I Know...

We used to love to belt this song out on Friday afternoons

during music class at school.

 

What a blessing to know it in my heart now!

He Gives Me All...

 

 

“An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others.”  

― A.W. Tozer

 

 

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,

 saith the Lord Almighty.

 



(2 Cor. 6:18)

He Needs to be All...

Simply Said...

A

CHRISTIAN

FOLLOWS

 JESUS

(Jn. 10:27)

 and

PUTS

GOD'S

 WORD

INTO

PRACTICE

(Lk. 8:21).

The Christ Who Is...

“Thou art the Lord who slept upon the pillow,
Thou art the Lord who soothed the furious sea,
What matters beating wind and tossing billow
If only we are in the boat with Thee?

Hold us quiet through the age-long minute
While Thou art silent and the wind is shrill :
Can the boat sink while Thou, dear Lord, are in it;
Can the heart faint that waiteth on Thy will?”

  
― Amy Carmichael 

The Pure Word...



The Haven of Rest...

This is my testimony song.

What a joy to be free!

Free indeed.

Free in Jesus.

Restore Unto Me...

“The yearning to know what cannot be known, to comprehend the incomprehensible, to touch and taste the unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man. Deep calleth unto deep, and though polluted and landlocked by the mighty disaster theologians call the Fall, the soul senses its origin and longs to return to its source.”  

― A.W. Tozer

 

"Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation..."

 

(Ps. 51:12a)

Thanksgiving on Thursday...

Thanksgiving is an art to be learned, I am discovering through times and places and years that I travel. To practice praise is something that I think many of us struggle with. Somehow it is much easier to moan about the mundane, and to pout about the past, and to scowl about the sorrows that come our way.

Awhile ago, inspired by a woman who has chosen to praise the Lord in spite of sorrows that fell upon her in ways many of us cannot even imagine, I decided to practice praising. I didn't think that I was an unthankful person, but after I started focusing more on praise, I realized just how much the sorrows of life were pressing upon me and threatening to steal my joy. Yes, we should mourn for what is wrong, but we need to be careful that it isn't stealing our joy in Him away.

Joy is a precious gift that Jesus said that He came to give. (see John 15:11)

It is a fruit of the Spirit of the living God in the life of those who choose to walk with Him. (see Gal. 5:22)

As I've focused on praise amidst the sorrows, broken dreams, crushed hopes, lost friendships, and in a place of very vulnerable feelings, I have discovered the POWER that comes through praise!

And as I've become determined in practicing praise, it is AMAZING what I notice and how quickly I can step into the walking by faith and not by sight place that is so needful for the child of God.

Take last evening, for instance.


The last two weeks have been very busy. We have loved hosting 3 sets of guests in 2 weeks, having a huge family weekend 2 weeks ago but it is also summer and the garden is yielding prolifically and the grass grows fast between mowings. I came to last evening, and was weary. But I knew that I didn't want to wait to pick the beans until today because there was school to do and snapping the beans takes time, etc.


So after supper, I went out to the garden with my tote and started picking. The sun was a bit warmish and if anyone knows me, they know I do not like to be overly warm...Then my back started aching...I lifted my eyes and saw my dear, hardworking Farmer striding across the newly mown lawn (thanks to my daughters that afternoon!), coming to help me pick beans. After awhile, Daughter #2 came out to help (despite the fact that she had a headache).

The sun was going down in a blaze of glory as Daughter #1 came to the garden, having done the dishes (and was very tired, I knew) to help us finish picking. By that time, my back was grumbling and I took more and more breaks to stretch it out, while the bumper crop of beans filled almost 3 totes (bushels)!

photo credit: my beautiful friend, Rachel Pauline Stahl

Then I got to the end of my row, and behold, the blue moon (as I later learned that the full moon this season is called), was rising up over the treetops in the back 40. My heart skipped a beat as I stood there admiring it's stunning beauty as it slowly rose above the trees into the dusky sky.

How could I complain or be ungrateful when such riches  are mine?

