I'm waiting

It has been awhile since I wrote a blog. Maybe I have been feeling to bloggy lately. I have thoughts I need to write down and express, I do in my journal but I have been thinking lately I need to connect to whom-ever out there.
I had a conversation with someone close and dear to me recently. He had questions about life and God just like so many of us do. The evil in this world is so in your face now days that it just makes you want to cry out "come quickly Lord Jesus." Everything that I see going on in this world points my thoughts in one direction, it won't be long until our Savior comes again.(one day to us is but a moment to God though, so we don't really know when it will be) Christ is coming to rescue us, but He will not rescue all of us. He will gather His faithful, people who have called upon His name and accepted His free gift of eternal life. A life with out heart-ache, physical pain, lose, and hardship, in a place that He is preparing right now at this time. A place that I know my mom, mom-in-law and others I have witnessed go before me now dwell. Where their questions about life and God have already been answered. My mom use to say that it is not for us to know the why of everything that God is doing in this world. It is for us to accept Him and His love for us and build a relationship with Him so that He can reveal to us, in His own time the answers we seek in life.

I wait in anticipation Lord, I will serve you while I'm waiting, I will worship while I'm waiting.

Hope or hopeless

My heart nearly aches to see our Savior come soon. As I witness and hear about so many things happening in this world, our country, our state, our town and our homes I cry out for Him to come and rescue us. I wonder how God himself can tolerate us. In my own world I hear about and witness stories of hurting children at school. I go home and cry out come quickly Lord. There is a story in every classroom. I don’t know them all but I know some and I hurt for these children and their families. So many families under fire from evil in this world, I wonder so often when God is going to reign Satan in and fight His final battle. I anxiously wait, and even though I try not to just sit around and wait I am guilty of wanting to cower and hide from the heart ache all around me. If I let my feelings control me some days I would hide in my home and not reach out, not seek to talk to anyone, not face so many thoughts. I know that is not what God would want of me. I battle with feelings, but I have come to learn just by listening and observing the world around me that I need to “empty me of the selfishness inside, every vain ambition and the poison of my pride, every foolish thing my heart holds to, Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you. Everything is a lesser thing compared to You.” (Chris Sligh)

I know you, or may not know you, whoever you are reading this. I may know your name and pray for you, but then again I may have only met you along life’s way, but I still lift you up to our loving Savior. He knows you and all about what is going on in your life. I talk to Him about you, but He knows all that I am saying and thinking even before it comes out of my mouth. I am relieved because some days I can only cry out to Him, I hurt to much. You are special to me, but you are even more special to your Father in heaven who waits to hear from you. You don’t have to be perfect, none of us are. He knows all about where you are in your life and where you have been.

As you examine your life and the world all around you, especially with what the world looks like right now do you have hope or are you hopeless for peace, for yourself and your family. The only eternal peace we can have is with God and the only way to Him is through a relationship with Jesus.

I linger here on earth because I still have work to do for Him.

The Christain World

The Christian world asks people if they have been saved. Some wonder what they need to be saved from. That is when we need to turn and look at our own life. Do we need to be saved from our own self? Do you sometimes look at yourself and say “I wish I would have made a better decision here or there.” Everyone does it, it is usually just a matter of time before you look back and wonder what would have happen here or there if I had done this or that differently.
Our sins, and yes everyone has sin, will someday catch up with us in one form or another. One of mine did just the other day. I was reading in my devotions the other day, and in it they talked about the verse in Ephesians 4:29 that says that we are not to use any foul or polluting language. At the time I didn’t even think about complaining as being a foul or polluting thing, but it goes on to say that murmuring and complaining is a pollutant in our lives and probably sounds like cursing to the Lord. Wow, that really affected me because I strive in my life to not let any thing that is a curse to the Lord come out of my mouth. It was very convicting to read that devotion. I am a complainer, to my family mostly, but that doesn’t matter, the fact is I do it, and too often. To the Lord it is a verbal pollution and to pollute is to poison. Have you ever stopped to think that you and I can poison our future by complaining about what is going on right now? In the devotion it says that when we complain about our current situation, we remain in it; when we praise God in the midst of difficulty, He raises us out of it. If we don’t fill our thoughts and conversation with good things, the devil will definitely fill them with evil things. Truly thankful people do not complain and are to busy being grateful for the good things in their lives. They have no time to notice the things they could complain about. That attitude only comes when we truly let God control out lives. He is the one who will convict us of this subtle, but very real sin. He convicted me, and now I will be on the look out for this sneaky, but life changing sin.

Kari's Blessings-----Read on

Ben and Kari

I was reading my niece and her husband’s blog a little bit ago, and it made me so proud of them that I needed to write about it. They live in Alaska and have 2 beautiful children, Joachim and Macrina. Kari was always one her mom and I worried about as she grew up. She was somewhat of a wild little girl, never really caring about what the next activity was just as long as she could keep moving. Curly blond hair that was out of control sometimes, at least if she had her way. Her mom had other ideas and tried to put pretty things in it. Kari was not going to have any of the girlie girl stuff though. That's what made Kari special then though and even more special now. My girls always loved going to Kari's house to see what Kari was doing now.
Kari is now a wife and mommy and loving it. She has her own little girl she is chasing around and trying to keep up with. Macrina is not a blond though; she has beautiful dark hair that is just as wild as Kari's ever was. Ben and Kari are living off the land somewhat, Alaska fish and salmon, wild game killed by Ben, making her own flour with other moms near by, chickens in a coop, goats and hopefully milk from them someday (they may be milking them now)and dogs. Kari has always had a passion for dogs, sled dogs for awhile and mushing for a short time. Kari and Ben live a modest life with God as the center of their life. Who else, but our Lord would have brought Kari this far. With her Grandma Tansey's prayers, which she bestowed on all of her grandchildren from the moment they were born, to her mom's love and patience, Kari has turned into a beautiful women. God showed Chris that even though she didn't exactly get the sweet girlie girl she wanted she got something better, she got Kari. I love you Kari

"Way to be honest Coach"

"Way to be honest Coach"

Scott was coaching at one of his 7th grade games the other day. After a hard serve from the other team the ball was heading out of bounce, but it was tipped by one of his players. The referee did not see the tip and gave the ball to Scott’s team. Scott immediately turned to the referee and told her his player tipped the ball, and that it should be the other teams. The point was credited and the ball returned to the other team. Scott was rewarded with one of his girls telling him with a smile “way to be honest coach.”

We never know here on this earth who is watching and listening in our lives. You don’t know what kind on impact you will have on someone else's life though simple acts. God knows though, He is always watching and listening, He knows every simple act, whether it comes from a heart of integrity or a heart on selfishness. Be careful as you go through your day, there may be no human to hurt or answer to, but the one who is all knowing and all loving is always there.

Missing Carole

Missing Carole

Cherish each day, it is a gift from God
Live as if this is the last day of your life
Love your family and friends as if you will never see them again
Ask for forgiveness right away, tomorrow may be too late

Reach out to others in love
You don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions
Love them like Jesus
Carry them to Him
Just stay by there side

Worship your maker today
As if you will be standing in front of Him tomorrow
Account for your sins, so that Jesus will forgive
And His grace can shine through

The Lord of all creation holds our lives in His hands