Lord, I want

Lord, I want what You have for me, not what I can go get on my own.  I know there is much to gain in the journey.  I know You have a plan for me.  I could go the easier route, but You haven't given me peace about it.  You haven't sent affirmation.  I will trust what You do have for me.  I will trust your leading.  Oh, Lord above all else, I want what You have for me.  For You are the Giver of good gifts.  Your timing is perfect.  I will trust You, for I know You love me.  You equip those You call and I know You will equip me before You send me or even along the way.  The journey getting there is as important as the destination.  It is the time for growth, to being secure in You, to having confidence in You.  Yes, Lord, I want what You have for me.  If I'm misguided, trying to get things on my own, please reveal it to me fast, help me to get back to where You want me.  I trust You, God.  I love You, God.  You are the perfecter of my faith, always and forever. Amen

September Update

Wow, August just flew by.  I was able to get much done and drop a pound.  I worked on my garage until I was urged by the Spirit to pull the plug on the work.  I have some places left to organize and clean still.  My mind turned to mush after trying to decide what to do with it all.  As a bonus, the hubs cleaned up part of his tool area.  We're getting close to finding things we actually need.  I'll post picture soon of the areas done. 

I started a few other projects the last week of August.  I'll show that soon to after the paint smell goes away and they are up on my walls.  

I enjoyed Labor Day weekend.  Only wish I had taken my camera along to show you some.  You'll have to settle for my description.  It was rainy and overcast (praise the Lord for the rain).  We had a lot of family time.  

• Saw two great movies - Odd Life of Timothy Green and We Bought a Zoo.
• Put a puzzle of Yellowstone (map) together.  Very hard because we realized quickly into it, we only had a picture of the middle of the puzzle.  The rest was a guess.
• Visited with my mom, her hubs and a few siblings - something we hadn't done in a while.  
• Went on a boat ride on the lake.  We saw four white geese that have decided to live here.  Also a snake (yes snake!) swimming across the lake and a giant cat fish that only made me glad they are scared of us for it would make it hard to swim otherwise.

God's joy is bubbling in my heart.  I spent most of the day Sunday laughing, starting with my girl wearing two different shoes to church.  That will make her pay more attention to what she slips her feet into.  Fortunately, she had her Crocs still in the car.

For September, I have a few projects I need to get done including finishing the front flower bed and prep an area for a garden next year.

Counselor training starts tonight. 

In the Shadow

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings Psalm 17:8

Watering over the summer, with the drought in our area, it was often.  The Spirit breezed in.

In this photo, the plant grew tall.  Look where it grew, in the shadow of the wall.  This wall blocked it from the harshness of the sun, helped retain the water.  Overall it had protection.

This photo is a plant that grew a few feet away in the harsh sun.  It grew, but at a fraction of the growth.  It was watered the same amount, but without protection.  The sun dried the water to fast, the weeds thrived in this area too.







Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  John 7:37b

When I live in the shadow of the cross, Jesus satisfies my thirst.  He fills me up.  He enables me to grow and flourish.  Despite harsh circumstances and high heat of the environment, I am protected.

Out on my own, I have faith, but I am doing things my own way.  I grow, but slow, fighting weeds and the harshness of the world on my own.

In the shadow of the cross is the only place to live.  It is the only place I can be all He plans for me to be, all He sees when He looks at me.

Whatever is pure

I'm still discussing having control over my thoughts with God.  You may remember several post about where my mind takes me such as this one last week.  It is a point that God is working on and will give me the grace to change.

I was doing something mundane around the house, I believe doing the dishes.  Something sparked a memory of my past that I didn't want to spend my time thinking about.  I said 'Lord, why does this keep happening?'  

(It's not a every minute problem, but enough that I want it gone.  It's not just thoughts of me personally, but of what others went through, movies, books, stories I've read, just random things that add nothing to the here and now.)

Then I became aware of my situation.  My husband had just turned on the radio and Jesus Calling was playing.  Then I said, 'Why can't these things spur thoughts of You?'

His reply, 'They can'.  I just rolled that over in my mind.  I know it is so simple.  It felt like a big slap to my head, duh, moment.  Jesus can be my trigger thoughts.  To think of what He's done for me.  The blessings He gives me each day.

Paul says it best:
Philippians 4:8  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Jesus Calling

I had to write about this wonderful book.  We do a lot of Bible study with my daughter.  So when we were at the Tree of Life book store and she asked for a devo, I wasn't sure to get her yet another thing to study.  Silly right?  

I was pleased to realized this is something she wanted, not something I told her she needed to do.  It makes my heart sing with praise to God each time I see her with her book on her own.  D has even taken to discussing it with her and looking up the extra passages.  

She is growing with this book.  It helped her trust God in her fears.  It has spurned real life application discussions that my family has grown from. 

*This is an unsolicited review.  I received no payment for this review.  No money or products was exchanged for my personal opinion and experience of this book. 

Ahhh Avocado

Ode to Avocado.  Such a sweet, nutty fruit.  I love to eat it sprinkled with salt and red wine vinegar.  The green mushy flesh may turn others away from this treasure.  I am thankful I was brave to try it.  I'm now enjoying the full reward of this blessings.

In switching over to a less meat diet, I gave thought to protein combos to even out my blood sugar levels.  I suffer with low blood sugar, so diet management is my only choice.

A friend shared her vegetarian diet that her daughter ate.  Pureed rice and beans, half avocado, yogurt (yes her daughter is a toddler).  It clicked with me that since I didn't eat meat, the fat in avocados isn't makes up for the loss and since it's plant based, it is healthier.

Since adding half an avocado to my lunch, my blood sugar is level.  No more trembling late afternoon.  I'm having other symptoms of hunger, which I learning - but that's for another post.  I'm happy I added this since it has taken away that empty hollow feeling I had when I eliminated most meat (thus the protein from the meat).  It's a learning process.  One day soon I'll need to add up how many calories I'm eating. 

On the down side, when I do eat something that isn't all that healthy (Frito corn chips), I can feel it the next day.  My eyes swell up.  It's like my body is saying it only wants the good stuff and doesn't want to go back to processing all the other junk. 

  

TLT answer

I'm sharing a answer to The Lord's Table Bible study I'm doing.  Sorry for the randomness of it, but I think it says a lot.

When I am controlled by my sin, when it dictates my actions.  It wants fed.  It wants plugged into this world.  Currently, my flesh wants something - secular music, yuck stories, chocolate, alcohol.  Something, just something.  I keep turning my head and thoughts to God.  I recognize it as distraction.  I'm on the verge of growth, break through.  Even the temptation to be impatient.  If I did this, then this would happen sooner.  Yet is faster better?  Will it get me to where God is calling?  Yes, but is it how God called me?  No.  There's so much value in the journey.  In having the patience to prove my faithfulness.  I have to be in God's presence to make the desires of the flesh die.  Only time with Him will make it happen. Only time in His word, allowing it to change me, will I be prosperous and successful.  Not by the world's standards, but by God's standard.

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Joshua 1:8