it's cooling down... even in Texas!...

I just have to tell you that when I went outside on Monday morning... it was 54 degrees!!

For a Texas girl... that is a little bit of heaven after our hot summer!!

It's warming up again now, but boy-oh-boy... this does my heart good!

Now I can put Fall stuff all around and feel like it's real, not just a hope!! You know that when my copper bucket on the kitchen island changes it's contents... the seasons are also changing!

Even though our Texas Longhorns were not exciting last Saturday, we still love them, and college football is a big thing in our house! I know, I know, I have some very dear friends who are Oklahoma Sooner fans, so I remind myself and each of you... it's just a game!... (try telling my hubby that!) :)

May I also quietly mention that the Dallas Cowboys SHINED on Sunday afternoon!! Trust me... it was overdue!...

I think there is a new bounce in my step... I am REALLY tired of the heat, and Fall is beginning to make itself known...

Of course, that reminds me that Christmas is right around the corner... and this year I am going to prove to myself that it can be done on a dime!! This economy doesn't invite big spending, and I have always known that creativity matters more to the little ones than the amount of dollars spent...

Remember how much fun you had with your kids and grandkids with just a huge cardboard box?? We cut holes for windows and doors and they had more fun with that 'house' than any of the pricey toys... not to mention pulling them all around the downstairs in the big laundry basket... all they said was 'more, more!'...

I've got a boatload of ideas for Christmas this year, but I can't share them here yet, 'cuz at least 2 or 3 of the grandkids read this blog... hi guys! :)...

I'll share some of them later... enough for now to suggest that this is a good year for the aspiring Proverbs 31 woman to be seriously creative!...

"She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing.She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises...

She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day.She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden...First thing in the morning, she dresses for work, rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started...

She senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth, diligent in homemaking."... (Msg)

moth, rust and treasure...

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal...But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."(NIV)Matthew 6:19,20

These words were going through my mind as I hurried through the afternoon. It was almost like my heart did a screeching halt as I rushed along...

I get 'caught up' in life some days... and my desire to walk all of life with Jesus gets placed on the back burner, and the immediate circumstances become my priority...

When that happens, it is never very long before that 'homesick' sense of running by myself gets my full attention. I sense it in my heart, things are topsy turvy, out of whack... do you know that feeling?

Once you know what it is to walk with Him alongside of you through the day... running ahead by yourself will never be the same again! It's that very 'prompting' that He uses to guide me back onto His path...

The reality is that in this life moth and rust WILL corrupt, and thieves WILL steal the treasures of the 'now'...so it is essential that when... not if... that happens, we understand that our true purpose here is eternal.

I have seen the rust corrupt and have felt the thieves steal... haven't you?

It's a good thing to be reminded of these verses... another reality check on what kind of treasure my heart is 'storing up'....

Is it for now? for me? for this life?... where it will rust, or break, disappear or be stolen... or is it for what really matters ... treasure in heaven?... God keeps the records!

"There will be less someday-

much less,

and there will be More:

less to distract

and amuse;

More to adore"...

(Ruth Bell Graham's words from her book, "Sitting by my Laughing Fire"...)

2 women... joke of the year...

I saw this in a magazine recently and it was posted as the joke of the year...

'Two women were sitting together, quietly.'

I thought that was funny the first time I read it, but upon reflection... is it true??

Can't 2 women sit together and still be quiet??

I think I can sit with some women... quietly, because neither of us have anything particularly to talk about, and nothing to really say to each other...

I KNOW I can sit with other women, probably with most of you, and the words would never stop! It also would probably not always be quiet! I love a good heart felt, animated dialog, and I also love to laugh! ...But it would be so much fun to sit and TALK with you!

There are whole books written about the friendships between like minded women.

So, that's what I do here... sit and visit with each one of you, but I think we do it quietly... don't we??


... "in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" (Is.30: 15b)

All this, but I can't pray??...

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:

'Let me see if I've got this right.

You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning...

You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride...

You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job...

You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams. 'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card...

You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps...

You want me to do all this and then you tell me .... I CAN'T PRAY?'...