I have a home, a safe haven from the winds that whip around my ship at times.
I have a husband who is home with me every night and who loves me and cares for me in hundreds of little and big ways each day.
I have 3 beautiful children who diligently help to fill the winter larder and who love to be home with their family.
There is beauty all around me, evidence of my Maker who is over all and through all and yet lives in my heart.

And there is a bumper crop of green beans that saved my husband hundreds of dollars, raised organically. I have freezers to fill for winter provisions and money to  pay the electric bill.

And then I didn't feel like complaining any more.

There is power in praise.

 

And for some reason, I am thinking of this song in relation to this all

so I decided to share it here as well. May you be blessed and changed

by practicing praise to the One who never changes.

 

 

As I practice praise, I find a new place of deep peace and rest

in a Father who has been looking out for me since I was born.

He has had my life planned since before the world ever began.

I find new footing, higher still on the craggy cliffs that

lead Home to my Father.

 

I am safe in His care.

Always.

 

It Caught my Eye...

Recently I recommended a devotional book to a friend, one that I had read and was very blessed by when I was a very young Christian:

What is the Father Like?

by Phillip Keller

 

 

It prompted me to get the book off my shelf and read it again.

The dedication caught my eye today as I opened the book,

and caused my heart to weep with sorrow for the many, many

children who grew up in 'Christian' homes but could never

truthfully say this about their parents:

 

"In Memory of my Dad,

who truly, truly

knew God."

 

Wow! What a blessing for a son to be able to say that

of his dad, and to dedicate a book about the

Father in heaven, to the memory of his father on earth.

 

Parents, let us walk in the light of His Word,

with Him every day,

so that we may bless our children with that same

Life and Light that we have been

commissioned to be His witnesses of!

 

First in our homes,

then in our communities.

 

If you want to read this book, it can be found on Amazon.

Burning Sands...

“Bare

 heights of loneliness...

a wilderness whose burning winds

sweep over glowing sands,

what are they to HIM?

Even there He can refresh us,

 even there He can renew us.”

― Amy Carmichael

The Pure Word...

All The Way...

 

"For I know whate'er befall me

Jesus led me all the way..."

A Cry for More...

“O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, ‘Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.’

 Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland

where I have wandered so long.”

― A.W. Tozer 

Thanksgiving on Thursday...

Today's post is given by my friend, Kristina Waldner, at my request. I am blessed to know her and to call her my friend, and little sister in Jesus.

flowers from my favorite garden
photo credit: Angela Zimmerman

"Thankful

  I sometime sit and reminisce what life used to be like without Jesus. It was dreary, it
was empty, it was miserable, it was full of bitterness, full of living completely  for
myself and yet never being satisfied. It was always looking for the new best thing to try
and find  happiness, acceptance and love.  So I am thankful for a new life in Christ.

A couple things stand out to me when I compare the old with the new. Family: I didn't
have the Godly family i wish I would have had, I don't have a whole childhood filled with
good memories, and my view of family before getting saved was very tarnished.  And now I
have been blessed to have been accepted and to be apart of a Godly family, Godly parents
guiding and striving to raise their family for God.  My view of family in these last
couple of years has been redeemed completely. I have seen and experienced how God
ordained and meant for family to be. And I am so thankful God gave me the chance to
experience such love in a home.

Before giving my life to Christ friendships were empty, time with friends was spent
wasted having empty fun. I knew that once I changed and got saved my friends would no
longer have a use for me. And so it was, but God so quickly put new friends in my life.
God has blessed me with friendships so close I couldn't have thought or imagined such
blessed friendships. There is fun, there is laughter, there is sharing , there is joy,
and their is real sisterly love in the friendships that God gives. I am so thankful that
God replaced my old friends with new ones that far surpass any kind of my choosing in the
old life.

I am thankful for new beginnings. Not just in family, friends, but literally a chance to
restart my life in a new place new home new people. I gave my life to Christ and instead
of taking me back to face my past he took me out of my home town, out of circumstances
and placed me in a completely new setting thus giving me the chance to start out from
scratch away from everything and everyone in the old life.

I'm thankful that God knows what I need better then I ever could, I'm thankful that the 
old me  was crucified with Christ and resurrected with Him a new person."

 

"Therefore, if anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation;

old things have passed away, and behold,

all things are become new."

