Morning Tea!! ITS BACK!

I receive this from my dear friend Cheryl, who gets it from her sister in law. Whoever writes this is awesome. This always speaks to me.

Are you responding to pressures or priorities?

"He shall . . . wear out the saints." Daniel 7:25

One day a caterpillar met a friend at the psychiatrist's office and asked, "Are you coming or going?" His friend replied, "If I knew that, I wouldn't be here!"

Satan's goal is to wear you out until you don't know whether you're coming or going! He does it by weighing you down with things that aren't necessarily sinful, but drain you physically and emotionally. Daniel says in the last days the enemy will "wear out the saints." If you doubt it, look at the pressures you face every day - work, finances, church commitments, and family. No wonder you're frazzled!

Paul says, "Let us lay aside every weight . . . and . . . run . . . the race . . . set before us" (Hebrews 12:1). Knowing what to pick up and what to set down is your job - not God's.

Establish priorities, then discipline yourself to live by them. Nobody was more dedicated to God's work than Jesus, but even He needed time alone with His Father. One of the first priorities set by the New Testament church leaders was to dedicate themselves to God's Word and prayer. How? By assigning others to handle the administrative load. (See Acts 6).

Learn: (a) what to offload, (b) what to delegate, (c) what not to pick up in the first place. And saying, "I don't have time," doesn't cut it. Everybody gets the same 24 hours to respond to either pressures or priorities. Decide what to set aside for now, and what to unload for good. Don't get so involved with the work of God that you neglect the God of the work!

More Journal songs...

As I sit in my prayer time and bible study each day I have music on....as things bless me or are relavent to what I am studying, I write it down. Each time I hear this...I am convicted....by the words...."Did I point to you ENOUGH to make a mark on things...."

Nichole Nordeman (my hero - although I don't know her, I think I want to be her when I grow up)

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter.......much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world


I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthly list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one...

by Nichole Nordeman 2002 Ariose Music

If ever there were an anthem or a prayer for my life, this is it...

MISTAKEN By Warren Barfield

I shouldn’t have to tell you who I am
Cause who I am should be speaking for itself
Cause if I am who I want to be
Then who you see won’t even be me
Oh the more and more I disappear
The more and more He becomes clear

Chorus:
‘ Til everyone I talk to hears His voice
And everything I touch feels the warmth of His hand
‘ Til everyone I meet
Sees Jesus in me
This is all I wanna be
I wanna be mistaken
For Jesus
Oh I wanna be mistaken

Do they only see who we are
But who we are should be pointing them to Christ
Cause we are who He chose to use
To spread the news
Of the way the truth and the life
Oh I want all I am to die
So all He is can come alive

‘ Til everyone I talk to hears His voice
And everything I touch feels the warmth of His hand
‘ Til everyone I meet
Sees Jesus in me
This is all I wanna be
I wanna be mistaken
For Jesus
Oh I wanna be
Oh I need to be mistaken
For you
Oh I wanna be mistaken

BRIDGE:
May He touch with my hands
See through my eyes
May He speak through my lips
Live through my life
I want Him to
I want Him to live

More journal songs...How Could I Ask For More?

I am always touched when I hear this song and I am thankful for simple blessings....the sun, the moon, the grass, the sand, the snow, nature around me....trials, heartache, the smile on my childrens face...

HOW COULD I ASK FOR MORE - Cindy Morgan From Real Life

There's nothing like the warmth of a summer afternoon
Walking to the sunlight, and being cradled my the moon
Catching fireflies at night
Building castles in the sand
Kissing Mam's face goodnight
And holding Daddy's hand
Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more

Running barefoolt in the grass
A little hide and go seek
Being so in love, that you can hardly eat
Dancing in the dark, when there's no one else around
Being bundled 'neath the covers, watching snow
Fall to the ground
Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more

So many things I thought would bring me happiness
Some dreams that are realities today
Such an irony the things that mean the most to me
Are the memories that I've made along the way

So if there's anything I've learned
From this journey I am on
Simple truths will keep you going
Simple love will keep you strong

Cause there are questions without answers
Flames that never die
Heartaches we go through are often blessings in disguise
So thank you Lord, oh thank you Lord How could I ask for more

Shane and Shane still ROCK!

Songs in my journal from August 16th

yearn by shane barnard
holy design
this place in time
that i might seek and find my God
my God

Lord i want to yearn for You
i want to burn with passion
over You and only You
Lord i want to yearn

Your joy is mine
yet why am i fine
with all my singing and bringing grain
in light of Him

oh You give life and breath
through Him You give all things
in Him we live and move
that's why i sing


mercy reigns by shane barnard

she hides her face, it seems too good
for Your embrace to find her
and say, "my dove, your voice is sweets
how me your form... your form is lovely"

Your mercy reigns
Your mercy comes
Your mecy falls
and rises with the sun
Your mercy reigns
Your mercy comes
Your mecy falls
and rises with the sun
its new every morning
its new every morning
its good enough for me

no ear has heard a melody
as sweet as yours for her
it seems too good, so undeserved
my heart faints now, for we are her

Your mercy reigns
Your mercy comes
Your mercy falls
and rises with the sun
Your mercy reigns
Your mercy comes
Your mercy falls
and rises with the sun

i will abide in Your love, Your love(song of solomon 2:14, lamentations 3:22-23)

AUGUST 17th I got a new brother!

Today 29 years ago, I got a new sibling. My brother. He is such a charmer. He is so kind and generous. He is so tenderhearted. He is humorous, he has been the source of a lot of laughter over the years.

He is such an awesome person and I love him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! BUB!!!!!!!

What is Grace?

This is a question in my study for this week.

What IS Grace? What is it?

Goodwill, Lovingkindness, undeserved favor....sure.