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)

What does God want from me??...

"Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,and keep the vows you made to the Most High.Then call on me when you are in trouble,and I will rescue you,and you will give me glory.” (Ps.50:14,15)

I know that God wants many things from me, all stemming from the heart...

This verse was one I had not seen for awhile, and it's pretty plain! There are many times when praise is not the first thing that rolls off of my tongue... but it's what God wants me to do... to praise Him... that hit a chord with me today...

He calls it a 'sacrifice' and at times, it definitely feels like a sacrifice. When life rolls along without bumps, it is NOT a sacrifice to praise Him. It comes easily to my mind and heart to thank Him profusely, but...when the hard times come close to me... it is DEFINTELEY a sacrifice to continue to praise Him...

It's never about Him being less worthy of my praise, it's about my heart CHOOSING to offer the sacrifice of praise... anyway! And He has never failed me yet!

I offer my praise today, to Him who deserves ALL of it!

Impossible with God??...NO!...

When God is going to do something WONDERFUL

He begins with a DIFFICULTY

If it is going to be something VERY WONDEFUL

He begins with an IMPOSSIBILITY

This anonymous little phrase was in our home as we grew up, I think it was hanging on the wall. I came across it the other day in some of my mother's writings...

In the midst of the trying circumstances that come our way in this life, there is ALWAYS MORE going on than what is pulling at our hearts, grinding down our spirits, and causing us pain... GOD is at work in His children... always! None of it will be wasted.

It goes right back to the promises of God, true for yesterday, true for today, and true for tomorrow... no matter where we are or what is going on in our lives!

So if you happen to be 'in the midst of' right now... take heart, and remember that He is there, He got there before you did, and He will also lead you through it. Maybe your IMPOSSIBILITY is His next VERY WONDERFUL...

a word from Proverbs... fewer words!...

"The man of few words and settled mind is wise; therefore, even a fool is thought to be wise when he is silent. It pays him to keep his mouth shut." (Prov.17:27-28)

or... listen to the way The message says it...

"The one who knows much says little; an understanding person remains calm. Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise; as long as they keep their mouths shut, they're smart."

My husband has said more than once... "not everything that crosses our mind needs to come through our lips"... and of course I always agree with that, unless he happens to be talking to me... :) ...I know that many times I have left a conversation with someone and wished I had said less, and even said less more gently...

I do look back through the years and know that God has taught me a lot about not speaking too much... you should have heard me 20 years ago!

The wonderful thing about our God is that He never stops teaching us things we need to learn...

A little Proverbs 'arrow' to send our way this afternoon... good words for any day!

ga ga...

My mother in law passed away last Friday morning after a 10 year battle with Alzheimer's. She was 98 years old. To all of us, her name was Ga Ga...

This was not a sad day, but a day of rejoicing... she is home and free! As my husband said...'today is the best day of her life!'...

Honestly, if we had all been able to choose, she would have gone to heaven years ago. We don't make that choice. God does, and Sept.3, 2010 was the day He chose for her.

The funeral service is still fresh in my heart. Yes, there were a few tears, but mostly there was celebration of a life that made us all smile.

She was truly an original!

She taught all of us so much about giving... she just did it without thinking. Our middle child is a minister, and he did the service. He said after all these years, people still ask him about her, from the teller at the bank who liked Ga Ga's perfume and received a bottle of it the next time Ga Ga went to the bank, to neighbors and friends who always remembered her special little ways of sharing kindness.

She loved life! She loved to talk! She loved to laugh! and... she loved Jesus... she knew where she was going, and she knew that He was the reason. Our son gave a beautiful message of hope, because of the cross.

One of our grandkids stood and recited the 23rd Psalm... perfectly! And then our other son and daughter shared special memories of a grandmother who adored them, and they knew it!

He also left a few minutes for others to share... there were a large number of cousins and relatives, and they shared everything from her love of ice cream, to the way she made each of them feel so special when they came to visit her, to the way she laughed so easily about life, and about herself.

I was the recipient of her kindness through many years, and as it blessed her to share and give, it also taught me a lot about giving. She had an understanding and compassionate heart.

