Happy Birthday Crew... 5 years old!!!...

CREW:

Mischiev-

ous grin, always in place...

Loves to have fun, loves to laugh...

Always ready for the next challenge..

He is a dedicated and serious fisherman...

Pretty much thinks that EVERY day should be his birthday...

This boy LOVES chocolate...

He adores his big sister and brother, and doesn't know that he can't do anything they can do!

Sings JESUS LOVES ME with gusto, and knows it's true...

Makes all of us laugh... all the time!

He is original, creative and hilarious... he's the one we say has the 'funny gene'...

Happy 5th birthday Crew...

WE LOVE YOU TONS!!!

A million canaries...

"What's the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries"...

Luke 12:6,7 (The Message)

This verse always blesses me! I read it again recently. He knows the exact number of the hairs on our head.... He said so!

And... He thinks I'm worth more than a million canaries!

That's a love that changes everything! And it has...

I am so thankful that I belong to the God who created the whole universe, He is the owner of everything! And HE cares about the very smallest details of my life... and yours...

My California beach right here in Texas...

I married a Texan! This happened in California, where I grew up. If you fall in love with a Texan, chances are pretty good you will end up in Texas! We did... And now I've been in Texas longer than I was in California.

One of the first differences I noticed when we drove across the border for the first time, was

that not everyone wore a cowboy hat and rode a horse! The second thing I saw was how flat it was and how big the sky was. I asked my husband that first few weeks, 'what do people DO in Texas on the weekend? There are no mountains or ocean!

So... very soon I found a big lake just east of Dallas, where building was beginning. I saw boats and water, and I knew that was eventually where I hoped we would live. Well, it took 20 years, but now we have been here for over 15 years and we love it!I know the 'water and mountain' thing is from both California, and from my Norwegian heritage. My mother was born in Norway and always loved the water.We live a few blocks off of the water, and a few years ago, a local developer joined with the city, which used to be a really small town, and built an amazingly beautiful waterfront area, right around our corner! I called the builder and told him I thought he did it just for me! It was almost like God brought my Southern California beach front right to my doorstep. I really love walking by the water, and there are restaurants and even a great hotel. So, our small Texas town has grown up! Here are a few pictures of our waterfront.
I'm a Texan now, and I love it, but a part of my heart will always belong to California... and Norway...

How important is PRAYER?...

This is a subject that is very close to my heart. It was the heart and soul of my dad's ministry, and I watched his life and saw that prayer was at the top of his priorities, all the way through his life. (More on that in a later post)

I am a slow starter on some things. NOT on things that I just love doing, like a fun new project... those I do with lightning speed.... but on deep spiritual truths, I have dragged my feet and 'put off' or procrastinated many times instead of boldly stepping out and acting on truth I already know. That is what God is leading me to do... and it's stirring me into action. Action that says YES to God, not 'later' or 'I'll think about it'. It's time to DO it!!! I know that this message is from Him, it is backed by so many truths in HIs word. I love it when a lightbulb turns on, even one that's been flickering at low voltage.

Prayer is not even close to what it should be in most of our lives, mine included. When I look at Jesus life and his ministry, it was ALL bathed in prayer. Not the one-liners that I am so prone to, although He had those also. But everything in His life was preceded and surrounded by prayer!

IF JESUS NEEDED TO PRAY... I. DO. TOO!!!

I feel a new challenge in this area. I've been taught about prayer my whole life. If there was a key word in my dad's ministry... it was 'prayer'. He studied Jesus prayer life, he was filled with the desire to know God, and... he PRAYED! From my earliest childhood, I remember coming into dad's study, over and over, and he was on his knees in front of his desk... praying.

Now he is in heaven ... I am still here, and learning and desiring to know and understand more about prayer. The communication between Creator and his created... you and me. I know my dad would love that, and I am sure that God is directing both this desire and what He has to teach me as I 'step out' and move forward...

Praying, in faith believing!

"You are my hiding place"...

Another week has passed so quickly, a week that held joy for some, and heartache and sorrow for so many others. I'm thinking especially of Haiti, and the devastation of so many hearts and lives. It's such a vivid reminder that eternity is just one heart beat away... and knowing Jesus is everything!


Join with Amy over at Signs, Miracles & Wonders as she hosts Then Sings My Soul Saturdays...

I love the group SELAH, and I'm posting one of their songs, "You are my hiding place"...



Psalm 32:7 says...

"Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance."

and again...

"You are a hiding place for me; You, Lord, preserve me from trouble, You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance." Selah (pause, and calmly think of that)! (Amplified Bible)

I know it in my heart of hearts... there is no safer place to be!...

