For Someone who will always have a place in my heart...

 

Come Back To Me- JJ Heller

For someone who will always have a place in my heart.
                   
                                                  You are worth the wait.

                                                                      I love you!
             

Getting out of the puddles to swim in the ocean

I know that it has been a while since I have last written. A lot has occurred since my last post. A lot has changed in me as well. Through it all Gods love and grace have carried me through!

Most recently I have been learning what it means to truly know who I am in Christ. I have also been learning what it means to be content with those who do not know me for me.

This can be exceptionally difficult when others are bent on their one idea of whom you are without actually getting to know you. I understand that much of our perspectives of each other are bent towards what we have heard from others. This can be either beneficial or more of a hindrance depending on whether the words spoken about you were formed from truthful or lying lips. Most of those who spend time with you, know you,  and they are going to be able to decipher between a truth and a lie about you.

I have experienced both as have the rest of us. What is most interesting to me is how often we do this towards God as well. We hear this or that happening. God did this. God did that. Depending on how often we spend time with Him will determine greatly how we perceive what we believe about what others are saying about Him. If we are rarely praying, rarely reading the Bible, and only spending time with Him at church, I can guarantee you that doubts can set in about His character because you do not know Him that well. I also guarantee you that when you have a shallow relationship with God, the Truth and Love from God dwindles out of your life slowly, and one does not even realize that instead of swimming in an ocean of His Love and Truth, you are only stepping in puddles of what is left.

Many years ago, I remember standing in puddles. I did not like what I saw. I felt lonely, sad, and weak. The reason for the way that I felt came from the fact that I did not know God on an intimate level. Instead of talking to Him everyday, sacrificing my time to spend with only Him, and giving up my own life to obey Him, I was being selfish and stubborn (I was also believing lies about Him and lies about myself). In that selfish, stubborn, confused state, I did not realize how I was robbing myself of the joy, freedom, peace, and love that God wanted me to live in every day.

Now that I am swimming in this ocean, I have found that living life is worth every second. There is no time to lose and no talent that should be left hidden for the Lord. He is ready and willing to take you in. He wants to show you His heart full of Love for you. There is no depth, nor height that can separate you from His Love!

 Romans 8:38-39 states:

³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
  ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (ESV)

So... even if you believe lies about God or someone else, or live stubbornly in puddles rather than in the ocean of His love, He is pursuing you. You cannot run fast enough, hide in a dark enough hole, or do anything so bad that He would ever stop loving you. No, whenever you are ready to jump into the ocean out of the puddles He is waiting, arms and heart open just for you.  

The NIV Leadership Bible

          

The NIV Leadership Bible is a good devotional Bible that comes with 15 minute devotions that you can read for up to 52 weeks out of the year. I particularly liked the short insights that are on many pages that pertain to leadership styles/profiles based on certain scripture passages. These help bring some clarity to a passage or help you to see the leadership skills that can be adapted into your own life. The weekly devotionals incorporate many profiles of leaders throughout the Bible as well as instructions to help one grow deeper in the Lord. These insights, and instructions to read other verses within other sections of the Bible are great ways to learn and incorporate more scripture into your life.

Another important detail that I liked was that in the devotionals they recommend additional reading and verses to memorize.  To me it seemed that through all of this, they were encouraging the readers to spend more than just 15 minutes in the word of God but rather to make it a part of their life throughout the day. Memorizing a verse often helps one to meditate on God's word. It helps to engrave it in ones mind and heart. Because of that I was impressed that this was a part of the recommendations.

If you are looking for a Bible that has more in depth information including study notes, Greek/Hebrew translations and more, then look on. But if you are looking for a Bible that incorporates devotionals with a leadership focus, with the NIV translation, then this Bible is a winner. No matter what Bible you want or are using, just make sure that you are spending time reading it and understanding what it says.

I received this Bible from Booksneeze.com for free. No one forced me to write a review. These opinions are my own.

Hope amidst winter

Life can be so difficult and painful. 

Even when the sun is shining and the birds are singing, inside your heart it can still feel like winter.

In some sense I have a few areas in my own life where it still feels like winter. 

I have been waiting and waiting for spring to come while expecting a long, beautiful summer to follow.

I know that it is during those moments when I feel like giving up most, that I have to truly believe that spring is on the verge of breaking through. How do you break free from the grips of waiting for a miracle time after time, for years, with the only result being tears?

With so many tears, one would think that a sea would have been formed from them. But there is no sea to reveal this hard journey. Deep down I truly believe that the Lord waters a beautiful garden with our tears to be able to bring forth growth that would never have taken place without them. 

Dear one, if you feel like you are still in winter or maybe even a blizzard, have hope that spring is on the verge of breaking forth.

Last night I watched October Baby. If you have yet to see that movie I suggest that you do. It is a great story based on a true one! The messages were powerful. God was speaking to me throughout the entire movie as I was asking Him a series of questions about some people that have walked out of my life.

What I was able to relate to was the rejection the main character felt. She desired a relationship with someone who abandoned her more than once. Abandonment. It is a horrible thing to know how it feels like. And it is something that I feel I have had a taste of.

To these people I say this, "Maybe without me 

                                          You'll return to all the beauty I once knew..." 

But they are gone now, frozen in the dead of winter. And I am left here wondering if they ever existed.

So here I am. It is still winter. I watch and wait for the rays of sun to melt the ice and bring love. There is a hope in me that my God will come and breathe a breath of life back into them. It is the hope of sharing "all the beauty I once knew" in their presence of restored unity and love, that keeps me from burying them.

