Where are all the socks?

I was doing my favorite household chore today. You guessed it, laundry. You all know by now how I really feel about sorting, folding and putting everything away. It just seems like I never catch up. Which I'm sure all you ladies feel the same.  Especially if you have a teenager in the house who wears at least two outfits everyday and who thinks if he wore something for 5 minutes it is dirty.

Oh well, please forgive my whining! 

But I do wonder about a phenomenon that happens every laundry day. Where do all the missing socks go? I mean, I empty out the baskets and pick up all clothes that are on Riley's bedroom floor. Seems like I have everything that is dirty but no matter what, in all the years I have done laundry, I always have a couple of missing socks.

Have you ever heard Steve Taylor's song....Sock Heaven?
Here are a few lines from the song.....

Out of the wringer
Into the dryer
Spins the clothes higher
Squeezing out static and shocks

Little stockings
Tumbling 'round together
Couldn't cling forever
Now I'm missing one of my socks

Lord, where do they go?

One pile waits with their god in a box
The other pile nervously mocks heaven
Misfits lost in the dryer, take heart
Maybe there's a place up in sock heaven

This is a little bit of a strange song. but the message is kind of what I am thinking. What are the socks doing and where in the world are they?

I hold on to hope that the missing will turn up so I keep the singles in a basket on the shelf above the dryer. After a while the pile gets too big for the basket and it is time to let go of that hope and throw out the sad, one and only's.

About this time Rodney and I have gone out and gotten some new socks. And of course the whole cycle starts all over again.

We people are a lot like this. Not that we lose half of ourselves but we do lose our purpose sometimes. God waits patiently on us to get back on track. Lets us sit for awhile in the basket on the shelf. Thank goodness he doesn't throw us out but he does redirect and lets us start again and again till we find the path we were supposed to be on. When we do get it right we feel quite complete and all together. Nothing missing within us.

Reminds me of this scripture in Romans......


Romans 5:1 The Message (MSG)

Developing Patience

5 1-2 By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.


Do you feel like something is missing? Get out of the basket, Live in God's grace and feel complete!

Blessings!


PS:

Here is a link to the video.....to all of "Sock Heaven" 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTYCW0k_zd0

Fresh Mulch

I love it when the gardens are filled with fresh mulch. I love spending time gazing at all the newness. Everything just pops with the look of fresh mulch.This is the day that Rodney, Riley and I put our new mulch down. It was a perfect day to lay it. Cloudy and cool. We are a little tired though and I fear our bodies will really feel it tomorrow.

Now hear me out on this, before you call me crazy, but new mulch reminds me of Christ and what He has done for us.The book of Hebrews talks about this perfectly......

You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. The murder of Jesus—became a proclamation of grace.

Hebrews 12:24
(The Message)

We are like a last season garden. We need the grace that keeps us cleaned and freshened up. Debris and dead plants need to be taken out. The filth and negativity in our hearts, caused by sin, needs to be changed. We need a new outlook and a fresh start. 

Christ came to this world to bring us that new, fresh start. As we come to Christ, the savior of this world, the gardener of our hearts, God doesn't see us as a shabby flower bed any more but as a beautiful, pristine, freshly mulched garden. 

One thing we have to remember is that, just like a garden, we need to tend to our hearts. We need to weed and make sure we are watered. Reading scriptures, spending time in prayer and fellowship with other Christians will help keep the weeds out and the beauty in.

We will stay fresh and lovely and be someone God will enjoy spending time with!! 

Happy Gardening!!

Blessings!

Winging It!

Friday evenings are usually the day of the week that we eat out. Last night, though, I was thinking that I would cook and we would just stay home. But my husband, the creature of habit that he is, wanted to go out.  Since we hadn't really made any plans we got in the car and decided to wing it and end up where we end up  We started toward Richmond, going down Hwy 40.

As we were heading down 40 we came to the cemetery, over by Earlham. Since it is Memorial weekend  it seemed to be a good evening to drive through the cemetery. Of course there were quite a few cars in there as people were placing flowers on the grave sights of their loved ones. Seeing the love and attention they were giving was very moving. 