My Place...

My Place in God's Eternal Purpose

by Brother Denny Kenaston

 

I heard this sermon the other day as I drove and I was so inspired and challenged.

Let's live our lives close to Jesus, ready to do His bidding and to serve

wherever He has called us, in every changing season of our lives.

Jesus Saves...

Jesus Saves…
                In my childhood and youth, we often sang the song

“Jesus Saves”

 in school, at church and at home. I loved singing that song, but since I’ve found life in Christ, it means ever so much more, and my heart beats with strong desire that my friends and neighbors will all truly KNOW that Jesus saves!
                “Jesus saves…” Two more powerful words can never be found for what mankind needs. They are the answer to the heart cry of every human being who has ever been born, the antidote to the terrible curse sin places on the soul. Jesus saves…and what He does, He does completely.

Jesus saves…

                When we are lost sinners in need of a complete change and freedom from the bondage of sin, He is there: the Redeemer, offering  Life beyond compare through repentant faith in His blood to save us.
                In the mad confusion when many different voices  swirl around us, He is there, holding out the light of hope, the anchor for the soul.
                In the betrayal we face when loved ones who once walked the way of truth with us, depart from the faith, captivated by the wonderful sounding words of a gospel message mixed with the wisdom of man or desiring to live life according to the dictates of self, He is there to keep us from losing faith in God, and to comfort us in our distress. He is a friend who sticks closer than a Brother, the only one who can truly be there to meet all the needs in our hearts.
                In the valley of devastation and disappointment so deep and so dark that we wonder if we will ever be on the mountaintop again, He is there to keep us from falling into bitterness and close-fisted demand of God to give us what we righteously dreamed of including in our lives, but instead living our lives in open-palmed gratitude and complete trust in Him to lead us exactly where and when and how we should go.
                In times of physical weakness when disappointment and toil drain us of our strength, He is there to minister life and healing to us, to guiding us to do tasks His wisdom has assigned us.
                When the heartache of wrongs done against us looms large in the foggy shadows of a rocky pathway, He is there showing  us the way of the Cross that leads Home to God, showing us how to surrender daily what wasn’t but should have been, and what should never have been, but was.  Oh, that we would run to Him, the Rock of refuge cleft for us to hide in, allowing Him to change us from our own sinful state to the His new nature of forgiveness and peace.

 

Jesus saves…

                Without Him, we are nothing.
                Without Him, we can do nothing of any eternal value.
                Without our acknowledging Him as the Redeemer we need, without entering into that place of being changed because Jesus saves, we are lost, in spite of every good thing we have ever done.       

Jesus saves…

                With Him, there is life beyond compare, even in the midst of loneliness, hardship and trial.        With Him, the eyes of our understanding are enlightened and we can know the Way to walk through the maze of life.
                With Him is all the comfort and protection we will ever find. He sticks closer than any father, mother, brother or sister on earth ever could.
                With Him, we can walk humbly with our God, fearing nothing or no one.
                With Him, we can be completely healed by His stripes, not crippled in bitterness and fear by past wrongs or sins.

Jesus saves…

                But He doesn’t force us to be saved. He gives us the opportunity to know that He saves, and to choose to reject or accept Him. Those who seek Him, find Him. Those who desire Him, He does not reject or disappoint. He loves all men so much that He died for every one of us. But only those who believe on Him know Him. And to know Him is eternal life, growing in Him in life so abundant that it can compare to nothing we know in the temporal world.
                If we are to truly know that Jesus saves (completely and wholly), we need humility. Insisting upon living our lives holding onto past hurts, blaming others for our sinfulness,  and slandering those who despitefully used us (saving our life, according to Jesus in Mt. 16:25) will not bring us to freedom in Christ. Not releasing the sorrows of this old world will ensure that we stay in bondage as we walk through life.

Jesus saves…

                He didn’t come to just forgive us and cleanse us from the sins we have already committed, but He came to SAVE us from the power of sin. He came to give us freedom from that helpless place of consistent sin we all know without His salvation. Do we understand this?! What freedom is found in Jesus’ blood and righteousness. There is no other way to true and complete victory.

