Just Follow the Word

This is the first year I have officially chosen a word.  Have you chosen a word before? My word is hope.  Why did I choose hope?  I think the main reason I chose hope was because over the last 2 years "my hope(s)" were revealed to me.  Actually, as I think back over my life I can recall all the many places my hope was placed. Where have been some places you have placed your hope?  As I type that question I hear that song, "My hope is build on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness." https://youtu.be/DWdNgXSd46Y I have sung that song for many years. Yes, I grew up in a home where the Bible was read, and church and school complemented what my parents desire was. Which was to train up a child in the way of the Lord.  So, my hope is found in nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.  God was and will be faithful to His Word.  Let's look back together.  Where have you placed your hope?...

The Friday word for 5 minutes of writing is  MOTIVATE Well the first thing I did is Google the word, motivate .  What else do you do in the year 2018 when you want to know more? Is the word motivate in the Bible? Google's definition: Provide someone with a motive for doing something. What motivates us?  Lets ask another question, "What motivated God to send Jesus, His only son?" or how about this question, "What motivated Jesus to obey God in coming to earth to die?" Our  motives are often hard to find amidst our wandering hearts. Do we ever ask God to examine our heart where everything we do comes from? David did in Psalm 26:2. What motivated David? Moses? Paul? Esther? Rahab? As we think about the word motivate , lets ask our self ... ...am I motivated to bring glory to God? If so why?...am I motivated by money, fame, acceptance? If so why? If we are honest there are many days we are motivated by m...

Hello 2018! I want to give you a somewhat quick recap of this blog before I begin this entry.  In 2008 and 2009 I felt a large pull to write a devotional to help others open Gods word.  There are a ton of details of how that pull or calling happened.  At the start of writing it I had NO desire to publish it, but as it was finished, that changed, and the opportunity was placed before me to publish it.  So, Meet With Me is a book! Why did I write it? I wrote it because of Isaiah 55:11.  Sure I wrote it because I felt the Lord laying it on my heart, to write something that helped myself, and others see Him, His story and where we fit. But when push came to shove, the only reason I had was, that verse.  My feeling of a call or a nudge in my heart could just be a feeling that "could" lead me astray.  But again that verse, it was a promise. Why did I not stand on the mountain tops with it? Well I di...

How can the best day ever be in the hardest year ever? December 12, 2015 a journey began for this Mom.  The day one of our children began to leave the nest!  She came downstairs and sat on the arm of my chair I often sit in and drink coffee and pray and read my bible and sometimes I just sit there contemplating the day ahead. Enough of what I do in my chair! Her words, "I am going to be a wife Mom!"  Her excitement was in the forefront and in the background was the fear of the unknown and the prep and am I really ready!  Are we ever really ready for anything?  Sure those in Christ are ready because of the cross, and or but, the day to day things that come our way...hhmmm.... Does ready mean prayerful with expectation that the Lord will give all we need to be ready? The year was full of preparation!  As I recall some of the prep days, I think of struggles, joys, anticipation and honestly some of it was hard ...

This was the first day to pick cherries at the local orchard!  I heard it was to be a banner year! Any berry pickers out there? Why do you go?  We all have different reasons!  I go berry picking for the time with family more than the actual picking fruit, we all know we can go to the store and get all we need for just a little bit more money.  Time and money two precious commodities in our culture today! You tend to remember back to the previous year as you approach a new season and last year we approached the trees and noticed the fruit was screaming pick me, pick me!  As we looked at the trees this year it appeared the scene was quite different and at first glance it was looking to be a disappointing activity for the day. The leaves were big and green and the trees looked healthy BUT to the naked eye, which is mine, the fruit was NOT there. I was tempted to not even look for a ladder!  Why waste the effort on dragging the ...

Its been quite some time since I blogged but today I really felt pulled to share some thoughts on a sermon I watched while getting on the treadmill, something I have not done a lot of lately, along with listening to Chandler. My treadmill and Chandler go hand in hand usually. Whatever, that was useless information...another reason why I don't blog much lately. My thoughts are definitely not your thoughts AND they are NOT higher than yours. Thankful we have a Bible and a Savior whose thoughts are perfect and He rescued us!! So, here is the direct quote that screamed, "Put me on face book and remind everyone NO LIFE IS PERFECT and stop comparing and live fully in your joy or trial because each one will end after the season completes the purpose for which it was sent." This is it!! A STUDY DONE BY INSTAGRAM not by Christians stated...."Instagram leads to depression" That was the direct quote from Chandlers sermon on James dated February 15. Which, by t...

Hello everyone!! It is December 12, 2013 today and I cant seem to get our real Christmas tree event out of my head. This is not a post about promoting real or artificial trees. This is not a debate about you loving your artificial tree or you loving your real tree nor is it a post telling you are not doing the "right" thing with Christmas if you have an artificial tree! This is simply my thoughts since last Christmas as I packed the fake tree away in the box. I put our tree away last year and remember saying I am not taking it out again. It felt fake! It felt mechanical! It felt yucky! It was another task that had to get done. So... this year... WE WENT OUT AS A FAMILY TO CUT DOWN THE REAL TREE!!! Yes I was very excited and yes we did have a great time. We took pictures, I got a face wash, Our two boys tackled each other because someone put snow down someone's crack as he went to cut the tree down, yes it was quite real! It went up very uneventful and I b...