The evening temperature was perfect for having the windows down as we drove through, so we could hear the birds singing and see the flowers blooming on the beautifully maintained grounds. We could easily read the names and dates on the headstone, so Riley had a good time sounding out some of the unusual names and Rodney and I were amazed at some of the very old dates that were listed on  the older gravestones. I know that this may seem weird, but to us it was very peaceful.

After we found some dinner we headed back towards Hagerstown by driving on the back roads to see what we could see out in the country. When you really look at some of these old farm houses and barns you can see such beauty and gracefulness in the way they sit in the field. They are landscapes that urge a person to grab a camera or a paint brush.

Yes, there are troubles in this life. Things don't always go hunky dory, but if you look, you can see beauty everywhere. In a country field or even in a cemetery. God loves for us to stop, take a breath and really enjoy and appreciate all that He has done for us.  

This verse came to mind as I was thinking about our family's Friday night.

Isaiah 32:18

18 My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.
(NIV)

What a great reminder of what God truly wants for our lives. Peace!

I am so glad that we decided to go out and "wing it" last night. Looking for some peace? Maybe it would be a good time for you to "wing it" too!

Blessings!

"Do All You Can"

The cleaning efforts will be going on, in Oklahoma, for a very long time, These families are still looking so shell shocked and lost. I can't even imagine all that they are going through. There have been some bright spots and so many God given miracles, which is awesome, but the truth of the matter is they will need so much help to get back into rebuilt homes and to have their whole town rebuilt as well.

It is wonderful to see all the charitable organizations and institutions that have stepped in. FEMA is there, as well. The head of this organization has been quoted as saying "FEMA won't leave here when the cameras leave". I think that it is kind of sad that he felt the need to say that, but oh well, it is good to have them there.

As a Methodist, I have to say that we have a program that helps in situations like the one in Moore, too. It is called UMCOR. "United Methodist Committee On Relief" UMCOR bases its ministry on words from the Methodist founder, John Wesley. He had a saying that they have taken to heart....

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”

UMCOR is usually one of the first groups to show up when a disaster strikes. They go world wide to be Christ's hands and feet in countries that feel so much pain at times. 

UMCOR is funded by the individual Methodist churches as they give their tithe to the conference. Of all monies that are designated to UMCOR, 100% go directly to the hurting and needy. that they have gone out to help. 

John Wesley loved this passage......

1 Corinthians 13:12-13

The Message (MSG)

¹² We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
¹³ But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

I think the part that says "love extravagantly" says it all!  I'd like to think that that is what our UMCOR is doing. We have so many of our people who have left their families and have moved into Oklahoma. They will be there for as long as these sweet, traumatized, uprooted people need them to be. Humbly doing "all the good they can".

I think John Wesley would be smiling if he could see how this group has taken the word of God and put it into action.

Please remember to continue to pray for these poor families and for all the recovery workers as well, as they do the best they can, to "love extravagantly" in Oklahoma!

Blessings!

Innocence in the Midst of Trouble

We are so saddened today as the carnage and devastation in Oklahoma is laid bare on the news programs. It is all I can do, and I'm sure the same is true for you, to pull ourselves away from the television. You see parents searching, rescue workers searching and even animals searching, for their homes and families. It is hard to imagine how and why such a thing could happen.

I grew up in Kansas and over those years we saw so many scary storms. We hid under our house, I can't tell you how many times. We had some very tense moments, but nothing like what these families have gone through, and are still going through. 

I was looking through some of the pictures that have been posted, since the storm, and this picture caught my eye. This was taken by someone from the Oklahoma Sheriff's department, posted on Twitter. It it hit my heart so hard.  Here is a sweet little toy laying in the midst of the mess all around. Made me think of the children that still may be trapped in the elementary school in Moore. The innocence of them in the midst of the horribleness all around, It also made me think of the parents who are waiting for answers. 