(Quote from the song "Broken Pieces" - Apocalyptica)

Simply Delicious Amish Cooking, Sherry Gore

 

I have been delighted with the Simply Delicious Amish Cooking book by Sherry Gore. The book as a whole is put together very well, with the real life stories strategically placed along certain recipes. The recipes are easy to make and remarkably delicious too! In some sense I felt like I have pieces of history at my hands when I read through this book and even have a taste of history after successfully completing a recipe.

With the recipes and stories coming from the Amish of Sarasota, Florida, it makes me feel as if I have a piece of understanding of the life these people live. It is more personal and more of a treasure than most other recipe books that several people may own themselves because of the history and people these recipes come from. With these reasons, it is why it makes this recipe book so special. I would recommend, Simply Delicious Amish Cooking, as a great gift for any cook, and baker.

By far this cookbook will remain special to me for many years. I will continue to use different recipes that make people rant and rave over the delicious taste, and sweet aroma from the savory food I am able to bake from, Simply Delicious Amish Cooking.

I received this book from Booksneeze.com and these opinions are my own.

Like a ton of bricks! You must read Accidental Pharisees by Larry Osborne

Accidental Pharisees by Larry Osborne is packed full of hard-core truth. There will be moments when it feels like a brick hit you over the head as you realize the moments you became an accidental Pharisee. Perhaps you are one now. Other times you will realize that the church as a whole has received their label of being too judgmental, and too self-righteous because many walked down the path of becoming an accidental Pharisee.

Full of grace and biblical truth, this book will walk you through practical ways to avoid pride and reveal the heart of God for His church at the same time. Accidental Pharisees addresses the sinful nature of man that we too often can slip into as Christians sitting in the pew, volunteering, or as Pastors. This book is intended to challenge you. I always love challenges, which is part of the reason why I would recommend this book to all followers of Jesus.

From an aspect of Pastoral leadership, I would say that this book would be a great one for your church staff or Bible study groups to go through together. There are questions to reflect on after each of the seven parts. This is a topic that must be brought up, taught, and not left ignored in the church and in our own lives. We must see pride, exclusivity, and the heart of a Pharisee for what it is, rather than justifying it. As followers of Christ we must be willing to look at the issues we have tried to justify and call it out for what it is. Sin.

Becoming an accidental Pharisee is something that we are all guilty of at one point in our life or another.  Not one of us is perfect. Despite that, what matters is that we remain true to the gospel as Larry stated. We need to always remember that it has never been about us, but it has always been and forever will be about God and what He has done for us.

Read Accidental Pharisees by Larry Osborne. I dare you!

I received this book from Booksneeze. All of these opinions are my own.

Hope!

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Recently, I have found myself excited over some things that I never thought that I would be so ready for. There is a renewed sense of hope in my being that has truly helped me to deal with the ache in my heart over the loss of special individuals in my life.

With this, I have found a new sense of creativity to write. I have been combining and mixing in the perspectives I think could come from my husband and stepdaughter in with my own thoughts and feelings. When you are so connected with someone, there are times when his or her own pain feels very much like your own. If you read my writings keep this in mind. Do not assume you know the entire picture.

Hope! There is so much to hope for.  Joy can be yours despite the circumstances that surround you. When things look impossible and hopeless beyond repair, God is doing what He does best. He is working out things for your good that never would take place without every circumstance and situation occurring as it has. 

Everything that has occurred in my life has given me a choice. I can choose to let it make me bitter or I can choose God and allow Him to make me better through it all. This choice is daily, sometimes even an hourly decision depending on the difficulty of the task. I have chosen God over everything. I choose Him now and forevermore. I will not wait to choose Him until tomorrow or the day after that. I will not wait for certain people to do certain things, nor depend on them for my needs. Instead I will forevermore choose God.

God knows me. He has my entire being memorized. It is my desire to know the deepest parts of who He is. I long to hear His heartbeat, to know and listen to His voice above all others, as well as allow Him to love through me. His love casts out all fear. His love heals. His love convicts and brings a cleansing joy over those who surrender and serve Him. It is a love that is unconditional (yet He does not put up with sin for this damages and destroys whom He loves), it is slow to anger (no instant, raging outbursts from Him), and it conquers all things and never fails. This is only a short description of true love, Agape.

Being an imperfect individual being perfected by the maker of Love, I know that I am and will forever learn what His love looks like depending on the person and situation. It is hard because often, even those of us in the church, think that love means very much what the world thinks of it. The world thinks that by loving a person we allow them to continue in destructive behaviors and lifestyles. This goes from one extreme to the next, as long as they are happy. This could mean sexual orientation, other lifestyles, speaking white lies, and even gossip/slander. 

God does not like even a hint of darkness in our lives. Let me say that again, not even a hint! It is this way because He alone knows just how much one small compromise or one small attachment of sin can tumult itself into destruction for one person and then, entire families.  For this reason, it is imperative that we make a choice daily to give up of ourselves and allow God to reign in every aspect of our heart, mind, body, and spirit. There can be no compromise, only true, full devotion.

With this in mind, God knows that we all make mistakes and stumble along on our journey. What matters here is the heart. Where is your heart? What is in the deepest parts of your heart that often is hidden from others, yet exposed to God? Do you long for Him to have every part; all the imperfect pieces, the hurt? Will you allow Him to heal you, to perfect you into His likeness so that you can understand more fully His love? It is only by giving up of yourself that you will find yourself more in His presence. He does not force us to dwell with Him. It is our choice. 

Choice. If we choose Him there is so much more joy, hope, faith and love than we could ever fathom. I choose Him. It is why I have hope today.