Jesus saves…

Do you know it, dear sister? He came to change your life! How has He changed you?
Is He changing you daily, conforming you more and more into His image?

If He has changed you,  proclaim in your community the joyful sound that
Jesus saves?

Youth and aged alike need to know that
Jesus saves…

 

 

 

We have heard the joyful sound,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around (Mt. 28:18-20)
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
Bear the news to every land, climb the steeps and cross the waves,
Onward~’tis our Lord’s command,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.

~Priscilla J. Owens
(the song in all its encouraging entirety can be found in The Christian Hymnal #201)

Resting in Him...

 

“Strength

of my heart,

 I need not fail,
Not mind to fear

 but to obey,
With such a Leader, who could quail?
Thou art as

Thou

wert yesterday.
Strength

of my heart,

I rest in Thee,
Fulfil Thy purposes through me.”

― Amy Carmichael

The Pure Word...



Nearer My God To Thee...

 

Another favorite song of mine.

 

I am blessed to know the One who never changes.

The One who withholds no good thing from

them who walk uprightly.

 

The One who had my life planned since before the world began.

Real Faith...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

“Any faith that must be supported by the evidence of the senses is not real faith.”
― A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy    

 

 

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for;

the evidence of things not seen."

 

Hebrews 11:1

Thanksgiving on Thursday...

 

 

Recently, my daughters and I, along with 3 other friends too a road trip to
 a neighboring state to help with a widow's retreat.
 What a blessing to prepare for and serve 300 widows!

 

We were so blessed be able to fellowship with friends of like precious faith.

I was reminded of how I longed for several years for more fellowship,

and how God has brought me to a place of being totally in Him.

But oh, the benefits He daily loads me with,

including fellowship almost daily with people who seek to honor Him.

 

The last hour of our 4.5 hour ride home, we were encouraging one another in

psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, taking turns suggesting songs to sing.

 

One of us chose, "Be Thou My Vision" and while I have enjoyed that hymn

many times over, for some reason, as I drove homeward that evening,

the words struck a chord in my heart.

 

Oh may we live the words of this song prayerfully and carefully every day.

 

It is a blessing when we let Christ be our vision every moment.

A blessing indeed!

 

 

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Words At­trib­ut­ed to Dal­lan For­gaill, 8th Cen­tu­ry (Rob tu mo bhoile, a Com­di cri­de); trans­lat­ed from an­cient Ir­ish to Eng­lish by Ma­ry E. Byrne, in “Eriú,” Jour­nal of the School of Ir­ish Learn­ing, 1905, and versed by El­ea­nor H. Hull, 1912, alt.

Music: Slane, of Ir­ish folk or­i­gin (MI­DI, score). Slane Hill is about ten miles from Ta­ra in Coun­ty Meath. It was on Slane Hill around 433 AD that St. Pat­rick de­fied a roy­al edict by light­ing can­dles on East­er Eve. High King Lo­gaire of Ta­ra had de­creed that no one could light a fire be­fore Lo­gaire be­gan the pa­gan spring fes­ti­val by light­ing a fire on Ta­ra Hill. Lo­gaire was so im­pressed by Pat­rick’s de­vo­tion that, de­spite his de­fi­ance (or per­haps be­cause of it­), he let him con­tin­ue his mis­sion­ary work. The rest is his­to­ry.

 

 



To Know the Living God...

This sermon really blessed me last week as I drove around town hunting and gathering in preparation for hosting an upcoming family gathering. My heart beats with joy to know and seek the God of the ages, who has always been and always will be.

 

Be inspired as you listen:

To Know the Living God

by Denny Kenaston

Wear It Anyway...

I found this to be very thought provoking, shared by a friend on Face Book.

 It hit very close home to me as I labor in the vineyard. May we always abound

in the work of the Lord despite the naysayers, and those who do not

understand, whose eyes are blinded by the mixed religious garbage or

the religions that have forms of godliness without the power that

they wrap around themselves like a cloak of security.

 

 

WEAR IT ANYWAY!!

Wade Urban said something tonight that was so freeing to me.

He said that Joseph was given a coat of many colors by His Father to wear and

He knew that when He wore it that it made his brothers jealous

but he wore it anyway!!