There have been miracles. There have been over 100 people pulled from the rubble so far.There have been some very sad stories of loss too. Our hearts break for these families. 

So many are praying for help.....

1 Kings 8:28

New International Version (NIV)

²⁸ Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.

All hope is not lost.  Even though, there are those who will have trouble believing, but God is there. His heart is breaking for the families too. He wants to bring relief for all who are involved. He wants to bring back hope. He wants all to know that we can lean on Him.



Psalm 32:7

New International Version (NIV)
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Let's all pray, today, for more miracles to come to the families of Oklahoma!!!

Blessings!

More Than You Can Imagine!

Today was an wonderful, miraculous, day for the community in which our family lives. A little over one hundred and sixty people came together to pack nutritious meals for an organization called  "Kids Against Hunger" This is a faith based company that has determined to work to help end world hunger. In just about two hours this hard working group had put together over 53,000 meals. 

It was like a bee hive in the gymnasium. Everyone knew their job and everyone did their job, without any grumbling or fussing. They all seemed happy and willing to do whatever it took to get anything and everything done.  

As I looked around today and watched even little children working so hard, I could just feel the sweet presence of the Heavenly Father as He moved among us. He had to be smiling at the willingness of all in the room. 

In the book of Ephesians we can read about how He works through us to help us accomplish more than we ever thought humanly possible .... 

Ephesians 3:20

The Message (MSG)

²⁰ God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

God gave us all a heart that can be so compassionate. He gave us all abilities to make miracles happen. He isn't demanding or forceful. He just moves among us and works   through us, if we are willing....... 

He can make anything happen.  Just like the miracle that happened today, in an elementary school gymnasium, in a little town in Indiana.

Blessings!

Broken Bones

20 Not one of their bones

will ever be broken.

Psalm 34:20

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My poor grandson sure wishes that were true tonight. Today he was playing outside for recess and fell down onto his elbow. Some how he fell just right and broke it. He had to go into surgery to have it set with a couple of pins. Last I talked to his daddy, Joey was not a happy camper. Who can blame him? Sure wish I could be there to hold the sweet thing. 

Humans are so tough on themselves. We bruise, break, cut and burn ourselves all the time. As a matter of fact I was silly enough to step on a rake last evening and hit myself in the head. Still have the bump. What a goof. 

We are fragile. We do bend ourselves past the point of breaking all the time. Good thing we have a wonderful, loving creator who can heal our bones, mend our broken skin, soothe the hurts we have and bring peace to the weary.  

Psalm 147:3  tells us exactly that....... 

He renews our hopes
and heals our bodies.


So the next time you are hurting, no matter how the hurt came, remember to turn to the one who can and will make everything right!

Blessings!

Respect

      Those who respect the Lord will have security,
               and their children will be protected.

Proverbs 14:26

New Century Version (NCV)

I should be rejoicing today because Dr Kermit Gosnell was found guilty of murder, of the aborting and then killing  of three late term babies. He also was found guilty of manslaughter for the adult patient who died of a drug overdose on his table. Really, though, to me, it is sad. The District Attorney is seeking the death penalty for him. Honestly another death will never bring back the lost lives taken by Dr. Gosnell. 

We need to respect life, but more importantly we need to respect the creator of life. He understands the balances that should to be maintained to keep our world healthy enough to protect our children. 



 There are always consequences for any action. The choices to disrespect life, especially the lives of innocent women and children, have bearings on the whole world.  There are great imbalances of the female population, in a few countries, all because of the preference to have boys. Many, many problems go along with this decision. 

Whole species have become extinct because of the lack of respect for the lives of animals. Now don't get me wrong, I know that God made them to provide food and clothing for us, but with proper care and maintenance we do not have kill complete segments of them.  

We have Global Warming, Pollution, Famine and desolate lands. All of these things surely have God just shaking His head.  It was His intent for us to be care takers of the earth and all of it's inhabitants. Sometimes we get things just right but when we don't, well................

Life is an amazing, precious gift from God!  We all surely would do well to remember that!

Blessings!