She would have LOVED this day! The gathering of those she loved, and the meal that followed, all of it was to celebrate her, in the way she loved the best... being with those she loved.

But... she has become a part of that gathering that we will one day join, and I can just picture her... telling Jesus about everything, as she listens to Him welcome her to her final home... the crowd up there is growing!

What about fitness??...

How do you feel about being physically fit?

Do you think it's part of the whole person that God wants us to be?

Do you also struggle with being that person?

What are some of your ideas and 'tricks' that help you pursue fitness?

The reason I am asking is because I have been on my own personal trek to getting fit... again!

I have been an up and down and upside down dieter for years... sometimes slim and trim, other times needing to be more slim and trim. The thing is... I like myself better when I am fit and trim and in control of what I eat, so the battle never ends... unless I am disciplining myself!

I have been dealing with the whole concept of food and fitness NOT being a diet!
I am sometimes a slow learner, but all through the years I've heard... 'it's not a diet... it's a way of life'... I think I am starting to see it and believe it!

Some of you may have one of those metabolisms that lets you eat anything and never put on weight... I'm thinking MOST of us don't!

My dad used to tell us 'eat live food'... now I am beginning to see the wisdom in that. I am not throwing the boxed stuff out of the pantry, but I do find that I am spending more time in the produce section than I ever have...

I would love to hear some of your 'tricks' that help you stay fit. I've lost 14 pounds, and I'm walking and doing aerobics for 30 minutes each day. I do NOT always want to... in fact mostly I DON'T want to, but I am finding out that if I just lace up my tennies and get moving... I never regret it and in a couple of minutes that sense of 'right' kicks in... I am wearing clothes that have hung in my closet for an embarassing amount of time, and I FEEL cute again!! :) I want this to be the way I live from now on.... I really LOVE the way I feel!

So here are a few of my discoveries that help...

1. drink water and then drink more water... it DOES help, and it keeps your system hydrated...

2. Protein rich foods make me FEEL more satisfied, and fuel my body...(duh!)

3. MOVE... walk, aerobics... something!!! Just DO it!!

Please share an idea that has helped you... it will help everyone!

7 gold nuggets...

I've just now finished reading the book on my dad's life... Everything by Prayer...

I was really late in reading this., and having finished it, I know that now was God's timing for me to have read it. I probably wasn't as prepared to hear the truths contained there until now... even though I have always hidden them in my heart...

What the author, Fred Hartley, describes as the life of my dad, is what I LIVED and experienced, as his daughter... It's like my sister and brother and I say to each other... 'how could we live in their home and be raised by these 2 parents, and be so slow in getting to some of the truths we watched them live by'!!

But they were the first to encourage us, and challenge us in our own faith, without making us feel guilty, day by day and year by year...

These 7 nuggets are what my dad called the 'golden promises in the Gospels:

1. "Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 14:13, NKJV)

2. "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (14:14, NKJV)

3. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." (13:7 NKJV)

4. "In that day... most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my Name He will give you." (16:23 NKJV)

5. "Whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." (15:16 NKJV)

6. "Until now you have asked nothing in My name, Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (complete) (16:24 NKJV)

7. "In that day you will ask in My name." (16:26 NKJV)

Fred goes on to quote dad's writing in his monthly prayer letter to other ministers...

"When I was a boy, my father once gave me a 5 dollar gold piece. I felt rich! I treasured it and kept it for the right time before I used it. Here Jesus gives His disciples and us 7 gold pieces: freshly minted prayer promises, golden nuggets. Who can estimate their value? When the Lord offers the same thing 7 times we had better listen.

Can you imagine what would happen in the gold rush days if suddenly they saw not one but SEVEN large nuggets of pure gold?...

But here in full view are 7 gold nuggets in God's Word. Any one of us can have all 7 without interference or competition. Cash in on them! ... He said so!... If we are willing, we are able to pray as He prayed and to get answers like His."

So... are these promises only for THEN or rather for NOW and for each one of us to claim, in faith, as we pray, remembering that our faith is based on HIS promises....