“Whoever believes and is baptized
will be saved”
--Mark 16:16
Aunt Jilly loves you SO MUCH Sweet J!
“For this child we prayed”
--1 Samuel 1:27
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
For This Child We Prayed
This past Sunday my sweet, wonderful, adorable, precious, and oh-so-loved niece was baptized. It was wonderful and such a special day! Praise God for His gift of forgiveness, salvation, redemption and grace in Christ Jesus!
“For this child we prayed”
“For this child we prayed”
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Words
One of my favorite blogs to read each day is “Heart to Heart with Holley” by Holley Gerth of Dayspring and (in)courage. She…is…amazing…and so greatly speaks God’s love and strength to my heart. <3 She and her friend Ann have been doing a series of Tuesday postings of letters they have written to each other about “words”. Last Tuesday they posted that they wanted their readers to share their thoughts on “words” too and to link up those postings today. At first, I thought it would be easy and had lots of thoughts words running through my head, but when I sat down to write, all those words seemed to slip away.
Words are so powerful.
Words spoken and heard. Words read and written. Words sung and studied, shouted and whispered. Words that come easily and words that just won’t come.
I think of all the words that have been in my life. Words of joy like my hubby’s “Will you marry me?” and my brother-in-law’s pink-Polo-shirt-wearing “It’s a girl!” Words like “I love you” and “thank you” and “you look pretty”. Words like “I’m so proud of you!” and “So good to see you” and “This is delicious!”. (Okay, I don’t hear that last one that often!) Words sang at Christmastime around the twinkling Christmas tree and hymns of praise to our God and King. Words of love and encouragement, of joy and of laughter. Words that make us smile and make our hearts smile too. :0)
Then there’s other words. Other not-so-nice words. Words that I won’t even mention here…because we have all heard them, and we know how they hurt. They hurt so bad.
Words have so much power!
Why not use our words to build each other up? To love up on each other? To make each other smile or give each other strength? To encourage one another, or to just make somebody crack up laughing?
Use our words for good!!!
And you want to know my favorite words? All those examples will FOREVER be in my heart, but the single greatest words...are from God. And they are that…
Hallelujah. No matter what life throws at us or what not-so-nice words come, I know I am a daughter of God, the Lord and King, and that makes me a princess. :0) He said so himself…
You want to know what other words He has said?
Sweet Holley posted on her blog once,
Pretty wonderful, huh? :0)
You want to know what else?
God is always with us.
(Psalm 139, Psalm 145:18)
Jesus lives in us.
(1 John 3:24, Colossians 1:27)
God will always protect us and give us strength.
(Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 5:11)
God has forgiven ALL our sins.
(1 John 1:9, Ephesians 1:7)
God has covered us with His amazingly wonderful grace.
(Acts 15:11, Ephesians 2:8)
God works for the good of those who love Him.
(Romans 8:28)
Hallelujah. His words are the GREATEST words I have ever or will ever hear, read, speak, study, or know. And since He speaks all these words to us,
all those not-so-nice words seem to not hurt so badly,
and all the sweet and encouraging words seem to come more easily,
and words of love and friendship seem to touch our hearts more deeply,
and words of praise to God seem to come more openly.
He spoke these Words and His Words are true. Believe them! Believe God! Let the power of His Words shape our words, our lives, our hearts, our world. :0)
Words are so powerful.
Words spoken and heard. Words read and written. Words sung and studied, shouted and whispered. Words that come easily and words that just won’t come.
I think of all the words that have been in my life. Words of joy like my hubby’s “Will you marry me?” and my brother-in-law’s pink-Polo-shirt-wearing “It’s a girl!” Words like “I love you” and “thank you” and “you look pretty”. Words like “I’m so proud of you!” and “So good to see you” and “This is delicious!”. (Okay, I don’t hear that last one that often!) Words sang at Christmastime around the twinkling Christmas tree and hymns of praise to our God and King. Words of love and encouragement, of joy and of laughter. Words that make us smile and make our hearts smile too. :0)
Then there’s other words. Other not-so-nice words. Words that I won’t even mention here…because we have all heard them, and we know how they hurt. They hurt so bad.
Words have so much power!
Why not use our words to build each other up? To love up on each other? To make each other smile or give each other strength? To encourage one another, or to just make somebody crack up laughing?
Use our words for good!!!