Smoking Hot Soap Box

Ladies, I have to warn you that I am on my soapbox today!!

First let me tell you a little about myself. I am very short, could maybe lose a couple of pounds, have some gray hair and few wrinkles. I guess you would call me average. As grandmothers go I guess I am not horrible to look at, but one thing for sure is that no one can say that I am "Smoking Hot" and that is OK with me.

What makes me say all of that is the articles that I have been reading, about some pastors who have been posting, tweeting or blogging about their wives. They have been bragging about their "Smoking Hotness" and have even gone as far as posting pictures to prove it.  It is almost like they are trying to compete amongst themselves to see who has the most gorgeous partner.

To me this seems to go against what the scriptures say about a husband and wife relationship.

Husbands, go all out in love for your wives. Don’t take advantage of them. 

Colossians 3:19 The Message

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 
Ephesians 5:25 King James Version

It is wonderful when husbands and wives have a healthy, marriage, in every way, but that is something that needs to stay between them. To me posting pictures of your wives dressed scantily is not showing them the respect they deserve, and it certainly is not showing Christ's love to the woman that God has given you. It actually is getting pretty close to the porn that I am sure most preachers preach against.

Sweet women, we are wonderful and unique with all the gifts that God has given us. He does not want us to let ourselves be used in ways that demean us. Our husbands, who love us, should know this. 

I am happy to say my pastor husband loves me like Christ loves the church. Which means that our relationship stays where it belongs and that is between the two of us. Makes our marriage very special. 

My hope for all of you, whether you are married or you are going to marry, is that you remember God wants you to be respected and loved! My prayer for you, also, is that your husband remembers this too!! 

Blessings!

The Only Answer

As I was listening to the radio this morning a pastor made a statement that got me to worrying about some of our friends. Here is what he said......

"The person who I don't like is the person who thinks they have the only answer."  

He was quoting people who do not like this verse.....


John 14:6 (NIV)

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The pastor then said "This very same person would not say anything like this if they were at the doctor waiting for an answer to a cure, or a person sitting in a failing airplane waiting for the pilot to correct the flight." 

This is so true. We would want these people to have all the answers. 

So many want to believe that there are many ways to heaven. They want it to be that if they are good people that will be enough.  Some think that if they pray to the right idol that will be enough. Or if they follow their leader to the ends of the earth, that will be enough. Others even believe that they are a god as well and that in themselves is the answer to the after life.

But they are missing the mark in the saddest way concerning their eternity. 

We all miss the mark some times. Some run a red light. Some drop the ball in an important game. I missed the mark last night when I had to be at a meeting in Indy and was not at Riley's band concert. He received an award that none of us knew he was getting. I missed seeing that. 

All these things are things that we can never have a do over on. You can't change what has happened. Time cannot be reversed.

The good news for the ones who have trouble with the fact the Christ is the only way, do have time, as long as they are living, to come to an understanding of the truth of this.

Because eventually we will all believe these scriptures...

Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)

 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

So everyone will acknowledge who Christ is, sometime in our existence, either while we are living or after we have passed to the next life, everyone will bow.... 

My hope for you, Dear ones, is that you bow now. Pretty soon there will not be a chance for a do over. You will miss mark and it will be too late.

Please don't miss the mark......

Blessings!

Stretching our Abilities

This last weekend I was installed as the treasurer of a local charity that our church supports. Now, I have never really considered myself to be a numbers person. I can add and subtract, of course, but math was just never my favorite subject.

The person whom I am replacing has been the treasure for 15 years and is very organized. When I first started feeling like I should do this job I thought God must be crazy to be laying this on my heart. I just didn't feel adequate for the job. The feeling, however, would not go away. It became stronger and stronger.  

Then one Sunday Rodney preached on this very thing. Well not the actual charity, but on God trying to get us out of our comfort zones and getting us to grow and stretch ourselves in the work that we have been called to do. 

That was the Sunday I couldn't hold back on this anymore.  I mentioned my feelings to the outgoing treasurer and that was all it took. The board jumped on this and before you knew it I was elected. 