Being content....

I laughed when I saw this one!
(double click to enlarge)

But doesn't it just remind you of the way we can be.... we pray and we ask God for specific answers, and many times, after they come... we want just a little bit more or maybe a little different...


Paul said in Phil.4:11 something that I want to be, but I know that many times I'm not... "I have learned, in WHATSOEVER state I am, therewith to be content.". (I live in Texas, where the story is that Paul may not have written those exact words had he been in Texas in August!)... No, he said WHATSOEVER state, and that includes wherever we are, whatever is going on in our lives, the seemingly impossible circumstances we face, or just the ordinary non eventful days...


Content... at peace, resting, certain of God's presence... in every situation, just like He has promised... another thing that I am seeking and trusting God for more of in 2010....

Out with the old...bring in the new...

Today I tossed out my last reminder of Christmas, this pointsettia. Usually mine are already dead by now, but this one sort of lingered...

And I brought in the new...
more like spring, a new and fresh look...

And of course, that immediately brought to mind what I am praying for in this year ahead... to throw OUT some of the old, lingering thoughts and habits, and bring in the NEW, FRESH things that GOD has in mind for this new year...

On this one, I like THE MESSAGE, it's very clear...

"My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving." (Col.2:6,7)

I especially like the part that says "quit studying (what I already know)... and start living it"...

2010... a fresh start!

King James, NIV, The Message, Living...

This morning as I was reading, I was thinking... once again, that not every translation translates exactly the same. I grew up with the King James, it's the one we memorized verses from, and I find myself going back to it on almost everything. In fact, when we traveled as a family during the summer, when my dad preached in other states, we went through the "The Navigators" scripture memory packets, and memorized the verses together, so... every verse I know by heart is from the King James, all the "Thee and Thou" etc, that's the way they are written in my mind and heart. It would be hard to change that, it's 'lodged' in there now!


When The Living Bible came out, it was wonderful, fresh and easy to understand .... But... even there, much of the original is lost or missing, the same with The Message, which I love! I find a verse in one translation, and when I look at another, the meaning becomes either much clearer, or... not the same at all. I still find myself going between translations and versions, to get the most of what I am reading in God's word. The one I 'go to' the most is my side by side King James and Living... between the 2, it's a good picture!

I am just curious... what do you think??? Do you have a favorite?


I know that the literal translation from the Hebrew and Greek is the bottom line, but the message and meaning can be clearer when I use several different ones. It is a little like the christian music we love. I still LOVE so many of the old hymns, but I also love a lot of the new worship and praise songs....


I'd love to hear what you think about this...

Obey God on THAT issue!...

I'm joining with eLisa this week, over at Extravagant Grace, as we focus with her on Intentional Living...

One of my mom's topics when she spoke to women's groups was one I've been thinking about a lot lately...


OBEY GOD ON THAT ISSUE!



I always know what THAT issue is in my life...



it's the one (or more) thing that trips us up in our walk with God...



the familiar area of struggle that keeps popping up in our life...



maybe it's a habit that was formed years ago...



or a behavior pattern that we know doesn't belong in our life...



maybe it's a grudge we are carrying against someone who has hurt us...



or the lack of discipline in our time in God's word and prayer...



or... too many trips to the pantry and refrigerator day after day...


or... a tongue that speaks too quickly and without thought...


maybe it's lack of faith, or 'giving in' to worry and fear...



or, filling our schedules too full ... 'doing a good thing is not always doing the best thing...



...and on and on and on...



We all have THAT issue... and we all need the healing touch of God to get past these issues, and to move forward into all that He means for our lives to be.



I'm 'preaching to the choir' here... as these are the very things He is speaking to me about, and it's always the SAME OLD things for most of us... remember, "it's the little foxes that spoil the vines"...



The good news: All that we really want our lives to be for God... He has already provided for us! His word is full of promises that cover every single need that we bring to Him.



BUT... obedience is required, one day at a time, but with genuine submission of our heart, mind and will.



This is a brand new year, and it can also be a brand new direction, as we choose to do it God's way... the choice is ours, the provision is His!"



"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every though to make it obedient to Christ."(2Cor.10:4-5)


One more note, actually 2 ..."Whatever we keep back from God, the devil is sure to get!" (Martin Luther)



"There is a living God, He has spoken in the Bible, He means what He says and He will do what He has promised". (Hudson Taylor)


So that's my long blog for today.... I'll end with one more of her notes... to herself, and maybe to me....

"I love a finished speaker
I really, truly do
I don't mean one who's polished
I just mean one who's THROUGH!"