And you want to know my favorite words? All those examples will FOREVER be in my heart, but the single greatest words...are from God. And they are that…
Me and my family & friends
are loved by God with an everlasting love.
And me and my family & friends are saved.
Hallelujah. No matter what life throws at us or what not-so-nice words come, I know I am a daughter of God, the Lord and King, and that makes me a princess. :0) He said so himself…
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God
are the children of God.
The Spirit you received…brought about your adoption to sonship.
And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—
heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ”
--Romans 8:14-17
You want to know what other words He has said?
Sweet Holley posted on her blog once,
“Yes, God really did say I can do all things through Christ.”
“Yes, God really did say He loves me with an everlasting love.”
“Yes, God really did say I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Pretty wonderful, huh? :0)
You want to know what else?
God is always with us.
(Psalm 139, Psalm 145:18)
Jesus lives in us.
(1 John 3:24, Colossians 1:27)
God will always protect us and give us strength.
(Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 5:11)
God has forgiven ALL our sins.
(1 John 1:9, Ephesians 1:7)
God has covered us with His amazingly wonderful grace.
(Acts 15:11, Ephesians 2:8)
God works for the good of those who love Him.
(Romans 8:28)
Hallelujah. His words are the GREATEST words I have ever or will ever hear, read, speak, study, or know. And since He speaks all these words to us,
all those not-so-nice words seem to not hurt so badly,
and all the sweet and encouraging words seem to come more easily,
and words of love and friendship seem to touch our hearts more deeply,
and words of praise to God seem to come more openly.
He spoke these Words and His Words are true. Believe them! Believe God! Let the power of His Words shape our words, our lives, our hearts, our world. :0)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
2011 Bible Verse Two
It’s January 15th…time for our 2nd Bible Verse of 2011!
Everything.
Everything we have…everything we are…everything we do. Everything is a gift from God.
Not because we deserve it or earn it or haphazardly got it by chance. It is because God loves us.
So much.
Add up the love I have for my sweet Matthew, for my parents and sisters, for sweet Baby Girl…for my brother-in-laws and grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles and friends…for Christmas and Disneyland and chocolate and Garth Brooks…for watching movies and wearing pajamas, for birds and big trees and flowers that bloom and bunnies…for pretty sunsets and wind at the beach and sun on my skin and starry nights. Add up ALL the things I love and multiply by a jillion-million-zillion (trust me, I’m an accountant), and that doesn’t even begin to compare to the love God has for each and every one of us.
ALL of us.
He loves us so much and wants desperately to shower His children with blessings.
And He does. Oh how He does.
Every gift is from above. Every gift is from God the Father. Every gift is perfect and good. And every gift is filled with His love. :0)
And all He asks in return is that we love Him back.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
Who does not change like shifting shadows.”
--James 1:17
I LOVE this verse, and it has such special meaning to me with sweet Baby Girl J and ALL the blessings God has given to me and my family & friends in my lifetime.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above”
Everything.
Everything we have…everything we are…everything we do. Everything is a gift from God.
Not because we deserve it or earn it or haphazardly got it by chance. It is because God loves us.
So much.
Add up the love I have for my sweet Matthew, for my parents and sisters, for sweet Baby Girl…for my brother-in-laws and grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles and friends…for Christmas and Disneyland and chocolate and Garth Brooks…for watching movies and wearing pajamas, for birds and big trees and flowers that bloom and bunnies…for pretty sunsets and wind at the beach and sun on my skin and starry nights. Add up ALL the things I love and multiply by a jillion-million-zillion (trust me, I’m an accountant), and that doesn’t even begin to compare to the love God has for each and every one of us.
ALL of us.
He loves us so much and wants desperately to shower His children with blessings.
And He does. Oh how He does.
Every gift is from above. Every gift is from God the Father. Every gift is perfect and good. And every gift is filled with His love. :0)
And all He asks in return is that we love Him back.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Baby, It's Cold Outside!
To quote the holiday song..."Baby, it's COLD outside!"
This was my car's temp this morning driving to work...
This was my car's temp this morning driving to work...
Brrr! Hope everyone is staying bundled up and cozy!
Friday, January 7, 2011
2011 Bible Verse One
Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a GREAT first week of the new year and have a WONDERFUL weekend ahead of them!