Have you ever had something that keeps coming to mind and it just won't go away? What do you think that is? I think it is the Holy Spirit nudging you and getting you ready to step up to the plate for the next thing in your life. Sometimes we are in denial about our feelings, sometimes we can't wait to get started and, like me, sometimes you think that God has gone crazy.

But you know what? God will not call you to something that He won't help you through. I love this passage from Isaiah.....


Isaiah 41:9-10
Common English Bible (CEB)

9b “You are my servant;
I chose you and didn’t reject you”:
10 Don’t fear, because I am with you;
don’t be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
I will surely help you;
I will hold you
with my righteous strong hand.

Also my favorite verse, of the whole Bible, comes to mind....  

Philippians 4:13

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

These are wonderful reminders that if God calls you to anything, He will not desert you after you get there. He will hold on to you and help you through the challenges of learning new and different things.





I pray that you, and I pray that I, remember these passages as we move ahead into our new adventures. Who knows we might learn something about ourselves and realize that we are stronger and smarter and wiser than we ever knew. 



Of course God has known this all along!!!


Blessings!

In God We Trust

Jeremiah 48:17
17 Grieve for this nation,
you neighbors of Moab,
all you who know his name.
Proclaim how its mighty scepter
and magnificent staff are shattered!

Every time we turn on the TV we hear of something that is wrong. Sometimes it is about a bomb, sometimes it is about abuse from a teacher or a student, at other times it is about our government and the fighting going on amongst the parties. The news is full of things that make us think that this world is falling apart at the seams. I think we as people love to hear about the gruesome and the sad. I don't know, but maybe it makes us feel better about our lives and the minor things that we just can't seem to figure out. 

But for sure, our nation is changing. We are becoming more and more numb to the things that would have bothered us just a few years ago. Even we as Christians are more excepting of things we know are not of God. The verse from Jeremiah does say it so perfectly. We should grieve for the ways of our past. We should grieve for what our country was founded on and seems to have forgotten. "In God We Trust", that is what is on our money. But do we?

All is not gloom though. Spring has sprung. The flowers are blooming . God with all his grace still loves us and wants the best for us, everyday. He wants to bless us and make it so life is sweet and good. All we have to do is let Him.

Here is a prayer we should all lean on

Psalm 67:1
Let God grant us grace and bless us;
let God make his face shine on us, Amen.

Then maybe the next time we turn on the TV we can see how good this world really can be!

Blessings!

March Boldly!

Have you ever looked at your calendar, for the week, and thought how am I going to get everything done?  

Or how about, you are starting a new job or responsibility and you think, "I hope I can do and be what everyone thinks I can be."    

Maybe you are giving a presentation and you are not comfortable speaking in front of a group.

What if you know you have to speak to someone with some unpleasant news and confrontation is not your thing. 

There are so many things we women need to do that we don't always feel equipped to handle. We do not always have a good opinion about ourselves. The world can beat all of us down. It can get us to thinking that we aren't worth anything and that we sure can't lead the world, or anyone, in this march of life.

I love the picture that I found for this blog. We can't see who these marchers are but you look at the picture and can really feel their confidence and their strength. You don't get the feeling that they are scared or unsure of themselves at all.

Satan loves for us to doubt ourselves. He loves it when we just can't seem to get it all together. If we forget that we as Christians can do anything with God's help, he gets such a kick out of that. He knows that we have lost our focus on the one who gave us life and who will do anything for us.

If we forget to to lean on God we are giving Satan way too much power over us. Then the doubts get worse and the fears set in and we slump through the world, hoping to get by.

Again the Scriptures have something to tell us...................

2 Chronicles 20:17

Just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and watch God’s saving work for you take shape. Don’t be afraid, don’t waver. March out boldly tomorrow—God is with you.”

God wants us to stand firm on what we know to be true. He wants us to drop our fears and doubts. He wants us to hold our heads high and remember that everything will be OK. We can face tomorrow and know that what ever it brings we are ready and we are not alone.

So let's stand up straight, get into formation and start marching!