 Why ,because His Father gave it to him!! 

He wore it knowing that he would be persecuted.

 Knowing that every time he put that coat on He was talked bad about

by his brothers who should have loved Him the Most!!

Many of you have been given a gift and a mantle to wear

and you have taken it off to keep people that are jealous of you happy

but I hear the Lord saying,

"You rise up and wear that coat anyway,because your Daddy gave it to you!!"

 He wants you to wear it and wear it well!!

Don't worry about your jealous brothers because one day 

God may use that very anointing to set them free!!!

Arise Shine, Jo Ellen Stevens

 



A Psalm of Life...

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

 

            A PSALM OF LIFE

 

      WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN
                    SAID TO THE PSALMIST

 

 

    TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
        Life is but an empty dream ! —
    For the soul is dead that slumbers,
        And things are not what they seem.

 

    Life is real !   Life is earnest!
        And the grave is not its goal ;
    Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
        Was not spoken of the soul.

 

    Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
        Is our destined end or way ;
    But to act, that each to-morrow
        Find us farther than to-day.

 

    Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
        And our hearts, though stout and brave,
    Still, like muffled drums, are beating
        Funeral marches to the grave.

 

    In the world's broad field of battle,
        In the bivouac of Life,
    Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
        Be a hero in the strife !

 

    Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant !
        Let the dead Past bury its dead !
    Act,— act in the living Present !
        Heart within, and God o'erhead !

 

    Lives of great men all remind us
        We can make our lives sublime,
    And, departing, leave behind us
        Footprints on the sands of time ;

 

    Footprints, that perhaps another,
        Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
    A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
        Seeing, shall take heart again.

 

    Let us, then, be up and doing,
        With a heart for any fate ;
    Still achieving, still pursuing,
        Learn to labor and to wait. 

The Pure Word...



A Wonderful Savior...

I have loved singing for as long as I can remember. Here is a song I loved when we sang in my childhood. It has more meaning to me today than it did back then, and still gives my soul a thrill.

Musings from a Roadtrip...

Recently as my daughters and a few friends were wending our way homeward after a few days away, I found myself pondering life as I navigated carefully through miles of road construction. As I drove

carefully through

narrow places

framed by

concrete

barriers,

I thought of

how we encounter tight spots in our journey to eternity and how sometimes it seems scary to enter those places.

But with Jesus as our Guide, we proceed, sometimes cautiously because we want to be

sure that we are doing the right thing, but always with a trust that He will see us

safely through. 

 

The way was well marked. As I drove along, I followed all manner of signs from

speed limit signs, directional guides (like "lane changes ahead" or "be prepared to stop"),

as well as signs to guide me to whichever route I needed to take to get me home.

I never had to wonder if I was on the right road, or if I

 

was driving the right speed

as long as I paid attention to the signs.

So it is in our climb heavenward.

 We are given the Holy Spirit to help us understand which way to take.

We have the Roadmap, the Word of God to guide us in every situation.

All we need to do is follow the signs, whether they be nudges from

the Holy Spirit, or commands/examples in the Bible.

 

I was blessed to ponder these things and I was so very glad to be home,

when finally we pulled in the drive!

 

stargazer lily from my garden
photo credit: Angela Zimmerman

 When we get to the end of the Way, what a day that will be!

 

Heaven will surely be worth it all,

Worth all the sorrows that here befall,

After this life, with all its strife,

Heaven will surely be worth it all.

 

Let's follow the Road signs and our Guide.

We will never be in want of direction when we stay

close to His side.

Thanksgiving on Thursday...

Thank you, God for this my daughter.

 

 

Thank you that she loves flowers and kittens and girly things.

Thank you that she loves to be a keeper at home.

Thank you that she loves to praise you in song.

 

 

Thank you that you have lent her to us for the past thirteen years.

She is sunshine in our home indeed!

 

 

Raise her up to be a godly woman, looking well to the ways of her

household in every stage of life you will bring her to.

 

 

Thank you, God for this my daughter.

Sent to me from you to show me that

without your power, I am nothing

and can do nothing...

especially can I not be a godly mother

without your abiding presence!