Just wanted to share something new I’m doing in this new year. The amazing Beth Moore (have I mentioned that I LOVE her?!!!) does what she calls the “Siesta Scripture Memory Team” (SSMT) each year (she calls the ladies on her blog her “Siestas” as a term of endearment…it started out that she would call us “Sistas”, as in “sisters”, but Spell Check kept changing it to “Siestas”, and it finally stuck!) where she challenges / leads us to commit to memory 24 Bible verses each year. The way she has it organized is that we all post on her blog the 1st and 15th of every month the verse we have individually chosen to memorize…a verse that speaks to us or that we need to have in our lives. She gives encouragement along the way and even gives recommendations if you can’t decide on your own (I used her January 1st recommendation…just a difference translation). She so greatly inspires me, and whereas I’ve never done it with her before, this year I’m going to try to do it!
My January 1st Scripture I decided upon was one I thought would be a good one to start 2011 (it’s also up in the top right corner of my blog for the month of January)…
My plan every half month is to pick a verse to memorize that I really need in my life…to give me encouragement for those 15-ish days but also to have in my “arsenal” when life (as it sometimes can) turns into a battlefield of doubt, of worry, of sadness, of temptation, of stress, of impatience, of craziness, of fear. The Bible says…
And my plan is to share my SSMT Bible verse here too. (To hopefully keep me on track!) So check back around every 1st and 15th of the month!
Just wanted to share something new I’m doing in this new year. The amazing Beth Moore (have I mentioned that I LOVE her?!!!) does what she calls the “Siesta Scripture Memory Team” (SSMT) each year (she calls the ladies on her blog her “Siestas” as a term of endearment…it started out that she would call us “Sistas”, as in “sisters”, but Spell Check kept changing it to “Siestas”, and it finally stuck!) where she challenges / leads us to commit to memory 24 Bible verses each year. The way she has it organized is that we all post on her blog the 1st and 15th of every month the verse we have individually chosen to memorize…a verse that speaks to us or that we need to have in our lives. She gives encouragement along the way and even gives recommendations if you can’t decide on your own (I used her January 1st recommendation…just a difference translation). She so greatly inspires me, and whereas I’ve never done it with her before, this year I’m going to try to do it!
My January 1st Scripture I decided upon was one I thought would be a good one to start 2011 (it’s also up in the top right corner of my blog for the month of January)…
“You crown the year with Your goodness,
and richness overflows wherever You are.”
--Psalm 65:11 GOD’S WORD translation
My plan every half month is to pick a verse to memorize that I really need in my life…to give me encouragement for those 15-ish days but also to have in my “arsenal” when life (as it sometimes can) turns into a battlefield of doubt, of worry, of sadness, of temptation, of stress, of impatience, of craziness, of fear. The Bible says…
“For the Word of God is living and active.
Sharper than any two edged sword.”
--Hebrew 4:12
“The Lord’s word is flawless;
He shields all who take refuge in Him.”
--2 Samuel 22:31, Psalm 18:30, Proverbs 30:5
“The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”
--Isaiah 40:8
“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ “
--Matthew 4:4
“No word from God will ever fail”
--Luke 1:37
“Now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace,
which can build you up
and give you an inheritance.”
--Acts 20:32
“For you have been born again…
through the living and enduring word of God.”
--1 Peter 1:23
And my plan is to share my SSMT Bible verse here too. (To hopefully keep me on track!) So check back around every 1st and 15th of the month!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy 2011!
Happy January and Happy 2011 everyone! As Tiny Tim would say, may "God bless us every one" as we start this new month and new year! :0)
And while I'm on a Christmas movie kick...as Julie Andrews would sing, "these are a few of my favorite things"...Christmas, family, and my precious niece!
And while I'm on a Christmas movie kick...as Julie Andrews would sing, "these are a few of my favorite things"...Christmas, family, and my precious niece!
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| My awesome cousin (seriously...he's the coolest guy I know!) & sweet J |
 |
| Sweet J taking the tradition 1st Christmas pic in Grannie's sleigh |
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| Grannie, Mom & sweet J |
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| My sisters and sweet J :0) |
 |
| Adorable Baby Girl J |
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year 2011!
Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had fun ringing in the new year, and have a safe and happy and amazingly wonderful and blessed 2011!
"You crown the year with Your goodness,
and richness overflows wherever You are."
--Psalm 65:11 GOD'S WORD translation
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