Blessings!!!

Old Friends

Just hung up the phone from spending the evening with an old friend from Minnesota. Her family and ours have known each other for around a dozen years.

The first time I met her was Riley's first day of First grade. She was his aide in the building. I have to tell you at first we just couldn't believe she was for real. This woman genuinely loved her job. She genuinely cared about our child. And was so enthusiastic about making sure that we as his parents were kept up on everything that happened in his day. Good or bad.

We had some good teachers and aides during the years Riley was in Preschool and Kindergarten. We just had not had the experience of someone who took their job to heart so much. She also blew us away by how honest and God fearing she was. Riley sure blossomed under her care.

Over time we met the rest of her family and a wonderful friendship grew. Our husbands got along great, her boys loved Riley and she and I just melded into the kind of relationship where we could be ourselves and never have to worry about what that meant. Our families have been though a lot together. Not sure what we would have done without them during a dark period of in our life.

Even after Rodney and I moved from Minnesota and went back into the ministry, the relationship stayed strong. God has been so good by getting us together.

As good a friend as Anne is to me and I to her, she and I both know who our best friend in this world is. Of course that is God..... 

Lamentations 3:22

Common English Bible (CEB)

² Certainly the faithful love of the Lord hasn’t ended;^[a] certainly God’s compassion isn’t through!

God's love for us is never ending. He never ceases with His compassion for us. He let's us be ourselves and cares for us no matter what!

We can go through dark times with Him, we can go through  good times with Him and His love remains the same. Isn't it refreshing to have a wonderful friend like that?

My hope for you is that you do!!

Blessings!!!

Harassed but not abandoned!

Wow, sometimes we humans, and the equipment we use, just seem to make things harder than they need to be! I just spent the morning at the church doing a job that I thought would take only about an hour to do.  It ended up that I was there working at it for almost three hours.

Our computer for worship kind of bit the dust so a new one was needed. I like to help Rodney with computer hook ups because he really does not like that part of using them. Normally I am quite proficient at it, but not this morning. 

First, this is a new operating system and I had to acquaint myself with the nuances of it. Then I had a mistype that made me have to start completely over on the setup. After we got it positioned where we are going to use it, for worship, we realized that the monitor plug is different than the projector's we needed to plug it in to. So, really, I'm not finished yet, when you think about it. We still need to get a different hook up cord.

I catch myself saying, a lot, "Why does everything have to be so hard?" Nothing ever seems to come easy. Even on things that I feel I am more than qualified to do. How about you? Do the things of life get to you too?  

I sometimes just throw pity parties for myself when in reality my life is perfect compared to what others go through. 

There is an American pastor in Iran who has been put into prison because of his faith and is suffering from organ failure. Christians in China are being tortured for their faith. There was a Christian policeman, in Tulsa OK, that was reprimanded because he would not attend an Islamic service where the police were going to be made to participate. I know a sweet little Christian lady who has suffered so much with her health, but every time I see her she is smiling. Rodney and I know of a missionary couple who are about to move away from everything they have accomplished where they are now serving, and start again in another city. We also know of a missionary who lost his son to gunfire in the country he is serving and he is still there, working harder than ever. 

Life for all these wonderful people is hard and challenging but they continue in their convictions. They continue to follow and love our Lord.  

These verses seem to be their motto.....

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

Common English Bible (CEB)

⁸ We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren’t crushed. We are confused, but we aren’t depressed. ⁹ We are harassed, but we aren’t abandoned. We are knocked down, but we aren’t knocked out.

James 1:12

New International Version (NIV)

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

When I read about these people and I watch the saints that I am around,  I marvel at their strength. I'm sure that they feel like having pity parties too, but they hang in there. They don't give up and they don't give in to the stresses of this world. Instead they look to the one who has promised to always be there for them, knowing that some day the cares of this world will all go away.

So instead of pity parties maybe we could all try harder to remember         II Corinthians 4:9a..."We are harassed, but we aren't abandoned."

Blessings Dear Friends!!!