmas, children, dinners out, smiles, laughter, and flowers.  But it was certainly not that way for everyone, and possibly not even for the majority. I have the whole gamut of mothers in my circle of friends....moms who lost children to death.....moms whose children are trapped in addictions to drugs or alcohol.....moms whose children are estranged.......children who have turned their backs on their parent's beliefs and lifestyle.... moms who, although they see their children, the relationship is strained at best.....moms who were alone or forgotten on this holiday.  When the circle is extended even farther, there are moms who have children lost to adoption or abortion, and those who have recently lo...

" As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. - Psalm 103:12 Well this week I did it.  You know the feeling.  Hated life, hated circumstances, came close to hating others.  Although I'm pretty ashamed to admit it, I was so fed up with what was going on in this life I was ready to chuck it all....move to Siberia......commit an "accidental" murder......shake my fist at God.  From relationship issues to untimely deaths to scary illnesses....at one point this last week it did not seem worth it anymore.  I was way beyond the " even now, Lord Jesus come! " phase.  I was more into the "I've had it...I'm done....what's the point?" phase.  Can anyone relate?     I have struggled my whole life with the right way to do things. I look back at some of the things that I've done and I think, "That was way beyond stupid!" I struggle with the what would Jesus do thing, when the what would Ve...

"A man with many friends may be harmed, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother."     -Proverbs 18:24 I have children and grandchildren.   In thinking about this scripture in regard to emotional closeness between  brothers, I have to shake my head.  You know what I mean.  I have a couple of grandchildren who are probably plotting as we speak about the demise of a sibling.  And my adult children are not that close.  But when I think about the proximity of brothers, then I get it.  You know the scenario....when the kids are in a back seat traveling, we hear things like " He's touching me! He's looking at me!   Make her move!  Why do I have to have her around ALL the time!"  Remember those conversations ?  Maybe you have even heard them today.      So THAT kind of closeness is what I picture when I think of this scripture in Proverbs.  So close.....always there.... even when we want to ba...

Searching for a little peace today.....I am drawn to the end of the book "Forever...Why You Can't Live Without It" by Paul David Tripp.  I know I have quoted this book so many times, but it has really spoken to me.  Today, it did so again.  I'd like to share 3 of the six forever guarantees he presented in Chapter 13.    " 1. The future grace of eternity guarantees me present grace .             If God has promised that I will live with him forever, then implicit in that promise is the reality of all the grace I need to face what I will face in this fallen world until forever is my home.  I don't need to fear people and situations, because grace will be supplied for what I am facing when I face it.  I have always believed in the gift of God's grace, but after my eyes were opened, I had new and life-changing appreciation of the now-ism of that grace.  Today I can face life with courage, not ...