Salad Making

In the ordinary things of life there are many joys to be found.

If we are truly living for our Fathers glory then even daily things like making a salad can become a joy. 

Glorifying God is not about what you do; it’s about why you do it. 

So, take your eyes off the broccoli…

…off the cookie sheet your washing…

…and fix them on Jesus.

Joy will be found...

...even when making a salad.  

"God does not have to come and tell me what I must do for Him, He brings me into a relationship with Himself where I hear His call and understand what He wants me to do, and I do it out of sheer love to Him...” ~Oswald Chambers

Run!

First of all, before the camera, 

before the fans, cheering you on… 

training.

Day in and day out, time spent conditioning your body.

 Not many people see it, but when your foot crosses over that 5 mile line and your stride stays strong and wide…it’s plain to see…

that one has trained…

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare-Juma Ikangaa

 Then, after all your preparation

 the race day comes...

... the horn blows...

and your off!

It's a long way to the finish line, 13.1 miles to be exact. 

Just run one mile at a time.  

The key element is your mental attitude

            

With the finish line in your sights....

...the strength to push

 harder comes. 

"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Act20:24

about the pics

Obedience

Anna was so excited to go play in the snow this morning. After she was all bundled up, we headed out the door.

Her favorite thing to do in the snow is to knock it off from anything she sees…

which is fun—with gloves on.

I told her not to take off her gloves, and I was watching to make sure she obeyed, but someone called me in just for a moment and when I got back outside…

No more gloves…and no more laughs.

 She tried to put her hands in her pockets but they were filled with the snow she’d been sweeping off the picnic table. She started to cry.

I think we’ve all been in a similar situation before, except our Father God was the one telling us to “Keep the gloves on”.

And what did we learn from that?

So simple, yet so fundamental, Obey.

     Even when you don’t understand.

         Even when you feel it’s not necessary.

  

He wants to  take care of you-let Him!

 "If Christ does not reign over the mundane events in our lives, He does not reign at all. " Paul Tripp

Burdens

With the new morning I see God assigning loads to carry…call them burdens and yes, you’d be right- they are.

His burdens are  good for us, if we willingly except them and the changes that they prompt. 

Sure, they bend you over…

…but that only brings you closer to your knees.

“I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” -Eccl 3:10-11

His burdens come to change us... may we not resist them.

  

A Common Thread

I noticed a common thread in the pictures I took this past 24 hours… 

Can you see it? 

Pink sky...

  Pink sweater…

    Pink ink pen… yes, it’s PINK!

It’s just a little thing; I’m surprised I even noticed it.

But pink is commonly associated with love…

God knows our language doesn't He.

Looking back I feel this is just a physical picture to me that His love was following me throughout the day. 

Painted in the gorgeous sky...                                                      

Covering me while I went about my daily work...

Written over my thoughts…

 

His love has followed me today…

and I am grateful.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Ps 23:6

 about the pics

What Snow Reveals

I woke up to a white blanket of snow this morning, really only a dusting, but around our place we’re happy for the little we do get.

Even with only a few inches on the ground, snow transforms the common dull color of winter.

It also reveals things…

Walking past the barn I saw my white donkey…or what I thought was white…but wow, compared to the pure snow he looked filthy!

 Jesus is my snow, His example my constant comparison. One glance at Him, and I realize how filthy I am.

Except, unlike snow here in Missouri, that is sure to disappear in a few days…Jesus is right here all the time. His Spirit is living inside me! And what’s even better…He longs for me to be just as white as He is and helps me to daily attain that purity.

"Purge me with hyssop, 

and I shall be clean: 

wash me, and I shall be 

whiter than snow."

Psa 51:7

A Blessing Shower

The other night I was blessed to be apart of a wedding shower for a dear friend.

Instead of presents there was a basin and towel, and fragrant oil replaced witty games. 

The room was beautifully decorated...

 ….with women; each holding out love… experience…wisdom…encouragement…

Oh, I forgot mention the  party favors! 

They were tissues...

...Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.

                                                  Luke 7:38