Here is the Websters version:

1. A characteristic or quality pleasing for its charm or refinement.
2. A disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill.
3. Mercy; clemency.
4. A favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence.
5. A temporary immunity or exemption; a reprieve.
6. Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people.
7. The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God.
8. An excellence or power granted by God.
9. A short prayer of blessing or thanksgiving said before or after a meal.


Our feable English language doesn't come close to defining what God's Grace is to us.

Ephesians 1: 1-2


1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to you....this is not just a salutation...for as much as Paul loved this church I think this is what he had in mind when he said....Grace to you from God...


grace:
1. that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech

2. good will, loving-kindness, favour
of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues

3. what is due to grace
the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace
the token or proof of grace, benefit
a gift of grace
benefit, bounty

4. thanks, (for benefits, services, favours), recompense, reward


So I say to you today.....GRACE! to you from God our Father....

I am forced to restore....

I studied Psalm 69 and in the first few verses David says. "I am forced to restore what I did not steal"

That jumped off the page at me, because of my background. Product of the times, statistics? I don't know the answer. I'd say alot has been stolen from me. And now, I am forced to restore it, myself. I felt that way for a long time. I had to be restored, I had to do it.

Memorial Day Weekend 1995. I made a commitment to God and started praying. I had some prayer books which really helped cuz they were full of scripture. So I could look them up and do a little reading.

From that time on I didn't always live right. I thought *I* needed to clean up my act. *I* needed to get myself right, before God would accept me. It has taken years to figure out that God is For Me. God Loves Me - as if there were no one else. He's not couting the hairs on my head...He Knows the number and it changes daily. He knows me that intimately. It is His desire to bless me, He's not out to get me. I finally "get it."

In the past 5 years I have read my bible alot and prayed. In the past 2 years I have really prayed for change. Change me. What I really meant, now I see....Restore me.

In the past year or so I have listened and learned from various teachers. One things I learned was how to study the bible. I definately learned to read beyond the Psalms. There was a time in my life where all I could do was say "help me God, please, if You're really there, help me." Now I say....Restore me, God I know you're really there, restore me.

The psalmist says...I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

All kinds of bad things have happened to me in my life, physical and sexual abuse, abusive relationships, divorce, abandonment, rejection....SO WHAT! *shrug* THANK GOD! Thank Him that I can shrug. It is the past, its over, I am indifferent. Now, I have a story to tell of restoration, reconciliation. My life can be a testimony to other who have been me, who are me. The me of yesterday.

I started doing some research on "restore" God says He Restores. He will restore.
Over and Over:

I will restore the ruins....Isaiah 44:26
I will restore so that you may serve.... Jer. 15:19
I will restore you to the promised land... Jer. 16:15
I will restore you to health and heal your wounds.....Jer. 30:17
I will restore your fortune, your home, I will rebuild you....Jer.30:18
Six places in Jeremiah God says I will restore your fortune

"I will restore Davids fallen tent, I wil repair its broken place, restore its ruins and built it as it used to be, so that the remnant of men and all the nations that bear my name may seek The Lord " Declares the Lord, who will do these things. Amos 9:11-12

I will restore twice as much and make you strong....Zechariah 9: 11-13

6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them. Zechariah 10: 6

Gods Word tells me....He is in the restoration business.

Debt of Gratitude By Andy Chrisman

You brought me back to life
You healed my broken heart
You've given me my sight
You've taken me by storm

You gave it all away
To come and rescue me
And day after day
Your love delivers me

What can I ever do to thank You
What do I owe You
What can I pay
My debt of gratitude
Grows everyday
And all I have to give
Is an offering of love
A sacrifice of praise

Held - Natalie Grant

In light of the recents deaths in my family I dedicate this to them.

Two months is too little.
They let him go.
They had no sudden healing.
To think that providence would
Take a child from his mother while she prays
Is appalling.

Who told us we'd be rescued?
What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?
We're asking why this happens
To us who have died to live?
It's unfair.

[Chorus:]
This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

This hand is bitterness.
We want to taste it, let the hatred know our sorrow.
The wise hands opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow.

[Chorus:]
This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

[Bridge:]
If hope is born of suffering.
If this is only the beginning.
Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

[Chorus:]
This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

August...August and everything after

Its the name of a great album...a great album by a good band. Its the name of the album because the writers birthday is in August.

Mine isn't...but thats still a good title.

August is here. I have had a new revalation...I should write. DUH!! How many times do I need to hear that, from friends, family, thoughts rollin' around in my head....hey jot that down...I should write about this or that.

okay
OKay
O-KAY!

How do I start it...what do I say...what do I write about? My life?

"Huh? I am not a bum. I'm a jerk. I once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends and... uh... my thermos. Huh? My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi."

Ok, not me...lets start over...

well, i guess you'll have to read the book. pray for me that I have direction, words, time, and good grammer...grammar? see I need help!

Again this is on my mind...it seems to be a theme these days.

Casting Crowns The Voice of Truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat
I'm in On to the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again, "Boy, You'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story
The Voice of Truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of Truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again, "Boy, You'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story
The Voice of Truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of Truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves aren't looking so high
From on top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus Singing over me

3rd Day Show Me Your Glory

I caught a glimpse of Your splendor
In the corner of my eye
The most beautiful thing
I've ever seen
And it was like a flash of lightning
Reflected off the sky
And I know I'll never be the same

Show me Your glory
Send down your presence
I want to see your face
Show me Your glory
Majesty shines about You
I can't go on without You, Lord

When I climb down the mountain
And get back to my life
I won't settle for ordinary things
I'm gonna follow You forever
And for all of my days
I won't rest 'til I see You again

Show me Your glory
Show me Your glory
I can't live without You

GREAT QUOTE:

God doesn't consult your past when determining your future!